"Train wreck" method of coin collecting

shirohniichan

Have you ever veered off the path of sensible coin collecting to collect "train wrecks"? (You know-- the coins you shouldn't look at, but you just can't help it.)

Besides the collections I'm working on for scholarly pursuits, my other good collections are boring me. Meanwhile, the evil coins I should avoid are calling my name. "Hey, check out our weird packaging and the questionable value of the events we commemorate!" I'm sorely tempted to sell good coins that will hold their value to pursue oddball stuff that will likely sink into obscurity.

Oh woe is me! Who shall deliver me from this miserable collection of death?!

JamminJ

Who shall deliver me from this miserable collection of death?!

The patron saint of Stamp Collecting?

MacCrimmon

Saint Mystic, be healed Shiro-san.

shirohniichan

Man, you guys are cruel!

JamminJ

If we were really cruel it would have been sportscards or even comic books.

secondrepublic

Those moments happen most often when there's nothing going on in your area of speciality, and out of boredom you start to look at other stuff.

All of a sudden, you find yourself thinking about buying the most random stuff. US two cent pieces, Latvian coins, etc. etc. Stuff you know in your heart you don't really want.

The best cure for that is to tell your wife you're interested in buying a new coin (= the random one you know you shouldn't buy). Point out to her the things around the house that could be bought / fixed with that money.

Then don't buy the coin. You get credit for "holding off" on a coin purchase. Later on, when something comes along that you really want, you get to use that goodwill and buy the coin you really want

spoon

I actually bought a few old stamps this week...

cosmicdebris

I keep looking a smoe colored guitar shaped coins but I haven't bought them yet

SYRACUSIAN

<< <i> I actually bought a few old stamps this week... >>







Stamps???!!! This counts as a strike spoon. After three strikes you'll be banned.



I'm sorely tempted to sell good coins that will hold their value to pursue oddball stuff that will likely sink into obscurity.



I'm guilty of that too. I wouldn't exactly call my extra stuff oddball, nor do I think that it will sink into obscurity, but it clearly does not have any realistic chances of increasing its value. However I like it so much that I cannot resist buying it. If I ever get bored of it, I'll try to unload it to JamminJ, I'll tell him that it's excessively rare and that I'll be doing him a big favour.

shirohniichan

<< <i>I'm guilty of that too. I wouldn't exactly call my extra stuff oddball, nor do I think that it will sink into obscurity, but it clearly does not have any realistic chances of increasing its value. However I like it so much that I cannot resist buying it. If I ever get bored of it, I'll try to unload it to JamminJ, I'll tell him that it's excessively rare and that I'll be doing him a big favour.
>>



That's brilliant! "JamminJ, just check out the wildly excessive packaging for the Icey Hock Loon that commemorates the 13 1/2 anniversary of the Canadian junior hockey team's second place finish in the Estonian International Hockey Fest of 1991!" He'll snap it up faster than he would an 1830's 4 kreuzer in MS68.

JamminJ

<< <i>

<< <i>I'm guilty of that too. I wouldn't exactly call my extra stuff oddball, nor do I think that it will sink into obscurity, but it clearly does not have any realistic chances of increasing its value. However I like it so much that I cannot resist buying it. If I ever get bored of it, I'll try to unload it to JamminJ, I'll tell him that it's excessively rare and that I'll be doing him a big favour.
>>



That's brilliant! "JamminJ, just check out the wildly excessive packaging for the Icey Hock Loon that commemorates the 13 1/2 anniversary of the Canadian junior hockey team's second place finish in the Estonian International Hockey Fest of 1991!" He'll snap it up faster than he would an 1830's 4 kreuzer in MS68. >>



I'll offer $0.78 (Canadian) for the Hockey Loon Dollar.

mrearlygold

First you must admit your being powerless over coins.

cosmicdebris

2004 Somolia $1 Guitar coin

Rickc300

My train left the tracks long ago... The scenery is much better but the ride is not as smooth. Now I am just looking for some nice German coins or maybe a Mexican 8 reale or two to crash into. Maybe some Virginia coal mine scrip? How about my collection of every coin with the denomination of four? I should also mention my birth year collection of the largest coin from every country. And since you brought up trains... I am a train nut as well. I have so far found 35 different coins, tokens and silver rounds featuring trains. I do not refer to it as collecting train wrecks but rather of using the shotgun blast method of accumulation. Where ever I go I am bound to find something to fit in my little niche of things.

I live in my own little world but that's OK, they all know me here.

shirohniichan

Rick, if you find yourself collecting coins of the Marshall Islands, Liberia, or RCM junk, you'll be a "train wreck" collector (i.e. drawn to look at things you know you shouldn't).