Quality VS Quantity ...what would you do?

How about high quality inexpensive coins? The best of both worlds in my opinion thats why i collect Ikes.

 

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100% quality. I'm far more impressed by a small collection of really nice coins versus boxes of low grade stuff. Which would you rather enjoy looking at yourself?

 

Either are acceptable. I think quantity over quality is common in two circumstances:

1. Starting out. Everyone starts somewhere, and I think its poor form for anyone to begrudge a beginner buying coins they can afford. Don't ya'll remember the magic of owning your first "old" coin? I remember buying a shield nickel from savings when I was 8. Today I would say it was a vg crummy piece, back then it sparked my imagination. People shouldn't be such condition snobs.

2. A person is going for breadth and completeness versus quality, (like Conder). Yeah, would you like to have a complete large cent collection in BU? Who wouldn't? Besides someone like Bill Gates or similar who the heck can afford that though? If every single collector refused to buy any coin but the highest available, then we would have very few collectors.

I guess condition snobbery bothers me. I can afford to buy high quality coins in the areas I collect, but I have thousands more coins I don't own, and would rather buy 40 this year than 3. I really do not mind those who love high quality, good for them, and I understand the general advice to tell people that they may regret buying all low quality problem coins in the future, but to say a coin is not worth collecting or to look down on a collector because his coin are lower quality to me is just being a snob.

In the end, its knowledge that we are really pursuing, as well as relaxation. If a collector enjoys himself, and can only afford to buy the breadth of his collection in lower grades, then good for him. If another collector only wished to have a narrower collection of higher quality for the same money, and also enjoys himself, good for him as well. Plenty of room for both under the coin collecting tent.

Chris

 

^ I am condition snobbish but i am not really paying much more for better quality because of segment of coins i collect. I primarily go for quality personally it doesn't make sense for me to purchase a scratched or damaged coin for spot rather than be patient and wait for the right coin. Granted i have lost on few great rare coins due to that.

 

I'm more of a quantity/variety type of person. I like having a ton of variety of coins, which means I usually have to settle for lower quality in able to afford a wide variety.

I do not like slabbed coins as I would rather be able to hold a coin and be able to look at it closely. Another small reason is that slabs take up more space to display.

 

I couldn't agree more. :yes:

 

Id never ask anyone if the women i married was ok and i feel coins that i like are the same.
If i like it why ask anyone should i like it or buy more of the same.
Just my opinion and each to his or her own.
Thanks for the blog and happy coin collecting to all.

 

To each his own. Quality os great and quantity is great as well.

For me personally it's more and more about rarity and completeness than it is either quality or quantity. As A collector I tend to favor rarity above all else whether it's the absolute rarity of a unique Eaton Falls, MI token or the rarity of a gem 1982-P quarter. Completeness tome means having one of everything of everything I collect and this is very similar to quantity. It means having all the common telephone tokens (200+) as well as the scarce ones (<20). It means I have an AU 1973 quarter in my "from circulation" collection right next to my F '73 reverse of '72 quarter.

Doing it my way means you might end up with a lot of safety deposit boxes but it also provides a sense of completeness that collecors strive for. Obviously none of my collections will ever be truly complete since I always seek new varieties and upgrades as well as with many of my collections there are unknown issues to stumble upon. I wouldn't know if one were complete.

Anytime I have coins that don't fit either my strategy or my collection I try to trade or sell them off. I'd much rather own a few coins that I think might increase in the future or a single coin for a collection than hundreds of coins that serve neither purpose. It's only in selling coins that one learns their true value so duplicates create a lerning oportunity.

 

That's disgusting. How did you get in my house to take that picture!!?