When it's the individual collecting, it's always a collection. When it's the spouse or significant other talking about your collection, then it is an accumulation.
Once you have sorted, identified, and organized a group of coins in some logical manner, it becomes a collection.
If you know you got more coins to identify tomorrow, it's definately out of control. I know I got too many to identify, thanks to the mysterious patterns, varieties, etc.
When you cant find some of your coins because of an accumulation of too many coins. I.E. Foreign coins and wheat cents....bags and bags of coins...oh boy, it boggles the mind. NOt that I have bags and bags of coins or anything, just when I go to coin stores and see thier piles.
When you need a dolly to arrange the cases for the forklift that loads the big rigs headed for the cargo ships sailing for your personal port located on your island inside with any numer of 10 million square foot warehouses.
once you cease to be able to lift your safety deposit box by yourself, that is a good indicator! or when you start to forget what all you have.
When your shelf falls off the wall because you put too many Harris & Dansco albums on it. Smashed only the corners of a few folders. No coins popped out.
I try to fool myself into believing that my accumulation is a collection by putting labels on everything,or stuffing them into albums.There is some kind of method to my madness *cackle*
When you purchase a 800 lb floor safe put your "collection " in it and it weights 2000 lbs and then you think dang I knew I should have got the big one :headbang:
Conjugation of the irregular verb "to collect": I collect numismatically valuable coins You accumulate bits of money He hoards junk silver/gold/copper/bronze.