Making the best choice available at the time
87redcivic
Posts: 125 ✭✭✭
A few weeks ago, I dusted off an old set I had put together in a Dansco about 15 years ago (Canada 10 cents). On the first page of the album, a few of the dates were in scruffier condition than their siblings. I took a spin through Ebay for those dates to see if I could get any upgrades for those coins for a reasonable price. I realized that I couldn't - and that the coins I had in those slots were better than the normal date/mm coin I ran across.
I also realized that when I put that set together, I made the best choice available at the time. I tried to be patient, but not so overly cautious that I'd never get the thing (mostly) completed. The past version of me made many of the same choices that the current version of me would have made if they were assembling the same set again today. I've liked to think I've grown as a collector in some ways, but I wasn't completely clueless back then either.
Anyone else ever have a similar feeling when pulling out an older collection that they've worked on?
Comments
I was more the opposite. As a child I had my Whitman Lincoln folder and a readable date and I was good to go, it was about filling holes. As a late teen I had more of an XF+ set in a Dansco folder, a nice looking set given my budget. Now as an old timer I have a Dansco book with high AU/MS Lincolns in the set, a pleasure to open up and see a nice looking complete set.
If you're a novice and only have so much time to search you're going to miss opportunities a dealer that views 100x as many coins will find. At some point filling the hole takes precedent over waiting, especially when you don't have a realistic idea how long the wait may be. You do the best you can at the time.
Collecting coins is a hobby for most of us - and a business for others. Each collector makes their decision on what appeals to them, and they can afford. Often the coins we acquire when starting out (sometimes as YN's, sometimes just a new hobby) are what we can afford, or not as good as we think due to lack of experience. Most of us have been through this and can look back - much as @87redcivic has described - with the same or similar experience. Cheers, RickO