hey all, ive been thinking about this for a while. and it wouldnt be the whole collection, just stuff that was really important to me like my type set, and my ike, lincoln and peace dollar set( ike and peace dollar yet to be started but by the end of this year they will be). as well as some of my currency collection. and whatever i dont take to the grave ill give to my kids and or grandkids who will god willinglly also collect coins is this a good idea?
Personally I wouldn't take anything to my grave. Why deny the opportunity for family/others to enjoy the coins?
I'm not writing that you are selfish, but the idea seems selfish. Also, you might be setting yourself up for theft after death if you are handled by the wrong pair of hands during prep. Lastly, your family may simply ignore your wish, or fight about it internally, and this may cause tension or angst to the survivors.
This is exactly how I think. Its also the reason I, (if I ever had a good enough collection to warrant it), would never donate my collection to a museum either. We had a good time collecting these things, we learned a lot, they made our lives more full and complete. Why would I be so selfish as to deny the next generation the same opportunity? If all of these coins got buried or donated to museums, no one else will be able to enjoy what we have enjoyed. Personally, I know it will give me great satisfaction to know that my coins will be fought over, scrutinized, and give people joy when they obtain them after I am gone. I look forward to the next generation of collectors being excited to own coins I once owned, and hope they love them as much as I did. I have a son that is turning one year old. In the back of my mind I hope he gets the collecting bug, I encourage him, and give him a lot of coins. But, when I am gone, and he opens up the safety deposit box, I could just see his face saying "Holy crap.....................". Chris
EXACTLY!!!! I'm still upset with my Aunt over my Uncle's collection of ancients. When he passed many years ago, she donated his entire collection (it was vast and high quality) to a local museum. She did this without thinking because she was so upset. I cried....my Uncle and I spent hours and hours "playing" with his coins. I know he wanted me to have them.
I am sorry to hear it sir. The worst part is the museum does not want these, and the coins will end up sitting in the back, ignored, possibly damaged by someone "cleaning" them, or stolen. I had a friend who donated time at a large museum and any decent coin he could find that had ever been donated to the museum either was harshly cleaned or was just "missing".
I'm just throwing an idea out there. I am an avid coin collector for just shy of three decades. I am going to be buried with one coin from my collection. It's what many friends of mine have had done when the time came. I consider it symbolism, not selfishness. I had an uncle who had a nice plot of land, but for the last ten or so years of his life, he was unable to navigate his 160 acres without the help of his John Deere Gator. He was buried with a match box sized replica in his shirt pocket. Symbolism.
Folks it's not exactly a new idea. People over the millennia have had the desire to be buried with some of their belongings. It continues even today. Many are buried with jewelry items for example. So why not a few coins ? If that's what the man wants, who are we, or anybody else for that matter, to dispute or question his last request ? Should we not just honor it instead ?
Nothing wrong with that sir. I buried my mother with a $5 silver gaming token from her favorite casino in Vegas. I guess we are talking more being buried with a lot of your collection, not just one piece. Everyone just needs to remember that unless you only buy new coins, someone else, (and sometimes many, many others), owned the coins before you did. Aren't you glad they didn't bury them with them?
The pharaohs of Egypt were buried with gold coins, jewlery, and all sorts of stuff. Eventually all their stuff made it to the hands of grave robbers and to a lesser extent museums.
...and most of their bodies were burned as firewood. Those that weren't are sitting around in museums today. Not quite the best argument for someone discussing their final resting place.
I guess because he asked us to. Personally, I don't see any reason to take things to the grave. Perhaps a flower in your lapel, so you'll look nice, but you may as well just throw the coins into a lake. You'll get the same result.
The pharaohs of Egypt did not have gold coins. Coinage wasn't widely used in Egypt until the Persian period at the earliest and even then they preferred silver over gold.
I think it's selfish that people want to take up a small rectangle of the earth with a stupid concrete plaque with your name on it that could be used for something more important instead. Cremation is the way to go in my opinion, have your loved ones turn your ashes into a diamond, much more cooler than rotting 6 feet under. :thumb: