Ways of Enjoying a Collection

I can't find it now, but in one of my numismatic magazines, the author of an essay mentions various uses that collectors put their collections to. And he says, you can do this and that with coins, but "the main thing is to ENJOY your collection." OK, fine, but what I want to know is how DOES one enjoy a coin collection? By looking at it? By showing it to others? By planning its future? By researching some of the pieces it contains? I would like to hear from anybody about how best to ENJOY a coin collection.

 

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• By looking at it.
• By showing it to others.
• By planning its future.
• By researching some of the pieces it contains.

And also

• By considering who may have used the coin in the past.
• By researching future acquisitions.

 

There are a few different ways that I enjoy my collection. First, of course, I like to show it off to friends and family, but, at the same time, I'm very careful who I show it to for various reasons. Second, I enjoy looking at my coins in a historical point of view. When I look at coins in my collection, I think of who may have held that coin depending on the era it was minted. Was it once owned by a soldier, whether it may be Revolutionary or Civil War, did it ride in the pocket of a pony express rider across the country or quite possibly may have been part of a bank heist taken by Jesse James.....who knows, but thats part of the fun of collecting coins. I enjoy mine more every time I get closer to completing a set or if I add another edition to my set of "Red Books", which I also collect. You enjoy your collection the way that you think is best. Every collector is different. One other thing is the more you know about the coins you're collecting, the more you'll enjoy them. Read, Read and Read some more.

 

I've found that people are either collectors or they're not.No matter what is is you collect,art,matchbooks,teddy bears or stamps,it's the thrill of ownership and of hunting down those last missing pieces (AND showing it off).If you don't have the collector's mentality,it's difficult to understand.

 

Well said. I usually can tell a non-collector if their first question is "What's it worth?" I usually say "nothing" as I don't collect for immediate resale. If it goes up in price, great. If not, I still enjoy the collection. The value to me is well beyond the monetary value.

 

Hello,

IMO there are two ways of collecting, coins or whatever : facing a collectible some say "what is it ?" and others "how much ?".
None of them is better than the other, it's just the angle you see it.
From that you can imagine the way people will enjoy their collection

Cucumbor

 

I wonder how many other collections my coins have been in over the years.

Sometimes I think I'm a sad git just lying their on my bed looking at my coins.


It sure is nice having a big drawer full of cash though lol....though most times I look at them and don't think ofthem all as money...but as cliche as it sounds....little bits of history.

 

To me it is the history and the beauty of the coins and something that will be around long after you have hung it up. It is nice to see anything going up in value. I purchased 3 acres of land recently to keep someone from bascially putting a trailer park in my back yard. I paid out of my behind for this but it is a nice little piece of land covered with bushes and cuzoo.

I did not buy it becouse of an investesment but it sure would be nice to know in a few years that it will be worth at least what i paid for it. That is the way i view coins . Nice if they can go up but will still be proud and glad that i have them if it does not. Still mine

 

I think Roy's examples "hit-the-nail-on-the-head" so to speak. Collecting for me is pure enjoyment, many facets of coin-collecting all combine in furthering ones quest for knowledge.

It's a wonderful hobby

Take Care
Ben

 

But nobody named Roy contributed to this thread.

 

Coin collecting is great. Theres so many reason why I do it. It almost to personal. Some times I dump all my coins on the floor and swim in them. Like Screwg McDuck.


you night not get that if your over 30.


Na really, I think its one of the better thing's I have come to do in my life. If my son happens to live longer then i do then I HOPE WITH all my heart, that he too could be as inlightend and find the pleasure in seeing and holding history.

 

I hate to burst your bubble and belief that us oldtimers don't know anything, but Donald Duck's uncle Scrooge has been around since 1947.

 

Roy= Satootoko

 

I sit in a darkend room with only a single candle for illunination and drool over mine :whistle:

De Orc

 

i thought you older guys would. lol just wasnt sure. I didnt even know how to spell his name.

 

I've always wondered if Felix the Cat had coins in his Bag of Tricks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_Cat

A great old cartoon

 

It's partly the history and partly the value and sometimes it isn't easy to separate the cause from the effect.

 

I can't look at a coin's date without thinking about what was going on that year or general time period, especially in the country from which the coin hails. This can lead to hours of reflection and probably a bit of research. But I have to admit that rarer coins, ones for which I fuss over endlessly to get a good price on or perhaps fall upon by accident, hold a particular excitment value for the $$ factor.

Perhaps a good hypothetical question would be this: A person whom you hold is very high regard (but who doesn't necessarily collect coins) asks to see the 'best' coin you have. What coin would you show them, and what would be the first thing you would say about it?

 

i have always found a lot of interest in my 1799 silver dollar. i have just sat and looked at it for hours and thought Who used it, what did it buy? How long did it sit in one place before some one send, this should be saved.