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expectations of collectors
coinkat
Posts: 23,816 ✭✭✭✭✭
Seems there are some significant philosophical things to think about before and during the time one assembles a collection. Realistic expectations help. And that does not mean that one needs to abandon their expectations or standards. Instead, think about whether the series you have an interest in can be assembled that will be satisfying. That obviously can cover a broad spectrum in terms of the state of preservation. Seeking quality for the grade is paramount. Depending on what you choose to collect, that is often easier said than done. So make decisions understanding the consequences.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
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They keep me very busy.
But I have the commitment to finish.
Certainly not a series to be just thrown together overnight.
It takes many years and plenty of cash.
It is a labor of love for me and I am proud of what I've done so far.
I have gotten a lot of enjoyment and education along the way.
They press my limits (in a good way), as I like to be challenged.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
WS
Collecting is a fun hobby with a lot of different aspects that require knowledge and skill.
I think the most overlooked aspect is money management.
Rarity and quality cost money.
Even if you have a high paying job, or had a windfall inheritance or capital gains your retirement funding has to be your number one concern.
Get the kids educated, get debt free, and have your retirement funded.
Until then, don't spend thousands of dollars on coins you can't afford
I now don't care about "sets" and the coins I buy I regard as amusement for pleasure of the piece.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
I've adopted a sorta different philosophy since becoming a retired geezer.
I now don't care about "sets" and the coins I buy I regard as amusement for pleasure of the piece.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
Findley Ridge Collection
About Findley Ridge
I've adopted a sorta different philosophy since becoming a retired geezer.
I now don't care about "sets" and the coins I buy I regard as amusement for pleasure of the piece.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
I completely agree JJ!
Latin American Collection
I'm 54 I get tired of everyone worrying about staying alive and NOT Living while they are Alive!
When I'm dead I have no control! LOL
the "cameo effect" part of the set:
And the first of all CC dollars with neat circ crud:
Set done. (unless another in the series "catches" me and makes me expand)
heh
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Geekdom starts here.
Lead on, my captain.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
Building a set may put you under some pressure. But to a vastly greater extent, it frees you from the "need" to buy many other things.
In other words, if you buy every coin that makes you smile, you're either not trying very hard, or your money won't last long.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
The most important thing to consider is your budget and not overspending.
There are a few aspects to this.
Even if you *can* afford coins in the thousands of dollars, there is still a tendency to look at a coin or a collection and mainly see the dollar signs representing the money you've got locked into it & them. This in and of itself can be sufficient motivation to sell coins from time to time. What's the point of buying a coin or building a collection if you can't mentally handle the lockup of the funds?
I think there's an argument to be made for collecting coins at a price point where any single coin doesn't matter much to you financially. Possibly even the collection as a whole. I see the money sink aspect of collecting working against many collectors, myself included at times.
Again, I think this is distinct from the overall question of affordability.
i expect everything to be perfect all the time. please tell how i am being unreasonable...then i can explain it to my wife and kids also.
This is the reason I'm still single @54 is what they tell me!
That and Barbie dolls want Ken dolls not Mr Magoos!
Building a set may put you under some pressure. But to a vastly greater extent, it frees you from the "need" to buy many other things.
In other words, if you buy every coin that makes you smile, you're either not trying very hard, or your money won't last long.
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
Findley Ridge Collection
About Findley Ridge
I've adopted a sorta different philosophy since becoming a retired geezer.
I now don't care about "sets" and the coins I buy I regard as amusement for pleasure of the piece.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
JJS,
Those are wise words! I love both No Motto gold and 19th century halves (bust and seated Liberty). I would rather have some super nice pieces from each series than a piece that does not make me smile every time I hold it. If that doesn't seem like a valuable undertaking to a dealer, then that my passion (and my business) are both probably lost to him.
No rules in this hobby, just opinions. Collect what you want, how you want.
WS
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I now don't care about "sets" and the coins I buy I regard as amusement for pleasure of the piece.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
Building a set may put you under some pressure. But to a vastly greater extent, it frees you from the "need" to buy many other things.
I agree with this theory.
I now don't care about "sets" and the coins I buy I regard as amusement for pleasure of the piece.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
Building a set may put you under some pressure. But to a vastly greater extent, it frees you from the "need" to buy many other things.
I agree with this theory.
If we take a moment and reflect back on how things were at various times and how the world is today, maybe we can have a greater appreciation for the coins that have survived as well as their state of preservation. Part of that story for a coin is its state of preservation. It is defined by how it was used and when it may have been retired from circulation or even if it ever entered circulation as intended. The other part of the story for a coin is how it left the mint. Surely, there is no dispute that before leaving it would be MS. But the quality really may not have been all there given the strike and where it was within the production run in terms of the die life expectancy.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Stand alone satisfaction without the pressure to "complete" anything.
Building a set may put you under some pressure. But to a vastly greater extent, it frees you from the "need" to buy many other things.
In other words, if you buy every coin that makes you smile, you're either not trying very hard, or your money won't last long.
Building a set can have benefits, but you can achieve many of those benefits, including focus, without building a traditional set. For example, the Box of 20 concept isn't a set in the traditional sense but builds on focus and what makes you smile while achieving some of the benefits of sets such as "more wood behind fewer arrows" without being locked into someone else's definition of what to collect.
Of course, not working on a traditional, well defined, set, can mean that it's harder to compare and rank your set against others which comes with its own benefits such as the pre-defined albums (physical and online), a sense of accomplishment at completion and the feeling of winning in Registry rankings.
I'd like to think most collectors have reasonable expectations. Unless someone is spending all their savings or depressed, my impression is that the hobby should be fun and thus within expectations.