What do you collect and why?; What do you not collect and why?; A followup to my cameo & "m
SanctionII
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On 3-12-2005 I posted a thread asking questions about Cameos and "Modern Crap". Many have responded to the thread, yet they have primarily been forumites who are fans of Cameos and "Modern Crap".
I was hoping to pique the interest of forumites who collect in other areas. I guess I did not title the thread appropriately and thus many persons have probably passed over it as not being of interest to them.
Thus I am posting this thread in the hopes of generating a broader response and range of discussion. Please refer to my 3-12-2005 post and after reading that thread answer me the following:
1. What do you collect and why? ; and
2. What do you not collect and why?
I was hoping to pique the interest of forumites who collect in other areas. I guess I did not title the thread appropriately and thus many persons have probably passed over it as not being of interest to them.
Thus I am posting this thread in the hopes of generating a broader response and range of discussion. Please refer to my 3-12-2005 post and after reading that thread answer me the following:
1. What do you collect and why? ; and
2. What do you not collect and why?
0
Comments
2) I don't much like "modern crap" well because I like my coins to be old, may make an exception for toned "modern crap"
What I don't collect is ancients. These coins are fascinating and I've accumulated more
than a few over the years but there are many impediments to collecting them. Primarily
there are the language and attribution problems. It's also difficult to learn enough about
them to acquire them at wholesale prices. I also don't collect any pre-1965 US coins at the
current time. Many of these are of extreme interest to me but the older ones are well out
of my price range and there's a lot of competition for the later issues. I have collected most
of them in the past and do expect to take another stab at some in the future. I also don't
much collect coal tokens and civil war tokens. Again these are very interesting series but
the cost is prohibitive.
I do collect most modern US and this especially applies to the circulating coins. It has always
impressed me that coins can travel at random among the population and are accepted as
something of value. When I see a well worn 1965 quarter I wonder where it's been and
where it will end up. It can be difficult to imagine how some of these coins could survive all
these years and more difficult to figure how some will escape much wear. It's instructive to
observe the different ways and rates at which different dates wear away. Collecting such coins
provides a continuing source for amazement. Collecting varieties adds even more spice and
entertainment.
I also like telephone tokens because they are so available in the areas around Chicago. You
can find them at yard sales and flea markets. This allows me to have large numbers of tokens
to trade with other collectors so that a collection can be worked for very minimal expense. Video
arcade tokens are much the same way; there are collectors who'll trade these and both parties
profit. Other collections were started because they help to see what life was like in oler eras.
Merchant tokens have volumes to tell about how people shopped or spent their time. All these
areas provide exceedingly rare collectibles at little or no cost.
Many people may look at a gem modern coin and see somebody throwing his money away on
something that can never have any real value. I am more likely to see an interesting coin that
most everyone ignored for decades. Even in those cases that the gem is relatively common, I
still see a gem.
<< <i>to "modern crap" as new as a 1965 Washington Quarter that is pedigreed to the President of the United States. >>
Tell us more about this coin!
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
I collect gold coins that are scarce and obsolete. When I say "scarce", I mean scarce in any grade. I am attracted to the history, the quirks of the 19th century mint, and absolute rarity. I am especially interested in original coins, those few coins that have largely or completely escaped the temptation of their owners to mess with them over the last 120-150 years. Specifically, I collect Dahlonega $5's, New Orleans gold (primarily $10's), and select $3's.
What do you not collect and why?
Everything else. I like what I like. Furthermore, I only have the time, attention span, and capital to work on a few projects at one time. The more I learn about my areas of interest, the more I realize that I know very little. I can only stand to be an ignoramus in one specialty at a time.
I have come to terms with my fellow collectors who choose to collect moderns. I feel the passion that they have for what they collect, and I share the thrill of victory when they "make" a condition rarity. It's just not for me.
Regards,
Michael
2: I can't say that I don't collect other things (coins). I just refuse to spend large sums of $$$ on them. If they just happen by me, I'll throw them into a box; otherwise, I don't really collect.
3: Collect other stuff? Yeah...I'm a pack rat (hoarder).
Tom
2): Platinum/Gold American Eagles, Gold Coins, Anything from the mid 1800's and earlier. Why don't I collect these? Because I simply cannot afford them. I would love to get some platinum proofs, "real" gold coins or some early date coin series, but I cannot afford to spend that much money on one coin. Some of these early coins and the bullion coins can cost over $1000 for one coin, and I don't even see that much in take home from my bi-monthly paychecks. So I avoid these coins simply because I cannot afford them.
3): What else do I collect? I have a collection of the elements on the periodic table which is complete minus the vast majority of the radioactive elements. I don't plan on collecting those simply for health/legality reasons. I have a Complete Set of Topps Baseball cards from the year 1986-Present and I'd like to get the years 1980-1985 so I can have every complete set made while I'm alive. I have a VERY minor comic book collection consisting of the Amazing/Spectacular/Web Of/Spiderman comic books. A few key issues, but nothing really expensive.
Dont Collect: The other stuff, I will accumulate
Other collections: BSA patches and pay checks
Dan
First Place Winner of the 2005 Rampage design contest!
What do I not collect: Anything that is not outstanding.
I would love to collect classic gold and trade dollars, but I think the cost factor would make my purchases few and far between. Plus, I think it's important to have a little bit of focus in your collecting efforts.....
I just like the look of the green holders the best
2) 20th century toned coins in any holder
mostly nickels/dimes/quarters whatever I can get cheap
3) 1/4 ounce proof coins in original mint containers
since the modern gold commens are 1/4 size I did my platinum proof set in 1/4 also so it displays nicer. Starting now on British proofs.
I do not collect anything before the 20th century seriously because many of the coins are price prohibitive to me, and also because I simply don't know enough to buy these coins confidently. I've learned quite a bit in this forum over time, so I hope to become knowledgeable enough to venture in to these series eventually. As for the money part, who knows, maybe I'll hit the powerball someday.
One project I recently started that some of you "modern crap" fans might enjoy is a complete set of coins of my life. I started by ordering a custom Dansco album for cents from BrentKrueger.com that is embossed "Coins of a Lifetime - Cents." I was born in 1979, so the albums are likely to be more expensive than many of the coin purchases I make for them. All of the coins will be taken from mint and proof sets or the original mint packaging (when I finally get to the commems). I expect to take a couple of years to put this together as I want to make sure to get the best examples possible (after all, if you're going to collect "modern crap" it should at least be nice crap).
Anything I cannot tell whether they are real or not.
2. What I don't collect......everything else......why.....excellent examples are outside my price range.
Collections I am in the process of gathering:
A Barber Half Set is VG grade (34/73 complete)(like the look of this grade and cost productive for me), Quarters and Dimes likely to follow in the future.
Silver Bullion coins - American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Mexican Libertads, British Britannias, Chinese Pandas, Australian Kookaburra & Lunar coins. This is going to be a long process to complete these but slowly working on this.
1/10 oz Gold & Platinum Proof Eagles. (2001 to 2004 so far) This again is a long term project
Proof & mint sets - 1999 to 2004 with some others like 1963 & 1964 proofs & 1977 proof (birth-year). Not a definite plan here.
A gold type set of Liberty & Indian design (basic 8 coin set, 6/8 so far) expanding to No Motto's, $1 & $3 in the future. Future expansion likely to.
So I would say I have many long term projects that need to just get worked on without adding much more. Although I would love to add a Morgan Set to the list.
First and foremost, I collect COINS NOT PIECES OF PLASTIC. Among those coins are...
bust and seated silver by date and variety (other than dollars...only type)
copper prior to 1856.
What I don't collect...
Anything seeking to commemerate Abraham Lincoln--the worst enemy of the U.S. constitution in presidential history. (Yes, even Andrew Jackson!)
Registry points.
Gold--I just don't care for it. (really don't even know why.)
Jim
What I do not collect: Modern crap which I sell to buy more Darkside stuff.
09/07/2006