What type of Coin Collector are you?

"As with most hobbies there are different Levels of coin collectors. Before you buy coins, it is important to realize and identify which level you are and how far, in level, you are willing or able to go in this hobby. This is a condensed list as there are many sublevels within

A. CASUAL These coin collectors often begin the hobby by saving notable coins found by chance.[citation needed] These coins may be pocket change left from an international trip or an old coin found in circulation.

B. ENTHUSIAST Usually, if the enthusiasm of the novice increases over time, random coins found in circulation are not enough to satisfy their interest.[citation needed] The hobbyist may then trade coins in a coin club or buy coins from dealers or mints. Their collection then takes on a more specific focus.

C. GENERALIST Often enthusiasts become generalists and accumulate a few examples from a broad variety of historical or geographically significant coins.[citation needed] Given enough resources, this can result in a vast collection. King Farouk of Egypt was a generalist with a collection famous for its scope and variety.

D. SPECIALIST Most collectors decide to focus their financial resources on a narrower, specialist interest. Some collectors focus on coins of a certain nation or historic period. Some collect coins by themes (or 'subjects') that are featured on the artwork displayed on the coin.[14] Others will seek error coins. Still others might focus on exonumia such as medals, tokens or challenge coins. Some collectors are completists and seek an example of every type of coin within a certain category. Perhaps the most famous of these is Louis Eliasberg, the only collector thus far to assemble a complete set of known coins of the United States.

E. COMPETITIONER Coin collecting can become a competitive activity, as prompted by the recent emergence of PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) and NGC (Numismatic Guarantee Corporation) Registry Sets. Registry Sets are private collections of coins verified for ownership and quality by numismatic grading services. The grading services assess collections, seal the coins in clear plastic holders, then register and publish the results. This can lead to very high prices as dedicated collectors compete for the very best specimens of, for example, each date and mint mark combination."
~abbreviated list from Coinweekly.com~

 

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<----- F. HOARDER Collects all types of coins singly or as sets and never or very rarely sells...

 

I do have a competitive side, but it has NOTHING to do with Registry Sets, which frankly annoy me. I EXHIBIT competitively, which means that it is not a competition among coin grades, although there is a fairly minor aspect of that, but it is the "story" that you put together with the coins and other material that really counts. Think of it as building "museum exhibits".

 

G - None of the above.

 

I would submit to you that it is entirely possible to exhibit competitively within the Registry system. The NGC Registry gives awards every year for the BEST PRESENTED sets. An award that both Jason (@physics-fan3.14 ) and I have both won.

For every coin in my Registry collection, I provide professional grade oversized photographs, mintage information about the date/mm, a description of the coin, as well as my personal comments about the coin often including such topics as it's grade, rarity, price, and source of purchase. In fact, I do consider my Registry collection a "museum exhibit." As a fellow collector of Jefferson Nickels, I think you might actually enjoy viewing my set.

Obviously, I am a proud "E" collector and enjoy both the competition and exhibition side of assembling a high quality registry collection. For anyone interested in viewing my collection of Jefferson Nickels, please click on the link below.

The Atlantic City Set of Jefferson Nickels 1938-1964

Enjoy!

 

@BooksB4Coins @ken454 @V. Kurt Bellman
here's a link to the article I paraphrased. It contains some sexist comments and borderline derogatory descriptive names of "levels" that I wasn't going to use. I tried to break it down to reflect members of this forum which I don't think would have appreciated naming any level "Rubbish Chute" collectors , etc. as the article did.
https://www.coinsweekly.com/en/Archive/The-Nine-Types-of-Coin-Collectors/8?&id=76&type=a

 

Ursula Kampmann = Ex wife of a coin collector

LOL

 

For anyone interested in viewing my collection of Jefferson Nickels, please click on the link below.

The Atlantic City Set of Jefferson Nickels 1938-1964

Enjoy![/QUOTE] @Lehigh96

I really like the golden toning. I have a box of PCGS 5c proofs turning right now.

 

I get her newsletter, but I rarely read it..........Europeans. Is that her Epitaph Paul?

 

@Lehigh96

I really like the golden toning. I have a box of PCGS 5c proofs turning right now.[/QUOTE]
That's Pauls' stuff.

 

How kind of you to issue a trigger warning and to be so concerned about the feelings of, ahem, "other" people.

In all seriousness and with no offense intended, of course, anyone unable to handle that link without having to run for a safe space should probably consider finding a different hobby. I cannot help but to fear that the inherent disappointment of this hobby may simply be too much for their precious selves.

 

I collect to showcase different Mint error types. I enjoy holding seminars at local coin clubs and even at the school where I teach at. I am even at the point where I get calls from many of the local Buffalo coin dealers. I really enjoy showing people what some think is not possible.

 

I like to buy coins corresponding to historical periods that I'm researching. When I read a biography of Elizabeth I, I bought an Elizabeth I hammered three pence. When I studied Edward VI I bought a few hammered coins from his reign. When I read a book on George Washington I bought a 1794 Large Cent. When I read a history of Japan I found myself with loads of Japanese coins from various eras. And so on. This probably qualifies me as a "generalist," but "historicist" may be more suitable.

 

"What type Collector are you?"
I'm just a sucker for really pretty coins.

 

"I would submit to you that it is entirely possible to exhibit competitively within the Registry system. "

Not in the sense of the word that I exhibit, it's not. You don't get ANY points for posting coins on a website in the kind of exhibiting I do. In fact the basics have not changed since the very first competitive exhibits at the first ANA convention that included them. You can throw in an absolutely perfect unique coin, and all you've achieved is 15 of the 100 points.

 

For the most part I switch back and forth from a Generalist to Specialist every decade or so. Started seeking VAMs in the 80's then moved to the search of the Lincoln Wheats and specifically the 1955 DDO (which I haven't found). Moved on to buying and submitting graded 5c, 10c and 25c. All along I messed around the Speculation field with silver. Bought in the late 70's and dumped in 79 at around $30.Bought some more and hoarded until 2011, Dumped it again. Tried 1 more time and got skunked . I then left the field altogether in the mid 2000's to further my career. Now I am enjoying looking at all the old collection for RPM and OMM and BIE examples. I long ago gave up the Investment idea and now just enjoy admiring what I have kept. So i have been in categories A-D at one time or the other.

 

Other than the obvious substitute of a digital image for the actual coin, what would be different about it? The remainder of the exhibit is just text, you can write anything you want.

Oddly, you think that competing for registry points for having the highest graded coins is ridiculous, but are heavily invested in getting points for some silly coin exhibit!

 

Exhibiting as I do it is a time-tested and time-honored KEY PART OF numismatic (as well as many other hobby organizations, including philately) conventions. ANA has literally been doing it for over a CENTURY!

Registry Sets are a cheap marketing ploy made up out of whole cloth by the cheaper, more crass marketing elements of the for-profit (and how!) TPGS's.

I have to be certified to be an Exhibiting judge. All your stuff needs is an obscenely big checkbook, WHICH, by the way, is a taught reason to mark DOWN an exhibit.

 

Learn about ANA-style (plus ALL big shows) exhibiting. Or maybe don't. It might turn you into a real numismatist, as opposed to whatever that crass ridiculous thing you presently are is called.

 

How kind of someone that doesn't know me to classify me. Why do I waste my time with meaningless polls?