Rule #1 of coin collecting: Buy the book before buying the coin.
Some tips to avoid getting scammed by CL losers...
1) Danbury Mint, Franklin Mint and anyone like that do NOT make coins. They make tokens and medals, and the vast majority are WORTHLESS to true collectors. Coins are only made/commisioned by national mints, must show their value in the currency of the country and must be current or historical legal tender.
2) Coins that are certified are almost always worth more than the same coin in raw condition. The top three certification companies are NGC, PCGS and ANACS. All the other ones are sketchy and their certifications are not always reliable.
3) Don't fall for dumb stories like "I heard one of these sold for xxxx!!" It's always a lie. Claims like that not supported by a link to the auction sale record are scams.
4) The coin certification companies have web pages that not only tell you the estimated value of a certified coin, but also it's auction value history. NEVER BUY A COIN before checking these pages:
http://www.ngccoin.com Click on "Resources" and "Price guides"
https://www.pcgs.com/prices For US coins only