As a collector matures.....

Bochiman

I collected, as a kid, back in the 70s. I got ripped off. I found coins a few years ago, that I hadn't bought back in the 70s, that hadn't appreciated (or, if they did, we are talking less than $1).
I got back into coins in late 2002 when I decided I wanted an indoor hobby (my hobbies have been computers and basketball (and some reading) for the last 20+ years or so).

My son was born in 2002. I decided on coins so I could get him his birth year (hey, I thought it was cool....I never had my own birth year coins).
I got the proof, and mint, sets. I also decided on the 2002 West Point Commems (I had gone there for a bit and it was 2002). Non-graded. Just "as from the mint". Never heard of varities nor PCGS/NGC/TPGSs.
Never heard of MS60-MS70 (just Unc, XF, F, G....nothing in between).
Decided to buy all the proof sets from 1956-present. I paid Greysheet ask for most as I didn't know better. Also got all the SAEs and proof SAEs. Put together 2 books worth + extras as well as some rolls.

Bought a few of the crappy whitman "press in hard with your fingers until they hurt" albums. Wife had started the hobby with me. One night of putting in wheat cents from ebay, and what I found of my old ones , turned her off BIG TIME.

Bought a "mystery lot" on ebay. I think it was about $25. Got a morgan in VF out of it. Pretty cool to me. Grandma had given me a Peace dollar from her birthyear (1922) but it had been stolen by a "friend" back in high school. Never had seen a morgan before that I could recall. Also got some small silver, but mainly copper wheaties from the 40s and 50s (with some odd 191x, 192x, and 193x in the mix).
I had thought it was cool.

I also bought a few ancients. They are still encrusted with crud. I guess I didn't soak in olive oil long enough.

Then, I got the SHQs. I thought, hey, he will like it. So, I collected from circulation. Then, I found out they were available from the bank. Starting trying to get rolls of them.
Around that time, I found RCC (rec.collecting.coins). Learned a lot (shout out to Eric "K6AZ" who was a great "teacher" of morgans!) and learned about this board.

I lurked for a number of months before joining up. I got in on the "$25 membership" deal with Bowers&Morena (I think that was it at the time) for PCGS.
Sent in some coins I got from my uncle since I didn't really have enough other raw coins, and 1 from a local dealer I met at a coin show.
All graded. The 1921 Peace$ came back in MS64. We had thought it was MS63.

All this time, I couldn't take a coin picture to save my life. I used a scanner but didn't know anything about coin pictures.

I started buying slabbed coins. A PCI here and there, a ICG (found out they couldn't accurately grade a SAE if THEIR life depended on it), and then PCGS and NGC.
I also kept buying raw morgans. I loved them. I learned to grade them and think I am pretty accurate (from the "guess the grades" and watching a couple get graded by PCGS...actually, I may be a little conservative on them as I am scared of falling into "ownership adds a point" trap).

I also kept getting rolls of the SHQs and new nickels from the bank. Started getting $500 boxes of halves to go through as well, and thought it was cool finding circ franklins and started a set.
I kept getting SHQs and the new nickels still. (yep, I repeated myself and know it). Thought it would be cool to keep them as my son grows and let him open these UNC rolls up. Even sold some UNC, unopened (honestly unopened) from the bank, rolls of the WI quarters during the height of the extra leaf phase. Did well. Bought multiples of the commems as they were cool and I wanted my son to have them as well, so I got them in case the prices went up. Sold a few of the L&C C&C sets (enough to pay for the ones I kept).

Well, to finally get to the point, I've started going through the SHQs rolls and 2004/2005 nickels and keeping a roll or two worth as I go through and try my hand at grading them. Will recycle the rest.

To weed out my ACCUMULATION is what makes me think I am starting to mature as a collector.

I still get new SHQs for our books. I still get morgans. But, I have learned to appreciate Franklins, half-dimes, some lincolns (DDO), NT coins, Roosevelts, Ikes, proof IHCs, classic proofs in general, and putting together a Dansco 7070 with my son. Also learned what a key date was and why I would want them

It will be, most likely, a bit of a costly learning curve getting rid of a lot of these easy to replace coins (bank rolls of SHQs will at least get me what I paid...face value...just lost the interest I would have gotten), but I feel it was still worth it.

So, for those that read this in its long-winded entirety, do you feel you have matured as a collector? if so, how?

For those just starting out, learn. Don't worry about people laughing at you for what you collect as everyone has their own niche and you should just collect what you enjoy.
I, personally, feel that the more I enjoy it rather than do what others want me to collect, the more I will enjoy it with my son and teach him well.

Fletcher

Inspirational thread

Leiana

You sound like you're doing well!

I started out with state quarters from circulation back in 99 because I liked the designs. Then in November 2005, I got my first Redbook. I was a Numismatist.

I made my early misstakes:



But I have learned about what is good and what is not so good. This board has helped a lot!

Now I know what to look for and also that shiny=bad for some things.

Here's to more Numismatic Fun and Learning!

-Amanda

BigJohnD

"For those just starting out, learn. Don't worry about people laughing at you for what you collect as everyone has their own niche and you should just collect what you enjoy.
I, personally, feel that the more I enjoy it rather than do what others want me to collect, the more I will enjoy it with my son and teach him well."

If you read nothing but these 4 lines, you have learned a lesson for life spoken by a true collector.

johnsim03

Very nice!

I was an accumulator until I got my Dansco 7070 album. Now my collection is
more focused than ever before - and it is a real challenge getting some of
those widgets in nice circulated grade - challenging, but rewarding at the
same time.

IMHO, you get attitudes from some people in every collecting endeavor.
On the other hand, there are others who are always willing to help and
share their knowledge and opinions. It is a great hobby.

John

ER

UncleWiggly

Thank you for taking the time to write this.

RedTiger

I can share one moment. I was shopping for a certified Barber half, my first one. Thankfully I met up with a more experienced collector and had him take a look at the coin I had picked out after walking the floor. He had a look at the coin and we thanked the dealer and told him we would talk it over. In private, the veteran collector told me that the coin definitely looked cleaned to him. Boy, talk about a splash of cold water. I had never heard that before, I thought all cleaned coins were body bagged by the top tier services. I learned the phrase "market acceptable" quite a while ago.

As always collect what you like. Learn how to grade before buying high grade expensive coins. This usually takes at least a year for the average person and every one has their own definition of expensive. Learn how to spot original coins vs. dipped coins vs. questionable toning coins. Enjoy the hobby.

Bochiman

A little TTT for the weekend crew to see if anyone else has comments on how they have matured as a collector....

michael

As a collector matures.....

he moves backwards into older series of coins

marmac

Nice thread Bochi- I think this "maturing" takes place in many different collectible hobbies. I use to be big into fishing tackle and fishing literature, accumulating any and all things that would fall into those categories. Over time my interests became more focused: early conventional reels (knuckle busters) designed for salt water fishing when it comes to tackle, fishing literature- Early West coast Salt water specific and Zane Grey's Non-fiction fishing books.

So what starts out a broad accumulation of "stuff" in a collectible field develops into a very refined and specific focus as a collector gains more knowledge and identifies his/her likes and dislikes.

Moving to coins,the same thing has taken place with me in coin collecting. From accumulator of real or percieved "good deals" to the fussiest of collectors only interested in a couple of series....

Can't imagine where I will be with this hobby in ten years? By then maybe I will only collect 1804 C-7 die states.

The important thing as you noted is collect what you like, not what the masses tell you. Each collector will evolve at their own pace...

RYK

I am not going to go into my whole collecting history, but one evolution I have noticed is the that I rely less and less on TPG and dealer opinion and more on my own experience and eyes, especially when it comes to selecting, grading, and pricing coins in my specialty area.

Examples:

1. Recently, someone showed me what may be considered one of the finest known of a rare US gold coin. It was unattractively shiny, obviously dipped, had multiple surface abrasions, and no matter whose condition census it resides on, I would not own it. On the other hand, I had previously owned a coin of the same date in a grade 4 grading steps lower that while having previously been cleaned had a superior strike, details, and look to it. I do not need the TPG to tell me which coin is the "better" coin. The lower grade one is without a doubt!

2. I recently purchased a southern gold coin in an NGC 55 holder. It was a nice original coin, that was clearly overgraded. Three years ago, I would have bought it for AU-55 money. One year ago, I would have passed, since it was overgraded. Now, I have enough confidence to grade the coin and buy it for a price that is commensurate with the grade (AU-50).

Shamika

<< <i>To weed out my ACCUMULATION is what makes me think I am starting to mature as a collector. >>


It always scares the bejesus out of me when I weed out my collection (as if I'll never get another shot at similar coins), but I always feel great after doing so.

cladking

<< <i>I am not going to go into my whole collecting history, but one evolution I have noticed is the that I rely less and less on TPG and dealer opinion and more on my own experience and eyes, especially when it comes to selecting, grading, and pricing coins in my specialty area.

>>



Yes. I also find that I care less what others are doing and become pickier in more and more series.

mgoodm3

I started out buying raw classic coins, but really didn't have a good grasp on problems/cleaning until I came around here. that really helped me make better buying decisions.

The weeding out is a good thing. I did it last winter, freed up a lot of money to put into rerally nice coins.

keets

my thinking is that we each mature as collectors when we start to pay less attention to accumulating coins and more attention to things like direction, education, organization, teaching, sharing, education(i know i'm repeating myself), education and education.

Bochiman

I'll agree with ALL of the above of what people added.
Usually, I jump very deep and quickly into new things that interest me. I got into coins quickly and strongly but kept it to lower cost items (widgets and such for moderns) until I learned more.

So, Keets, I strongly agree with what you wrote as a maturing thing; same for the rest of the comments.

And, Shamika, weeding out my "collection" would scare me as well still. But, weeding out my ACCUMULATION doesn't anymore (it did earlier)

JRocco

Great post,
Makes you stop and think and realize what we get out of this is personal.
Thanks for the good thought provoking read

DUIGUY

stolen by a "friend" back in high school.



What are friends for !