For me, I've been thinking about it lately and decided that I think I like the thrill of the hunt for a coin more than possessing the coin itself. I will look and look for a coin and do all kinds of research and compile pricing data and all kinds of stuff before I buy a coin sometimes. I really get into it. Then, when I finally buy a coin, I enjoy getting it and I may keep it out for a few days, then it gets put away and on to the next hunt! Do any of you all have similar feelings about how you collect?
I know what your saying. I love searching out a coin for the best prices to grade and if i find one. I do the same thing. I will look at it for a few days. Then put it away for a few years. Sometimes when I get board, I dig around and make sure everything is safe and sound and holding up to the years of setting. Some times play around a bit seeing if theres anything vams i over looked and such.
I'm exactly the same way. I've been searching boxes of pennies for a scares (not really rare) variety. I've compiled all kinds of data on it. Sheets after sheet. How to identify it, history, pop. reports, pricing. Then i search for the coin. One after another.. almost there. I found one variety (not the one i was searching for though) put it in a 2x2 placed it by my work area. Then a day later it went into my box. And I shall keep hunting. I'm a treasure hunter in heart.
Good post! I have to agree. I'm constantly trying to upgrade my mercury dime collection. The awaited trip to the local coin shop every Saturday with my kids. Always hoping to find a little better example of any coin in my collection. The kids are the same way with their indian cents and buffalo nickels. Saturday mornings we all sit down and look at our coins and then make up a list of coins we'd like to get or upgrade. Only 3 more days to Saturday:mouth:
I like the hunt too. But after a while, if I'm not successful in finding and aquiring a particular piece, I tend to get a bit frustrated. The hunt is fun, but a hunter that returns every day without anything to show for it, will eventually starve. Guy~
I'm currently roll hunting for: 1984 Lincoln Cent DDO "Doubled Ear" 1992 Lincoln Cent Close AM 1992D Lincoln Cent Close AM 1997 Lincoln Cent DDO "Doubled Ear" 1998 Lincoln Cent Wide AM (Type 2 Reverse "Proof" Hub) 1999 Lincoln Cent Wide AM (Type 2 Reverse "Proof" Hub) 2000 Lincoln Cent Wide AM (Type 2 Reverse "Proof" Hub) 2006 Lincoln Cent DDO "Doubled Ear" Basically, I want the Wide/Close AM and Doubled Ear sets.
i agree, once i have the coin it's kind of a let down. anticipation is the best. i look at it for a few days, then it's into the safe.
I await a good purchase, enjoy it, and put it away. Then off to the next one. Yup, I fully agree and understand.
I love the thrill of the hunt,That is why I collect foreign coins.It is a challenge to research them and also very relaxing to me.Keeps my mind sharp and not idle.
I have to agree. The hunt is a lot of fun. This spring a friend of mine, whose 1877 IHC I posted earlier, and I are going to use his metal detector. That's a real hunt. LOL. Until then i am searching through rolls of Pennies. I am enjoying that as i don;t know what will be in each roll, wheat pennies? Canadian? Other foreign? IHC? LOL. It is fun and also cheap, lol. Regards, S
Eaxctly - on to the next hunt or challenge. But I do at times revisit previous conquests to enjoy them. At times I regrade them and resort them or even validate the attributions. All part of the fun.
Most of my hunting is spent just to find an example of a particular token. There is no comparison shopping, and little (sales) data to collect due to the extreme rarity of what I am looking for. To provide an illustration: on ebay, the number of auctions for 1909-S VDB cents and for all 11,000+ cwt varieties are usually in the same small ballpark. I don't think one could be a token collector and not enjoy the hunt.
I agree.. I took a job at a local coin shop because of a better salary.. Starting out I didnt really get what all these wierdos were so into.. But then as the new guy, I got stuck with sorting the pennies.... Id say about 3 months or so of wheats just being thrown into canvas bags... After about 2 weeks of sorting, it turned into hunting. I would look forward to going in and looking through them. I found quite a few 09-S's. Tons of early teens and S mint marks. Even found a 14-D... But after my excitement and throwing it under a scope I realised that it was a poorly altered 44-D. My best find so far was in an old partial penny album that we had stacked in the back with about 8 more partial albums purchased from customers over the years. I was going through them all after I had conquered my bags and was searching for varieties. I opened the album and looked over the coins, turned the page and saw the 1955 P. I focused on it, thought my eyes were playin with me after looking at so many pennies that day, So I grabbed my 10 power and looked closer... It was.. It was a 55 Double Die.. And it was actually in the spot marked for that variety.. I dont know how someone missed it.. Needless to say the boss was pretty happy.. He sent it to NGC and it came back a XF.. Since that day I much rather prefer hunting and searching than actually owning.. I am however starting my own Penny Collection after 2 years of being in the hobby..
My hunt continues for a 1909-S and 1924-D XF/AU wood grained Lincolns, having been outbid twice in 2 weeks on the 09-S, have never found he 24-D ever......... The thrill of the hunt rocks !!!
Unless you're really collecting common stuff the hunt is a huge part of the game. When I decided to complete the 2 Cent business strike set it took me several months to find an 1872 that was decent for the grade G-VG and would fit my budget at the time. Tough coin in any grade and finally got one from a dealer in New York. Funny thing was that I went to a VERY small show a week later and I'll be darned if there wasn't a decent, original G4 1872 there. I bought it. Looked for months then bought two within a week. Now I'm working on the "attainable" 4 coin 20 Cent set. Have the 75, 75-S and 1876 but getting a decent VF or better 75-CC for under $600 is going to be VERY challenging. They just keep going up, while the quality offered goes down. Happy hunting folks!
Start the set, read, buy, get more excited, buy, calculate what the keys will run you, buy, worry that you will never finish the set, read, search, buy, spend far more than you thought, GET THE LAST KEY, uh oh, set doesn't look quite right, start upgrading, upgrading, start looking for the die varieties, wow, there are a lot more than I thought, got to keep going.....
