Your 2021 Collecting Goals

The theme of my collection over the past few years has been - Coins I find Interesting plus Nerva-Antonines (that I find interesting). 2021 will be more of the same. I also want to make a point to focus on finding interesting coins in low cost tiers. Something like the $10 ascending cost bracket coins under $100. Those threads are always fun this time of year.

If I’m reading your post correctly you run the Brinkman website? I was not aware of this and if so I offer you my sincere gratitude for maintaining such a splendid resource!

One of my favorite (possibly even my absolute favorite) coins is my 44/5 Brinkman Group 5 denarius.

It is even an obverse die match to the first coin shown on your website which is housed in the British Museum.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

My goal would be to add 1st and 2nd century RIC. I find these the most interesting ones (for me). Especially adding some emperors I don't have - such as Domitian (had to settle with one provincial for now).

And stop impulse buying. I managed not to overpay anything in 2020, I think, but it appears I have problems in stopping, in terms of quantity. When I see an auction, I choose this and this and this and this ... yes, and this too. When I receive the invoice, even if I have never regretted a single coin, sometimes I feel half of the coins would have been enough.

 

I currently have a wishlist of 64 coins. I try to follow that list, and add new interesting coins to that list when I see them e.g. in auction lists or on this site. All the coins on my wishlist are Roman Imperial or Imperatorial or Republic.

In 2020, I've added about 34 coins which is spending a bit too much, so I will slow down with the purchases in 2021.

 

In 2021, I think I will keep on collecting mainly coins of the Crisis of the Third Century, with the occasional ones from the Late Empire. However, I'm also expecting my budget to increase a little bit, this year, so I wouldn't mind starting to collect coins from a new area of ancient coinage, were I to find one that interested me.

However, my main objective is completing the sub-collections I've already started, especially the relatively common ones, like Gallienus' Zoo antoniniani.

 

Coins with the zodiac from roman provincial times, either Alexandria or elsewhere. Not because I am into astrology (far from it) but because they are historical and reveal what was important to those living at the time. Divination/Spirituality or whatever you want to call it. Also I have resolved for 2021 that I pick up some solidi. The latter will be alternative investments to an extent. One of my mutual funds cranked out a 48% return in 2020. But I don't expect that to continue.

 

@dougsmit I have a similar problem regarding children and grandchildren who may be interested in the collection. The younger folks today don't have time for the detail and concentration needed to collect anything. I don't want 70 years of love and care to be moved to someone who would just put it in a box and wait for the next generation to move it again.

 

I want to continue to expand and add variety to my Romano-British collection. In particular I would like to add more */PLN varieties. I would like to add some more coins of Carausius and Allectus, but only when condition and price align, and they rarely do with this pair. I also need to set aside enough money to be able to get the new volume of RIC by Sam Moorhead when that comes out.

I am also missing quite a number of figures that had coins minted for them, including Maximinus Daia, Crispus, Constantine's wives, Severus, and Constantius II. Some are far more likely than others...

 

My goal is to add at least one new "keeper", catch up on writeups for my collection, and to end the year with the same or fewer coins as I started by upgrading a handful of pieces and trimming out some others that don't quite fit.

 

With regard to disposition of my collection I will probably leave it to my son, who took Latin for four years and is interested in Roman things. On the other hand I got a letter from CNG inquiring as to whether I would wish to sell my collection, so I may do that as I get older.

 

That is a good goal for collection, if I make a goal for this year , I’m would choice Athena tetradrachm as one of my goal , I would also like to find variety type of Augustus denarius which from different places of Rome empire as well.

 

Yours is a fabulous example of group 5 denarius. It is a rare sub-style, having prehaps the most classic obverse character of all of the 44's. When this came up for auction a few years ago, I let it go for some reason and I've regretted it since. I'm glad it has a nice home in your collection today.

 

1. Resist the well established «oh, I like that one and it’s CHEAP!» reflex.

2. Save the money not spent for future purchases.

3. Tidy up the collection. I spent 2020 cataloging the whole collection. Now pick out some coins that are not keepers, and sell them.

4. By 2022 I hope to get:
- 2-3 good Greek silver coins, preferably from Greek city states in Italy, Caria or Thrace.
- 2-4 late Roman or Byzantine gold coins
- 1 medieval gold coin
- A silver coin from Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Balbinus or Constantius Chlorus

5. Usual bottom feeding modus, hoping to pick up:
- occasional medieval silver coins from Scandinavia, Britain or France
- Oriental coins that I like
- a Norwegian type coin that I don’t have already

 

Goal: De-focus a bit.
This is my second post on this thread because I've thought about it more deeply since my first and I realize I would like to consider another goal.

Years ago I collected everything, ancient to modern with limited themes of more than 4-5 coins in each category. These were seriously nice coins, but individual coins don't speak to me as much as collections of coins in a theme. I decided, primarily because of economics, that I would focus more tightly on something I could build a cohesive collection around. About 15 years ago, I began to immerse myself in the silver coins of the early denarius system and figured this would be a good place to focus my limited financial resources, so I sold most of everything else except Roman Republican silver in order to build my collection.Of course, I want to continue to build on my collection of Early Roman Silver, but I'm at a point now where I have most of the easy ones so the coins to complete this focus area come up infrequently and my condition/quality discrimination often pushes the cost beyond 4 figures a pop.

I have been significantly influenced by this CT forum to look and learn about other areas. With that in mind, I am setting a goal to expand my focus to select at least one new area to collect and learn about this year. I don't yet know what that area will be but I have some ideas.

 

To find an avatar better than this one.

 

My goals for 2021:

To continue to buy whatever I feel is interesting. However, what I find interesting at the moment seems to fall into certain subcollections/themes:

-- Continue to acquire coins of Faustina I and II that are not yet represented in my collection (I still have a fair number of bronze coins to acquire).

-- Continue to acquire coins of Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian that are not yet represented in my collection.

-- Pick up the Gallienus zoo coins that are still missing in my collection

-- Continue to seek out provincial coins with interesting reverse types, particularly if they illustrate Greco-Roman mythology, animals, or athletic competitions.

-- Acquire some imperial issues of Nero, Balbinus, Pupienus or Pescennius Niger if they have good eye appeal and are reasonably priced. Not looking for choice EF; F-VF will do if they have nice surfaces and legible inscriptions.

 

Spend less money on coins than I earn
(no hope goal)

Buy nothing that isn't a permanent keeper, i.e. no study coins
(no hope goal)

Finish the numismatic book am working on
(no hope goal)

Go to the gym and lose 10 kilos
(higher chance than any coin goal)

Fly to the moon
(ditto)

 

I've got a list:

Metal

• Titus in bronze which has been tougher to find than I would have thought.
• Adding to my Adoptive Emperors collection in both bronze and silver
• Looking for 7 Late Roman issues in bronze or a siliqua):

1. Constantius I
2. Maximinus Daia
3. Constans
4. Valentinian
5. Valentinian II
6. Theodosius II
7. Valentinian III

​

Photography

• 100mm macro lens - not in a rush so hopefully something comes in used and reasonable to help with the Metal section
• Learn how to focus a lens

 

My 2021 goal is mainly a good-quality coin, plus a number of Roman provincials.

I am thinking either a Faustina / Julia Domna aureus, or a fine Syracuse tetradrachm in 2021. As for Roman provincial bronzes, my only preference is interesting reverse designs. I may also end up with a few denarii having mythical creature reverse as well, if the prices are ok.

 

On January 1, 2021 I set myself a few goals.
1. Wait with buying the first coin till the end of the month.
2. Buy only coins that make a chance to come in one of my toptens (I had 29 coins in these, for 2020, plus five in the introduction to them). That is, the medieval islamics, the Celts and the Rest, including Beasts that are interesting but no beauties, and the ones that yield pleasurable hours of numismatic study. Don't let yourself be taken away again by one of those mediocre auctions, and don't be afraid to spend a bit more on the good ones.
3. Sell the cheapies and the duplicates, or swap them (but how? but how? I may have hundred or two hundred). That's the big problem.
4. Remember you are doing this for your own pleasure, don't worry about your heirs. And if you make a mistake with a coin, give it away, swap it, or in case of a fake, throw it away.

[1a. This didn't work out, for yesterday I bought three coins in an auction. One (very small) Beast and two Beauties. I hope. You will see them.]

 

An interesting topic! While my goals and pursuits are primarily dictated by what and in what quality comes onto the market, I do have a couple I want to share. While I won’t be treating these as commandments, I think I would have a stellar year if I can cross all of these off!

- Focus more on Islamic coinage! The upcoming Steve Album auction should help with that!

- Acquire at least two new inscriptions for my Chinese square foot spade collection. This year I had just three and it seems the longer I collect these, the trickier new ones are to come by.

- Find a ‘hidden’ provenance for at least one coin already in my collection

- One siege coin from a city not yet represented in my collection. Middelburg or Zierikzee would be nice? A white whale would be Haarlem, but the chances of me acquiring such a piece are rather slim. But never say never…

- Purchase a type I did not know existed at the beginning of the year. I love learning new things through coins and am always interested in adding to the diversity of the collection, so this seems to be an easy one!

- Upgrade one coin. There are a handful of things in my collection that I consider ‘very expensive hole fillers’ that don’t really live up to my current perspective on quality anymore, but that I find too fascinating to get rid of without having a replacement. The only solution is of course to acquire a more pleasing example!

- As many others here, catch up with database and photographing stuff I am severely legging behind with!

- Most of all, have fun!