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How often do you make a purchase?
stevepk
Posts: 238 ✭✭✭
This question is geared towards collectors, not dealers who buy and sell every day.
How often do you make a numismatic purchase? I have decided the best strategy is to make fewer purchases and focus on quality over quantity. Optimally, I would like to attend only one coin show per year and buy only one or two major coins. This requires patience and discipline, but I would rather not look at my collection twenty years from now (I'm still young), and see a bunch of dreck. I would rather have fewer items, but more impressive items.
Is this a common strategy? How often do most collectors add to a collection with a new purchase?
How often do you make a numismatic purchase? I have decided the best strategy is to make fewer purchases and focus on quality over quantity. Optimally, I would like to attend only one coin show per year and buy only one or two major coins. This requires patience and discipline, but I would rather not look at my collection twenty years from now (I'm still young), and see a bunch of dreck. I would rather have fewer items, but more impressive items.
Is this a common strategy? How often do most collectors add to a collection with a new purchase?
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<< <i>This question is geared towards collectors, not dealers who buy and sell every day.
How often do you make a numismatic purchase? I have decided the best strategy is to make fewer purchases and focus on quality over quantity. Optimally, I would like to attend only one coin show per year and buy only one or two major coins. This requires patience and discipline, but I would rather not look at my collection twenty years from now (I'm still young), and see a bunch of dreck. I would rather have fewer items, but more impressive items.
Is this a common strategy? How often do most collectors add to a collection with a new purchase? >>
There are as many strategies and philosophies as there are collectors. As long as you are comfortable with what you are doing and enjoying the hobby, how can it be wrong?
I tend to go through peaks and valleys of coin purchasing. If I only purchased a couple coins each year at a local show, I am afraid that I would lose interest...but that's me and not you.
Myself I buy almost weekly and also tend to sell more than that. But I am working on sets of 207 and 50 coins each with lots of places for upgrades and many holes still to fill.
<< <i>When my hands start to tremble >>
This.
Empty Nest Collection
The only caveat I have re the above is that I won't write a blank check just to make purchase. Between 2009 and 2012, inclusive, I have sold five coins, and have purchased four coins. I buy them when I find them, which is rarely.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
It seems to ebb and flow though.
not at all from age 13 to 30
several times a week from 1999-2003 (discovered ebay)
once a month on average from 2003-2006, sometimes a couple times a month, sometimes months between purchases
from 2006-2011, a couple times a year
Picking up the pace a little in 2012 and 2013, 12 purchases last year (though 10 were in the same 2 month period) and 24 so far this year
edited to add: (there has never been a set schedule; the buying happens when the opportunity to get what i want intersects with having the funds to buy it)
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Just got 12 coins in the mail today!
<< <i>When my hands start to tremble >>
.
10 purchased in 2011. Fourteen sold.
50 purchased in 2012. Thirty sold.
2 purchased so far in 2013.
Of the 45 coins sold only 4 were purchased in the 2010 - 2012 timeframe.
U.S. Type Set
I would have loved to have found an 1875 Twenty Cent piece in PR-64, maybe 65 if the coin matched my other pieces, and the price was fair. That didn't happen so I'll wait until next time. I would also liked to located the Charlotte and Dahlonega type coins I need to finish, but only one of those coins was available. Wait until next time.
So far as quality goes, to me it is relative. Would it be great to have every coin grading MS-67 and POP-1? Sure, but that's not viable for me because I want something more than "a box of 20." I have a collection of hundreds of nice items in nice collector grades.
Going to only one show a year sounds restrictive unless that's all of the time you have off from work or whatever. Even if it is a big show like FUN or the big ANA, every show has its share of different coins available. I try to make at least three or four big shows a year.
<< <i>Fifteen years ago, there were more coins around than I had funds with which to purchase them. Now, I can't find the coins. I've spent four years to find one type coin, eight years to find another, and it'll be ten years in July re my search for another one, which I still don't have.
The only caveat I have re the above is that I won't write a blank check just to make purchase. Between 2009 and 2012, inclusive, I have sold five coins, and have purchased four coins. I buy them when I find them, which is rarely. >>
Which type coin has not shown up in eight years? You can PM me if you don't want to make this public. I recently completed my type set from half cent to $20 gold, and I'm curious which one (more) pieces are so tough.
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Whenever the funds allow
<< <i>Whenever the funds allow
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8uLQc9Mdoim1oWnp6
Anybody know of a meeting I can go to?
Lafayette Grading Set
<< <i>Since I went to the "box of twenty," not very often.
+1
Hoard the keys.
.....................................................
I have 2 collections - a territorial gold type set and a PCGS collectible holder type set.
Additions to the former are few and far between. I've been slowly expanding it to more than just one coin per region. For example, there were roughly 3 periods during the California gold rush so I've expanded the collection to include a coin from each period. Added a A. Bechtler recently to go with a C. Bechtler, etc. Would like to add a Georgia gold Bechtler to go with the Carolina ones. Was fortunate to find 2 nice territorials at FUN but that's unusual. Don't expect to add or upgrade more than 1-2 per year.
The collectible holder set however allows for daily fun searching and usually weekly purchases.
Between the 2, I'm having a lot of fun.
On average though, and over time, I'd say once a month.
Happy, humble, honored and proud recipient of the “You Suck” award 10/22/2014
MJ
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
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 wonder if there is a Teletrade Addiction support group as I bid on something there almost every time I log on. I mainly buy coins dated family member birth dates as a sort of side hobby. My deceased parents birth dates have yielded many better date but expensive issues. There are many ways to designl ones coin hobby and it does not have in the traditional set building mode of operation.