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Side Collection?

pruebaspruebas Posts: 5,247 ✭✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum

On the US Forum, @asheland posted about his side collection. As coins from my primary collection are so few and far between (and now, very expensive), my side collection had been Mexican medals.

I have since sold most of my gold medals to fund my primary collection, but I happily note that most of my silver medals are now $100-$250 items (which I purchased from $15-$50 over the years).

With the increase in prices of my side collection, and with my many more primary collections, I no longer have a side collection.

What’s your side collection, if any? If none, why not?

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    coinkatcoinkat Posts: 24,475 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have many different numismatic interests. I collect medals… mostly ones that I feel have artistic merit and/or historical significance. Afew years back I came across the 1933 LaGuardia medal; the GM 1908-1933 silver plated medal and FDR inaugural medals.

    As for coins, there are what I call side projects that provide an incentive to look carefully at shows. I believe that the coins I appreciate the most were not a primary interest at the time I saw and acquired them.

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

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    SimonWSimonW Posts: 1,530 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Spanish Colonial coins, emphasis on pillars, are my primary focus, I have five side collections.

    -British monarchs, one per monarch
    -Roman Rulers, one per ruler
    -Bolivia republic
    -Story Coins (box of 20 with cool stories.)
    -lowball US

    I'm BACK!!! Used to be Billet7 on the old forum.

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    bosoxbosox Posts: 1,652 ✭✭✭✭✭

    World War II countries that no longer exist in their WWII form (think Bohemia and Moravia, Slovakia, and others), occupation coinages, and government in exile coinages. I shy away from the nazi coinage of Germany itself.

    This side collection involves a lot of base metal coinage that is quite commonly encountered in circulated grades, or environmentally damaged condition, but quite scarce and sometimes rare in mint state, pristine condition.

    This collection is not overly expensive, but I find it very rich in history and the stories of human tragedy in 1938-1945 Europe.

    Numismatic author & owner of the Uncommon Cents collections. 2011 and 2025 Fred Bowman Literary Award, 2025 Guy Potter Literary Award, 2022 Paul Fiocca Award, & 2020 J. Douglas Ferguson Award.

    http://www.victoriancent.com
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    sylsyl Posts: 1,064 ✭✭✭✭

    I think that the "Panama pills" look great. I've had a few

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    1960NYGiants1960NYGiants Posts: 3,616 ✭✭✭✭

    My main collection is Canadian date and varieties up to 1967. Only need two dates and about 155 varieties (per PCGS). I also collect the pre-confederation tokens of Canada. I've also just started collecting French Colonial issues used in North America. These are listed in the front of Charlton and the Red Book.

    Gene

    Life member #369 of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
    Member of Canadian Association of Token Collectors

    Collector of:
    Canadian coins and pre-confederation tokens
    Darkside proof/mint sets dated 1960
    My Ebay
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    SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,587 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As someone whose "main collection" is all coins worldwide by type, ancient through to modern, my "side collection" would be "anything in my collection that isn't a coin".

    "Banknotes from countries that never got around to issuing coins" is one key side collection of interest. Tokens that have some kind of "geographic" context such as Conder tokens and US sales tax tokens would be another.

    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
    Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"

    Apparently I have been awarded the DPOTD twice. B)
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    OnlyGoldIsMoneyOnlyGoldIsMoney Posts: 3,552 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My primary collection is a 1840 to 1907 run of Liberty $2.50's. Stoppers like 1854-s and 1864 make it certain I will never complete the set by date and mint mark.

    My side set is the 1 coin per century set in gold or electrum from the 7th Century BC to the present. That set is complete but is constantly changing as I upgrade and replace.

    NO END IN SIGHT LIB $2.50'S CAC ONLY
    https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163

    March of Time - 27 Centuries in Gold
    https://coins.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=36590
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    lermishlermish Posts: 4,814 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My primary collection is chopmarked US trade dollars. My secondary collection is US gold. My tertiary collection is chopmarked world coins.

    See showcase here -> https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/chopmarked-world-coins/15982

    I have other quaternary, quinary, etc collections consisting of moderns, sample slabs, etc.

    chopmarkedtradedollars.com

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    pruebaspruebas Posts: 5,247 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @cacheman said:
    I began 'side collecting' about the same time I began my collection of Karl Goetz material back in 2004. In honesty, my side collections intrigue me far more than my Goetz collection.

    Ludwig Gies tops the billing here in my studio. Art medals from his beginnings in 1910-1918 Munich, Germany. The collection, The Caldera Collection, contains 60+ cast iron, bronze, and silver medals of utmost rarity and beauty.

    If you'd like to see the collection in its current state, head to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntRefXY4HkM to take a look. The presentation originally had a soundtrack but YouTube blew the music out of the water due to copyright....so, play some quiet moody music while viewing this unique collection. There isn't another like it. HSG

    Amazing & beautiful collection! Congratulations on assembling it. Since there is no soundtrack on the presentation, I played it back at 2x and stopped when necessary.

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    BoosibriBoosibri Posts: 12,693 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My primary collection is Latin American crowns.

    I have collections in varying levels of maturity of:
    Chilean patterns
    Irish proofs
    Southwest Michigan Civil War tokens
    Tokens from Kalamazoo MI, my hometown

    The problem with my side collections are that they are all difficult to add to given either their absolute rarity (patterns and proofs) or their state of completion (tokens). The combination of my primary plus side projects is more than enough to keep my funds sufficiently utilized.

    Latin American Collection

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    WCCWCC Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Bolivia 1864-1909 decimals and Lion & Castle 1/4 real, but I haven't bought much of either in a long time.

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    scubafuelscubafuel Posts: 2,073 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have a few collections, and each one gets relegated to "side collection" when nothing interesting has been available for a while.

    Bust Quarters
    Latin American Republic gold
    Large Cents in old holders
    Bust Dollars (this collection has been shrinking rapidly due to interest from other collectors)
    Bust coin errors
    Latin/South American Republic 2 reales

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    The_Dinosaur_ManThe_Dinosaur_Man Posts: 1,562 ✭✭✭✭✭

    British large pennies for myself
    Bahamas Cents for the wife
    Sacagawea and Native American Dollars for the Mother in Law

    and all the coins from a particular country whenever I get a request for an album I haven't designed yet. Right now that is Uruguay.

    Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
    Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
    https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.

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    HoledandCreativeHoledandCreative Posts: 2,885 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My main collection is Holed and Creatively destroyed U.S. coins by date and mintmark. Main side collections are birthyear sets of world coins (VG to Proof) for wife and I. The price of silver and gold advancing as it has over the last year has made it more difficult to find and afford holed 5, 10, and $20 gold coins for my sets. I fear many were sold to smelters and I can hardly blame the sellers for not passing up the opportunity of making a very good profit. I was (still am) tempted. Also, postcards and some interesting medals are still purchased when I see them. Trying to slow down a bit, but it is hard to break a lifelong addiction.

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    1984worldcoins1984worldcoins Posts: 763 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 6, 2026 12:03AM

    @HoledandCreative said:
    Trying to slow down a bit, but it is hard to break a lifelong addiction.

    I was trying that too, but then I thought what is left for me to enjoy , with only a few more decades to live (I am 58 now)? So my conclusion was ~ no slowing down ~!

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    johnnybjohnnyb Posts: 89 ✭✭✭

    My side collection is nice world type in PCGS old green holders. They’re fun.

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    SyracusianSyracusian Posts: 6,534 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Sapyx said:

    "Banknotes from countries that never got around to issuing coins" is one key side collection of interest.

    Can you ellaborate? I didn't even know that such countries existed. I mean, even the short lived Biafra had both coins and banknotes.

    @The_Dinosaur_Man said:
    British large pennies for myself
    Bahamas Cents for the wife
    Sacagawea and Native American Dollars for the Mother in Law

    Does the wife and/or the MiL know about their collections? ;)

    @Abuelo said:
    My side collection are the coins...
    My primary collection is of medieval manuscripts.

    Having seen some examples of your side collection , it's very impressive. Have you ever posted an entire thread dedicated to your primary collection ?

    @pruebas said:
    On the US Forum, @asheland posted about his side collection. As coins from my primary collection are so few and far between (and now, very expensive), my side collection had been Mexican medals.

    I have since sold most of my gold medals to fund my primary collection, but I happily note that most of my silver medals are now $100-$250 items (which I purchased from $15-$50 over the years).

    With the increase in prices of my side collection, and with my many more primary collections, I no longer have a side collection.

    I loved the punchline in the end! :D

    @cacheman: respect.

    @asheland said:
    Actually, I have a few side collections, it’s almost like hoarding 😆

    But I do like vintage postcards, stuff from that 1900 to 1910 era primarily and of course, as a few of you know, I love old silverware, and definitely love my vintage bullion…

    My habits are very expensive 😆

    So are mine! :p

    I wouldn't say that it is like hoarding, but it is definitely related. Pretty much all collectors have it to various degrees.

    If the OP question was slightly different and allowed us to include everything that we've collected, acquired, purchased since we started (most of us as kids), regardless if we abandonned most of them and lost or sold them or gave them away,
    I believe that the replies would have been much longer and most likely, more revealing of our compulsions to obtain, to preserve and to treasure a wild variety of different objects of different sizes and materials .

    Dimitri



    myEbay



    DPOTD 3
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    The_Dinosaur_ManThe_Dinosaur_Man Posts: 1,562 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Syracusian they both started their own collections, I'm just helping them along the way. I've made each of them custom albums to house their sets.

    I should add Lithuania Schillings for my wife. While we were at Bay State, she picked out a 1665 Schilling citing her family heritage. There is only about ten different dates/mintmarks for that short set and the coins are inexpensive.

    Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
    Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
    https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.

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    SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,587 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Syracusian said:

    @Sapyx said:
    "Banknotes from countries that never got around to issuing coins" is one key side collection of interest.

    Can you ellaborate? I didn't even know that such countries existed. I mean, even the short lived Biafra had both coins and banknotes.

    Sure. Two that come to mind from the American series are, of course, the Confederate States (for which coins are functionally nonexistent) and the Republic of Texas (for which coins are actually nonexistent).

    Most are indeed, like the CSA and Texas, short-lived rebel states, military occupations from forces that were later forced to withdraw, or disputed territories for which the dispute was resolved relatively quickly. Others that come to mind from elsewhere around the world are Memelland, Japanese-occupied Oceania (as well as Malaya, the Philippines and Burma), Nazi-occupied Jersey, various factions and splinter-states of the Russian Civil War, Netherlands New Guinea, and Trieste. Then of course there's Northern Ireland, perhaps a special case.

    Most of these have "short-lived" in common, as well as "resource-stretched" in terms of an occupying power not really having the spare metal to make coins for the civilians in the occupied territory to use. And for some, the "disputed" part of the nature might mean that whoever was nominally in charge realised that any money spent on making coins would be wasted if the dispute were resolved quickly and the coins made redundant.

    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
    Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"

    Apparently I have been awarded the DPOTD twice. B)
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    cinque1543cinque1543 Posts: 549 ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 10, 2026 5:32AM

    @bosox said:
    World War II countries that no longer exist in their WWII form (think Bohemia and Moravia, Slovakia, and others), occupation coinages, and government in exile coinages. I shy away from the nazi coinage of Germany itself.

    Interesting collection. If you ever want to expand it, you probably know that there are a few countries in Asia that existed prior to WW2 but didn't exist after WW2. Manchukuo and Sarawak come to mind, but there must be one or two others as well. Maybe they had coins too.

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