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We all have story, here is mine - WHAT IS YOURS ?
SwK
Posts: 378
Dear All
www.petitioncrown.com
Over five decades have gone by since I visited Spinks in King Street, London. At the back of the building you entered a rickety old lift that had been in service for maybe a century up to the second floor. I walked out Spinks being the proud owner of an 1841 silver half penny. I had little realization that this purchase would start a love for a hobby and history.
I had a flirtation some time earlier with a worn 1887 half-crown which I still have and though having been struck before the end of the previous century was wonderful even though I had pointed out to me the ‘broach holes on the edge’ and the quality poor.
The wonders and excitement of collecting, first in the early years in a quiet world where customers had numbers, or code names to protect their identity, to be on a ‘pecking list’ where you got offered the left overs as you were the new collector. Today the Internet has created a new medium for collectors and dealers to communicate in buying, selling, forums and blogs to show and discuss our hobby.
Life did not allow every year to be a bonus where you got just what you wanted with the pressures of children’s education, collecting another area, difficult financial days. The end of this period had allowed me to keep what I considered choice pieces we enjoyed as a family with my two boys. Simon the eldest would look at the coins patiently and wait until the base coins would be looked at, especially the Roman Brass. Jonathan had a quick recognition of all coins and enjoyed a wider variety.
The interest became stronger as I understood that coins were history and each individual piece was one of beauty with a specific time and place in history. Collecting habits changed into a new realization that coins were pieces of Art. Coins have dated history, and Caesars, Kings & Queens and those that lead nations were using the finest artisans to create images on metal of themselves and their achievements that was then distributed to the people in the form of coins.
Many dealers have brought their specific knowledge and life experience connected to coins to me. One such dealer was Leo Mildenberg, a dapper man from Zurich, a Director of Bank Leu; for him there was only the finest specimen and rarity to collect or the finest you could afford.
I soon realized that the possibility to follow great names such as Montagu or collections such as Bridgewater House would not be possible. Dreams require not only a dedication, but the resources, timing and availability of material.
The collection was still to grow not so much in quantity but in quality as the understanding of what is quality came from knowledge of the material from old collections. Painting and Art had a link. In time I have understood how each individual leader wished to be portrayed to their subjects through the Art on a coin. Each individual acquisition is a stand-alone piece, to me one of Art and quality.
A tray of coins was to house a ‘few glories’ of the past. A collection can be one or many pieces as it is the wonder of a specific item talking to you, allowing you to be the keeper for a short period of the future.
www.petitioncrown.com
www.petitioncrown.com
Over five decades have gone by since I visited Spinks in King Street, London. At the back of the building you entered a rickety old lift that had been in service for maybe a century up to the second floor. I walked out Spinks being the proud owner of an 1841 silver half penny. I had little realization that this purchase would start a love for a hobby and history.
I had a flirtation some time earlier with a worn 1887 half-crown which I still have and though having been struck before the end of the previous century was wonderful even though I had pointed out to me the ‘broach holes on the edge’ and the quality poor.
The wonders and excitement of collecting, first in the early years in a quiet world where customers had numbers, or code names to protect their identity, to be on a ‘pecking list’ where you got offered the left overs as you were the new collector. Today the Internet has created a new medium for collectors and dealers to communicate in buying, selling, forums and blogs to show and discuss our hobby.
Life did not allow every year to be a bonus where you got just what you wanted with the pressures of children’s education, collecting another area, difficult financial days. The end of this period had allowed me to keep what I considered choice pieces we enjoyed as a family with my two boys. Simon the eldest would look at the coins patiently and wait until the base coins would be looked at, especially the Roman Brass. Jonathan had a quick recognition of all coins and enjoyed a wider variety.
The interest became stronger as I understood that coins were history and each individual piece was one of beauty with a specific time and place in history. Collecting habits changed into a new realization that coins were pieces of Art. Coins have dated history, and Caesars, Kings & Queens and those that lead nations were using the finest artisans to create images on metal of themselves and their achievements that was then distributed to the people in the form of coins.
Many dealers have brought their specific knowledge and life experience connected to coins to me. One such dealer was Leo Mildenberg, a dapper man from Zurich, a Director of Bank Leu; for him there was only the finest specimen and rarity to collect or the finest you could afford.
I soon realized that the possibility to follow great names such as Montagu or collections such as Bridgewater House would not be possible. Dreams require not only a dedication, but the resources, timing and availability of material.
The collection was still to grow not so much in quantity but in quality as the understanding of what is quality came from knowledge of the material from old collections. Painting and Art had a link. In time I have understood how each individual leader wished to be portrayed to their subjects through the Art on a coin. Each individual acquisition is a stand-alone piece, to me one of Art and quality.
A tray of coins was to house a ‘few glories’ of the past. A collection can be one or many pieces as it is the wonder of a specific item talking to you, allowing you to be the keeper for a short period of the future.
www.petitioncrown.com
A collection uploaded on www.petitioncrown.com is a fifty- year love affair with beautiful British coins, medals and Roman brass
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Comments
Taler Custom Set
Ancient Custom Set
I also like the imagery of the "tray of ... a few glories" and how we are only the coin's "keeper for a short period of the future."
Every time I acquire something I ask myself what I am willing to sell. Sometimes the answer is nothing, and that's OK. But I always ask and often surprise myself with what I'm suddenly willing to let go.
My story is made of two fairly common parts. First, my father is a collector. Much like you and your sons, he and I would periodically sit down together in his home office and browse his "tray" (more like a few cigar boxes and a small album). Sometimes he would ask if I liked one, and if I replied yes, he'd give it to me. He was good about educating me on proper handling and storage. In addition to the coins themselves, I liked sharing those moments with him in his special room with his special boxes. I also enjoyed reading coin newspapers with him, and attending the occasional show. We saw a good amount of ANA shows and went to Memphis each June for the big currency fair.
The second part of my story is my great uncle - my father's uncle, though he is also a great person
But now as you mentioned I collect entirely differently. I attend shows much less often, and find 99% of my new purchases online. I still have many of the coins I received from my great uncle, but I don't look at them quite as often as I once did. When I raised the bar of my personal collection, I never made an "exit plan" as they say, for those early pieces. I will probably end up selling most of them over the years as they don't have any sentimental value.
Gotta run! Crying baby
Amat Colligendo Focum
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SwK
www.petitioncrown.com
How I ended back in this hobby after leaving early (1967-1973) and coming back late (2000-present) is still beyond my comprehension.
Camaraderie is the KEY and friendship transcends time. Sharing is caring and it's people like you who make it worth the trip. Thank you.
My coin collecting started in the 80's as a request by a client to pay for my restoration services with US gold coins. I purchased a couple books including one on counterfeits and proceeded. The gentleman was a vest pocket coin dealer that occasionally had tables at shows. My interest in the coins grew with the education. I soon sold my business and sat tables for a few years with him to increase my expertise and collections. One of the men I traveled with was a World coin dealer and I really went into theme collecting Lions along with other beauty on round metal objects.
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