Changing Directions in Collecting and decimating my saved coins. Back to the wild with them!

I have very much enjoyed collecting modern coins from CRH or change and had amassed a few boxes full of somewhat 'quality' examples of each year or issue, or so I thought at the time - the colored denomination ones with coin tubes- and also a couple folders for collecting dates of each type, basically cents and nickels for the folders. Over time, I grew to love the Jeffies and Roosies, and kind of tolerate most of the Washington Quarters. I ended up upgrading my Jeffies (not the coins) to a vintage capital holder and will keep that until I find the last one or break down and purchase a low quality one. The goal was to find each one in change, but the key ones did not turn up.. At first, my idea was to try to find, in change or in CRH a couple or several really nice MS quality coins for each date of the other coins (cents, nickels, dimes, quarters). As I was socking them away I was also slowly learning to grade mint state coins and to look for errors. Recently I decided that for the most part these coins would never really be worth a thing in my lifetime and if I did nothing, once it came for my kids to have them, they would likely just coinstar them and lose out even on face value. No way any dealer would want to go thru them to check if anything might be high enough quality to have above face value. And that is the last thing I want for my time in this. I also moved and having a few heavy boxes of these was just cluttering things. So I took the plunge. Almost all of it had to go.

Using my skills and knowledge (about coins in general and grading and desirability), I have gone through almost all the boxes and basically quickly graded and kept any moderns I thought would be good enough to get possibly a MS65-67 if they ever were at a TPG. The others I was ruthless with... in baggies to use at the grocery or whatever (paying for gas) or just trading in at a gas station or liquor store (those people love it when you come in with $$$ of loose quarters and readily buy it from their till money), since my new locale basically does not have free coinstars in the bank. In some ways I was surprised how good I thought some of those coins were when I first set them aside. Most were between MS60 and MS63 and some I originally had thought were uncirculated were actually AU. But I am very proud I took the time to start learning to grade modern coins in uncirculated grades, because these were not expensive to sock away and now, as I had planned years ago, they are now cash money to buy what I normally would with cash or good to get back into the bank. So now I only have a few. And as I hone my grading skills even more with the upper MS grades, most of the ones I did keep will probably turn out to be MS 64 and 65 and find there way into the wild in the next round. Anything junk silver is getting sold asap so I don't have to deal with those hanging around.

But most of the coins are now in or targeted to get back in the wild. I have a small sandwich baggie of 40s and 50s that will possibly go there, too. And the boxes and tubes will possibly go to a YN or get sold at a garage sale.

I also like ancients now and only have a small number of these. Mine are pretty much super inexpensive examples. I don't yet know if I will focus on anything in particular or just have the odd ones and learn about ones I get. If I get to a show a couple times a year I can peruse what the dealers have and maybe get a couple here and there.

I have also decided to change directions in collecting for my US coins. I am doing a type collection (just started a 7070) but it will be a virtual one in that any coins in that one are to be housed in my sdb and except for the occasional visit, they will be enjoyed via photos. So I have to clear that sdb of ones I no longer want, like my small partially finished Frankie collection, and will sell those. Hate to have to rent another sdb for new coins.

I am super excited about clearing out the stuff I had and really limiting what I keep. I doubt I will be doing much CRH anymore... the stuff weighs a lot and no dump bank with a machine really limits how I get it to the dump bank or use it. Just too much trouble for me now.

 

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Here is a PDF copy of a "7070" of my design. Feel free to use it for your virtual album. If you decide to use it, I'll be happy to walk you thru the process of inserting the photos. I'll even do it for you if you like. Being retired, I got a lot of free time.

Mike

 

Wow, that is really nice, thank you!

 

I have some ancients I won on a freebie thing here on CT a while ago I'll mail you if you need some. I've forgotten what they were... might of forgotten where they are too.

But the "ancient" collecting concept never really caught on with me.

 

It is hard to be that brutal and honest. However, your collection will benefit in the long run. Circulated 20th century coinage doesn't really have much future potential unless it is a key or semi key date.

But the experience and knowledge you earned while saving these pieces will always be helpful as you move forward.

 

I've thought of dumping all 'my junk'..........consolidating , and sticking to high grade examples of 'key' coins. Just can't bring myself to it........I like my 'junk'.....forgive me for the fun I have.

 

Hey, you do you, boo. I made the the choice to sell most of the low value stuff i had and focus on the high end, but it was a hard choice! There is a certain attraction with that sort of material.

 

That is really nice of you. I will send you my addy and if you send them, I will enjoy for a time and then can at some point pass them on to other collectors.

 

Yes, PM me.

 

Can't bloody bring myself to it......I'm a blasted 'hoarder' at heart.

 

Lots of people are. But I have the experience of having to deal with my mom's hoarding at a time where dealing with it meant that 90% of what she had was junked immediately and the stuff that was saved, hoping she would get better, cost more in storage and transport costs than it was worth. In the end, 99% of it was junked also (i.e., hauled to the dump). In retrospect, my sister and I could have saved using thousands of her money by simply going to her home, pulling what photos and important paperwork we could find, and just hiring an outfit to come, grab everything and haul it to the dump. Quite honestly, by the time she needed help, her home was not fit to live in. In fact, the social services in her town came in after she got to the hospital on an emergency basis (yeah, paramedics told on her) and declared the house unfit for human habitation so she could not legally, if she was able to get herself discharged from the hospital they took her to, go back there. But she would not let go of one thing when I offered to help her straighten up, etc. Ownership issues. In the end, she got to basically not take anything with her, so it was for nothing. After three months in a rehab place, we got her moved into a permanent assistant living. By then she had dementia problems so she did not miss much. I don't intend to do that to my kids.

 

Kasia, that is a really sad story. Unfortunately, my grandmother's experience with Alzheimers over the last year (and part of the reason I've been absent for the last few months), is very similar to your story.

 

Alzheimers is not a nice thing. And neither are some other diseases. Particularly Parkinsons. I was introduced to that thru my father. But you don't choose what you get. All I want now, should I end up in a situation where my kids need to come in and take control, is for them to easily get what they desire, sell or give away what they don't want, and not interrupt their lives too badly when it happens.

 

I too have changed my collecting. Before I gave up my collection, I had all but 4 proof rosies up to 1964. Now starting back, I'm just getting coins I like the looks of. Liking the civil war and before. I do have 1926, 27, 28 and 30 standing quarters given to me and I found the 29 with my metal detector, so I may work on those. Mostly now I'm wanting a couple Morgan's and I'm partial to S mint marks tho I don't know why.

 

I could have very easily written your post (but without all the .......). Hard to get rid of old friends even knowing that you'll have a better collection in the end.

@Kasia has the right idea.

 

The Morgan I got just recently is so sweet in hand. It looks blast white, but in looking closely, there is some really nice light yellow toning going on in the spaces between the denticles. it also gives me the opportunity to compare between a 63 or 64 and a gem for this type of coin and try to improve on my photography of silver coins. It is a 1881 S and there are a couple years in Morgans where a S mint mark one in high grade is very reasonable. I recommend that if you have the means and find some in these years that you get them. Can't prove it, but if Morgans remain popular, it should, I think either maintain or improve some on price when it is time to sell it.

 

I had 3 Morgan's before. The one I want back wasn't pretty but had a die crack that went 3/4 of the way around the obverse. It's the one of 4 coins I regret selling. The other 3 were bust halves. U make ur decisions and live with them.

 

Yeah, I was intending to turn around and sell my 1904-O one when I got this new one, but I will have to look at it again first. I kind of like owning a last year (well, before they resumed it much later) and one with New Orleans mint.

 

I here ya on the change of direction. When I was a kid, I bought whatever I could afford-AG V-nickels, scratched 2 cent pieces, cleaned Indian heads, etc. It was like crack to me. Fast forward nearly 15 years, my tastes have changed and I've acquired some decent stuff, but I also had a ton of junk. I had rolls of change pulls, junk silver, a box of damaged coins, and piles of modern coins I kept because they were shiny. I ended up setting a little bit of each back for future (my cool uncle gave us kids some old coins and I intend to keep the tradition), and the rest either went to the LCS or the bank.