How long did it take you as a collector to find your niche?

TheGoonies1985

Been collecting since I was about 9-10 years old. Collected stamps,cards, comic books and coins all my life with some periods of focus and come periods of all them at the same time. But always ended up selling. Took me until maybe 2-3 years ago to finally settle down and be happy and not sell my main collection. So in my case it took me over 30 years to find my happy place as a collector. Not that I was not happy before but now I can truly say what I currently collect is what I will continue to build on.

What I collect now:

Early milled Latin American 1 reales and US Dimes 1796-1916. My Latin American collecting is getting a lot slower to find coins I need but I just started the US dimes last year and expect it to last me my life time even in lower grades.

coinbuf

I have collected coins of all type over the years, but I was instantly hooked on Lincoln cents from the very beginning and that has always been the focus of my collecting.

Colonialcoin

It took me ten years. I began like most kids collecting Lincoln’s, Buffalo’s, etc. Then I moved on to type coins 1793 to date as well as large cents. It was very enjoyable, but it wasn’t until I bought my first colonial that told me that this is what I really want! Their history is second to none.

NeophyteNumismatist

The first coin I ever bought was a half cent for a type set. Once I had the three needed for the 7070, I bought Breen's book on half cents, then Cohen's, then Eckberg's, and Manley's, and Fuhrman's series. I guess I was a full-blown half cent addict within 6 months of my embarking on this numismatic journey. IMO there is no better coin than the half cent. If you like rarity, varieties and die states that go back to the earliest days of US coinage.... nothing is better.

lcutler

My niche still shifts and evolves even after 55 years. I still collect colonials as my main interest, but my focus shifts within that area. I also dabble a bit with ancients, Confederate currency and regular issue US coins.

Mr_Spud

I’ve been collecting since about 1969, I always liked getting different types of coins so even early on I was into Type set collecting with the help of my older brother who would get me different types of US coins in low grade for my birthday and Christmas and I was going for one of each of the more affordable foreign coins myself at a shopping mall that had 1 coin store, but also coin cases in Woolworths and Gimbles stores. But I always dabbled in series in albums like Lincoln’s, Jefferson’s, Roosevelt’s from change (everybody in my family let me pick through their pocket change).

So pretty much I’ve always been all over the place, but with a pattern.

As for selling off, I did sell most of my silver coins during the Hunt Brother days that one year in order to have pocket money and partying money while home for the summer between semesters in College, but I still have all the rest from those days.

Namvet69

I scratch my niche' all the time. Feels real good! Peace Roy

BillJones

In a way, it didn’t take me that long. I started with the Lincoln Cent “Penny folders” circa 1960, but my interest in them faded fairly quickly. After I acquired my first two 19th century coins months after I started collecting, I gravitated toward type coins. That interest has stayed with me toward the present day.

I was drawn toward Indian Cent. I completed that set in the early 70s, but sold it a few years after finishing it. Recently I assembled that set again as part of my one cent per year project.

I developed an interest in British and imperial Roman coins about ten years ago. Unhappiness with the influence of CAC in the U.S. coin market encouraged that move, but my interest blossomed very quickly once I began those collections.

seatedlib3991

I am 64 years old and started collecting when i was 7 so there has been quite a few obsessions in there. Lincolns, Indian Cents, Standing Lib. quarters, type sets etc.
I have put a heavy focus on Seated coins, Seated Halves to begin with, after getting a copy of Breen's Encyclopedia. I would guess circa 1996/1997 but my wife usually tells me i have my dates all wrong on just about any memory I have. James

oldabeintx

Numismatics as a niche about 50 years. Within numismatics still moving about.

GoldFinger1969

Took me a while before I discovered gold coins in general and Double Eagles (Saints & Liberty's) in particular.

Wasn't until the 2009 UHR came out that I segued into and learned about Saints. Wasn't even aware of their existence as I was pretty much just an occasional modern bullion buyer/collector. Before that, I got the bug with the SSCA find and release in 2000 and 2001. Before that, I really didn't follow-up on my kids collections of the 1970's, though once I graduated college and entered the work force in the 1980's I would occasionally buy a gold coin, usually a fractional.

What is frustrating is that I had clients buying DEs in the 1990's from Blanchard....it went in one ear and out the other....I remember hearing the word "Gaudens" from time-to-time but never stopped to ask what they were talking about.

I could have bought some of my Saints for 1/3rd the price I ultimately paid !!

olympicsos

Niches sometimes change frequently

Walkerfan

I was first introduced to the Walker as a young child of about 8 y/o. My dad gave me Walkers that he pulled from circulation (along with Franklins, Kennedys, Washingtons and Roosevelts) many years earlier and blue Whitman folders to put them in. By the time I was in my mid twenties; I started collecting them raw in XF-AU and was smitten by their beauty. Not long after, I discovered that they were made prior to 1936 (1916 to be exact!). When I realized this and the rarity (both absolute and condition) of those Early dates....Well, that really sealed the deal for me. I was completely enamored and consumed by them. Started my Registry set a decade later in 2005. Though I deal in other series, now, Walkers will always be my first love.

TurtleCat

I’ll let you know. I thought it was gold dollars and I got quite a few of them but they’re too expensive now and house repair necessitated selling some. So I’m back to what I’ve always been: things that catch my eye. I’ll be at TSNS this weekend to sell a few more and maybe pickup a nice ancient or double dime.

Vorpaledged

I've been fascinated with Numismatics since I was in elementary school, though my real passion didn't develop till my mid teens. I started off collecting Sports cards Mistakes/Errors which then progressed into Coin Mint Errors since I was constantly stressing about Trading cards being too fragile.

TimNH

@Colonialcoin said:
It took me ten years. I began like most kids collecting Lincoln’s, Buffalo’s, etc. Then I moved on to type coins 1793 to date as well as large cents. It was very enjoyable, but it wasn’t until I bought my first colonial that told me that this is what I really want! Their history is second to none.

@lcutler said:
My niche still shifts and evolves even after 55 years. I still collect colonials as my main interest, but my focus shifts within that area. I also dabble a bit with ancients, Confederate currency and regular issue US coins.

2 votes for colonials, and me too as my #1 interest, so why does no one ever talk about them on this board?

Barberian

Coin collecting, like many things in life, is an interest driven "Plinko" game.

I've made quantum shifts in my collecting interests after picking up the hobby again after a long layoff. Circumstances change. Having some money in your pocket allows you to consider coins you could only dream of as a child. Since returning to collecting upon discovering eBay (2004-ish), my interests have shifted entirely away from previous sets, and I wandered around and slid into other collecting niches that I liked.

I switched from collecting raw Barber halves over to raw Seated Liberty halves because of frustration over wiping on Barbers off of eBay. Raw, circulated commemoratives have been a lot of fun to collect if you don't mind price stagnation. I have been influenced by others here into briefly collecting Canadian halves and dollars and then eventually settling on Newfoundland halves as a fun and challenging set to collect raw off eBay. I'm now considering other Newfy denominations to collect.

One's interests usually shift around in this hobby depending upon what grabs you. For me, I could enjoy collecting many different sets.

Colonialcoin

@TimNH said:

@Colonialcoin said:
It took me ten years. I began like most kids collecting Lincoln’s, Buffalo’s, etc. Then I moved on to type coins 1793 to date as well as large cents. It was very enjoyable, but it wasn’t until I bought my first colonial that told me that this is what I really want! Their history is second to none.

@lcutler said:
My niche still shifts and evolves even after 55 years. I still collect colonials as my main interest, but my focus shifts within that area. I also dabble a bit with ancients, Confederate currency and regular issue US coins.

2 votes for colonials, and me too as my #1 interest, so why does no one ever talk about them on this board?

Unfortunately there aren’t enough colonial coins to go around, hence not as many collectors. There are only two or three major colonial dealers that consistently have decent looking coins in their cases. I consider it a huge success if I find one or two colonials that are nice enough to buy.

johnny9434

I started on the canadian side going to half cent/early commems. It's been interesting and fun 🙂

BillJones

@Colonialcoin said:

@TimNH said:

@Colonialcoin said:
It took me ten years. I began like most kids collecting Lincoln’s, Buffalo’s, etc. Then I moved on to type coins 1793 to date as well as large cents. It was very enjoyable, but it wasn’t until I bought my first colonial that told me that this is what I really want! Their history is second to none.

@lcutler said:
My niche still shifts and evolves even after 55 years. I still collect colonials as my main interest, but my focus shifts within that area. I also dabble a bit with ancients, Confederate currency and regular issue US coins.

2 votes for colonials, and me too as my #1 interest, so why does no one ever talk about them on this board?

Unfortunately there aren’t enough colonial coins to go around, hence not as many collectors. There are only two or three major colonial dealers that consistently have decent looking coins in their cases. I consider it a huge success if I find one or two colonials that are nice enough to buy.

They are out there, but you have to scratch around. Here are a few.

This was made for Ireland, but it has made it to the Red Book

This Massachusetts half cent was minted after the Revolutionary War, but is labeled as "a colonial" anyway. This one came from the Eric P. Newman Collection. When I saw and found that I could afford it, I could not resist.

OnlyGoldIsMoney

I was working on MS Buffalo Nickel, Mercury Dime, Walking Liberty Half and Morgan Dollar sets along with post 1950 proof cent, nickel, dime, quarter and half sets until 2008. For a while I was particularly serious about assembling a top pop Proof Jefferson Nickel set with CAM and DCAM designations.

When I settled on the Liberty $2.50 set noted in my signature line I sold all of the above in order to concentrate on building one set well rather than dabble in many indifferently.

lcutler

@BillJones said:

@Colonialcoin said:

@TimNH said:

@Colonialcoin said:
It took me ten years. I began like most kids collecting Lincoln’s, Buffalo’s, etc. Then I moved on to type coins 1793 to date as well as large cents. It was very enjoyable, but it wasn’t until I bought my first colonial that told me that this is what I really want! Their history is second to none.

@lcutler said:
My niche still shifts and evolves even after 55 years. I still collect colonials as my main interest, but my focus shifts within that area. I also dabble a bit with ancients, Confederate currency and regular issue US coins.

2 votes for colonials, and me too as my #1 interest, so why does no one ever talk about them on this board?

Unfortunately there aren’t enough colonial coins to go around, hence not as many collectors. There are only two or three major colonial dealers that consistently have decent looking coins in their cases. I consider it a huge success if I find one or two colonials that are nice enough to buy.

They are out there, but you have to scratch around. Here are a few.

This was made for Ireland, but it has made it to the Red Book

This Massachusetts half cent was minted after the Revolutionary War, but is labeled as "a colonial" anyway. This one came from the Eric P. Newman Collection. When I saw and found that I could afford it, I could not resist.

Those are beauties! Mine are definitely of a lower caliber, but I love them anyway!

NeophyteNumismatist

@BillJones - let me know if you ever want to sell the Mass. Half Cent. I love everything about it!

1630Boston

@TimNH said:

@Colonialcoin said:

2 votes for colonials, and me too as my #1 interest, so why does no one ever talk about them on this board?

safari_dude

I was all over the map until a few years ago…and then decided it might be time to go with a few better coins…so I’ve started unloading many of my ‘bullion’ gold/silver eagles that I THOUGHT were good collector’s pieces. Now I’m working on a few of my dream pieces…..a nice 1907 St. Guadens high relief wire/flat edge in MS62 or better, a nice 1916D Mercury dime…VF30 or better, an 1893S Morgan…VF30 or better….and a few other ‘better date’ coins that don’t seem to have their rarity challenged (no S proofs for example).