Numismatic resolutions for 2022

In 2020, I bought about 140 ancient coins. In 2021, I've bought about 70, so half that number. (I have a total of 309 ancient coins right now, so I had about 100 at the beginning of 2020 -- right before I joined Coin Talk.) However, although I've never calculated exactly how much I've spent on ancient coins in each of the last two years -- I honestly don't want to know the exact number! -- I suspect that the total amount spent has been about the same each year. In other words, half as many coins purchased, but twice as much spent on each coin, on average: my focus has been more on the quality of each purchase than on the original "one coin per emperor" goal -- especially once I started focusing more on Roman Republican coins about two years ago. I'd rather have my 17 nice coins of Hadrian, both Imperial and Provincial (my most for any emperor), than spend even a small amount of money making sure I have a bronze coin of every single late 3rd or 4th century emperor. even the easy ones I'm still missing like Licinius II or Magnentius or Jovian or the Valentinians.

My resolution for 2022 is to reduce the number of coins purchased by about half again, so no more than 35 or 40 in total. Which still allows me to buy three coins per month! I'd like to reduce the total amount I spend somewhat, but don't know how realistic that goal is given that my tastes seem to be getting more expensive, and I'd like to buy a few more ancient gold coins in addition to the two solidi I bought in 2021.

For example, my first coin purchase for 2022 -- already ordered, but I'm counting it for next year even if it arrives before the end of the month! -- is my first aureus. With a really, really nice provenance to a famous collection, going back more than 80 years, confirmed by photographic evidence. You can read all about it when I post the photos and description after the New Year. (If I'm going to spend in the low-to-mid-four figures for a single coin, like this one, it had better have a documented provenance: I certainly wouldn't want to buy an aureus and then learn that it was originally found and sold a few years ago with a big hole in it, and then expertly repaired by a jeweler in Ukraine!)

 

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Since retirement, now nearing six years, my spending on coins, if anything, has increased, I guess due to lots of time on my hands and a decent fixed income. I like to say to myself that I will be more focused, buy fewer but really nice coins at the start of a new year, but it is a delusion.

Now, if I had another activity, such as hiking, my singular obsession would have some competition. Maybe that'll be a to-do next year.

Now, getting back to the lumps of metal that I have been accumulating, perhaps it would be better to set money aside next year, and try to acquire something like a decadrachm, instead of a bunch of owls and other coins. In order to do this, discipline is needed, something that has been in short supply for me over the years.

 

All my coin purchases/ wins are keepers for life
With me, the more I make/ the more I spend on coins
Life, does not get any better then that.....

 

Wow! Congrats! I'll probably never own an aureus, but I'm OK with that.

 

I actually have an excel list of the cost of every single bullion/coin purchases for the last 2 1/2 years, and just yesterday I looked up the total I've spent for this year. Even though I'm a budget collector, It really made me wince! although I will still keep recording my purchases.

 

I have all my ancient coin receipts, dealers' descriptions, etc. back to 2017, so I could add up my annual total expenditures if I wanted to. As I said, I'd rather not know!

 

My goal for 2022 is to average one coin per month, but they need to impress me.

 

I have one too, though I left everything in its original currency (USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, CAD) to deliberately make it trickier to calculate a total, because I really don't want to know...

 

That’s really a nice looking coin. I only have a goal for next year. Buy more!!

 

I'm with Mat on this.

Other than that, I do hope to get back on top of organization. I've let everything slide over the last few years-- coins randomly placed in mislabeled boxes, coins still in their PVC-laden auction house flips, etc.

I'm off to a good start-- got all my Roman Egypt coins in new flips (if they weren't already), made my fancy labels and inserts, and started a spreadsheet. Right now it just has the Emmett numbers but it's a start.

If I had an appropriately large and safe space at home I'd keep the coins in the house (in trays) but for now they live at the bank except when I'm playing with them. I just took the Roman Egypt coins back to the SDB. 197 and counting . Dozens were early purchases from group lots and as such, they are generally not particularly exciting (later Alexandrians with rather generic reverses) but I do also have many with extremely interesting reverses .

 

I bought 32 coins this year and will probably pick up around the same this coming year "fingers crossed"....I've become really interested in large Bronzes especially Provincials and these types will probably lead the way into the New Year. Also want to increase my Sassanian collection as this was severley neglected this year....But I'll basically go with anything that "Calls"..Maybe nearing the end of next year I'll purchase another display cabinet and start to spread out a bit!....
Here's my last purchase of 2021...

Spain - Castulo, Cazlona (Jaen), Ae Semis - 19 mm / 3.45 gr.

 

So next year I’m challenging myself to severely restrict my purchases down to only a handful of coins that truly speak to me! Hopefully I can control my impulse purchases.
Although this doesn’t apply for South Indian coins, cuz those are the coins that you had to get them when you see them!

Also I’d like to reduce my frequency of browsing coins on eBay, vcoins, ma-shops, and other private sites.

 

It's gonna be a crowded wagon!

 

No kidding! I do wonder sometimes why so many of us feel guilty about spending money on ancient coins, as if there's something inherently frivolous about it. Even for those of us (the majority here) who don't think of it as an investment, it's still not like we're just throwing our money away, right?

 

Wow; those boxes of coins! So impressive, and so neatly organized. (I would have guessed that they hold closer to 500 or 1,000 than 197.) I wish I were as neat as so many of you are -- I fell hopelessly and irretrievably behind long ago on making sure that the coins in my trays have labels under them, and finally just gave up. At least I do keep up with updating my Word document containing detailed descriptions of all my coins. If I didn't, I'd be completely lost. And wouldn't be able to post about them here!

 

This is probably a better subject for a different thread, but I do admit to feeling guilty at times.

Recently, my younger son needed a tripod and video head for a film project. Since he's applying for film school, I decided to just buy him one. When he saw the price he was so thankful and will use it for many years. The tripod is of immense value to him, even though it costs less than some of my coins.

We own several apartment buildings. A lot of our tenants live paycheck to paycheck, and have difficulties coming up with $400 for rent at times. For us, $400 isn't a lot of money, but for many people it is.

For me, personally, I just try to remember how lucky I am to be able to afford coins and recognize that what I spend is a lot of money for people. On the other hand, I feel that I've worked hard to achieve this, so I shouldn't feel guilty.

Still, I'm working to try to give back in small ways, such as creating a web site with my coins in the hope of passing on some of the passion I have for the history behind them to others.

 

I might have a job opportunity in the new year. The start date is up in the air because our Covid numbers are higher than they’ve ever been.

But, with the new job, I’ll be able to buy some coins on my list. I’m so excited!! I’ll be even more excited if I can actually participate in next year’s Saturnalia!

I hope 2022 is the best numismatic year for all of us!

Erin

 

Mostly drachms and tetradrachms... very thick so the boxes hold far fewer coins than they would if I were collecting denarii .

The real task will be the spreadsheet. Five or so years ago I was using a fancy spreadsheet app but one day they changed it to a yearly subscription fee that was insanely high for someone who just uses it for a hobby. I dropped it and stopped cataloging my coins.

I'm so behind that it has negatively impacted my use of and enjoyment of CoinTalk because I can't quickly access a coin to post unless it's something I've already shown... and I'm a few years behind showing most of my new purchases! Sometimes I don't even remember what I have or if I took pictures yet, and if I took pictures, did I edit them and if not, what folder they're in .

 

My main goal for 2022 is to finish moving my collection from albums to 2x2 envelopes in Whitman boxes... I'm probably 30-40% done with a lot more to go. The end result will make it much easier to find coins, as well as being much less bulky. At least I'm ending 2021 in a lot better shape than I started it when I had tons of coins languishing in ziploc bags (got behind filing them away when moving house quite a few years ago, and only this year decided I needed a better storage solution).

I'd had a great year collecting in 2021, maybe too great, but at this point the coins on my want list are not ones that come up that often, so you can't really budget - just have to get them when they present themselves. It'd be nice to cross another half dozen or so off my core want list, and buy less that aren't on it!

 

My resolution for the new year is simple—add pieces that excite me and contribute meaningfully to the story I want my collection to tell. Without being too specific, I would love to add more sestertii, and perhaps another aureus. Also, I wouldn't mind adding some more Republican denarii as I've had little luck this year due to stiff competition for higher-grade/provenanced examples.

I'm happy to have ended 2021 on a high note. This coin would have undoubtedly ended up on my top 20 list had I won it a week earlier. I considered delaying my list because I was eyeing this coin, but decided to post it because I didn't think that I would win this coin. I can only hope that 2022 will bring me more coins of this quality.

Trajan (AD 96-117)

AE Sestertius (35mm, 27.84 g). Rome mint. AD 114-116. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI PP, laureate and draped bust right / Trajan in military dress, seated on platform, haranguing soldiers; by his side two officers and in front of him on the ground another officer with four soldiers. In the background, three standards. In exergue, IMPERATOR VIII S C. RIC III 658.

Ex Ploil Collection
Ex Naville Numismatics Live Auction 70 (12 December 2021), lot 435.
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 125 (24 June 2021), lot 689.
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 101 (24 October 2017), lot 254.
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 23 (2002), lot 1544.