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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ToughCOINS, post: 1782277, member: 20480&quot;]I just did another appraisal last night . . . same as 80% of what I see on cold calls.&nbsp; Random coins, completely unrelated to one another, purchased because they were a lot cheaper than catalog.&nbsp; No assemblages by date, none by type, or by any other rational method.&nbsp; Everything was obviously an indivdual purchase without meaningful purpose, other than to get a good deal.&nbsp; The owner openly expressed dismay at what he had to show for his time and even for his money.&nbsp; He realizes that the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>My intent here is not to offend anyone buying their coins that way, but to open their eyes to the benefits of collecting in an organized manner.&nbsp; Random purchases will likely leave you feeling unfulfilled, both as a collector, and financially. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Collections assembled of coins sharing some common element, be it by date, by design, one per type, by error type, by appearance, or some other method will increase the level of &quot;connectedness&quot; between the coins as the collection grows, while simultaneously feeding the collector&#039;s desire to find the next coin on his / her list. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It is this sense of building something that gives satisfaction.&nbsp; It&#039;s true that one doesn&#039;t know what one has until it&#039;s gone . . . Once a set is completed, the targets are suddenly gone . . . .&nbsp; At first it feels great, but then, sadly, one realizes that the hunt is over.&nbsp; When that happens, there is definitely some sense of loss . . . not financial loss, but loss of enjoyment.&nbsp; Many collectors then move on to assemble other collections.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It is just as important that, to maximize the return on investment, one not collect without purpose.&nbsp; Does that mean you necessarily make a profit if you collect with purpose?&nbsp; No, of course not, but it likely means you will lose less when it comes time to sell . . . who knows, you may even be one of the more savvy collectors who actually profits in this great hobby.&nbsp; Making the whole greater than the sum of its parts is very achievable.&nbsp; While possibly not true when examined against the return on key and semi-key dates, it is certainly true that completed collections are much more marketable than stand-alone common dates within a series.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In any case, it seems that many readers are motivated by paying a few bucks too little on a coin, any coin, than by targeting a particular coin, deciding what it is worth to them, saving for it, and then acquiring it as the next building block toward achieving the loftier goal of completing a collection.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Are you collecting or accumulating?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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