Would coin collecting be as fun if you were filthy rich?
dan1ecu
Posts: 1,573
If you could easily buy any coin you wanted without even thinking about it, how long would it take for coin collecting to become boring?
Part of the fun for me is looking at the $50,000 coins on the dealers' sites and fantasizing that maybe one day I'll be able to afford a coin like that. If I could just buy what I wanted, there'd be nothing to look forward to, if that makes sense.
Do you find that your limitations as far as finances are concerned actually make the hobby more enjoyable?
Dan
Part of the fun for me is looking at the $50,000 coins on the dealers' sites and fantasizing that maybe one day I'll be able to afford a coin like that. If I could just buy what I wanted, there'd be nothing to look forward to, if that makes sense.
Do you find that your limitations as far as finances are concerned actually make the hobby more enjoyable?
Dan
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On the other hand, being able to offer sufficent sums of money to collect top coins is a fantasy we all share I believe.
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Mike
Lincoln Wheats (1909 - 1958) Basic Set - Always Interested in Upgrading!
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Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
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Poor sucks
Doug
a beautiful car or mansion.
They may not get as excited about aquiring a rare coin,
but they're also less likely to get frustrated because they
had to pass on a prized coin.
Errors alone could keep you busy for a life time.
Example pick a series and try to make a set of rotational errors.10%,20%,30% so on so forth.
Do the same for off center.
There are so many ways to collect that you couldn't do it all regardless of the amount of money you had.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I would probably look at coins that I never hoped to own like mint state bust dollars and mint state bust gold. It would be nice though to just think about being Richh so I'd never have to be told what to do again by any jerk with the title of boss.
Les
How much would that take? Bill Gates could do like riding a bike on Sunday
I can't agree with that one!!
Would coin collecting be as fun if you were filthy rich?
Of course it would be, just because you have the money to buy the best does not mean you still cannot enjoy the hunt of that elusive piece. if that special piece is across the country or going up for auction you could easily afford to jump on a plane and fly to see it in person without having to worry about being able to have enough money left over to actually buy it.
Isn't the fun of collecting in the hunt???? That's what it is for me, finding a nice cameo early 50's coin in a proof set, or finding a nice high end Ike in a run of mint sets or blue pack Ikes. I'm sure you guys know what I mean for whatever series you hunt for!
Maybe these filthy rich guys hunt by making phone calls and seeing who can out bid each other at prestigious auctions, but I'm not so sure that's all that much fun.
I like looking at expensive coins too. Looked at Parinno's 1894-S dime, actually held it in my hands, all he wanted was $1,000,000 for it. Asked him if he had two, then I would have been a buyer, lucky for me he only had the one!
Ike Specialist
Finest Toned Ike I've Ever Seen, been looking since 1986
Collect a series and back into the patterns.
Collect by date, then get all the currency that was also in circulation at that time.
I could finally own a 1907 Ultr High Relief Saint!
But here is the kicker with coin collecting for the rich. Coins aren't always available no matter how much money you have. Some rarities stay locked away for decades. How many wealthy Saint collectors ( and just about any gold collector, for that matter) would love to own the Judd 1776 $20 Indian Saint pattern? We may never see that coin trade hands in our lifetime. So I'm sure the wealthy still dream like the rest of us do.
NOTE: No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
Type collector since 1981
Current focus 1855 date type set
09/07/2006
This is what I said about my type set. Yes, indeed, the thrill of the hunt and the sense of wonder of coins whether you own them or not, is the most important thing in collecting but the thrill of learning something new, acquiring knowledge and the thrill of ownership is not far behind.
Oops, I realize that I have to revise that paragraph to 44 years.
David
rainbowroosie April 1, 2003
I have considered this question before and I don't think I would enjoy collecting near as much if I never had to concern myself with being able to afford it. I'd probably give up collecting and just go heavily into the research side of numismatics.
To have a ton of cash that would allow me to get whatever I desired would be nice. If I wanted to do a set of Indian Half Eagles in MS65 I could. If I got a bug in my ear to put together a complete date/mint/denomination set of all Philippine coins that were minted while the US controlled that nation I could. If I wanted to get each pattern Nickel ever made I could. Basically the money would allow me the luxury of exploring any collecting impulse that I had, no matter how expensive or odd. Something I can't do today. Living on a budget forces me into accepting that I can't collect some things, or collect them in conditions I would want. Having the cash would remove those limits. But that’s all it would do.
The real value and fun I get out of my collecting is the hunt for items, and the enjoyment of cataloging them once I have them, and placing them in my holders. And then enjoying the sets as they grow. While money would make that process happen faster, it wouldn’t change it. In fact it might harm it a touch, as one can ‘OD’ on too many coins. An experience I had while starting my Euro set a week or so back, when I got a package with 14 full sets (112 coins) at once. As a collector who was used to adding one coin to his collection each month at best, this was just a huge torrent of new material to process. An odd, but valuable educational experience about myself and how I feel about collecting.
So overall I think the money would only allow me to do what I do now, only more so (provided I can avoid the OD trap) and I’d continue to be the happy collector I am today, only without the occasional sadness of not being able to purchase an item I truly wanted.
Myriads
If I had more money I would travel to all the shows and large auctions increasing my numismatic fun ten fold. Money would provide more opportunities but might detract from some of the rewards of collecting....but not many!
Tyler
As far as coin collecting, I would concentrate on my dimes and assemble a complete collection of high grade MS & PF dimes from 1796-date. All M/M and varieties.
Now that would never get old and sure would be alot of fun.
Great question!
Later,
Paul B. Gunsallus
Later, Paul.
Russ, NCNE
If I were filthy rich, I'd collect coins, babes, cars, beach houses, and memories of adventure travel,
among other things.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
yes, I think it would be a lot more fun to collect if i were really wealthy, but in a different way.
Now, for my early Types, I try to get as much coin as i can on my budget,
but if money were no object, I'd dry to get as much coin as i can, period.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
It would still be challenging, as just becuase you have the money, doesnt mean that some pieces will always be available. You may have to wait long periods of time before something comes to market. At least then the money part would not be a deterrrant.
I would love to go to a show like FUN, Long Beach, Baltimore and spend 25 Million dollars in one pop, then be able to do it again in three months.
jim
Lots of money would allow me not only to expand my search but to also collect
a wider array of coins.
1. not to work
2. travel to all these places all over the country for big shows and look at a lot of stuff.