So, we are all collectors of coins and for me at least part of the fun is in the hunt!! But after you collect them, what do you do with your coins. Just look at them once in a while, show them to friends and family? Maybe buy, sell and trade? Just HOARD them? Just curious!!!
My biblical coin and artifact collection is going to be displayed at my school over Fall semester of this year. I like showing them as often as I can. Several years ago, I gave a show and tell of American coinage at a private school. I love connecting people with history through them. Sometimes I just like looking at them too. My collection is not huge, so it doesn't take long to show off.
I have a process. First, I catalogue them on Numista, their respective grading registries (almost all coins I buy now are already certified) and mycollect. I use these tools to keep track of what I have. Then, I take photos if the coins didn't have true views, photo vision, etc. Next up, I post them to my Instagram and write up a little blurb about one. Then I usually share them on discord and here on CT. Lastly, if raw I put them in saflips in a D ring coin album or if certified I have two suitcase like holders that hold slabs. One for NGC one for PCGS. Each has 4 rows and row one has coins A-E, second row F-J, etc. I take them out every so often and go through them. After all, I buy coins I like to LOOK at! It's one of my favorite rainy day activities. I don't really share them with anyone off line because I don't have any fellow collectors near by!
A new coin sits on my desk for a while, until the thrill wears off. I examine it multiple times with a magnifying glass, looking for die cracks, clashes, anything unique. After a while it goes in a box. I photograph it and save off the seller images, plus an electronic invoice if there was one, put it all in a folder on the computer. Once in a while I'll pull one out and it becomes my desk coin again for a while. Sometimes I find something new on an old coin. Mostly they just sit in random boxes.
I just purchased a hastings triplet by recommendation from another thread someone posted. I'll be sure to put it to good use the next rainy day!
I share with friends and family the odd coin occasionally. But recently my efforts have gone to preparing my collection for permanent gifting (to family). In the process I have looked at each denomination and removed many. I discovered that my collecting focus has changed and I have removed and am still removing, coins I never should have kept. The ones I am returning to circulation have excess wear, damage, corrosion, staining and any exhibiting unattractive or egregious die deterioration. I liken the effort to “getting rid of the evidence”. Seriously. I don’t, and refuse to pass on any junk coins to my family that cannot be considered an heirloom. So lots are great condition but low value. But about 40% are valuable but have varying condition. As I proceed I am disseminating my collection to various family members. Currently, I now only have 25% of my collection started 65 years ago. But everyone in the family is getting something, and everybody oohs and ahhs when I show them. Then their jaws hit the floor when I announce that they now own them. Gold, silver, silver bar, bullion, proof sets, commemoratives….it all goes, I’m 75% finished. I hope that answered your question. Thanks for asking…Spark
No, I've actually never shown any of my friends but I've shown family just not friends cause they don't collect and since I have gold I'd probably come off as a showoff, as I have priors for that!
What's the jail time for those? Just act crazy. You know, normal. At least in a "ward" they have round objects to play with. (Checkers).
Jail time you're kidding right, 'priors' is just the first word I thought of, I'll be more careful next time!
I treat them like I did bar girl back when I was playing rock star. I have a passionate 3-4 day affair with them and then deposit them in the dark recesses of my safe to be remembered.
And then post a graphic novel about them on a geriatric website, years later! Edit: No offense intended to my esteemed fellow AARP members.
After I have good photos of them to share online, I put them away in my safe deposit boxes. I only bring them out to look at maybe three to five times a year, since most of the show-and-tell I do with them is here, online. I buy, sell, and trade. Though it might seem strange that I so seldom look at my coins in hand, I've got the idea of them in my head constantly. My World and Ancients collections are pretty random and eclectic- I simply buy what I like. My US collection is a loose and still-incomplete type set of sorts. The only "complete" collection I presently own is my Roman Twelve Caesars set.
My goal for more than 50 years as a collector has been to have fun. I would pick a coin type, buy books and study as I built a set. Having complete sets was never part of my goal. After a while I moved on to a different coin type. Having really nice examples of each type was my direction. Along the way I cherry picked a lot of valuable varieties. At age 65 I retired and started selling off my collection. My type set and varieties were the first to go and I made a killing in the process. I have saved all the funds I have raised up to this point. Those funds are going to be used on buying only a few coins that will be easy to pass on. My wife and son have a good understanding of the hobby. They will be able to sell when they wish and do something fun of their choice. I made one big mistake over the years. I bought way too much US Mint product over the years and have no idea what to do with it.
I reckon I’ll do something like this later on. I just turned 60, and I will reach my 50th anniversary as a collector this November. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ever “retire” in the traditional sense, but at some point when I get older and I need the investment to work for me and my family, whether it be with healthcare bills or other expenses, I hope to have time to liquidate the collections and put the proceeds to use while I’m still able to handle that myself (instead of leaving it for my heirs to do- none of them have any interest or knowledge in the hobby). Maybe after I’ve sold it all, I’ll keep one cheaper pursuit (like love tokens and hobo carvings, maybe- or cheaper bronze ancients- something like that) to occupy me in my twilight years.
