Advice and tips for younger/beginner collectors ??

I don't think of my coins as investments. Mutual funds and retirement accounts are investments. I collect coins for recreation and entertainment. I know the market well enough to pass on overpriced coins, but beyond that I could care less what any of my coins are worth to anyone else.

Steve gets accused of overspending on his coins, but seriously, who cares? You're not taking them with you. Sit back, relax, and have fun in the moment.

 

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While I might agree with your basic premise, I also have to admit I wonder about the value of any particular purchase before and after I buy. Perhaps it is because of my upbringing where I was taught "waste not, want not".

I have no plans to sell my coins. In fact, I have trouble trading any away as some of you can attest. These coins are not an investment. They are for my enjoyment. But I would like to think I make wise decisions when I choose to buy a coin. I want everything I buy to at least be worth what I pay. It doesn't have to be worth more, but at least worth the price. When I see someone on here post a similar coin they were able to buy for a lot less (Gil and VK I have you in mind here), I am happy for them, but wish I had shopped around a bit more or had more patience. Similarly, when someone post a like coin I bought for less, I'm can be happy with my decision.

I suppose my bottom line here is that I consider value all the time, even though I do not plan to ever sell.

 

My only regret is I cannot like this post more than once. Its the essence of it. Its YOUR hobby, its YOUR relaxation and mental stimulation. I could care less what others think of my coins, I didn't buy them for them, only myself. Yes, you need to get a general sense of pricing if only to be able to buy more coins and not get fleeced, but other than that it truly is only a matter of what makes you happy. Treat every cent as "wasted money" on your hobby, and you will never for a second stress about "economic returns". Its your FUN, not your investment. If, at the end, your wife and children get to sell your collection off for some money good for them, but do not collect with that goal, or you will stress too much about it.

Above all, enjoy yourself. That is what a hobby is supposed to be.

 

This thread has an abundance of great information (but lacks a single coin photo tobiask). Have fun & buy what you like. Never buy a coin which includes some detail that you don't like. You will not like it any better as time passes.

Feel free to post a coin that you like .

 

This is wise advice. I have learned to accept over the years that I will never be able to collect a full set of my speciality due to budget and/or availability limits. But that doesn't mean I can't put together a decent collection and have fun doing so. And that is the key thing, enjoy what you collect and if you ever decide to specialise don't worry about the gaps and holes, trying to fill them would be like trying to nail jello to the wall.

 

Many collectors post their recent acquisitions here and enjoy the appreciative responses they get. Reading and seeing what others buy can influence what you seek to buy. However, it may cause you to doubt your own interests. Several responses to this important thread have effectively said "Buy what you like." I encourage you to figure out what that means.
Imagine what it was like when Doug and I began, over 40 years ago up to about 20 years ago. Interaction with other collectors was minimal. We were unable to exchange photos on the web and comments on the web (which didn't yet exist). We bought coin books and read them. We got history books and read them. We got coin catalogs in the mail and took notes. If we were near a big city (I am not), we went to infrequent coin shows and maybe joined a coin club which met occasionally. It was a lonely hobby, but no less interesting. We developed our own interests and finally bought what pleased us at the price--without expecting others to approve or disapprove. We didn't know many others, and it was our personal collection anyway, not theirs.
So, I recommend you read widely about ancient coins (probably on the web, but books are good too)
http://esty.ancients.info/numis/sitelinks.html
and compare your interests to coin prices and your budget, and consider the process both fun and educational. It is a cycle. Buying coins provokes study of them which increases your knowledge and makes you discover other coins you'd like to buy and study. In a while you will know a lot more about ancient coins and know more about what you want to buy next. There is no need to make up your mind about what to collect.
Enjoy! It is a great hobby!

 

I remember those days Warren. As far as I knew, I was the only one interested in collecting Roman coins (that's all I collected back then). Most people thought my coins were not real and I could not convince them otherwise. I remember one particular coin dealer guiding me in those initial days/years, but for the life of me I do not recall the dealers name. I believed he was honest and still do, since many of the coins he recommended were not his holdings. I wonder if there are still dealers like that.

 

I have lots of coins much more expensive than this one, but this is "a coin I like" even though it is very common:



Alexander the Great was undoubtedly never within 100 miles of this coin, but it was struck under his authorization, it's a pretty example, and it was probably struck in the last two years of his life. The history, the artistry, the fascination of "what if...?" That's what collecting ancient coins is all about.

 

I think this is applicable outside ancients; wise words. Thank you.

 

I became interested in ancient coins in the early 1960's. In 1969 I moved to Washington DC. After living there 15 years, I discovered there was an active club of ancient collectors (ANSW) that had been there since I was in town but I did not know about it. I never thought about the possibility of there being other people near me that collected ancients and did all my buying mail order and at shops.

Spreading the word about ancient coins as a hobby is sort of a second hobby for some of us. My website began in February 1997; Warren's was slightly earlier, I believe. How many non-commercial sites can you find online older? Discussion groups have become a much larger part of my hobby now but we know there are a thousand collectors for every one who participates. I wonder where the hobby goes next.

 

I don't think I'd enjoy this hobby half as much if it weren't for forums. For one thing, I'd have to drive to Doug's house for show-and-tell every time I bought a new coin, and that would eat up a lot of gas.