The more my passion increases the further I move to the fringe

As I become more knowledgeable, connected and passionate, my collecting interests have moved further and further from the center of common collecting focus areas.
I'm now interested much more in world coins, I've taken an interest in rare Irish proofs and patterns amongst other things. My heart and wallet are still tied to no mottos $5's but my interests have definitely broadened.
Has this happened to many of you as well?
I'm now interested much more in world coins, I've taken an interest in rare Irish proofs and patterns amongst other things. My heart and wallet are still tied to no mottos $5's but my interests have definitely broadened.
Has this happened to many of you as well?
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30-50 years ago, I was collecting foreign coins: Swiss shooting talers, Austrian to 1938, and selected talers from German territories up to the 'Second Empire.' After a hiatus (grad school), I started collecting Barber halves and Standing Liberty quarters (both sets completed in ChAU), plus modern proof sets. I sold almost everything in 2007-8. When I began a rebuilding phase, I decided to get serious about building a good working library as well. As I started doing this, my interests began to shift to older U. S. coinage (particularly large cents) and also early U. S. Mint medals. My library has significantly changed my views of various aspects of U. S. numismatics. During the market run-up, I also began buying nice-looking Latin American and European gold for melt-near melt and filled two Dansco blank albums with coins (sold 18 months ago). I am still trying to decide what I really want to collect when I grow up.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
They are lower priced, but if I see an expensive one that I like I have no clue on what the value is so I shy away.
There are a lot of very cool world coins, but I don't know much about them so I don't buy many.
They are lower priced, but if I see an expensive one that I like I have no clue on what the value is so I shy away.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
K
How is this for fringe ? ??
That is awesome.
And I agree about the fringe thing. Bust halves and Barber pieces generally bore me to tears.
My Box of 20
--Severian the Lame
Whether you just get bored with what you are doing or you gain
other interests by being exposed to them in some way.
It happens.
I tend to think the massive amount of information available today makes it worse.
As I become more knowledgeable, connected and passionate, my collecting interests have moved further and further from the center of common collecting focus areas.
Has this happened to many of you as well?
Yes! I now am focused on areas I would never have dreamed of as a younger collector (Colonials, early America era World Coins, Medals, Washington numismatic pieces, etc)
I think for me, it has definitely been a refinement of my tastes and a narrower focus on historical pieces that has come with my own maturity. It's much more about history and scholarship for me at this point than it is about $$$ gain or set completion.
Great topic Boosibri!
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Home grown as in NJ, Ct,and Vt that were made in the US but the newest exception are French coins that may have circulated not only in New France but also the colonies.
That starts with Louis XIV (1638-1715) through Louis XVI right till the French Revolution in 1792.
A very big variety and at relatively low prices and I'm having fun.
But the more I know and the further I go; I am still just centered on Walkers.
I feel that numismatics is like a sport and to really excel---you must choose just one and focus on it.
Someday, when I complete my Walkers---I may buy some SLQs or CBHs or Morgan GSAs or maybe a Saint or two.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I am about to have a discipline event. Check the bst in the next day to week.
siliconvalleycoins.com
Weiss, your Box of 20 layout is spectacular! Love it.
Gracias. Just got two of the previously ungraded pieces back from ATS. They're posted now:
My Box of 20
--Severian the Lame
How is this for fringe ? ??
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That is awesome.
And I agree about the fringe thing. Bust halves and Barber pieces generally bore me to tears.
My Box of 20
Very nice collection. Great combo of US & World coins!
the U.S. coin forum...anything else - of which there are a multitude of examples here - is fringe.
Most of us have some 'fringe' examples for various reasons....Hail to the fringe.... Cheers, RickO
I hear you Brian.
I am about to have a discipline event. Check the bst in the next day to week.
I look forward to that! Good to see you posting.
Latin American Collection
Short story…
A few years ago a woman came into the shop. I remember paying her $3900. for 3 $20 Gold Liberty Double Eagles.
She said she was going to help her sister out and that was the reason she was selling. When I asked her where she got the coins she relayed this story :
"I had a woman friend who was much older. At first I just used to visit her. Eventually , I became her caregiver. Not long before she died, she said to me : "Should I pass away, I want you to take my dresses in the closet. They're for you', so when she passed, I took them home".
Since this woman took the dresses hanging in the closet , it reminded me (my mom always said 'women's clothes may go out of fashion but they always come back in style. ) .
So she went on ; "One day I decided to clean and press the dresses to iron out any wrinkles, but realized how straight they hung, all in the closet ". Thus, she took one out and laid it on the bed, with the hem hanging over the edge of the bed, When suddenly the dress just slid off the bed. It frightened her. Then she'd realized the old woman had sewn something heavy in the hems of all her dresses.
I never asked how many she actually got and she never told me. That kind of put me on the fringe, then and there.
U.S. Type Set
Seattle...I once got 5 coins away from completing a Morgan set and realized I actually couldn't stand the things.
...curious I am...what were the 5 coins?
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
As I become more knowledgeable, connected and passionate, my collecting interests have moved further and further from the center of common collecting focus areas.
I'm now interested much more in world coins, I've taken an interest in rare Irish proofs and patterns amongst other things. My heart and wallet are still tied to no mottos $5's but my interests have definitely broadened.
Has this happened to many of you as well?
You have mastered the your former "trade" and came to the hard realization that in US Numismatics you are limited by a) how much money you have, b) similar designs and strike types.
And you've probably also realized that the chase is actually the fun part...
Combine all of these things and US Coins become less interesting to astute collectors.
There are fascinating tokens, ans SCD's, and foreign coinage that have far more interesting stories, etc.. and can be acquired without being a millionaire.
Anyhow you are definetly not alone, I am doing the same thing with my 1869
Set of Everything
Those little guy's will really wreck your checking account.. Haaaa :-)
LM-ANA3242-CSNS308-MSNS226-ICTA
Latin American Collection
But I wound up wanting keep a lot, so it wasn't real profitable LOL.
I still love my walkers, but got bored with them. Early and middle date large cents are still plenty interesting to me. And when I want a break from them,
I have a lot of neat Darkside coins squirreled away to look at.
1) I have raw coins and they are rare
2) I have raw coins and I now realize they aren't that rare
3) I have raw coins and I am buying coin books and now I understand them better
4) I have raw coins but I am buying some slabbed coins because they are expensive and I'm not that good at grading yet
5) I am gradually replacing my raw coins with slabbed coins
6) I am looking for high quality PCGS and NGC coins with CAC stickers to replace earlier less appealing coins
7) I am now buying rare varieties and am more confident in my ability to grade and determine authenticity
8) I am specializing in an area and buying only eye appealing coins that are slabbed
9) I am buying eye appealing coins and I don't care about PCGS vs others, stickers, and heck I don't even care if slabbed
10) I have raw coins and they are rare
I was interested in coins then and when I saw the huge Mexican Peso in Humphrey Bogart's hand,
I started looking for coins in movies and later in television programs.
"Say, Mister. Will you stake a fellow American to a meal?"
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
World coins, heck, I've moved so far to the fringe that my coins aren't even on the Earth...
Hahaha. Ain't that the truth? !
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."