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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 4836696, member: 110350&quot;]I&#039;m sure the distinction can be rather arbitrary for some dealers. In Frank Robinson&#039;s case, he apparently keeps his inventory and personal collection physically separate, maintaining the latter in a safe deposit box. This is the explanation he gave in connection with his latest auction, at <a href="http://fsrcoin.com/f.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://fsrcoin.com/f.html" rel="nofollow">http://fsrcoin.com/f.html</a>:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;When I started collecting ancients in the &#039;70s, and then dealing, I decided to keep for myself only really good stuff.</p><p><br /></p><p>By now that&#039;s several thousand coins. Time to pare it down.</p><p><br /></p><p>To decimate the collection in the original Roman sense, which meant executing every tenth man.</p><p><br /></p><p>I didn&#039;t do it randomly, but selectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I brought them all home from the bank and reviewed them. Many I actually hadn&#039;t seen in decades.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing what to keep had often presented dilemmas in the past. One might be rare and interesting but not great in condition. Another with a lovely obverse but problematic reverse. And so forth. Inevitably, over 4+ decades, my perspective on such choices evolved. Always a &quot;condition snob,&quot; that intensified.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pruning the collection required forcing myself to make choices — a kind of Sophie&#039;s Choice!</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, no Caracalla denarius below EF would ever have been kept. But having over 30, I made myself take out a few.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyhow, every coin so chosen was previously deemed suitable for inclusion in what was conceived as a topnotch collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many are rare and unusual. One coming to mind is Lot 206 here, a Vespasian struck over Otho, with Otho&#039;s name visible! I loved this coin, don&#039;t recall ever seeing another like it, but decided to let it go because the condition is not wonderful.</p><p><br /></p><p>I picked over 300 coins, and originally thought I&#039;d put them all in a single sale; but then decided to spread out the fun, over three auctions, so each sale could also include the more customary contents (many of which are very good coins too of course).</p><p><br /></p><p>Ones from my collection are designated with an &quot;R&quot; after the lot number.</p><p><br /></p><p>All are in my original, distinctive, neatly lettered envelopes, most with some price history noted.&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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