If You Could Have Done One Thing Different....................................

poorguy

If you could have done only one thing different regarding coin collecting, what would it be and what would you have done.

Missed Opportunities, Choices made, ect......

Best answer wins "nothing".

FatMan

I would have started 20 years earlier. I've only been collecting for about 7 years.

LAWMAN

I would have abandoned all other plans for my life and bought every coin I could beg, borrow or steal since I was a kid in the 50's. I also would have bought all the real estate I could in S. Cal. since the 70's, bought heavily of all dot.com stocks, Starbucks, when it first came out and I was offered the chance, only bought low and sold high- avoiding, of course, the dot.comb crash. Then today, I would be rich as hell and walking the beach in Maui somewhere.

jhar

Been more diligent about my collection when I was single and had a little bit more money to play with.

mgoodm3

Bought fewer problem coins when I started out. would have been nice to learn earlier.

cladking

I'd have put a great deal more effort into looking at rolls of coins. I spent far
too much effort looking at mint sets since gems are generally far more available
in them. I missed tons of varieties and nice coins. Even the one variety which
was released in this area, I mostly missed because it appeared to be very com-
mon at the time.

Steve27

I would have hit the "buy it now" on a PCGS AG-3 1916-D Mercury Dime for $300, a couple of years ago.

meos1

I would not have done anything differently because there might not be three people that I am rather fond of if I had.....

Dan Watson

You can do nothing about yesterday. Only tommorrow holds hope for change.

kieferscoins

Started collecting sample slabs from the start.

Cameron Kiefer

LanLord

Been Paul Allen's son

ddink

Bought a LOT of 1999 silver proof sets

NoGvmnt

I would not have sold off my entire collection and invested the proceeds into the stock market in late 1999.

Jim

Fragmentum

I would have kept my Mexican girlfriend....

louiskeller

I would have bought only from the mint, and not objectionable "dealers"

09sVDB

Educated myself more back in the 70's(I was in HS) so I didn't buy all the Little*** crap

ClausUrch

I would have exclusively collected Franklin Mint products.

ibzman350

Not sold my Mercury Dime collection in1968 to buy a slot car, anyone remember slot cars??


Herb

GOLDSAINT

Would have bought mainly PCGS slabbed Gold through the late 80's and early 90's

Myqqy

I would have avoided several third world TPG slabs... Oy, how many have made that mistake??

sTONER

got married in 1996 , should have stay with coins, lot cheaper

mdwoods

<< <i>If you could have done only one thing different regarding coin collecting, what would it be and what would you have done.

Missed Opportunities, Choices made, ect......

Best answer wins "nothing". >>



I would have become much more knowledgeable about coins and the coin market before diving in.

Kriek

1885-CC PCGS MS65 Morgan for $600

($800 - $1,000 value)

66Tbird

More Delaware quarter bags and 99 proof sets.

Merc

I have no regrets about my collecting. I just wish I had more money. Back in 1999, I regreted buying coins and not the high tech stocks. Now, I'm happy about that!

Lakesammman

My only regrets are 2:

I was selling my budding type set back in 1996 or so when I began to agressively persue FE/IHC cents. I had a nice 1795 $1 NGC 45 with perfect rims that I sold for $4600, a 1909-S VDB 66R for 3K and a few others.

Second regret was not attending the Stacks auction when Blay bought his 1877 IHC! Probably would not have had the courage to outbid him, however. Was too green at the time to know what a great coin that was/is.

BigMoose

The only thing different I would have done would have been to stretch for even more great coins when I had to opportunity to buy or bid for them.

flaminio

I would have STFU'd about ACG. I really don't need this aggravation...

MrDan

I would have gotten into groups and clubs and done a heck of a lot more research before I bought totally awesome (cleaned and polished worthless) coins. then I would have refused to clean and or spend that mercury dime that I got back when I was a teen working as a cashier. I have learned a lot from watching others and reading some of the books about grading and history. We just recently got into collecting, and found out that my wife's great great... Uncle is Salmon Portland Chase, (who back in 1864 had the phrase "In God We Trust" put on our coinage) I was so amazed that a relative of mine (wife's) could be so important. Now me and my wife are really quite fascinated by the history of currency...

ealandg

Ah... Shoulda, coulda, woulda bought some of those small eagle draped busts when I had the cash if I had known how much they were going to go up.

Dollars

Would have started collecting when my grandmother was giving me fresh Ikes from the bank. Use to love to spend them. Walking around with 8 to 10 Ikes in my pocket at the age of 11 was cool. Hard to keep you pants up tho.

DHeath

I started as a kid in 1963, the same year as the Redbook this scan came from. Knowing what I know now, I'd have finished this set in the 60's.

mojorizn

I never would have sold my Liberty Seated dimes and quarters I amassed through a monthly acquisition program in the early 80's.

Mojo

Nic

How about two? Kept an original 5 piece Pan-Pac set. Bought an original unc. chain cent. K

ARCO

I only have two regrets; not bidding high enough to win an XF 1901-S Barber half that was totally original four years ago, and selling my original 1904-S XF...or at least not having it holdered by PCGS to sell first!

I almost gave up and sold off my set, changed my mind and finished it about 18 months later. Now, had I sold off the set like I intended, my keyboard would be drenched in tears as I wrote this note here.

Tyler

BAJJERFAN

bought mostly PCGS graded coins NO RAW COINS and would a bought more 1893-s Morgans and kept em ALL

ER

Should have bought the book before the coin.

haletj

I would have started my Lincoln set in 64rd, and not have worried about trying to complete the set so fast. I missed out on some great ones I actually could have afforded but thought were too good for me.

Hedger

The one thing that I would have done different would be choosing a dealer more wisely to sell to. Next time if I need to sell it's going on this website first and then maybe eBay.

Neptune

I would have never stopped collecting in the sixties, and continued to date.

paigowjohnny

Would never have read the Coast to Coast, Skyline, and Coin Depot ads....

Conder101

Would have started collecting Conder tokens back in 72 instead of Jefferson Nickles. Today I would have literally thousands of Unc coppers from the 1790's.

BillJones

The latest one was the failure to purchase an 1878 $3 gold coin in NGC MS-63 that I had on consignment last spring. I could have had it for $3,600, which was bid at the time. Today the bid is now up to $4,600.

Believe or not I don't care about the price increase. What galls me is that the coin was a "real" choice Unc., and not a slider as most MS-63 $3 pieces are. It would have gone into my collection, which means in the short run I don't care what the bid is. I was getting ready to move and the time as was a bit conservative with my cash.

Oh well, most of the time I pull the trigger at the right moment. That time I goofed up, and I'm still kicking myself.

JadeRareCoin

If You Could Have Done One Thing Different....................................

I would have NOT invested my entire life savings in Beanie Babies. Instead I would have bought coins with the money. Anyone wanna buy a Beanie Baby??

Baley

If You Could Have Done One Thing Different....................................

Sold it all in '89 and "loaded the truck" in '96.

Boom

Yesterday is already a memory....tomorrow, a dream! As such, I live in the present. All the

yesterdays make me who and what I am today. Life/ coin collecting is not a tape that can be

re-wound. Just as in Golf, there are no "Mulligans"....we play from here. Any mistakes I may

have made, I turn them over and value them as important lessons in the School of Experience.

Elcontador

One thing. In 1968, I paid $75 for a BU FB 1931 D Dime. I was in high school & that was a lot of $ for me. I didn't notice a scratch on Miss Liberty's cheek which limited the coin to MS 63, maybe MS 64 on a good day. Sold it 30 years later for $50.

To put things in perspective, the same year, I bought a nice 36 S Walker for $35. It's in a PC 6 holder right now (I still have it). Another example was buying five rolls of low grade IHCs for $8-$9 ea.
I traded them for a PC 5 RD 09 P thirty years later.

Could you imagine the type coin that was available to me at that time for $75? Otherwise, I have always "landed on my feet."

Dave99B

I was heavily into collecting Indian Head cents about 15-20 years ago. I was planning to complete a set in XF or AU, and immediately found how difficult it was to locate "non-problem" better dates in VF/XF/AU. I sort of switched gears, gave up on the set, and began accumulating examples in the date range 1866-1875, as well as some odd 08-S an 09-S pieces (no '77s)

I only purchased really nice original VF and XF examples, with original patina. Some were nicely wood-grained. I bought them all raw, and kept them that way. I had about 50 pieces total, when I sold them all at one time to a mail order dealer. Man, that dude was happy. He sold them all within 6 weeks.

I made a 25 to 100% gain on all of them. While I was happy at the time, I wish I had kept them. I’m amazed that people pay for similar pieces today. STRONG MONEY…

Dave

MRK

Would have learned how to grade and detect cleaning before wasting tons of money on those big ads in Numismatic News.

Welcome to the boards Mr. Dan.

MrDan

Thanks. I really enjoy reading all the posts and all the personallity out here.