“A Gift That Says a Lot About the Giver”

Dentuck

Mark Twain’s complete autobiography—famously shelved by the author until a century after his death—finally came to light this year, and it’s become a holiday-season barnburner. Fans have bought tens of thousands of copies, many of which will be given as gifts.

“It’s totally the Dad book of the year,” says Rebecca Fitting of the Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, quoted in the New York Times (“Mark Twain’s Autobiography Flying Off the Shelves,” Nov. 19, 2010). “It’s that autobiography, biography, history category, a certain kind of guy gift book.”

A wholesale buyer, quoted in the same article, describes it as “a gift of quality that says a lot about the giver as well as the recipient.”

Do you give numismatic gifts for the holidays? Is there such a thing as "the ultimate gift" for a coin collector? Do you give them to fellow collectors, or to non-collectors --- say, co-workers who don't actively collect coins? (Or both?) What kinds of numismatic gifts do you give? Or do you stick to non-numismatic gifts for everyone on your list?

hockeyfan9

I think collecting is a very personal thing. I don't give coin gifts to non collectors because they feel like you are pushing your hobby on them, and I don't give coin gifts to collectors because it is hard to know what is the right thing.

AnkurJ

I once gave a numismatic gift to my Dad for Christmas. He doesnt collect, and after about a week gave it back to me to "take care of it for him".

Dentuck

It's almost like trying to give a painting, sculpture, or other piece of artwork, isn't it?

It can be tricky if you don't know the recipient's collecting habits, personal tastes, whether they have room to display the piece, whether it matches the rest of their collection, etc.

RedTiger

I don't plan to this year. However, over the years, I've given any number of coin gifts. From Indian cents, to V-nickels, to Peace dollars, to Ellis Island commems, to old Victorian era English pennies. Sometimes the non-collectors appreciate and cherish the gifts, sometimes not.

Ciccio

Most of my gifts are numismatics/PM related ones.
Birth year sets (italian or american), Christmas rounds or bars, ASE proof for my dad (he collects though), etc...

I wouldn't give any coin that you need to have a numismatics background in order to understand his value.
IMO, they are beautiful gifts, either you are a collector or not.

chumley

I give my wife gold,which she seems to like,I have given my son coins til he finally developed an interest but he went to the dark side

doh

Dentuck

It struck me as interesting that people in the publishing industry see the popularity of Twain's autobiography stemming from it being "the ultimate Dad gift" or some kind of literary "perfect storm." It got me wondering if there's any such animal in the numismatic world (e.g., "You can't go wrong with a nice Morgan dollar" or some such). . . or whether most collectors give numismatic gifts at all.

doh

Amigo

I have a freind that gives his doctor a gold coin each time he sees him. IDK, it might be a cheap way of improving quality of life or time span. It sure is a much more tactful way of leaving a tip.

shorecoll

I am a Twain collector and the book is on my list. I occasionally give numis gifts, but only to people I know are interested. FYI a ratty copy of Huckleberry Finn, which is not technically rare, is worth about $10k...a nice one is $20-30k, makes you think.

savoyspecial

>> It got me wondering if there's any such animal in the numismatic world (e.g., "You can't go wrong with a nice Morgan dollar" or some such). >>



i think one coin that would serve as a univeral 'fit' for everyone, collectors and non-collectors alike, might be a current year American Silver Eagle

airplanenut

I wouldn't give a coin as a gift unless it were generic. If it's not generic, there are too many ways for a good intention to be spoiled. Last year, I gave my brother a Canadian 1oz silver dollar commemorating hockey at the Olympics. Since we're both big hockey fans, I knew he'd appreciate it for that aspect; that it was a coin says something more about me than him, as he isn't a collector in any way.

savoyspecial

or perhaps, given the identity of the OP, he is fishing for us to recommend a certain crimson-hued tome penned by Ken Bressett (with respect shown to the late Richard Yeo)


cant for the life of me remember who publishes it however

crypto79

Herpes is a “A Gift That Says a Lot About the Giver”