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I had an epiphany

WalkerfanWalkerfan Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited January 4, 2020 11:46AM in U.S. Coin Forum

Maybe this has been discussed before or maybe this is not as deep as I think that it may be but....

We have discussed why we like to collect coins....Because of the history, beauty and scarcity, etc.

But, I have realized that my coins are a form of abstract, artistic, expression. Each person's set being unique.

My friend used to say "Collect what's in your heart, because what you collect is a reflection of who you are". I believe that is true.

What do your coins say about you? What are your thoughts on the matter? What are you trying to express in your numismatic journey?

No, I haven't been drinking....not yet, at least. LOL

Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍

My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):

https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

Comments

  • bearcavebearcave Posts: 3,996 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Weiss said:
    Unfortunately, there are a whole lot of people who like dogs playing poker.

    I agree!

    Ken
  • SwampboySwampboy Posts: 13,010 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hah..

    Artistic expression available for those who don't sing, dance, paint, sculpt, etc. and just another avenue for those who do.

    I dig the concept.

    "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso

  • ctf_error_coinsctf_error_coins Posts: 15,433 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As an artist, I do very much view my coins as Art.

  • Moxie15Moxie15 Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    @Weiss said:
    Unfortunately, there are a whole lot of people who like dogs playing poker.

    Well, most of us cannot afford original Rembrandt masterpieces nor uncirculated chain cents.
    Not sure what my collection says about me, maybe that I like quality but have room for and love of hard working simple things.

  • bidaskbidask Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Walkerfan said:
    Maybe this has been discussed before or maybe this is not as deep as I think that it may be but....

    We have discussed why we like to collect coins....Because of the history, beauty and scarcity, etc.

    But, I have realized that my coins are a form of abstract, artistic, expression. Each person's set being unique.

    My friend used to say "Collect what's in your heart, because what you collect is a reflection of who you are". I believe that is true.

    What do your coins say about you? What are your thoughts on the matter? What are you trying to express in your numismatic journey?

    No, I haven't been drinking....not yet, at least. LOL

    It might be helpful if you first describe how what you collect is a reflection of who you are ?

    I manage money. I earn money. I save money .
    I give away money. I collect money.
    I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.




  • joeykoinsjoeykoins Posts: 16,277 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 4, 2020 12:22PM

    Good point! Never really thought of this Hobby as an Art. but in reality, your right, it most certainly is! Esp. some of these well designed engraved Masterpieces. So intricate and defined. The feathers of a bird. The piercing look in the eyes of a man or woman on a coin. Even the doubling of a letter or number on a coin that has been minted wrongly but still beautiful in the eyes of the beholder (us cherry picker's). Also, the collection doesn't even have to be a high priced collection to be called Art.
    I have quite a few of the not- so- famous Elongated Coins in my collection. When looking closely at these, they too are an art formed in their own little way. Good Thread to discuss. B)<3

    "Jesus died for you and for me, Thank you,Jesus"!!!

    --- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.
  • santinidollarsantinidollar Posts: 1,056 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I regard coins as art, though some people might term some recent Mint offerings as scribbling on a bathroom wall.

  • ms70ms70 Posts: 13,954 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Our classic coinage had beautiful designs. Vintage coins from France also had beautiful images.

    Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.

  • bidaskbidask Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Walkerfan said:
    Fair enough @bidask

    I’ve been through a lot, in my life, just like these coins that I collect. I’m a strong and independent person like our country and these coins, which represent that. My development has come through hard work and never giving up...Just like my set completion and my life path. Through my life experiences, I learned how to persevere through determination. I learned from experience, just as I have learned the Walker series through many, many hours of experience. In coins, just like in work and life, you must remain humble and be able to accept criticism, in order to learn and grow. I've made friends, because of my coins, and have met people of similar interests and values. Some truly remarkably intelligent and diverse folks. I stay focused and positive. It has helped me in life and in numismatics. I love beauty, uniqueness, order, diversity, variety and quality. I like scarcity and value, too. My coins represent that. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. I leave the past in the past but will never forget it or I am doomed to repeat it just like history and the coins. I never will give in and always finish what I start. These are just some random thought but I feel that there is a correlation here.

    Thank you...well said ......would enjoy meeting you at coin show sometime ....FUN ?

    I manage money. I earn money. I save money .
    I give away money. I collect money.
    I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.




  • thefinnthefinn Posts: 2,656 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I totally agree. The manner of collecting mirrors a person's personality.
    I have a broad knowledge and ADD, and my coins reflect that. People are being nice when they say it is eclectic.

    Good observation.

    thefinn
  • WalkerfanWalkerfan Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 4, 2020 12:53PM

    @bidask Would love to meet you and other CU members, sometime. Possibly over dinner or drinks. Unfortunately, I will not be at FUN this year. Maybe another big show?

    Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍

    My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):

    https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

  • bidaskbidask Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Walkerfan said:
    Fair enough @bidask

    I’ve been through a lot, in my life, just like these coins that I collect. I’m a strong and independent person like our country and these coins, which represent that. My development has come through hard work and never giving up...Just like my set completion and my life path. Through my life experiences, I learned how to persevere through determination. I learned from experience, just as I have learned the Walker series through many, many hours of experience. In coins, just like in work and life, you must remain humble and be able to accept criticism, in order to learn and grow. I've made friends, because of my coins, and have met people of similar interests and values. Some truly remarkably intelligent and diverse folks. I stay focused and positive. It has helped me in life and in numismatics. I love beauty, uniqueness, order, diversity, variety and quality. I like scarcity and value, too. My coins represent that. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. I leave the past in the past but will never forget it or I am doomed to repeat it just like history and the coins. I never will give in and always finish what I start. These are just some random thought but I feel that there is a correlation here.

    I to share your values. I have been a proponent of numismatics all my life.

    Whether Lincoln pennies in Whitman folder ...bargain bin searching or specialized advanced collecting .

    All good .

    Humbly I have never measured what one collects with self worth when looking at different coin collectors and what they collect.

    More of a journey thru life where numismatics can play a role in what has been learned and what still needs to be learned ..... and reflect values you so aptly described ( or not) ....which is ok too.

    I manage money. I earn money. I save money .
    I give away money. I collect money.
    I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.




  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I consider many coins to be art.... St. Gaudens, WLH, ASE etc.....And I tend to collect those that attract me....I have no idea what that says about me beyond that I like attractive coins. I also like other works of art....Cheers, RickO

  • rmorganrmorgan Posts: 249 ✭✭✭✭

    The coins themselves may include art, but I'm more interested in the 'art' of collecting: What I choose to collect, my strategy within the budget I impose upon myself, and how I work a coin show to make decisions and to acquire or pass as I work toward my goal.

    For me, my collection is much a reflection on myself. My boyhood Lincoln collection reflects my boyhood interest and collecting whatever I could from circulation. I've recently starting an adult collection of Lincolns that is built from my more discriminating eye, my larger budget, and a more seasoned strategy of acquiring through coin shows. When I'm done, I think the two collections will reflect two distinct eras of myself as a collector. In my mind, that is me being 'artistic.'

    My strategy is about collecting what I intend to keep, not investing in what I plan to sell.

  • softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,281 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 4, 2020 7:04PM

    I collect cardboard. I think that’s art. lol

    But gotta admit I’m reading more and more stuff on the coin / PM end here.

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

  • WalkerfanWalkerfan Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rmorgan said:
    The coins themselves may include art, but I'm more interested in the 'art' of collecting: What I choose to collect, my strategy within the budget I impose upon myself, and how I work a coin show to make decisions and to acquire or pass as I work toward my goal.

    For me, my collection is much a reflection on myself. My boyhood Lincoln collection reflects my boyhood interest and collecting whatever I could from circulation. I've recently starting an adult collection of Lincolns that is built from my more discriminating eye, my larger budget, and a more seasoned strategy of acquiring through coin shows. When I'm done, I think the two collections will reflect two distinct eras of myself as a collector. In my mind, that is me being 'artistic.'

    Great post. Thank You!

    Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍

    My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):

    https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

  • WalkerfanWalkerfan Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @softparade said:
    I collect cardboard. I think that’s art. lol

    But gotta admit I’m reading more and more stuff on the coin / PM end here.

    You're welcome over here. Glad you're learning. Believe it or not, Baseball cards were my first love and I had almost every one from the 1971 series. I wish I would have saved them.

    Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍

    My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):

    https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/

  • emeraldATVemeraldATV Posts: 4,661 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @softparade,
    Please pardon me , but I have this uncontrollable urge to enlighten you about carboard.
    Actully its formal stock name is:
    120# cover , C2S (coated 2 sides)
    A micromiter should be a staple tool.
    Who knows what you could find.
    As for me, I like to be excentric in the way I collect.

    What?

  • DreamcrusherDreamcrusher Posts: 210 ✭✭✭✭

    I love history and I believe that coins are primary historical artifacts. I collect commemoratives which celebrate historical people and events. Perhaps you have seen my articles titled Past Tense in The Numismatist for the past 11 years. The articles relate world events to a particular year a coin was minted.

  • topstuftopstuf Posts: 14,803 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Weiss said:
    Unfortunately, there are a whole lot of people who like dogs playing poker.

    Yeah, but who can afford to run in THOSE circles? :'(

  • DollarAfterDollarDollarAfterDollar Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭

    When I go belly up I'm sure the bulk of my collection will be sold at auction. Those lucky people in attendance will be bidding on some of the most attractive widgets they will ever see. What that says about me is that I appreciate recognizable coins that aren't the highest grade or most expensive but have a look those power coins could only wish to possess.

    If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.

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