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Message:: [QUOTE="lordmarcovan, post: 3065965, member: 10461"]In 2013, I did a major purge of my coin collection and sold almost everything, then started all over again from scratch.  I sold a lot of nice stuff and even more that was just plain old ... stuff.  I don't regret having done that- it set me on the right track, I think.  Nor do I regret having followed a "Box of 20" strategy for the first four years or so after the purge.  It raised the overall quality of my holdings.  Fewer coins, but higher quality. Being a man of modest means, I have built my collection up very gradually since the 1990s (and there were other purges well before that).  Usually in small increments, supplemented heavily by "flipping" - that is, buying, selling, and swapping coins - which has given my collection something of a "revolving door" aspect.  I wish I had the finances to buy super-nice stuff and "hold it forever", but coins come and go with me.  Some stick around longer than others.  I am still a collector and not a dealer, though I once had aspirations to be the latter. Recently I got to thinking of some of the nicer pieces I've parted with in the last few years.  I do miss many - indeed, most - of them, and have palpable seller's remorse on a few, but "flipping" stuff is what has kept me moving forward.  Two steps forward, one step back, then two or three more steps forward.  On and on. You sell a nice coin (or coins) to buy an even nicer coin.  That's the theory, anyway. Some got sold just because I needed money for other, boring, "real life" expenses.  But that's how it goes with my hand-to-mouth existence, sometimes.  ("Savings"?  What's that?  Haha.) Many got sold when I was sticking to a strict "Box of 20" format and limiting my collection to a mere 20 pieces.  (Want to add one?  Well, then you've got to sell another one to make room for it.  That's the challenge with a Box of 20.)  I did this from around 2013 until mid-2017.  I once had a goal to keep upgrading the (then-) Box of 20 until it consisted of all higher-end ($500+) coins.  For a while there, I did get it up to where they were all $200+ coins, but finally abandoned the 20-coin limit altogether and have resumed my enjoyment of less expensive material.  It doesn't have to be expensive to be appealing, after all. So since mid-2017, the collection has been gradually growing again.  Almost a year after abandoning the 20-coin limit, the Eclectic Box has almost doubled in size, being 38 pieces as of this writing. Here is a retrospective glimpse at some of the pieces that I've parted with over the past five years or so-  just since the 2013 "Great Purge" - and not including some of the more modest sideline collections I've built and sold. <img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/zAEGPIEnSPamC8nFuW7C_EclecticBoxBanner-06.2017.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI" rel="nofollow">CollectiveCoin album: "Bygones" from the Eclectic Box</a><a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/7my2PhjhXCrR9PLbqB5k" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/7my2PhjhXCrR9PLbqB5k" rel="nofollow">CollectiveCoin album: Eclectic Box (present holdings)</a> <img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/riEdXRUT5ygw41wukjUt_5zb2j0l5zm5b.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> "Bygones" from the "Eclectic Box" Gone, but not forgotten. <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/OwDVLJ5QQLERHmPSWR79" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/OwDVLJ5QQLERHmPSWR79" rel="nofollow">Ancient Greece (Pontos, Amisos): silver drachm or siglos featuring Hera and owl, ca. late 5th to 4th century BC</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/yoH38pnEToy93wZrSDHz_01-AncientGreece-Pontos-Amisos-ARdrachm-017341-coin.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/aiw6o7vH2pE0OqXERbuW" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/aiw6o7vH2pE0OqXERbuW" rel="nofollow">Ancient Greece (Macedonian Kingdom): silver tetradrachm of Alexander III ("the Great"), posthumous issue, ca. 205-200 BC</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/sSdikt9Ta2c2RbC1uToA_AncientGreece-Macedonian-AlexanderIII-tetradrachm-posthumous-036000.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/e9aiUbuSfo1cCiiRXDPK" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/e9aiUbuSfo1cCiiRXDPK" rel="nofollow">Ancient Roman Empire: orichalcum sestertius of Hadrian, struck ca. 134-138 AD</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/SvY9Iw6CSN20XAl3S0gv_AncientRome-Hadrian-Sestertius-042000-coin.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/Xdz1IP1CYIiM296mJmkS" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/Xdz1IP1CYIiM296mJmkS" rel="nofollow">Ancient Roman Empire: silver denarius of Septimius Severus, ca. 193-211 AD</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/LSdkZlrbTfeJA9zZPC57_RomanEmp-denarius-SeptimiusSeverus-018465-coin-800x500.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/f8VHRDZzzusywaN6Tv0l" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/f8VHRDZzzusywaN6Tv0l" rel="nofollow">England (Anglo-Saxon): silver penny of Aethelred II (978-1016 AD), struck ca. 997-1003 AD</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/mMp66Vm6SsqCfsBw6ISe_England-AR-penny-AethelredII-074500-coin-800x500.png?" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/epBKBU12Uqmr64JjJLaP" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/epBKBU12Uqmr64JjJLaP" rel="nofollow">England: silver Short Cross penny of King John (1199-1216), struck in the name of Henry II, ca. 1205</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/a2UDpv0wRZ2kSJITg6BC_JohnPenny.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/yPHqe15bNGgkcHUA7qbT" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/yPHqe15bNGgkcHUA7qbT" rel="nofollow">Turkey (Seljuks of Rûm): silver dirham of Kaykhusraw II; lion & sun, AH 638 (1240-1241)</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/Njp4ZWzeSa29wCCgUAM7_Seljuq-dirham.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/50GF09mNuC1KNuFYjyke" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/50GF09mNuC1KNuFYjyke" rel="nofollow">Medieval Croatia (Ragusa): silver grosso portraying St. Blasius and Christ, ca. 1372-1438</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/EfE4czLzTce2d0b9Zlsj_Ragusa-grosso-014290-coin-800x500.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/0jGQhOvUatOtlB96eOpx" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/0jGQhOvUatOtlB96eOpx" rel="nofollow">Italy (Venice): silver grosso of Antonio Venier, ca. 1382-1400</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/ptZvKJyfTIKZTgJ8v8mX_VenetianGrosso.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/YtZrWveFNUHBx44tVqM3" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/YtZrWveFNUHBx44tVqM3" rel="nofollow">Netherlands (Gelderland): "St. John" goldgulden (florin) of Arnold van Egmond, ca. 1423-1472</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/ErkrzNrtRfOuDiaO7GEr_Neth-Gelderland-StJohn-goldgulden-072222-coin-800x500.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/VqZoYtrYxobuIHC13WMi" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/VqZoYtrYxobuIHC13WMi" rel="nofollow">Belgium (Brabant): gold Carolus d’or (florin) of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, ca. 1521-1545</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/8pUN8e5FTsyWh0pLsG4y_Brabant-florin-1500s-045242-coin-V2.png?" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/CbACHHXP5eDOUa95oGSr" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/CbACHHXP5eDOUa95oGSr" rel="nofollow">Great Britain: silver "South Sea Company" shilling of George I, 1723</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/0uJejzuARnchxz8b9jSG_GB-SSC-shilling-1723-050100-coin-800x500.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/2ZczQcZwdV7VwQ7xT9Ju" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/2ZczQcZwdV7VwQ7xT9Ju" rel="nofollow">France: silver jeton of Louis XV, "Aurora in cloud chariot", undated (ca. 1740)</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/aRsvCIq6Qbqm8ycv9qrW_France-LouisXV-jeton-014500-coin-800x500.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <a href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/vAM3MHnEPoIeRbnyqzJn" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collectivecoin.com/lordmarcovan/SL50Qie7LLIUhnykKUjI/vAM3MHnEPoIeRbnyqzJn" rel="nofollow">French Colonies: copper sou of Louis XV, 1767, with post-revolutionary 1793 "RF" counterstamp</a><img src="https://collectivecoin.imgix.net/UchICxpQSgyORKJurY4J_FrenchColonies-1sou-RF-1767-008100-coin-800x500.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> [/QUOTE]

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