should every collection have direction?

i realized i have zero direction in what i buy. if i find something i like i buy it, it's that simple. i have attempted to put several different types of sets together and when the end is near i always sell them because i lost interest. several months ago i read in a coin magazine about spring cleaning a collection and i have been pondering this ever since. how many people here just have random coins or have a goal in mind?

 

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It's a hobby, it's supposed to be fun. If you buy what you like and like what you buy, you can't go wrong.

 

I pick a US coin that I like, read about the series, and find out if the key dates are way too far out of my price range to realistically expect to buy one. If it looks feasible, I go after the entire date and mint mark set. Two years ago I finished the "mercury" dime set, including the 1916-D. I also have the complete Franklin half set, Kennedy halves, Lincoln Memorial cents (but not wheat cents -- my set begins in 1959), Jefferson nickels to date, Roosevelt dimes to date, Eisenhower Dollars, Susan B. Anthony Dollars, and a few others I can't think of. I'm currently working on Buffalo nickels and Washington quarters.

I really, really like the "Walking Liberty" quarters, but the 1916 is so far out of my price range it's never going to happen. I saw one for sale on Collectors Corner not too long ago for $23,000! So, I've bought a few nicer, more common ones but will never go after the date and mint mark set.

 

My thoughts exactly. I try to keep myself going in one direction, but then I see something here or there that I like and I grab it. I finished off my Mint Set collection from 1960-present, but while that was my focus, I was grabbing some nickels here, a few ike's over there, etc. Having a general "this is what I collect the most" is always good, but if you like it, buy it. A collection, in my opinion, should have bits and pieces of everything.

 

i have been throwing a vg/f seated quarter set idea around. i like the idea that there are very hard dates to find and the hunt is probably my favorite thing about trying to put a set together. i also like how it isn't a set you can just throw together. i am curious if i will loose interest, but i think i may give it a shot.

 

A direction? Mine would be like a mindless maze of disorganisation and no reason.

 

haha thats basically what mine is as well

 

Variety is the spice of life. Collect what you like and what makes you happy. If you get bored of something, either put it away for a few months or sell it and use the money to buy something you like better.

 

Every collection should be enjoyable regardless of direction IMO.

 

A direction? Mine would be like a mindless maze of disorganisation and no reason.

Sounds like a hoarder to me...

 

Your direction appears to be that you buy what you like. There is nothing wrong with that.

 

Shhhh!!!!:devil:

 

Some people look to complete a date or type site where others just seem to be all over the place buying whatever they like. Some hoard and just buy a large lot of coins from dealers with no intention to resell them.

 

A collection by definition must have a direction. That direction can be different for every collection and will reflect the intent of the owner. A gathering coins with no direction is not a collection, it is a hoard or accumulation.

One man's opinion.

 

My direction is that I buy what I like, usually at around the silver price. I am collecting the following things right now: Transit tokens, Canadian and US tokens from the 1800's, French coins from 1600's to WW2, Mexican Reales. Oh, and I like old US and British large cents. Basically anything I can get into without breaking the bank. I am only mildly numismatic, so I go for the undervalued things and make up small collections. I will admit that I am having a lot of fun.

 

Only thing I would say is a must have is a type set from your counrty .
Its your collection -'money to buy with.

 

i had the dansco 7070 down to one seated dollar then parted it. i think the best thing about a type set is you have to learn about basically every coin. putting that book together was a wonderful education and has helped me with most US coinage ever since

 

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'd like to assemble the series I've chosen with a single-minded purpose before I move on to anything else. That SHOULD be possible in a few years time, given that there are no rarities in the Kennedy Halves, other than condition rarities which I can't afford anyway. I sometimes feel like there's an overwhelming amount of information to absorb, and if I stray from my path now, I'll just end up as a jack of all trades and master of none.

 

I think it is also possible to hoard and collect. You can also have several different directions collecting a few examples for some series and doing date sets for others. For some series like the seated series it is rare for someone to do a date set but someone may like to have several examples.

 

this is why i want to do it. sure there are a couple handfuls of coins that are very pricey but i like how it just can't be thrown together. if you take ebay out of the picture it will take even longer.