Where do I pick up a copy of the current auction lots on paper? I definitely prefer paper over screen. Tangibility aspect. Would like to get my hands on paper copies of Heritage, Regency and Stacks.
Three ways to do it: you can buy them, either direct from the auction company 1 at a time, or by annual subscription; or go to a coin show, you can usually pick them up for free there; or you can bid and win a coin in the auctions. The last method of course doesn't do you any good for the current auction, but the next one that comes up the auction company will send you their catalog for free, and usually continue to do so for 1 year.
I would add this. You're thinking along the right lines, auction catalogs are an often overlooked valuable resource. And a very inexpensive way to add to one's numismatic library. Catalogs often contain information that you can find no where else. They can contain accurate census information, recent auction records, rarity ratings, as well as basic historical info. But they can do more than that, they also often expose you to coins that you previously knew nothing about, and that can open all sorts of new doors for you. Lead you down paths and in directions that you may never have traveled otherwise. So I've always urged everyone, get your hands on all the auction catalogs you can, and keep them, don't just throw them away. They provide resources that would otherwise require a very extensive, and expensive, library of specialized numismatic books.
For older auctions, I agree that catalogues are a valuable resource. But with the rise of the internet, they are becoming less essential. First, many major auction houses have digital copies of their catalogues, and many auction houses also have archives of their sales on their website. To me, this is actually even more valuable than a printed catalogue, because it includes the prices realized. The digital method is also fully searchable, so you don't have to spend hours wading through dozens of books to trace what you want - three clicks and you're there. Second, even older catalogues are now becoming less important, because many of them are being scanned in and recorded in the Newman Numismatic Portal. This resource is incredibly valuable - I don't need to buy the entire run of B. Max Mehl catalogues, because its all right there. Third, storage becomes an issue when you amass a large number of catalogues. These things are not small, and will quickly take up a large amount of space. Sure, I've bought a couple of catalogues for extremely important collections - but in order to develop a library of auction catalogues that will actually be useful, you're talking many, many feet of shelf space. Fourth, the pictures in printed catalogues are usually printed at life size. That is great for an overall view of the coin, but it really can't beat the magnified pictures available on most websites. Being able to zoom in on the picture gives you far more information than the small, often low quality picture you get in the paper copy. Fifth, auction catalogues can be quite expensive! If you are accumulating them for free by picking them up at a show, or if the auction house sends them to you to encourage bidding, then that is great. But if you want to buy older catalogues, be prepared to spend $10, $15, $25 or more for many of the bigger or more important catalogues. You may be able to get some free ones from people who just want to dump them, for the other reasons I've listed above, but to seriously build a legitimate reference library like Doug mentions, be prepared to spend a significant amount of money. So, while Doug's advice is good, there are easier ways. When Doug started collecting, and for many old school collectors, the paper catalogues were the standard. However, most people just can't handle buying all the auction catalogues. For me, the practicality of the internet easily wins.
There's always trade-offs, and the electronic versions of catalogs have their downsides too. Computers crash, backup versions get corrupted, older files no longer work with new software, websites silently slip away into oblivion and without notice. I've done it both ways and I've had all of those things and more happen to me, often more than once. But every paper version I've owned, or still own, it's still right there just like the day it was when it was printed. And while I didn't mention it printing out a realized prices list is fairly simple and provides you with a paper copy that you just tuck into its catalog. The thing about paper copies is this, they will last several lifetimes. You can't say that about electronic versions. Sure, they require storage space and expense. But so do electronic versions, just a different kind of space and different costs.
Doug, I've cheered every time the Newman Portal has digitized a new series of catalogs. I love carting off the old paper. Usually donate it to the rummage sales of the local library. Some gets donated to the ANA library; some will be sold via eBay. I download the catalogs in which I'm interested in a couple of formats either from Newman or auction companies ... then out goes the paper copy if I have one. I consider the digital copies to be a safer long term storage medium than paper. If multiple back-ups are made, including off-site backups, there's little to worry about. Worse comes to worse, there will be other digital copies out there that can be reacquired much more quickly than paper could be replaced. Paper has its own vulnerabilities like theft, burning, insects, mold, water damage, degeneration of acid paper, UV fading, etc. In addition to compactness and security, digital has a lot of other advantages over paper. It's much easier and quicker to search. Image manipulation, including zooming, color adjustment, transparency adjustment, and half-toning, greatly facilitate coin identification and comparison. I've been able to trace-back individual coins through decades of repeated sales by image searching and comparison. In some cases, I doubt it could have been done at all with paper or would have taken too much time. Cal
