Take THE MILESTONE COINS CHALLENGE
Dentuck
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(From the April 2008 Whitman Review)
TAKE THE MILESTONE COINS CHALLENGE
Recently I sat next to a fellow coin collector as we traveled by plane to a national
show. The long flight gave us time to talk about our collections, numismatic books
and publishing, the U.S. Mint, and other hobby topics.
I was surprised by a certain world-weariness in the conversation with this very
knowledgeable collector. He had reached an advanced point where his collections of
U.S. coins included many of the finest known, the highest graded, the most
expensive, the most rare. So why the weariness? Lack of intellectual curiosity was
not the problem, and neither was drive; he was simply out of “holes” to fill in his
collection. He’d reached all his goals, conquered all his challenges, and---to put
it bluntly---he was getting bored.
Once you have all the dates and mintmarks in a coin series, how do you keep up your
interest? Most collectors in that position will start the process of
upgrading---systematically gathering higher-grade examples of each coin, and
“deaccessioning” (to use a museum archivist’s word) the lower-grade pieces, until
everything has been raised to Mint State. Some collectors will expand their
collection to include die varieties, such as those explored in the Cherrypickers’
Guide, or misstrike and error coins, like the ones seen in appendix A of the
Guide Book of United States Coins. Others will try to find another coin
series that inspires their imagination enough to start a new collection.
If you’ve reached a plateau with date-and-mintmark collecting and you’re looking for
a fun new approach to the hobby, Whitman Publishing presents The Milestone
Coins Challenge.
Kenneth Bressett (who most collectors know as the longtime editor of the Red Book,
and award-winning author of numerous hobby books and articles) has written a unique
book titled Milestone Coins: A Pageant of the World’s Most Significant and
Popular Money. It’s an engaging volume, covering more than 100 coins, tokens,
and other metal objects (like the “knife money” and silver “shoes” of China) that
people have used as currency. Bressett tells the stories of these remarkable
collectibles, going back to ancient Ionia and following them across centuries and
continents to modern-day America.
“Herein are my observations on what I view as some of the hobby’s most popular
coins,” writes Bressett in the preface. “They have proven to be favorites as long as
they have been around. Among them, you are sure to find some of the pieces that you
are particularly fond of as your personal top picks. Others may be new to you. I
invite you to explore them all, and to broaden your total enjoyment of numismatics
by expanding your awareness.”
The Milestone Coins Challenge is this: to take Ken Bressett up on his
invitation, to build a collection of each of the 110 coins whose stories are told in
this entertaining book.
Every coin in Milestone Coins is collectible---although some are very challenging to
find in the marketplace, and will require a lot of hunting! Chances are you already
own some of these milestone pieces. Chapter 10, “Money in America,” includes such
popular coins as the Indian Head cent, the Morgan silver dollar, and commemorative
half dollars. Chapter 9 (“Emerging Concepts in Coinage and Money”) includes British
Conder tokens and the Maria Theresa thaler of Austria.
The pieces in Milestone Coins are presented with enough flexibility to let
you build a unique collection. Ten friends could each take The Milestone Coins
Challenge, and they would build ten very different collections. Some of the coins
are specific—like the 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln cent—but many are in groups broad enough
to allow creativity in dates and types. Civil War tokens and Conder tokens, for
example, provide thousands of different varieties to choose from!
Split the list up among your coin club’s membership, and take the Challenge as a
group. Or challenge a friend and see who can build their collection the fastest, or
acquire the best examples (perhaps within a set budget, perhaps no-holds-barred).
By the time you’re done (and this contest will take some time, challenging your
savvy as a collector), you will have a display-worthy collection of 110 of the most
significant and popular coins in world history---“the basic cornerstone pieces that
‘everyone’ eventually wants to own,” as Bressett calls them; the “classics that seem
to never go out of style.”
Beyond that, though, you’ll have assembled a world of knowledge on some of the most
intriguing coins ever made. Display them at a convention, show them off at your coin
club, take them to a local school and teach the students about what you’ve learned
along the way.
100-plus fascinating stories, 100-plus pieces of money, and a fun new way to
approach the hobby await you.
To take The Milestone Coins Challenge, borrow or buy a copy of
Milestone Coins, and print a copy of the PDF checklist below to keep track of
your collection.
Click here for the Milestone Coins Challenge checklist.
TAKE THE MILESTONE COINS CHALLENGE
Recently I sat next to a fellow coin collector as we traveled by plane to a national
show. The long flight gave us time to talk about our collections, numismatic books
and publishing, the U.S. Mint, and other hobby topics.
I was surprised by a certain world-weariness in the conversation with this very
knowledgeable collector. He had reached an advanced point where his collections of
U.S. coins included many of the finest known, the highest graded, the most
expensive, the most rare. So why the weariness? Lack of intellectual curiosity was
not the problem, and neither was drive; he was simply out of “holes” to fill in his
collection. He’d reached all his goals, conquered all his challenges, and---to put
it bluntly---he was getting bored.
Once you have all the dates and mintmarks in a coin series, how do you keep up your
interest? Most collectors in that position will start the process of
upgrading---systematically gathering higher-grade examples of each coin, and
“deaccessioning” (to use a museum archivist’s word) the lower-grade pieces, until
everything has been raised to Mint State. Some collectors will expand their
collection to include die varieties, such as those explored in the Cherrypickers’
Guide, or misstrike and error coins, like the ones seen in appendix A of the
Guide Book of United States Coins. Others will try to find another coin
series that inspires their imagination enough to start a new collection.
If you’ve reached a plateau with date-and-mintmark collecting and you’re looking for
a fun new approach to the hobby, Whitman Publishing presents The Milestone
Coins Challenge.
Kenneth Bressett (who most collectors know as the longtime editor of the Red Book,
and award-winning author of numerous hobby books and articles) has written a unique
book titled Milestone Coins: A Pageant of the World’s Most Significant and
Popular Money. It’s an engaging volume, covering more than 100 coins, tokens,
and other metal objects (like the “knife money” and silver “shoes” of China) that
people have used as currency. Bressett tells the stories of these remarkable
collectibles, going back to ancient Ionia and following them across centuries and
continents to modern-day America.
“Herein are my observations on what I view as some of the hobby’s most popular
coins,” writes Bressett in the preface. “They have proven to be favorites as long as
they have been around. Among them, you are sure to find some of the pieces that you
are particularly fond of as your personal top picks. Others may be new to you. I
invite you to explore them all, and to broaden your total enjoyment of numismatics
by expanding your awareness.”
The Milestone Coins Challenge is this: to take Ken Bressett up on his
invitation, to build a collection of each of the 110 coins whose stories are told in
this entertaining book.
Every coin in Milestone Coins is collectible---although some are very challenging to
find in the marketplace, and will require a lot of hunting! Chances are you already
own some of these milestone pieces. Chapter 10, “Money in America,” includes such
popular coins as the Indian Head cent, the Morgan silver dollar, and commemorative
half dollars. Chapter 9 (“Emerging Concepts in Coinage and Money”) includes British
Conder tokens and the Maria Theresa thaler of Austria.
The pieces in Milestone Coins are presented with enough flexibility to let
you build a unique collection. Ten friends could each take The Milestone Coins
Challenge, and they would build ten very different collections. Some of the coins
are specific—like the 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln cent—but many are in groups broad enough
to allow creativity in dates and types. Civil War tokens and Conder tokens, for
example, provide thousands of different varieties to choose from!
Split the list up among your coin club’s membership, and take the Challenge as a
group. Or challenge a friend and see who can build their collection the fastest, or
acquire the best examples (perhaps within a set budget, perhaps no-holds-barred).
By the time you’re done (and this contest will take some time, challenging your
savvy as a collector), you will have a display-worthy collection of 110 of the most
significant and popular coins in world history---“the basic cornerstone pieces that
‘everyone’ eventually wants to own,” as Bressett calls them; the “classics that seem
to never go out of style.”
Beyond that, though, you’ll have assembled a world of knowledge on some of the most
intriguing coins ever made. Display them at a convention, show them off at your coin
club, take them to a local school and teach the students about what you’ve learned
along the way.
100-plus fascinating stories, 100-plus pieces of money, and a fun new way to
approach the hobby await you.
To take The Milestone Coins Challenge, borrow or buy a copy of
Milestone Coins, and print a copy of the PDF checklist below to keep track of
your collection.
Click here for the Milestone Coins Challenge checklist.
0
Comments
guess that advanced collector should have chose a harder series ;-)
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
<< <i>interesting read. thanks for sharing it.
guess that advanced collector should have chose a harder series ;-) >>
I have to admit I understand exactly where that collector is. Can't remember the last time I added a coin to my seated dollar set.
Looks like another book I need to "collect." Thanks for reviving the thread; there's more to numismatics than filling holes in albums, and gloating over numbers on slab labels.
my early American coins & currency: -- http://yankeedoodlecoins.com/
Also, I'd have to go back now to many of the countries I've been to already.
Fascinating list. Great idea.
JT
I collect all 20th century series except gold including those series that ended there.
If you'd like a copy of the "Milestone Coins Challenge" checklist,
PM me.
Interests:
Pre-Jump Grade Project
Toned Commemoratives