Focus, focus, who needs focus? (and I'm not talking about Fords!)

In my short time in the world of online coin collecting (June 1st, 2008-August 26th, 2009, as I type this) I have seen many different people say that you need a focus, or that you will just have a bunch of random items. And that "when it comes time to sell", you will get less.

To that, I say...so what?

Is there something wrong with not choosing to collect one thing and one thing alone? I think not!

Yes, while doing this approach to collecting, the odds are that you will not end up being the greatest knowlegded (my own word, I believe) person on a particular subject. (Maybe some estoric subject that has a very limited amount of knowlegde possible...but I digress) but if that is your main goal...perhaps you are missing the point of numismatics completely.

For me, I collect for the history. Coins are small, tangible pieces of history I can hold in my hands and study at my leasure. They are not something I purchase with the intent to resell for profit. I have loved history since before I loved coinage and currency. In fact, it is that selfsame love of history that makes up 100% of my reasons for being a numismatist in the first place!

While I do have specific areas I focus on and enjoy, all pieces of history have a place in my collection. Why should I include or exclude things arbitrarily? I can't see a good reason. Having a haphazard mixture of items in my collection is NOT a valid reason!

Say, for instance, that I decided I would collect only British coins. That would be a logical step, for one, because I am well versed in English history, I speak English (though the coins are Latin) and have English heritage - among many other things that make up my background.

Now, with my hypothetical British only approach, say I am at a coin shop, show, or online browsing, and see a coin from France that, were I collecting everything, I would jump all over. But, since I Only collect British coins...I pass on it. In the future, after I've finished my British set...then what? I decide to tackle France. Well, by now French coins have taken off in popularity. And of cource, the popularity means the prices are up, up up. Now I can no longer afford the coin I passed on previously. That's a big, major oops.

And even on a baser level then that...Why should I, or anybody else, deprive me of the simple joy of owning any particular coin, just because it does not fit my series?
The idea is preposterous! I again see no reason that is valid for this.

Here's what I do...I collect. I'm a collector by nature, and I've been a collector since I was 2 years old. The first thing I collected was 1/64 cars. I began in 1986, at least...possibly sooner. (I don't remember this, but I have some issues from Hot Wheels that I have had since new, and they were issued in 1987; I know they are not anywhere near my first cars in my collection so I am making an educated guess that it is 1986...that and my family says so, so I am sure) While that has nothing to do with coins, it shows my collector's background. I still collect a whole list of things. Coins and Currency (I consider them as one, they go hand in hand) is my 3rd hobby, based on priority, behind the staple 1/64 NASCAR cars, and NASCAR trading cards.

Anyway, getting back to my point. I collect all coins and currency. I basically am only limited by my funds available that is not going to something more important. (Let me say, if I didn't have to eat every single day, I would have a lot more coins!) I know that, yes it's true I may never complete a set, by spreading my collection so wide. But, you know what? I don't care! I am having fun with it, and that is very important to me. There are other venues to study history, I find numismatics to be the most fun. And on top of that, I probably WILL complete series in time. They just won't be expensive series. I know that gold is currently out of reach, and probably always will be. I know that high grade silver is likely going to be out of reach, even some low-grade silver is too. (A topic I will address in a future entry) But I do not have this hatred of clads or other non-silver coinage. In fact, I don't care about a coin's metal content. It means nothing to me. The only time it plays a role is when I have to pay more for it when a compative issue is much less clad. (Think US coinage here; while most of this entry is on more world-wide topics, the majority of my collection is still US coinage) So series, especially more modern series are in fact very possible! I am actually very close to completing my first series, and that is clad dimes of the USA, my home country. I am two older issues away, 1972D and 1978D, and I have yet to find either 2009 issue yet. What's even more special about this set, is that they have ALL been pulled from circulation! (Some were traded for) The two 1970s issues I have examples of, but the 72 is bent, and the 78 has some unknown scuzz on it. So, I need to replace it. However, when I get those two, and the new 2009 issues, I will have a complete collection of circulating clad dimes. I have only been looking since mid 2008! I will also continue to work on my silver Roosevelt dime set. It is likely the only US silver collection I can or will ever complete for a few reasons- #1 is that I had more of them then any other going in and #2 is that there are no excessive rarity/key date issues, that would prevent me from buying the holes I need.

Anyway, that IS a set I can finish, with no real focus. It just kind of happened; I am working on sets of all circulating US coinage; it just so happened that dimes are the closest to completion. It is helped along greatly by the fact that I have lived and will always live my entire life in the USA...it's not hard to get a roll of dimes to look through and I've even got some of the issues in my collection as change!

Other issues are not that easy, mainly because of lack of accessibility. Were I to live in, say, El Salvidor, my collection would probably be heavily El Salvidor based, instead of just having the one coin in my collection from El Salvidor that I pulled from a 10 cent a coin bin.

I am doing ok on Canada's various sets (excluding all those quarters they've issued) because I have a friend in Canada who saves them for me and gives them to me when I see him, once a year or so.

Now to get back to a line I addressed early in this post. That line about "when it comes time to sell". I have heard this from several people. I don't understand this. (I do...bear with me) While this is a topic I want to delve deeper into in the future...for me, there will never be a time to sell. I don't care about making a profit on my collection. I can't study them if somebody else has them. Therefore, they will not be sold. My descendants can worry about that, provided I have any. If not, some future archeologist will find them

That is not to say I won't sell duplicates. I have already sold duplicates. I only need one (and of cource a couple extras, just in case!) But mostly I use my duplicates as a trade stash. As I am just starting out collecting, I don't have a large trade stash. In time, I will, but not yet.

When I think about my coin collecting, it is just the beginning of my numismatic career. I have been collecting coins and currency for a grand total of 19 months. I am only 24 years old. I plan to collect for the rest of my life....so I have all the time in the world to collect, study and learn from my coin collection. By my theory, I will just continue to add coins to my collection 'till the end of time...or at least, then end of MY time. I don't know how many coins I will have when I am done...I doubt I will ever truly be done collecting, mind you...but it's almost staggering to think about.

By the way, I chose French and English coins in my example above because I already have quite a few of them. In my country collection totals, they rank third and 5th. England/(Great Britian) currently has 27 issues in my collection, while France has 22. Germany ranks between them with 23.

Well, that is my thoughts on focus...or more accuratly titled, my arguments for the lack of focus...