Do you, as a collector, collect coins because of their history? Or do you learn about the history of the coinage, because you love the art of the coin? I am usually the second one. Unless I already know about that time of history. stainless
I really like the history. One of the nicest coin collections I've ever seen was a kind of "history of historically-significant coins" collection. . . so of course, it had things like the widow's mite, the Spanish dollar, etc.
For me the two are difficult to separate, I do both. Even coins which aren't very interesting artistically may have some particular mechanical aspect (ie the process used to generate the coin and perhaps its inherent faults) that is interesting in itself and worthy of collection. And the art/history combo covers not only images on coins, but writing, perhaps nothing but writing.
I collect Morgans mainly because I love how the look. The great history is just a bonus. IMO I don't think I could collect a coin series with a great history, but not like how they look. So I vote for the art of the coin.
Any old coin is just so cool. Somebody used this 100, 150, or 200+ years ago, and now it's in my hand.
I love history, especially the 19th century. Its my favorite time period in U.S. History and when I look at my coins alot of times I'll think about what may have happened during that particular time and who may have possibly handled that coin. A U.S. Soldier during the Civil War, a famous actor or politician maybe.....who knows.
For me it is a bit of both, sometimes I see a coin that has a design that I just have to get, then there are my Roman/Greek/Celtic etc with them it is mainly the history associated with them
A little bit o' both for me. The collector guy inside me says "ya gotta get that proof and mint set for that year you're missin'. Meanwhile the historian guy inside me is whispering, "Hey, that bust half dollar over there, you gotta get that one. Do you know in whose pocket that could have been in? Andrew Jackson....wake up pilgrim. These scenarios happen all the time....:smile
Both for me too. The coins are another vehicle to understand our past, and often beautiful objects in themselves. I love the historical articles in the coin magazines.
I'm really not sure why I collect coins. I started when I was a really little kid and thought those little shinning things were great to collect. Never really grew out of that. I really don't think about, nor study the history of most coins. I just collect coins.
I like the effect on the coins that historical events have - for instance, the UK debased it's silver coinage twice in the 20th century. Once in 1920, from .925 to .500 silver, and finally in 1947, from .500 to Cupro-nickel. Both times to pay for a war. Then there's the little historical snippets that might get lost if it hadn't been for the coins: there was a tradition to put shiny new pennies in kid's Christmas stockings in the 1940s, but during the post-WW2 austerity programme over here the Royal Mint considered that to be a frivolous use of scarce national resources so it artificially darkened them to discourage the practice. Then, because of the "official" nature of the coinage, you sometimes find a discrepancy between the "official" story, and what later comes to light - so perhaps the fact that the British Empire lost access to the Malaysian tin mines, and had to change the alloy in its bronze coinage, may have had something to do with it; something they may not have wanted to admit publically in 1944.
I collect coins because I like them, I collect coins because I like them and in the process learn about art, history and die making. Many many bonuses for coin collectors as it should be with anything you pursue with passion.
