What was the single best decision you made in your collecting interests in the last 10 years?

mercurydimeguy

Kind of a personal question but I'm interested in your experiences...

For me, and someone led me to it, the decision to expand my collecting interests beyond U.S. Classic coins. I now also collect ancients and world coins, and honestly buy 10 non-U.S. coins now for every 1 U.S. coin.

ajaan

To sell 90% of my coins and cut way back on collecting.

Zohar

ajaan - why is that a good decision

worldcoinguy

I just realized that it has been over 10 years for me here on the forum. That was probably the single best decision I made - connections with like-minded people and friendships that have resulted are a huge part of the enjoyment I receive from this hobby.

SmEagle1795

Being introduced to the "Box of 20" concept, but more broadly, to the concept of Quality over Quantity. I don't restrict myself to just 20 coins but I am keeping my collection small to keep quality high, following the mantra that there are always other coins and a nicer example may be just around the corner.

harasha

Difficult to answer that.
If I had to choose, I would have to say it would be the collecting interest that has been the most educational for me.
That would be my dabbling in Chinese cash, which began in the Fall of 2013. It motivated me to take a second look at one of the great civilizations of the world.

Iosephus

Selling off my mid-18th century and later medals in order to specialize in mid-15th to mid-18th century medals. This allowed me to now focus more on what I really want instead of just whatever I want in the moment.

bronzemat

Going into ancients. Dont miss u.s. at all.

Weiss

Much like Smeagle, it was shifting to a box of 20 style of collecting. In the past, I had a meandering, impulse-driven, pseudo-hoarding approach that resulted in too many purchases, too many marginally interesting coins. If you buy anything that floats your boat, whenever you like, it's much harder to buy the really good stuff when it comes along. Box of 20 causes you to think about how material fits into your collection. Are you really interested in it for the long haul? Will its purchase drain your resources? Is there something less significant you can release because this new acquisition fulfills your goals and/or makes you happier?

Larger image of the current box of 20

coinsarefun

I started collecting Russian and Hungarian coins. Then when I joined the forum I got into US coins.
Since then I found my way back to Russian coins but like most here quality over quantity......and
that goes for US, and tokens too.

So much smaller collection but major eye appeal and thus more valuable.

Aethelred

For me it was selling my English coins, my Conder tokens, my currency et cetera and putting all of my energy into Biblical related coins. I have gotten a lot more pleasure out of collecting, by having a single focus.

SYRACUSIAN

The more coins I've handled ,the more I realized that only an extremely tiny fraction of them are "one of a kind". Most coins can be located with a little patience and if the funds are available. Also, with a single exception, I kept seeing great collections being sold, piece by piece, without the slightest premium for a complete set, even if it was choice unc , gem unc or better. I therefore got rid of everything that didn't have the wow factor, or that were absolutely necessary for my collection and was bought at a reasonable price that had by then multiplied, and I've switched towards a main type set, that now includes currency as well, because the country I'm collecting went through almost half a century without minting coins (with a couple of exceptions of minors), and therefore the currency from that period was absolutely necessary in order to have a comprehensible illustrated economic history of this country.

I've followed the same principles as with coins: buy the best I could afford, find an honest trustworthy dealer and I'm not ashamed to say that for expensive paper money, I relied heavily on certified notes, as my knowledge wasn't even near to that of coins, without counting the innumerable ways to pass a bad note to an unsuspected buyer. In short, quality versus quantity for certain, and I can tell you first hand, that even in a country that went bankrupt in 2009 and keeps struggling with an unsustainable public debt, the top coins keep rising in prices, (just as the finest residences in the top locations), whereas the prices of everything else crashed and there's still no bottom in sight. This was simply a confirmation, that my decision was right ,even from an investing point of view, regardless of the fact that this isn't an issue and won't be for several decades to come.


My only problem relies in the fact that I can never be as focused as Aethelred. I'm always drawn by single coins from various countries, I've already completed and sold top type sets (Switzerland), or choice unc raw sets in Dansco albums (UK 20th century in two volumes was one, a complete PCGS certified gem set of farthings from Geo V ,VI and Eliz II that I still own and now Japan is the current one, thanks to the help and efforts of a fellow member and good pen pal), but it's so refreshing to give up for a certain time the main collection (that tends to become an obsession) and switch to a completely different country, always applying the same rules (unc,choice unc coins for certain, even in a Dansco album), where the prices are only a fraction of anything I could possibly dream to add to the rest of my holdings.

And it all started with this forum. It's here that my epiphany took place.

lordmarcovan

I'd say coming here to these forums would be the best, but that happened more than ten years ago.

In the last decade, uh... I dunno. Maybe transitioning to the "Box of 20" concept two years ago.

Zohar

Dimitri you should have whispered this in my ear years ago.... I definitely have a layer that needs to go.

Tibor

Over the past 10 years I over paid on approximately 7 coins. Sometimes
3-4 times the estimate. I am glad that I did because on these 7 coins
no other examples have surfaced at auction. I have past up several others
in the "niche" because they were very poorly struck in the date area.
At this point in time I have no regrets and I would do it again.

PBRat

It was mid 2007, and I had grown tired of chasing the holes in my Canadian nickel set. I spent a couple months contemplating what to collect next, but couldn't come to a good area to focus.

So, unlike the focused box of 20 crowd, I decided to become a total generalist. My World Coin Type Set was born with in late 2007 with a couple Japanese coins, quickly followed with two Irish coins from Marcel (IstilllikeZARcoins) here on the boards. I was hooked.

Fast forward to today, and the collection is still growing. The best part of it is sharing it with my kids ... my oldest got really interested in the World Cup last year (he was 5), and I was able to teach him a little geography and history by dragging out a coin or two from the teams that were playing. Priceless stuff.

cacheman

I built a website, which still needs much more attention to being completed, that allowed Karl Goetz' grandson to find me. Without that, I wouldn't have had the chance to purchase many personal and 'afterfact' items directly from the family. Items that needed care, professional conservation, and protection.

giorgio11

It's difficult to single out One Best decision, but I would suppose it would be, after more than 50 years (well, 40 back then) of buying and selling strictly U.S. coins, that the aversion factor, or just plain boredom, set in, and I finally started branching out and learning about coins of the United Kingdom and Canada. Especially Canadian coins, I feel, are just terribly underrated, and if they were U.S. coins they would likely sell for 10 times their prices. I have been able to buy, trade, and sell some classic Canadian rarities and yet the prices are reasonable. It also helps that the Canadian dollar is so weak compared to the U.S. dollar. But the Canadian market is rewarding too because there are simply so many die varieties, especially among the half dollars which are generally one of my favorite denominations. In British coins, I think it is just so cool to be able to collect coins of Victoria, Mary, Edward VI, or the many other monarchs, that gives British collecting a cachet that American coins, for all their many causes of attractiveness, simply cannot match. Some other areas, too, outside of U.S., such as Conder tokens, are just immensely rewarding and dirt-cheap, relatively speaking.

Best Regards,

George

TwoKopeiki

For me, I would say specializing in Mexico portrait milled 8 Reales and staying focused. After all these years I still have quite a bit to go, especially in the varieties department.

JCMhouston

Unfortunately I don't think I've ever made a good decision in collecting, but I've had a lot of fun!

syl

For me, it was 20 years ago and to concentrate on Canadian Vicky large cent varieties. I was then involved in writing or vetting/editing the 2 major references for them. I have nearly 5000 Vicky large cents that I loan out for study and papers.

olmanjon

Nine years ago I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma and given three years to live. I decided to retire right then at the ripe old age of 60. Through numerous chemo therapies, trials and now on a long term drug I have beaten the odds and am in as good a shape as I was when I was diagnosed. Still have it but I am in remission. After collecting American coins since 1959, in 2006 I decided to start collecting foreign coins. The best decision I ever made in my coin collecting hobby. I have over 300 different countries. They aren't expensive and they all don't grade ms 70, but I like them and that is all that counts.
Olmanjon

Zohar

Olmanjon - so happy to hear about the improved health. Wonderful news!

giorgio11

<< <i>For me, it was 20 years ago and to concentrate on Canadian Vicky large cent varieties. I was then involved in writing or vetting/editing the 2 major references for them. I have nearly 5000 Vicky large cents that I loan out for study and papers. >>



Wow, better you than me. I don't have those kinds of powers of concentration!

At least we are both enjoying Canadian! (And I, U.S. as well.) Glad to hear from you here.

Best Regards,

George

MrEureka

From the perspective of my collecting efforts, my best decision was becoming a coin dealer. There's no better way to learn, and no better way to find the coins. OK, so maybe that was more than 10 years ago.

1960NYGiants

Mine was to divest my US coin collection and focus on pre-1967 Canada especially coppers.

Second was to join the RCNA and start attending the yearly conventions. Planning vacations to visit the land of my grandparents, seeing the country and meeting the people. A terrific change of pace and attitude.

TPRC

More than 10 years ago, but going to Colorado Springs and learning from the experts how to grade, authenticate, etc.

bidask

In the last 10 years I ramped up my world coin collecting and ramped down my US collecting significantly.

That is still the trend but I think I may be slowing my collecting overall.

Also I have come to enjoy spending more time here and sharing coins on the darkside with all of you than the liteside. 😊

mercurydimeguy

<< <i>Also I have come to enjoy spending more time here and sharing coins on the darkside with all of you than the liteside. 😊 >>


I would actually echo this sentiment, discovering World coins through the nudging of Mr. Eureka and coming to this forum, I hardly go to/post anything in the U.S. Coin forum anymore...

Numismatically the set that I'm working on is very challenging, and it's not terribly expensive, which really makes it fun

lordmarcovan

Well, MDG, if MrEureka is the one who lured you over here (what did it, the "Come to the Darkside! We Have Cookies!" T-shirt?), then that's one more feather in his cap (which already looks like an Indian war bonnet from all the feathers in it.) Your 1869 "Everything" set is a delight to behold.

So kudos to him for his ambassadorship, and to you, the consul general of 1869!

PS- aha! Glad I came back to this thread. I was trying to remember who had done the montage of a Box of 20 and wanted to see it again. Awesome job on that, Weiss. Inspires me to maybe try something similar with my own B20 set.

WillieBoyd2

Ten years ago I watched a DVD of a 1946 film called "Duel in the Sun".

In the film, Walter Huston gives Jennifer Jones a medal which was shown in close-up.

The medal had Egyptian symbols on both sides and after some research I discovered what it was.

This led me to exonumia like the "Egyptian Magic Coin", and also to coin appearences in movies and television shows.


"Duel in the Sun" medal

lordmarcovan

D'oh!

WB2- that reminds me- I had one of those Egyptian Magic Coins I found in my bulk exonumia bag. As you may recall, I was gonna send it to you but misplaced it. Then the other night it mysteriously turned up again (maybe the powers of the Sphinx?)

So now the question is whether I put it back in the safe deposit box and can find it again, or whether it has dissapeared beneath the shifting sands a second time...

You'll probably have it eventually.

Pokermandude

Expanding my scope from Canadian decimal to Canada/Ancients/World coins, but also limiting it somewhat to particularly nice pieces. Also learning when to pay a premium price for the nice pieces.

GotTheBug

.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>ajaan - why is that a good decision >>

If you have to ask, you'll never understand.

SYRACUSIAN

If I had to create a top 3 of the answers above (so far)

- number 3 would be ajaan in a tie with Mr Eureka
- number 2 would be TPRC
and number one would be hands down olmanjon.

But I don't have to and all the replies were very interesting to read. Thanks for sharing them.

techwriter

Probably no 'best' decision but to answer your question:

== refocus my collecting direction and stop "chasing stuff" that really didn't fit



Other decisions were:

1. get back to ACTIVE involvement in the hobby

2. STOP 'lurking' around the forums, participate and learn

silverpop

the only decision I made in my collecting interests is to collect whatever catches my eye

and so far it's done well

LochNESS

Such great words of wisdom, but this post IMHO is the most inspiring. Don't delay if you have a shingle to hang. Put yourself out there and the fish will find you.

Originally posted by: cacheman

I built a website, which still needs much more attention to being completed, that allowed Karl Goetz' grandson to find me. Without that, I wouldn't have had the chance to purchase many personal and 'afterfact' items directly from the family. Items that needed care, professional conservation, and protection.

Tookybandit

My best decision by far was to dig in and study more. Learning about my areas of interest and researching before making purchases of any significant amount.

DeliaBug

I started reading, a lot. That was the best decision, ever. That is what made me a numismatist.

coinkat

There has really been no best decision- some good decisions and some bonehead ones to match. The sum total has made me a better collector-

dizzlecc

Similar to others here. Expanding my collecting to World Coins and focusing on one country.

Jinx86

Accepting a job with the largest regional dealer. Opened me up to a whole new world. Kind of made me feel small at first, but now I find it easy to network and complete complex deals with renowned dealers. Buying $50K coins or a $1.5M collection doesn't seem like a once in a lifetime type of thing anymore. Still get my greatest thrills hunting other dealers display cases for small wins.



As for my own collection I've sold offer several hundred coins and closing out one entire SDB and couldn't be happier. I put the funds into just a several key coins that I see as great potential for appreciation. Yeah not as much fun anymore but a lot more knowledge.

coffeyce

Trial and Error. I've gotten a few bruises buying raw coins but learned a lot and even got very high grades for lower prices. It also taught me how to see cleaning and color doctoring to an extent on copper coins.