just a simple question for Darksiders--
HonoluluDude
Posts: 2,167 ✭
Do most of you guys find U.S. coins boring (typical U.S. coin = bald eagle + someone's profile or bust)? I do. I think that's what drove me to the dark side.
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Don
1-Dammit Boy Oct 14,2003
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Having said that, I do find some U.S. designs very attractive, such as Bust series of the 19th Century and commem. halfs of the 20th Century. However, I can find equally attracting (and often more so) designs in World coins with must better availability and way more affordable.
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I really like some US coins, but on the whole they are quite pricey compared with most other world countries.
I started on British coins, but I don't like to limit myself to any particular country.
I am currently collecting World gold, which gives me a vast area to pick and choose from
My only criteria is that I personally like the design.
I am also trying to build a British fractional farthing set in UNC, as well as collecting errors.
And i've turned to world coins because of the varied, fantastic artwork and history that is unfamiliar to me. In the last few months, i've had more fun looking into world coinage than i've ever had before with any other series. I'll still look for interesting surfaces on world gold, but it's also fun to get high grade examples too! (cheaply!!!)
High grade US coins are too expensive. A five digit coin will have most of my eggs invested in a single coin. I am not comfortable with that.
In my opinion, most US coins suffer from the lack of a good engraver. Clearly, our early US coins were _way_ primitive and we had to take what talent we could attract as such a small backwater country. I totally appreciate that and I embrace it. I love the oldest US designs! I have 'warmed up to' Barbers designs; it was a taste I had to develop, similar to the way I developed a taste for olives. That changed in about 1907, but the 'golden age' of US coins did not last long and did not produce a whole lot of designs.
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<< <i>Boring a little, but very expensive definately compared to World Coins. >>
DITTO
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I still do have an interest in the New Zealand traders' currency tokens though,but I will pick up the odd New Zealand coin from time to time.
Aidan.
My interest in darkside coins is the same as my interest in world history. As fascinating as I find the history of my own nation, there is SO much more out there. To ignore it because it is foreign is to miss life's rich variety.
OK yeah you get more bang for your buck on darkside too.
The coins aren't boring. The focus on grade and price is.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
1) High quality and/or low mintage Regular US Coinage is way expensive.
2) US-PI coinage technically IS US coinage, but Light Siders won't accept us, so we go where we are.
3) US-PI coinage abounds with affordable rarities and conditional rarities (for now).
4) US-PI coinage is the only US coinage denominated in Pesos and Centavos.
5) US-PI coinage is the only category in which one can get a coin minted at the US Mint in Manila.
6) US-PI coinage is the only bi-lingual coinage (Filipinas is the Spanish word for Philippines).
7) US-PI coinage very specifically appeals to an American married to a Filipina, as well as to children of such couples, since one side reads UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, while the other side reads FILIPINAS.
8) With US-PI coinage, it is still feasible for a person of average means to complete a collection of every single denomination, year and mint, including proof coinage (again, for now).
9) I love my wife, and this is one way of honoring her and her heritage.
Consider the 1904 Philadelphia regular silver issues - mintage 10,000 coins (some references say 11,000 or 11,355), while proofs number 1,355.
Consider the Intentional Mule 1928/7 20 Centavos - mintage 100,000 coins, the vast majority of which are well circulated.
Consider the already low mintage silver coinage that was confiscated and melted by the Japanese during WW2, and the loss of so many to previous silver melts, especially in 1906.
Consider the Peso coinage which circulated up to WW2, but which was last minted in 1912, and the circulation effect this limited mintage had on survival high quality examples, and that millions were dumped into the sea to keep them out of the hands of the advancing Japanese, and I have already mentioned what the Japanese did to whatever remained and was found by them.
Consider the widely practiced polishing and cleaning of coinage by dealers in Manila when a collector market finally started to appear, which practice makes it very difficult to find uncleaned examples.
I love future prospects for valuation of this coinage, especially as the population of Filipino-Americans begins to reach prime age for discriminating collectors, and that population appears to way exceed the average American in education, so I expect them to also way exceed the average in financial means.
Finally, I primarily collect this coinage because I find it beautiful, challenging and within my means.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
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<< <i>My interest in darkside coins is the same as my interest in world history. As fascinating as I find the history of my own nation, there is SO much more out there. To ignore it because it is foreign is to miss life's rich variety.
OK yeah you get more bang for your buck on darkside too. >>
Could not have said it better!
...
too complicated and dropped them for US coins. But these became pretty
"easy" after a few years and I had a pretty good comprehensive feel
for them so added world coins.
Not too long after that I added tokens and medals. I don't think I'll ever
add anything else.
Part of the reason for my interest in Brit coins is that I grew up in England and found all of the bizarre denominations there to be quite interesting. You could go to the bank and get rolls of halfpennies and pennies and find bun head (circa 1860-1893) pieces in them - over 100 years old. You could also pick up .500 silver pieces from 1920 on up in change. Unfortunately, those days died in 1971 with decimalisation (except for the odd silver shilling or florin through 1990/1992).
British designs got pretty boring starting in 1937 and even more so after 1952 (very poor engraving/strikes on EIIR coins). The decimal stuff - horrid.
<< <i>Do most of you guys find U.S. coins boring (typical U.S. coin = bald eagle + someone's profile or bust)? I do. I think that's what drove me to the dark side. >>
I do not find U.S. coins boring (excluding modern crap ™). I collect U.S. coins to some extent (mainly classic commems, a few Morgan/Peace Dollars, & US type), but my passion remains with German coins because of my interest in their history. -Preussen
I spend a lot of time looking at my coins and sorting them variously through different things, I like have a lot to sort through. I can sort through a higher volume of world coins then I can American coins. Condition doesn't really matter to me-yes, I would go for better condition if it cost the same-but a beat of piece of metal is fine with me, as long as I can make out where and when it's from I am happy.
I like learning about different places (I'll never, ever leave the US) and this is the best way to see the world.
Jim
for me, the following applies:
- i'm tired of boring coins, with little artistic value, thus the US coins don't suit my "needs"
- I love holding miniature artwork in your hands, and world coins offer a lot of this.
- i'm no prophet, but i think that US coins are too "white hot" and will suffer a serious correction soon; it has to, it can't keep up this frenzied pace
- there is a tremendous amount of value in scarce and rare world coinage; it is true that these pieces have appreciated tremendously also, but there is still
a ton of financial appreciation yet to be seen with these coins
<< <i> Do most of you guys find U.S. coins boring
The coins aren't boring. The focus on grade and price is. >>
yeah, I forgot that point. I enjoy grade, and price is always a factor, but extreme micro-grading which involves HUGE price swings is poison to the industry (which is only fueled by the two major TPGs, sadly enough)
That being said, I collect world coins, and "my liteside" (Australian) doesn't hold very much appeal for me.
US coins don't hold too much appeal for me, either, mainly for the reasons already stated. Even here in Oz, US coins are relatively more expensive than other coin series, and the designs (with a few exceptions) aren't worth the extra cash.
In short: Yes, US coins are more boring than world coins.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
Do you still find non-Aussie coins in change over there,especially the old New Zealand 5c.,10c.,& 20c. coins? If you do,then that way you can collect foreign coins for one price - FREE!
I picked up a few new British Commonwealth coins yesterday,including a 1985 2c. coin from the Solomon Islands & an 1890 20c. from Newfoundland.That is how wide my interest is.
One day,I will get some of my collection scanned & the photos posted up.
Aidan.
<< <i>for me, the following applies:
- i'm tired of boring coins, with little artistic value, thus the US coins don't suit my "needs"
- I love holding miniature artwork in your hands, and world coins offer a lot of this.
>>
I like the German coins best. They are top notch when it comes to "artistic value" and "miniature artwork".
That said, I think U.S. coins lack in the "artistic" department. No imagination whatsoever.
And I love my country too... its just that world history knows no boundaries
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
It gets too complicated.
Firstly, living in Kuwait, obtaining such US coins is fairly difficult in the antique shops here (No proper coin shops down here)
The only bunch they have are darkside, and an occasional Morgan.
All I;m doing now in my US collection is finishing of my type set and collecting random Morgans.
The rest of my heart lies in the Pre-1800 Darkside.
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