There's a fine line between hard core collecting and insanity...

MrEureka · February 13, 2010 5:01AM

Help me decide on which side I fall!

As most of you know, I collect coins of the Central American Republic. What most of you probably don't realize is that I collect these by die variety, die state and edge type. And on top of that, I've also bought some original dies to go with the collection. So far, I hope you'll all agree that I'm still on the "hard core" side of the line, even if just barely.

But here's where it gets bad. Today, I received the next Ponterio catalog, which includes a number of CAR dies, and one of them is of a date/denomination for which I already have a die. At first thought, I figured that I don't need a duplicate. But then I realized that the Ponterio die must (by definition) be a different die variety than the one I already have. So now I'm thinking I need the damned thing.

Am I crazy???

WWW · February 13, 2010 5:08AM

Am I crazy???
No, you are eccentric.

RobP · February 13, 2010 5:11AM

<< Am I crazy???
No, you are eccentric.

>>

As are both of me.

JZrarities · February 13, 2010 5:15AM

<< Help me decide on which side I fall! >>

Insanity.

<< Am I crazy??? >>

YES.

Just buy it.
You ARE the well known expert, and we wouldn't think less of you.
Even when we read your column....

(but only if you buy it)

Hussulo · February 13, 2010 5:25AM

Am I crazy???

Yes, but wouldn't the World be a boring place if everybody was "Normal"?

I would love to see pictures of your original dies if you have any you could share?

JCMhouston · February 13, 2010 6:09AM

I would say you have gently eased across the line, but that's ok Andy, we still like you.

Syracusian · February 13, 2010 6:17AM

Buy the damn die already.

We all know that you're insane anyway, we just don't say it in public, so what difference does it make?

SwK · February 13, 2010 6:31AM

Hi MrEureka

Mad a lunatic u r normal. I just asked a British dealer to send me another super quality Mary Groat, I have one, now I can see an obverse and reverse at the same time. I will go bancrupt soon as I do not know when to stop buying and I do not sell anything

With milled I used to collect all the same date and just collect because it was a different die - that is now finished

If u feel u are losing your sanity we can sit with my freind on a park bench on the embankment in london, eat a sandwich, have a cup of tea and chat about our coins and wonde why we cannot find a place to sleep for the night from the lack of money

j

1jester · February 13, 2010 6:36AM

You'd be crazy not to get it (and lots more)!

OchoReales · February 13, 2010 6:59AM

My kinda guy (said with with a very masculine tone)!

Just do it!

DeepSix · February 13, 2010 8:06AM

This is probably a comment on my own level of (in)sanity, but when you're focusing on a series and are then able to acquire the dies, I see that as icing on the cake.

I say buy 'em.

Stork · February 13, 2010 10:06AM

If you don't buy it you will be kicking yourself later. This is not something you can get ahold of easily after all...

I would not label this insanity. Hard core-yep. Obsessive-yep. Compulsive even--maybe. Nerdly--definitely. Cool--absolutely. And who said nerdly couldn't be cool????

Cathy

MacCrimmon · February 13, 2010 10:11AM

Tune in tomorrow when Aki's owner admits he's descended from Julius Popper, and owns a manse in Tierra del Fuego.

ormandh · February 13, 2010 10:27AM

I guess that one would of said that Harry Bass was a "Crazy man" back in the day! If you have the expendable income to focus on something that you love, I feel that it would be foolish NOT to listen to your intuitions! Dammit man, get a grip of yourself!

-Dan

coinkat · February 13, 2010 10:33AM

Buy it- have fun-

Hyperion · February 13, 2010 11:42AM

I hope 200 years from now your collection remains intact, in whole and you get the credit you deserve for being such a positive force for the hobby by accumulating such an impressive collection!

lordmarcovan · February 13, 2010 12:37PM

<< There's a fine line between (hard core) collecting and insanity... >>

Indeed.

Just recently, I was thinking of that quote, and trying to remember the provenance of it. Anybody know? I suppose I should Google it.

Sounds like something Mark Twain would've said. I believe its author was one of those people who was alive around the turn of the last century, before the "hardcore" adjective was coined. Maybe it was somebody in the art world. It cropped again in my reading recently-- though I've been doing so much of that lately, I can't remember who's supposed to have said it. (The quote as I most recently remember reading it: "There is a fine line between collecting and mental illness".)

Then again, maybe it was in John Fowles' The Collector, which was one of my reads of the last fortnight or so. (The book makes the premise of that fine line abundantly clear).

It's oh-so true, regardless of the author or the era.

BillyKingsley · February 13, 2010 10:17PM

You'd only be crazy if you carried on a two-way conversation with your collection.

IloiloKano · February 14, 2010 9:52AM

<< There's a fine line between hard core collecting and insanity... >>

There's a line???

bidask · February 14, 2010 12:46PM

Your asking the wrong person!

MrEureka · February 15, 2010 10:37AM

Here's the new "die variety".

SwK · February 15, 2010 10:42AM

The die is AWSOME

SwK

sinin1 · February 15, 2010 11:36AM

the dies weren't round back then?

so it does not look like they used a collar then

when did they put that fancy stuff on the edge (the boxes and holes and lines)?

after striking? or before?

PS - if you are truly concerned about the difference between passionate collector and OCD insane, they have doctors that will take your money and ask you how you feel about it

MrEureka · February 15, 2010 2:31PM

so it does not look like they used a collar then

Correct.

when did they put that fancy stuff on the edge (the boxes and holes and lines)?

The edge device was probably applied before the coins were struck.

Here's a picture of a blank planchet for a Peruvian 8 Reales, circa 1826. It has the complete edge device.

MrEureka · February 15, 2010 2:33PM

You'd only be crazy if you carried on a two-way conversation with your collection.

Uh oh...

OchoReales · February 15, 2010 2:35PM

Andy, you da MAN!

MrEureka · March 7, 2010 12:50AM

Alright, who outbid me on the 1836 2R die?

Anyway, I got all of the other ones. I guess that's OK.

OchoReales · March 7, 2010 1:09AM

Let me at him. I'll tear him from limb to limb!

bidask · October 13, 2023 9:17PM

This is a great thread I can relate too ! 🤓

1984worldcoins · October 13, 2023 9:41PM

I would buy it. That would mean I am crazy? What?! Nooo...

pruebas · October 13, 2023 10:12PM

I’m still waiting to see the pic of that die!

MrEureka · October 14, 2023 2:55AM

@pruebas said:
I’m still waiting to see the pic of that die!

After so many years, I don’t know which one it was.

tcollects · October 14, 2023 3:28AM

@MrEureka said:
Help me decide on which side I fall!

As most of you know, I collect coins of the Central American Republic. What most of you probably don't realize is that I collect these by die variety, die state and edge type. And on top of that, I've also bought some original dies to go with the collection. So far, I hope you'll all agree that I'm still on the "hard core" side of the line, even if just barely.

But here's where it gets bad. Today, I received the next Ponterio catalog, which includes a number of CAR dies, and one of them is of a date/denomination for which I already have a die. At first thought, I figured that I don't need a duplicate. But then I realized that the Ponterio die must (by definition) be a different die variety than the one I already have. So now I'm thinking I need the damned thing.

Am I crazy???

obviously you need both

edit... don't overthink it

BillJones · October 14, 2023 5:05AM

I have gone a little crazy with coinage of King George III, but I have vowed not to get involved, beyond the surface, with Condor tokens. What is “the surface?” They include two pieces I had before that are in DeWitt’s political token book, the Druid design that was supposed the first, and a four “post Condor” pieces in copper or silver.

All of the coins are strictly type pieces. I am not collecting any date sets.

pruebas · October 14, 2023 6:17AM

@MrEureka said:

@pruebas said:
I’m still waiting to see the pic of that die!

After so many years, I don’t know which one it was.

I’m still amazed that these seemingly crude dies could be mounted and aligned correctly to strike coins.

realeswatcher · October 14, 2023 8:01PM

I'm just surprised there are that many CAR dies around! Plus that mountains test/master (have to think that through for a bit).

Did any others come out of the Stuart collection???

MrEureka · October 15, 2023 5:05AM

@realeswatcher said:
I'm just surprised there are that many CAR dies around! Plus that mountains test/master (have to think that through for a bit).

Did any others come out of the Stuart collection???

AFAIK, Stuart did not have any. I got some out of a Ponterio sale, and others from a dealer friend in Costa Rica. My theory on that unusual mountain die is that it was bungled and never got finished and/or used. The 1837 2 Escudos is likely a similar story, since the sun was (I presume accidentally) misplaced.

FrankH · October 15, 2023 9:09AM

@MrEureka said:
Help me decide on which side I fall!

As most of you know, I collect coins of the Central American Republic. What most of you probably don't realize is that I collect these by die variety, die state and edge type. And on top of that, I've also bought some original dies to go with the collection. So far, I hope you'll all agree that I'm still on the "hard core" side of the line, even if just barely.

Am I crazy???

No. I would think that would fall into brain damage class.

There's a fine line between hard core collecting and insanity...

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