Do You Actively Collect Foreign Coins?

he has taken my post in the way it was meant................tongue in cheek:yes:

 

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I think that mentality about us coin collecting only is the same everywhere. I'm in Canada and most of the old timer collectors collect solely Canadian coins with a bit of American. The same is probably said for Japanese collectors in Japan collecting mainly Japanese coins and considering all else "foreign" coins.
I like this ignorance as it helps me to cherry pick the heck out of them. There was been times where I have found $100-500 coins in the dealer's foreign junk bin for a quarter each. Knowledge is power. I wonder after those European countries joined the European Union, how did that affect the people's collecting habits? Since those countries now had a common currency, would they now be more open to collect the old currency/coins of member nations?

 

Yes I actively collect foreign coins, USA amongst them.

 

Dunno, I have never collected "domestic only". But I suppose that those who focus on euro circulation coins are not that interested in pre-euro coins. Even today's collector coins (usually gold and silver) are legal tender in the issuing member state only. So people who primarily collect what they find - or at least could find - in circulation (ie. the regular coins and the €2 commems) may not be interested. But those who like, say, Austrian or Finnish coins because of the themes or designs may well collect earlier coins from there as well.

Was that vague enough?

Christian

 

The foreign coins I have tend to be modern silver. I do have some Third Reich and older Soviet coins as well.

 

I am going to be receiving over 400 British pennies. I always like women on coins, but give em a shield and trident, and it is that much better. We'll see how much of a set I can put together.

 

The British pennies were the very first foreign set I started working on. I just love that design.

 

I am excited. Also, it is not going to cost me an arm and a leg like U.S. large cents will.

 

I collect just about anything before 1400. That makes my US collection real small. I do have some US from when I did collect US but I switched over in the 1960's about the time the US stopped using silver and destroyed the hobby of collecting out of circulation.

 

One of my goals when i started my collection of world coins was to get coins from all countries and territories that issue currencies.
Now i have, at least, one coin of 306 different countries (current or historical) or territories

 

This is a popular way to collect world coins, and IMO a very cool one.

When my son is older I plan on doing similar with him, but also including some ancients in the mix.

 

I like that idea, juan. I just received 300 British pennies yesterday and am starting to go through them. Out of the lot, there are about 40 beautiful 1967's. Looks like they were just minted with full copper color and cartwheels. Many more from the 1880's and 1890's in F to VF, some from the early to mid 1900's in VF to XF with some AU. I am rather excited to start this set.

While continuing ancients and large cents, I also plan on accumulating lots of world coins because they can be had relatively inexpensively.

 

I think the problem with this plan is deciding what makes a different country and when does a change make a region enough different that it needs additional coins. Currently we have Italy and Russia. Most would want a different coin to represent USSR; many would need a separate Tsarist coin. Before Italy, there were many cities now in Italy that were independent coin issuers between the Roman Empire days and the foundation of the modern state. The concept of a 'complete' world coin collection from the beginning to the present might need separate American Colonies and similar issues from places I've never known ever existed. Sounds educational.

 

Yup, that is the idea. Heck, I know I would learn a lot in such a collection too, so I was thinking the idea would kill quite a few birds at once.

Btw, you know "complete" for us ancient collectors means what we says it does. There is no "terror of empty holes" for us!

 

Honestly, I could care less about US coins.

Since I accumulate coins (rather than collect them) to help me better understand history, I prefer foreign coins since they frequently depict the reigning monarch when they were minted.

Plus, I begin to lose interest in US history after the Civil War. Trying to accumulate nice pre-Civil War US coinage can get expensive.

For example, one can frequently find nice British coins from before the accession of Queen Victoria (1837) for well under $100:





guy

 

Since I began collecting primarily from circulation in 1969, it was often that I would receive Canadian coins in change, living in upstate New York. It was natural, therefore, to keep all those "different looking" coins.

Back in those days, there were just five American coins that really could be had in circulation on a regular basis, the only silver coin was a silver clad Kennedy half dollar. Kennedy halves did circulate and they were often given to me as a reward for doing some chores that children can be assigned by their parents. (I still have ALL of those silver and silver clad halves.) Virtually no silver American dimes or quarter dollars could be found.

Canadian coins then had only recently switched to nickel planchets, from 80% and later 50% silver during 1967-1968 and silver coins could still be encountered in far greater numbers in circulation than any American silver coins.

Canadian coins also had a bit more variety, the 1967 designs were all different for the Confederation centennial, and coins prior to 1965 had the Mary Gillick portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Beginning in 1965, Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen was new.

Since that time, more than 43 years ago, I still keep every foreign coin I find. Nonetheless, I do build nice runs of sets of proof, specimen and uncirculated sets from not just Canada, but also Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

 

i collect cuban coins. Why? because im cuban.lol

 

I sure like those pre-1959 coins myself - spesh the silver.

 

I do not collect coins. The coins themselves collect humans. At night when all good people are asleep and dreaming the coins talk amongst themselves sharing stories of where they've been and in who's pocket or purse.

 

I don't actively collect foreign coins not because I don't enjoy them but my local coin shop does not carry them...