History or Design?

Sylvestius

In the world of coin collecting do you prefer history or design when it comes to picking out those purchases or thinking up sets?

wybrit

I prefer design, but the history is intriguing too.

AndyBruce

History over design for me.

Edward I Groats are quite ugly but I would love to own one!

Cladiator

Design first for me and a good history is an added bonus.

Sylvestius

<< <i>History over design for me.

Edward I Groats are quite ugly but I would love to own one! >>




Edward III ones certainly look better, but maybe because that's what i've come to expect them to look like?

Sylvestius

<< <i>Design first for me and a good history is an added bonus. >>




Vice versa.

CoinAddict

I am with Cladiator. Design comes first and then if it has history that is an added bonus.

trozau

Design, then history. Gotta draw my attention first before I check out on its history or lack thereof.

Sylvestius

<< <i>Design, then history. Gotta draw my attention first before I check out on its history or lack thereof. >>




All these years i've been doing it the wrong way around! One example, i studied the French revolution and Louis XVI, so i went specifically looking everywhere for a Louis XVI coin regardless of what it looked like. I managed to find two on the same day!

Aethelred

With me it starts like this:

I read a book about a historic period.

I want a coin from that period.

I become obsessed, buy more coins, more books and bore my wife talking about it.

A pretty design is nice, but never really enters into my thinking in terms of what I am going to collect.

Sylvestius

<< <i>With me it starts like this:

I read a book about a historic period.

I want a coin from that period.

I become obsessed, buy more coins, more books and bore my wife talking about it.

A pretty design is nice, but never really enters into my thinking in terms of what I am going to collect. >>




This sounds like home...

Take that defaced die Stephen penny i just bought. I mean looks wise it's not much better than a blank disc... but oh the history! Actually i must confess i don't particularly find coins of the later Norman, early Angevin period all that eye appealing. Stephen's tend to look better than the crude Henry I issues or some of the Tealby stuff... but they ain't no Mary I Fine Sovereign.

Aethelred

Yes, to me there is something gripping about medieval coin designs, to my eye they are beautiful, but I know most find them "crude and ugly." I think you have to be interested in the period to appreciate them.




<< <i>This sounds like home. >>



You bore my wife talking about them too?

elverno

History is everything to me. Because of that I'll collect culls, fillers, etc. just because of where they've been. Design is a real plus of course; my favorite coins and medals are real works of art. Fortunately I don't own all of those yet!

Sylvestius

<< <i>History is everything to me. Because of that I'll collect culls, fillers, etc. just because of where they've been. Design is a real plus of course; my favorite coins and medals are real works of art. Fortunately I don't own all of those yet! >>



I collect books, pocket watches, anything old or remotely linked to old things.

Aethelred

<< <i>

<< <i>History is everything to me. Because of that I'll collect culls, fillers, etc. just because of where they've been. Design is a real plus of course; my favorite coins and medals are real works of art. Fortunately I don't own all of those yet! >>



I collect books, pocket watches, anything old or remotely linked to old things. >>



Same here, I love anything old.

Sylvestius

<< <i>Yes, to me there is something gripping about medieval coin designs, to my eye they are beautiful, but I know most find them "crude and ugly." I think you have to be interested in the period to appreciate them.




<< <i>This sounds like home. >>



You bore my wife talking about them too? >>



Well i certainly don't bore my wife talking about them... it would help if i had a wife of course!


I love almost all aspects of the medieval period, studied the political history, social history, religious history, English, Scottish, French, Italian... forgot most of it but some things remain.

Slowly amassing a nice collection of history text books, slow progress... i'm mightily ticked off cos i'm fed up of tripping over all those books on the Tudors, not kidding almost half of the pre-Victorian history books concentrate on Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Well i personally hate Henry VIII and i don't have much time for Elizabeth either. Mary Tudor took some finding!

If like me you're into pre-15th century history the material soon dries up... i think the 10th, 12th-13th centuries are usually summed up in about 4 or 5 really general books. A fair bit on the 11th century due to a little event at Hastings in the year 1066...

Luvdawgs

I'm with the design first, then history crowd

wybrit

In this one case, I prefer the history over design:

Aethelred

That one lacks both Wybrit!

elverno

<< <i>In this one case, I prefer the history over design: >>






Like a couple of you folks I also collect prints, books, paper money, statues, swords, bullets, furniture, maps, letters, newspapers....

Aethelred

<< <i>Like a couple of you folks I also collect prints, books, paper money, statues, swords, bullets, furniture, maps, letters, newspapers.... >>




I admire your moderation!

AuldFartte

<< <i>Same here, I love anything old. >>



Why, thank you

Seriously, I've been pondering this question, and I cannot come up with an answer. Sometimes I read a book or see a movie, and decide to find a coin or two from that era. Other times I see a coin with awesome eye appeal, buy it, and then form a desire to learn more about the history of the time when the coin was used.

Looks like I swing both ways

PuddlePirate

It is history. Each coin tells a story. Design while I can appreciate it doesn't really become a high incentive for me to purchase a coin or not. Hence most of my collection is F-EF and I'm satisfied with it. Historical Era's play a big part in what I pick up as well. I find myself moving from Ancient Roman Imperials into Spanish Medievals at the moment. I need a change in my ancient coin cleaning periods, its starting to get a bit boring with the Romans's. Ancient Greece is another matter entirely but I can not find a solid source that is reasonably priced at the moment, alot of junk out there at the moment and that puts me off. The Medieval Spanish period though seems a bit intriguing and I am waiting for a parcel to arrive any day now.

GDJMSP

Design all the way - history is just gravy. Don't get me wrong, intereresting history can be quite complimentary to a coin. But if a coin is ugly - I don't care how much history it has - it's still ugly and I don't want it.

BigAlan

With me it starts like this:

I read a book about a historic period.

I want a coin from that period.



That's the way it should be.

wybrit

But if a coin is ugly - I don't care how much history it has - it's still ugly and I don't want it.

I guess you won't be entering any Churchill crown giveaways I may have, eh?

GDJMSP

<< <i>I guess you won't be entering any Churchill crown giveaways I may have, eh? >>




Welllllll - not likely. But ya know - go ahead and hold that giveaway. I mean, there's gotta be somebody, someplace - besides Aethelred and Sylvestius who actually LIKES that coin

Sylvestius

<< <i>

<< <i>I guess you won't be entering any Churchill crown giveaways I may have, eh? >>




Welllllll - not likely. But ya know - go ahead and hold that giveaway. I mean, there's gotta be somebody, someplace - besides Aethelred and Sylvestius who actually LIKES that coin >>




I might have to draw the line at that point, i'm not a masochist you know.


Anyhow i'm now concentrating mostly on hammered coinage. With some early milled and a bit of German stuff just to add in a bit of variance.

sumnom

I go both ways. There are some VERY UGLY coins that I collect avidly because of the history. The best example would be the Pyeongyang one mun coins of 1891 from Korea. They are nasty but I am interested in the time period and the corruption scandals involved in their minting so I have many of them. There are so many types to get, actually.

There are other coins that I collect purely for design and have little other interest in their background.

Then again, if the design is really stunning, I do become interested in the story behind the coin. They feed upon one another.

ccrdragon

design first, history second (but not very far behind!)

coachleonard

Chain Cents, Pine Tree Shillings, Anglo Saxon Coins-- all ugly designs. But even if you add holes and barnacles to them, their history
makes them drop-dead gorgeous!

Stork

<< <i>Anyhow i'm now concentrating mostly on hammered coinage >>

Maybe if someone took a hammer to the Churchill Crown it would help???

I'm more of a design first, which then causes me to learn more about the history and do more reading. I've definitely have expanded my reading habits since joining this forum! Occasionally it will be the history first--there are no rules.


Cathy

elverno

<< <i><< Like a couple of you folks I also collect prints, books, paper money, statues, swords, bullets, furniture, maps, letters, newspapers....

I admire your moderation!>> >>




I showed your note to my wife and after she got up off the floor she said "Oh, that was sarcasm wasn't it?" She's still getting used to the smilies...





P.S. I left out genealogies, silk wall hangings, dishware, dining silver, doctor's utensils, bayonets, muskets...

Sylvestius

<< <i>Anglo Saxon Coins-- all ugly designs. >>




Confession time, i actually like the look of Æthelred II coins and the Cnut and the Edward the Confessor, plus the Harolds, Harthacnut and yes even Eadgar.

coinrookie

That would depend on the individual coin, but design is probably the larger influence.

Steve

cosmicdebris

Design first for me. I really like the pretty pictures.