Does size matter in what you collect or don't collect?

TheGoonies1985

I guess I am odd I like dimes and dollars the most. And in 3rd place half dollars.

OAKSTAR

Dollars are larger then dimes. So I guess you're right, size matters.

SanctionII

If your eye sight deteriorates collectors may choose to focus the ir hobby efforts on larger sized coins.

Catbert

I found comfort in the half dollar as my denomination of choice. It's not too big and certainly not too small! Guess that makes me a middle sized bear.

Eighteen63

For the most part, I steer clear of items which require 2.5 x 2.5 flips as I find housing ‘em to be an inconvenience. Everything else is fair game.

epc

Half dimes. I wish I could see them...

airplanenut

Maybe to a degree. I collect type, which is either whatever I see that captures my interest or coins on a want list of types/appearances/grades that I'm trying a bit harder to specifically find. There are some small coins on that want list, but I have found myself in situations where I see an attractive type coin (which I'm not specifically looking for) at a reasonable price and then decide I'd rather have a larger example. The best example I can think of (which has happened a few times recently) would be a seated half dime where I figure I might as well at least get a dime or maybe a quarter.

Sapyx

Yes. "If it's too big to fit in a 2x2 I don't really want it". It's a mantra that lets me disqualify myself from having to buy certain types of fringe numismatica (primitive money, large medals, badges with pins on the back, that sort of thing).

RiveraFamilyCollect

Whenever I tell people I have an 1850 year old silver Roman denarii they usually want to see it. And most are disappointed it is the size of a dime instead of a quarter or half dollar.
Size Matters.

NeophyteNumismatist

I do not think I could get into collecting half dimes nor three cent silver pieces because they are too small for me to appreciate without strain. I did do a set of Proof Mercury Dimes, but I think I am happiest with sizes above a nickel.

krueger

BIG AND SHINEY! Is what dealers tell me they want.
Some collectors have told me they don't want small any more . Congruent with the above.
The paradigm is changing as the old baby boomer collectors who started young collecting out of change.
Are disappearing. And young ASE collectors abound ( big and Shiney 69, 70)

JRGeyer

I've dabbled with other Seated denominations, and Barber Halves, but my love is half dimes.

Walkerfan

Halves are my favorite denomination, then dollars and finally quarters. Yes, I prefer larger size Coins.

JW77

Nothing like the beauty of double eagles... and speaking of big gold, I bet RickO is enjoying all that shiny stuff in his new home. I hear the roads in the neighborhood are made of solid gold!

Tom147

Dimes for me. I have loupes and glass o help these aging eyes.

hfjacinto

I like everything from cents..

To half dollars…

To fractional currency all the way to horse blankets..

I guess size doesn’t matter 😜

jedm

Yes to me size does matter and that's why I chose to collect coins rather than antique steam engines or tractors, both of which I really appreciate.

Tramp

Doesn't seem to have an effect. I'm all over the place.

Cougar1978

Like silver coins half dollar sized or higher. Like gold coins half eagle size or higher.

sellitstore

In the currency world, high denomination notes have recently seen a huge uptick in demand and price for $500, $1000, $5000 and $10,000 notes. So, yes, denomination size certainly makes a difference.

seatedlib3991

I started out a 1 cent kid. loved standing quarter for about 15 years. Spent more than 20 years as a Seated Half guy. But have spent the last six doing all the Seated denominations with a tilt towards quarters. so I guess I don't really know the how I fit in. James Oh and throw 3 different types sets in there.

lkenefic

Yes, size matters... like many, I started collecting Lincoln Cents as a kid, but had an epiphany when my grandfather gave me my first Morgan Dollars. Over the years, I've combined these two approaches a d settled into Large Cents...

olympicsos

Big coins have their place, medium coins have their place and large coins have their place. I love majestic 1 oz gold coins and silver dollars but Mercury dimes and 1/10 oz. gold eagles are cute also.

KSorbo

I’m starting to have more of a preference for larger coins. There seems to be more market demand for them, and there’s nothing like having a big hunk of metal that you can feel the heft of inside a slab. Just look at the prices for Morgans compared to other smaller coins that are much more scarce. A lot of the crown sized world coins have a similar following.

jayPem

Early dollars, 8 reales, double eagles, 8 escudos... nothing quite like holding two handfuls of any of the above 😍
I have plenty of half dimes, dimes and small cents in the collection but all are LT's or counterstamped.

jackpine20

I love studying the larger Bust dollar-sized coins with a big, low-power 4x loupe - or none at all. At the same time, I have a handful of Indian Cent (ANACS soapbox) examples that require 7x, 10x, or even 15x loupes to see the variety. I find that fascinating. For me, the power of my loupe plays a big part in how I enjoy the coins. If pressed on the issue of coin size, I'll go big or go home. Unless that is, I'm already at home. Long story short, I have a loupe collection.

GoldFinger1969

I love Saints and don't have too many of them, but even my research and readings are focused on them.

It's easier to see the artistry and beauty in the larger coins -- especially gold coins -- than in smaller denominations.

Goldminers

I prefer the big ones when they are available This one is a troy pound. Only a couple graded. US medal Philadelphia Mint.

BillJones

As a collector and a dealer, I have learned that many collectors think "The bigger, the better." Therefore silver dollars are on lots of people's lists while half dimes and gold dollars have a much smaller following.

I am nearsighted, so small coins have never bothered me. I really like the early half dimes and have spent the last 50 years building a Red Book set of them. I have them all except the 1802, which has always been just out of my reach.

I have a set of the Type I and Type II gold dollars.

These might be be "mistake collections," but I have enjoyed forming them.

BECOKA

size does not matter. I Photograph all my coins and rarely look at the coins in hand. I can make the smallest things look like they need a garage to be stored in. I can look at them anytime I want in photo form, study them, take notes.

Long story short, don't worry about size, it should be more about liking the design, history, look etc.....

WCC

There is a demonstrated market preference for larger coins given otherwise similar attributes.

Personally, I prefer scarcity over size for the same design. Different designs where there is no equivalent in larger or smaller denominations, it depends. There isn't a single coin I like only due to the size. An unattractive design is still unattractive, regardless of how big.

mirabela

Yes -- especially as my eyes get worse. As a type collector I've got some great small coins -- 3 cent silvers, gold dollars, half dimes -- but on the occasions when I get things out of the SDB for an in-person viewing it tends to be the big, heavy, commanding things that most pull me in. I can't really afford to make gold 20's an ongoing focus, but if I could I just might.

erscolo

No.

alaura22

Doesn't matter to me, I love my Indians and all of my type sets, so I guess all sizes

RobertScotLover

Its hard not to like big because it's easier to see but the design has to be there otherwise big becomes bad with a poor design. But I also have an appreciation for small coins again if the design is there. Granted smaller is harder to see but if pretty I can make an exception. I also enjoy using magnification and with smaller coins I have to have the highest graded material to enable myself to see all the details of the coin (with magnification). With the larger material I can be looser and can enjoy EF and up.

oldabeintx

Somewhat. I have examples of fractional gold in my type set, but no way would I collect them extensively. Same with gold dollars and 3 cent silvers.

WCC

@oldabeintx said:
Somewhat. I have examples of fractional gold in my type set, but no way would I collect them extensively. Same with gold dollars and 3 cent silvers.

Generically, I believe your sentiments are the norm. However, your examples don't have a particularly high collector preference either.

Namvet69

What would Freud say?

Estil

It's not about the size of the coins in the collection it's about the size of the heart and passion in the collection's owner! NO FEAR.

EastonCollection

I collect - small size - California fractionals, Capped Bust Half Dimes, Dimes and Quarters. For the larger coins - I collection Capped Bust Quarters, Seated Dollars and Saints. Ecks - all over the place......

Farmer1961

When I was younger small coins were a big part of my collection. A complete set of mercury dimes. Indian cents. Lincoln cents and Buffalo nickles. As I've aged and my eyesight gottn worse I've got a couple boxes of 20 mostly silver dollars, double eagles, gold eagles and several $5 Indians. One of my favorite coins though is my smallest, an 1874-cc seated dime.

asheland

I like coins of all sizes and all different metals. Aesthetically I probably like coins the size of a quarter the most, but all coins have their place. And with regards to holders, with the rattlers the smaller quarter and smaller sized coins look the best in those…

To me, what is really cool is to have a complete set of something with all the different sizes, all matching, it looks really cool. This set really spoke to me when I bought it about a year ago:

emeraldATV

Size to me is a research matter when viewing photo's.
Presentation size is another matter, which does matter.

BLUEJAYWAY

Never gave it much thought. Long as I liked the item:coin,toy, antique radio,sports memorabilia, it found a home.

Bullsitter