I have been thinking (uh-oh, watch out, lol), That when we collect our coins, we are collecting Unique pieces, coins that have that certain look, that we like so much, we pay our hard earned dollars for them...... And then we start to accumulate them, sometimes we are focused on a certain type or series, or variety, etc......We read books, we go to coin shows, we talk to people (maybe not as much as we should, sometimes too much, lol), we go online to forums, local b&m..... We think we are collecting coins that no one else has, I sometimes think I have the best coin in that particular year and MM, we collect in secret, some collect in plain view, some buy with the "look-at-me" persona.:hail: But I think, we on the most part, collect much of the same coin. Sure, we buy different graded coins, but almost every coin has a brother or a sister... Does it really matter if one is graded a little higher or lower than the other? But that is a good thing I believe....I don't really care about a coin with only 8 known examples..that doesn't count in my book... But all other coins are in realitive abundance really. Someone once said, There ARE NO RARE Coins, they are available if you have the money....and for the most part, that is the truth..:bigeyes: Each of our collections are unique in a special way, no 2 coins are exactly alike...We all acquired them in a special way..and we should be proud of our unique collections...:hail:
You are correct when you state "unique" About Good. Each one of us has in some special way assembled a collection based only on the needs, wants, or desires of our particular collecting expertise. And collecting is dynamic...it never stays the same. It's always changing, evolving, becoming more defined. New interests, new directions. It's the one thing that defines this hobby of ours. :smile
Better yet, Let's say you have a collection that is worth 4 million.. I second your exact collection with the same exact coins, but they are graded a little behind yours, and I only spent 1 million...Guess what? And those who spent 500K, We all have the same coins, except in some ones mind, there is a difference in slight grading.....that's all... what would you have? I would love the under-valued one.....Same coins, just a little under-graded...agree?
I've taken to the next step, when I jumped into coin collecting I decided to go after what most shops are giving away, World Coins. I try to amass a Unique collection of coins from all over the world. One example I own is a Panama 10 Centavos 1904, we must have paid them so much to build the Panama Canal that they felt so rich for a year that they decided to mint their 10 Centavos about the size of our Quarter and 90% Silver to boot. I find that to be a nice piece of history, or my Avatar coin which is one of my favorites that I picked up for only $12 in an Antique shop... I have a 100 tales of Unique Acquisitions that I have added to my collection for next to nothing because it is still just under the radar of all the U.S. Coin and Bullion Collectors!
Everyone's collection is totally unique, how can it be anything else? And every one of us (apart from the pure investors) is, I'm sure, justifiably proud, whether you have less than a hundred coins or over 10,000. Because I don't live in America I have obviously been drawn to world coins (to me US currency is just a part of that). Even after about 20 years of collecting I still get the greatest thrill when I get a new type (even if it's a run of the mill, beat up common circulation). So bring on the 2010 releases and the 2011, 2012, 2013... I certainly think and hope to be as passionate as I am now about coins in another 20, 30, 40 years (the 40 may be stretching it just a touch but one lives in hope).
This is a very deep thread About Good. I like it. I think that our collections say a lot about who were are and our unique characteristics. TC
Agreed. I was a teenager in Dallas when JFK was assassinated. He seemed to this young kid like a breath of fresh air in the Presidency, after a succession of Old White Guys. No disrespect intended here, BTW. So many years later, when I decided the Kennedy Registry Set was a neat one to pursue, I guess it came as no great surprise. And of course I grew up with all the Kennedy-Lincoln "shot in a theater/hid in a warehouse" parallels (which are startling). And I do Conders because they are SO interesting and so undervalued, and I like their historicity. Neat thread guys!
Excellent thread, About Good! Each and every collection is inherently different. Every coin, is truly unique. Sure they may be the exact same in statististics...same year, mint mark, same grade, etc. But each coin (and this is especially true with circulated coins) is unique due to the journey it has taken since it was minted. For example: In circulation, specifically in a bank roll I got back in March, I found a 1912 cent. Surely there are other members of the forum, that have 1912 cents. But there are NO other members who have this specific 1912 cent, and it's a unique one, as it is clearly damaged...it looks to have spent some time under water. But not much, I almost wonder if it was tossed into a fountain. And this is the same for every coin in everyone's collection. Even if they are the same general coins, each coin is unique, and therefore each collection is unique. Like Donn and Vic, I collect World coins. For me, as long is it was a coin that actually circulated in it's native country at some point, it is a viable coin for my collection. My collection ranges in age from circa 300 BC to 2010, although for 2010 I only have three coins, and they are all from the US. How many members of this forum have the exact same coins I do, down to year/mintmark for each and every one of those countries? The odds are, None! There are just too many variables. There are, I would wager, into the millions in possibilities, or maybe more....I would not be surprised if it was into the billions, seriously, when you take into account ancients especially. I am counting not just types but also each year/mintmark combination for each and every type. The odds that anyone on the forum would have the exact same coins as I do are slim to nil, and likewise the odds of me matching someone else's collection are...you guessed it, slim to nil! There may be some overlapping where we have the same year/mintmark for a particular type, any one of us, but to match it totally...I wouldn't bet on it. My primary source of world coins is buying bulk lots. (I've actually only done two) When you do that, you don't know what you will get...which is one of the reasons I like it, because it's a surprise no matter what. (any duplicates become my trade stash) In doing those two bulk lots, I've gotten coins ranging in age from 1893-2009. (I did one batch in 2008 and one in 09). Some of the coins, based on condition, I would not purchased as an indivigual coin. For example I got one from Peru that someone had put some scotch type tape on. Who would buy something like that for their collection? Even I wouldn't, and I would wager that my standards are the lowest on CoinTalk. Yet, that coin is now in my collection because it's the best (only!) example I have of that date/mintmark coin. When I buy an indivigual coin, I look for a few things...Does it have scratches? Normal circulation scratches I don't mind, but I don't like deep scratches. Has it been cleaned? I don't really mind a dip, but I absolutely hate hairlines from wiping. Does it have any rim dings? I don't really like them too but if they are not too distracting...or if they lower a coin I could not otherwise afford down onto my price range...I will except them. Has the coin been bent? I don't really like it but I have a few. I will try to get an upgrade but there are some coins that I would not be able to get if they were not bent. How does the coin look, color wise? I have been pretty clear in the past that I don't care for toning. I do have some examples in my collection that have toned...and they are some of my least favorite coins. I look for examples that retain the same coloration they left the mint with...but in many cases that means uncirculated and then that means I can't afford it. So, barring that, I look for a nice even coloration. For silver and nickel, I like a slate gray coloration, for copper, if I can't have mint red, I want it to look like milk chocolate. It's essentially important to me that the coin be even in color, be it factory fresh or aged like a fine wine or cheese. I don't mind darker fields with lighter devices, as long as it was aquired through wear and not a wipe. One thing that is an absolute deal breaker for me is a hole. Unless it was something like the only one in existance, holes mean no buy for me. (And if it was the only one, even with a hole, I couldn't afford it) I also don't accept whizzing(polishing) and I have none in my collection that I am aware of, I don't guarentee that I am knowledgeable to spot them if I do...I'm still a rookie really with 2 years and one month only into this hobby. I also really dislike verdigris...and having that present on a coin means I want to upgrade it. I have even "Upgraded" to a lower grade coin without verdigris over a higher graded one with it. Lucky for me most of my collection is still of a circulating type! Do other forum members have the same guidelines for their collection as I do? Maybe, I really don't know. If they do, I would guess their collection does look similar to mine. But then again, my standards are low...like I said above, probably the lowest on CoinTalk. I am sure most collectors have more strict standards than I do...I just want to have an example of that date/mintmark in my collection, and if I can, I am happy. Every thing I say I look for above, I could honestly say I have something in my collection that I say I don't want, except for holed coins (not counting the few world issues that are supposed to have holes, of course) I have multiple toned, bent, wiped, or otherwise damaged coins in my collection...and I love them all the same. I kind of feel like I am protecting them. I am sure it is silly, but I feel that if I don't save them, who will? Even problem coins have a story to tell, and I feel that my stewardship of them keeps them from being melted, further abused, or otherwise lost to history. And I'm not talking raritys here, just common everyday stuff that most people consider junk, I love. My motto is: Another man's trash is MY treasure!
I agree with ya. I have many nice coins but not in the highest grades. Besides, I like my personal collection "raw."
Well said AG, as an old time collector the overwhelming majority of my collection are raw coins. A couple are especially nice choice pieces, but it's what I put together, and it's all mine. And there is good reason for Dan Holmes not to feel threatened. LOL
