With my modern coins all collected I find that collecting them is sort of on autopilot. I just have to wait until the new coins come out each year and collect the best examples from circulation. It almost takes the fun out out collecting. Is anybody else experiencing this with their modern coins?
Makes it even worse with commemorative coins minted in precious metals. Let's face it, we only collect what we think it's nice, not just for the objective of "set" purposes.
Modern's aren't my primary deal, but that's how my Jefferson set is. Just pick up a P, a D and a Proof each year to keep it going, not very exciting.
Eh, I keep up with Lincoln cents, Kennedy halves, a proof set, and an ASE every year, and ocassionally will pick up a commemorative if I'm interested in the subject and/or like the design, but that's as much as I bother with the modern output of the US Mint. Other than that prefer to spend my time and money on type collecting... it's far more interesting to me to collect differnt designs of coins than to try to collect all the dates and mintmarks of a single coin.
I wonder if it was the same way a hundred years ago? "Oh boy, just picked up a bunch of the new Barbers for this year. Not very exciting, as usual."
I think it would be different and more exciting now if, like one hundred years ago, the mint would produce a total of 260,000 business strikes for a single year then 1.2 million the following year, there would be more of a challenge there to complete a set or just single examples of a certain coin. Although, I feel that, back one hundred years ago or whatever, the mint didnt knowingly create the rarities. If there was a sudden design change, like the 1921 Peace Dollar, which were all minted in December of 1921, when the design was changed from the Morgan dollar. It would take something like that to put the excitement back into modern coinage for me if that would happen today.
Likewise. I can't remember where I read it (probably was a link posted here) that that's how most coin collectors did it back in the day. Few were concerned with collecting every coin (mint marks, and there weren't clad and silver versions, etc.), nor completing sets of every year. All the "varieties" weren't important either (VAMS, etc.) One of the type. I guess some peopel ahve the need to create and complete sets. I would like to complete the Dansco 7070, but other than that, I leave "filling holes" to those who find it interesting to have a P *and a D* (gimme an S) of this or that coin, from every year. It's not my bag (no offense to those whose bag it is). If you don't share your coin collection with others, you start to wonder why the hell you're spending so much money on this stuff. If you do, it can become a ****ing match. I think part of collecting is just getting new stuff (in the mail, or shopping), almost like those people who are addicted to shop @ home and buy junk for no reason.
Don't forget, they do have very high mintages for most modern coins but some such as the 2006 W platinum coins were only made with a mintage of 2650 coins. That is the lowest mintage in almost a hundred years.
If only 2649 people want them, it would still be too many to drive the value up much, lol... rarity alone isn't enough, it would need high rarilty relative to demand. Anyway I don't care about coins as an investment anyway, just what interests me as a collector. And for what a single one ounce platinum eagle would cost me I can get at least one or two gold coins with real histories behind them, not just something made purely for the sake of platinum investors. Easy choice for me.
I can definitely relate. I've collected about every modern issue since the mid eighties, (not the bullion) and wonder now if I should have put more of this time & money into older coins. I am getting totally bored with what I have and am seriously considering selling a good portion off to try getting a few nice 18th & 19th century issues.
You certainly wouldn't be the first collector to change direction, and use "abandoned" collection items to fund new ones. And BTW, that kind of directional change is certainly not limited to coins - it's part of life. The stamps I collected in high school and a few years beyond paid for some nice coins!
Simmilarly, I collect firearms too, but they are much harder to show off, without non-gun people freaking out or risking breaking a law for brandishing or something goofy that and I think that I run the risk that one day in my future certian people will get their way and my collection could get outlawed and confiscated... Then, I'll be out all the money I have spent on my collection over the last 20+ years... So , I can sort of see your point, or how some would see it that way... But, I do have to say, I enjoy looking at my coins over and over again... Learning all the fine details of each, when they started, stopped, what Mints made them and about all the history that goes with them... While I think it is more fun or enjoyable to share my excitent of coins and my collection I'm trying to build, I could enjoy my collection just fine all by myself... Aside from you guys I pretty much do... No one else that I know really gives about coins.... Some think they are sort of interesting, but wouldn't pay more than face for anything and would just toss any good finds in the Change jar... I had a friend give me a well circulated looking Peace dollar and a Generic trade round... He foud them in his change jar and thought I'd like them since I collect coins... Knowing they had some value, I said are you sure, you don't want these??? Each one is woth atleast 10.00s... He said, "Naaa, I got no use for'em and I know you like that crap, so I might as well let you enjoy it." I said, "OK, so long as you know and are sure." Then I insisted on buying lunch that day... I can also see your point here... After I've won something on ebay or ordered something, everyday, I run home and check the mail to see if my new ""treasure" has came or not...
Every now and again I will take a bit of a rest from my main interest and buy something different as i find this makes it more fun when I go back to the anciants LOL Smullen can I ask what sort of fierarms do you collect? I would love to see some pick if possible De Orc
I sorta do the same thing.... I'll go full bore on Morgans for a few coins, then Proof Sets and Mint Sets, then my Jefferson Nickel Proof Set, the my S.A.Es. (only 4-5 to go, to complete) then back to the Morgans... Now I'm starting a Type set... I can't get enough!!! Well, mostly Semi-Automatics.... I've got 2 AKs, 2 AR15s, 2 Ruger 10/22s, a Mossberg Short Barrel 12 ga, really old Browing 12 Ga, a few .410s, a nice Winchester 30-06 Bolt Action, 2 Glocks (on in 9mm, one in .45), a MAC-10 in 9mm and a few other relics... Lots of supplies, targets, spare parts, accessories, cleaning tools and such... A few friends and I go to the range alot... I don't have many pics, but here is a link to an old pic of my AR-15 and one of the Glocks... I've since added a few goodies to the AR.. http://midwest-signsanddesigns.com/junk/AR15M4A3/AR-01-1024.jpg http://midwest-signsanddesigns.com/junk/AR15M4A3/M4A3-01-1024.jpg Here is a few of my MAC-10... http://midwest-signsanddesigns.com/junk/MACs/MAC-01.jpg http://midwest-signsanddesigns.com/junk/MACs/MAC-02.jpg http://midwest-signsanddesigns.com/junk/MACs/MAC-03.jpg the rest, I've never really got good pics of... Sometime it seems I end up with two of everything... I usally leave one stock and trick out the 2nd... I've got a Ruger 10/22 that the only thing orignal are the receiver that the fire control group goes in... Everything else has been modified or replaced with an upgrade...
Please take any further discussion of firearms collecting to the General Discussion opt-in forum, as it is off-topic to coins. Thanks for keeping forum rules in mind.
I agree that collecting on auto-pilot would completely take the fun out of it. I make sure I get a few silver eagles every year, but beyond that I very much enjoy the research and decision making process that goes with each new purchase.
