Interesting Heritage Finding
ColonialCoinUnion
Posts: 10,087 ✭✭✭
So this past week my daughter was helping me re-arrange my numismatic library (hey, she wanted to, and I did pay her).
About midway through we were moving the Heritage section to a new bookcase and sorting them chronologically.
Now, I don't have every past issue, but I probably have 95% of them and I found it really interesting that the portion from the earliest Heritage catalog I have (December 1983) all the way through January 2001 (representing every catalog they produced over 17 years or so) occupies exactly the same amount of linear feet on my shelf as the Heritage catalogs for 2008 alone.
Conclusions:
1. Man, those 2008 books are getting more frequent and dramatically thicker.
2. At the current rate of growth, I will need to double the size of my library ever 37 days.
3. From 2008 forward I'm going to stop saving the actual catalogs and instead use the Heritage online archives only.
About midway through we were moving the Heritage section to a new bookcase and sorting them chronologically.
Now, I don't have every past issue, but I probably have 95% of them and I found it really interesting that the portion from the earliest Heritage catalog I have (December 1983) all the way through January 2001 (representing every catalog they produced over 17 years or so) occupies exactly the same amount of linear feet on my shelf as the Heritage catalogs for 2008 alone.
Conclusions:
1. Man, those 2008 books are getting more frequent and dramatically thicker.
2. At the current rate of growth, I will need to double the size of my library ever 37 days.
3. From 2008 forward I'm going to stop saving the actual catalogs and instead use the Heritage online archives only.
0
Comments
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
<< <i>Are you sure you're not shrinking?
Pretty sure.
<< <i>Wow, that is crazy. What does that say about the coin market, a whole lot of buying and selling going on, much more than before. >>
When you see it in front of you like that it is frankly pretty astonishing.
Of course, some other companies' catalogs have shrunk (or disappeared altogether) during the same period.
Is she a gun for hire as I could use help with mine... a winter project I'm not looking forward too!
Remember, if you design catalogs, it is utterly important to update your publishing software to the latest version immediately. Failure to do so will surely cause a dramatic falloff in prices realized, as your catalog will look old, unattractive and so "yesterday". I cannot understate the importance of always having the latest software on your computer.
<< <i>
<< <i>Wow, that is crazy. What does that say about the coin market, a whole lot of buying and selling going on, much more than before. >>
When you see it in front of you like that it is frankly pretty astonishing.
Of course, some other companies' catalogs have shrunk (or disappeared altogether) during the same period. >>
Also notice that many of the current catalogs image EVERYTHING (or nearly so). The older catalogs only imaged the special or expensive stuff so it may not be so much addition auction lots, but instead larger entrees per lot.
(2) The sale frequency of coins has gone up apparently. Coins that used to be off the market about 25 years seem to make the rounds every few years in many cases.
(3) Heritage has all but demolished their competition, taking their marketshares.
(4) They image more lots than ever before even in the print catalogues, since they image all of the lots anyway (except some multicoin ones perhaps).
(5) Coin quality put into major auctions appears to have dropped remarkably. Coins that weren't worthy in the earlier days of certified only sales are now included. Valuations are not consistently of the same scale calibre.
The solution to the shelf space problem is to get the DVDs form them of the cataogues. Has all of the imaged lots in better detail. The print ones are good for marking up and taking to the auction floor for bidding.
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You can use the shelf space for more important things like RWB's books, etc.
Coin's for sale/trade.
Tom Pilitowski
US Rare Coin Investments
800-624-1870
<< <i>Before you toss all the catalogs, make sure you check and see how far back the online archives go for the images. >>
I think 1999 is the online cutoff for images.
In any case, I plan to keep everything prior to 2008. If I fill in more of the really old ones and find myself needing more space, I may summarily dispose of 2007 so that I can restrict the Heritage section to the existing bookcase. 2007 is almost, but quite, as prolific as 2008, so if I removed that year too I'd have a ton of extra room for additional old ones, some decorative shelf knickknacks and possibly a nice houseplant.
With the overall aging of the collector's base perhaps they are using larger print?
<< <i>Are there the same number of listings per page today as there were back in the 80"s?
With the overall aging of the collector's base perhaps they are using larger print?
A quick perusal (which should not be confused with an exhaustive study) indicates that the ones from as far back as 1990 or so look pretty much like the current versions, except that the old ones are B&W, and generally thinner (though there was an occasional phonebook back then). The explosion of scale seems to have been caused by the increase in thickness of the major sales, the frequency of them, and the addition of Platinum Night, World auctions and other extra catalogs.
Jay
<< <i>The solution to the shelf space problem is to get the DVDs form them of the cataogues. Has all of the imaged lots in better detail. The print ones are good for marking up and taking to the auction floor for bidding. >>
The key for me is to retain my original notes for each lot. I often refer back to them and remember clearly what I did or did not like.
Although I like catalogs... I'm bound to need to call in the services of a Structural Engineer due to weight load conditions.
<< <i>Does Heritage offer a DVD for every single auction
Although I like catalogs... I'm bound to need to call in the services of a Structural Engineer due to weight load conditions.
not every single auction, since the internet-only auctions don't make it to DVD
<< <i>Most people didn't know about Heritage until the 2000's >>
most people still don't know about Heritage
<< <i>I gave up on Heritage, they go in the recycling bin now unless I personally attended the sale and took notes during lot viewing. Or if it is a very important sale (Reiver, Green Pond, etc.) I will keep it. They have everything on the Internet anyway.
You can use the shelf space for more important things like RWB's books, etc.
I toss Heritage's catalogs into recycling even before the auctions close. I rely on the website descriptions and photographs. Most of the items I win at Heritage are not pricey enough to be imaged in print anyway. The last few catalogs were surprising heavy. As clumsy as I am, I could drop one and clobber my poor cat Roger. I do like the idea of obtaining the CD-ROMs for long term reference.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163
But, the website has plenty of utility that the catalogs really aren't necessary.
A one night session of Eliasberg would now be 6" thick.
K
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My 1866 Philly Mint Set
And yes, the earlier cats. only had sections with smaller plate images; seldom, if ever, were there individual lot images.
<< <i>
<< <i>The solution to the shelf space problem is to get the DVDs form them of the cataogues. Has all of the imaged lots in better detail. The print ones are good for marking up and taking to the auction floor for bidding. >>
The key for me is to retain my original notes for each lot. I often refer back to them and remember clearly what I did or did not like. >>
Those notes (taken by other dealers from past sales, in my case) have saved my rear on numerous occasions.