How do you ..."ENJOY"...your coins?

topstuf · August 27, 2016 3:04AM

This came up on the forum that must not be mentioned but we talk a LOT about coins and I had just got another one at the show last weekend and one poster said, "Now you can stick it in the vault and forget it."

DANG, that resonated.

I...have... been doing that.

Oh I take out a box, flip to something VERY neat, lift it and look and then let it slip back in the box and put it away.

In ALBUMS.....(which we also discussed)... it seems there was a lot of agreement that albums were a far better way to ENJOY a coin collection.

Relative designs.....historical progression...all at once.

Sure you can lay out your slabs and do it SORTA like that, but I'm curious.

What do YOU do to "enjoy" your collection?

Besides rocking back in the satisfaction of just owning the coins?

crazyhounddog · August 27, 2016 3:09AM

I image my coins and share them with others. I'm a collector by taking my coins out and looking at them gives me a sense pride in what I have accomplished. It has taken me decades to be where I am. I'm a collector. Maybe that should be discussed.

topstuf · August 27, 2016 3:14AM

I do that, too. I post them on Collective Coin and browse often.

Not the same as an album, but it kinda works.

I guess that is enjoyment, but maybe not the experience of looking at the metal regularly.

Probably no answer.

Just musing.

lkeigwin · August 27, 2016 3:15AM

I have both albums with lower grade coins (large cents, early Lincolns, bust halves) and slabbed sets of nicer material.

And like crazyhounddog, I image every coin for convenient sharing, selling, etc.

I do love the albums but I'm resigned to the need for and importance of slabs. I look at both all the time.

Lance.

LanLord · August 27, 2016 3:19AM

Yeah, I don't actually own any coins, I've just been posting pics of other people's coins for the past 15 years.

I do have an awesome collection of beanie babies in my safe deposit box though. They are safe!

topstuf · August 27, 2016 3:29AM

I keep my Beanie Babies on the driveway.

They're safe too.

crazyhounddog · August 27, 2016 4:17AM

Originally posted by: topstuf
I keep my Beanie Babies on the driveway.
They're safe too.

oih82w8 · August 27, 2016 4:48AM

I have the bigger majority of my collection in TrueView imagry and there are a few which I want to keep in the OGH that I have imaged inside the holders. The coins themselves stay stored away in my Pelican case. I let 'em breathe every once in a awhile.

The beanie babies are kept in a comforter bag (transparent, zippered type).

bidask · August 27, 2016 4:52AM

I look at my coins and imagine .....??!

Also enjoy having pics taken to share

BillJones · August 27, 2016 4:55AM

I keep most of my political and merchant tokens in albums, but all of my best coins are in slabs. I look at the coins usually one at a time, although I do lay out sets if the set is small, say no more than six or seven coins.

I outgrew the conventional coin album many years ago for my best coins. The albums did not provide the protection I wanted, and they don't fit well in safe deposit boxes where most of my collection is stored.

Baley · August 27, 2016 6:07AM

I take out a box, flip to something VERY neat, lift it and look and then let it slip back in the box and put it away."

Yes, I do this, visit the bank, have another look, maybe take a picture with my phone

Sometimes take a couple coins home for a few days

for a good long study, with a bourbon in one hand and a loupe in the other

.. albums were a far better way to ENJOY a coin collection.

Relative designs.....historical progression...all at once.

Well, sure, albums are great for collecting and viewing,

here's my "Book of 86"

I do enjoy the albums overall more than flips or slabs, although once they're complete and (mostly) done being upgraded,

I find that I look at them less frequently, relying more on photographs and memories..

As secure as slabs are, and convenient and compact albums are, sometimes, depending on the kind of collection,

flips can make more sense..

In this case I can look up the coins in books, and learn about the die varieties and die states, and write little notes on the white inserts..

It's also fun to sometimes handle certain coins (gently) and take a few fun pictures

(to maybe someday post and share in someone's thread on the US coin forum)

You're absolutely right, though, topstuf, after the initial purchase and study and photography of a new coin,

it's "to the bank with the rest," probably not to be looked at directly again for quite a while..

topstuf · August 27, 2016 7:16AM

That second page of the 7070 can nickel and dime you to death.

topstuf · August 27, 2016 7:18AM

I sure WISH I had taken better photos of this Capital Plastics holder.

And more than that, wish I had not taken the FIRST grading of the seated dollar that was 64'ed THEN and is 66 ...NOW!

rhedden · August 27, 2016 8:07AM

Those Capital Plastics holders are really appealing display devices. I once saw a complete set of Gem Jefferson nickels (up to 1964?) housed in one, and every single coin had rainbow target toning. I was absolutely floored by that set. Saw a nice Type set in one at a coin show last weekend in the exhibit case. With the advent of slabs, it became more difficult to justify putting a complete set of BU coins in one of these.

Here's a possible marketing idea for PCGS. What if they came up with a similar "whole collection" holder for certain series? You could submit a complete set of Peace Dollars, for example, and get them back in a massive slab with the grades & serial numbers posted under each coin. I think it could be a money maker. I would hate to see the PCGS storage boxes, though.

DDR · August 27, 2016 8:21AM

I enjoy my coins by looking at images, mostly TrueViews, but a few of my own pictures. I also visit them occasionally at the bank. I also enjoy reading books and articles about the series I collect, and I have even written a few articles which I find very enjoyable. One of the best ways I enjoy my coins is to get together with fellow collectors who collect the same thing I do to talk, swap stories, and show off our favorite examples. I find that more rewarding that actually looking at my own coins.

Raybo · August 27, 2016 8:33AM

My collection is in my condo so I can enjoy them any time I damn well please. Guess I should get a SDB again, should also start to image them again, I have added several nice coins in the last several years.

Ray

TopographicOceans · August 27, 2016 8:44AM

Perhaps it is cheaper and safer to just collect pictures of coins

Walkerfan · August 27, 2016 9:33AM

When not in the bank vault, one should enjoy, in the gun room, with a few fingers of scotch, some fine pipe tobacco and a loaded 12 gauge 3" magnum within arm's reach.

I knew an old-timer with a VERY expensive, gold coin collection who did it that way....

His collection was worth many times his million dollar Appalachian home.

BryceM · August 27, 2016 10:00AM

The whole security/SDB thing really sucks. When I first get them, I keep them around to enjoy for a week or two. I also enjoy photographing them and assembling them into "photographic sets." These are easy to view as desktop backgrounds, etc. I'm planning on having a few of them printed once I get around to it. The source images are large enough to print out poster size at 300 dpi.

bolivarshagnasty · August 27, 2016 10:37AM

I get a lot of enjoyment from the Digital Album format that is provided by PCGS. Once the coins are photographed, you can flip the pages any time night or day.

hchcoin · August 27, 2016 10:43AM

By selling them for a profit

hchcoin · August 27, 2016 10:45AM

Love the bust quarters Baley

Walkerfan · August 27, 2016 11:18AM

I enjoy mine primarily through images and I also like to share those images.

leothelyon · August 27, 2016 12:15PM

I lie awake at night wishing for a better grading system..............lol

Traz · August 27, 2016 2:59PM

I bury mine three steps east of the burr oak, turn right, four steps to the sugar maple, turn left walk to the rock in the ground and dig there. Then enjoy them and bury in a new spot...

Damn, gave away this weeks location...

TwoSides2aCoin · August 27, 2016 11:39PM

Usually with a cup of coffee and another comrade.

ricko · August 28, 2016 2:02AM

I enjoy my coins by looking at them....Cheers, RickO

Nap · August 28, 2016 3:51AM

When I have my collection at home, I try to take some time to enjoy it.

I will wait for my daughter to go to bed and for my wife to get hooked into some Netflix series.

Then begins a spectacle that my better half calls "playing with my coins".

The I clear off the otherwise chronically occupied dining room table and place items from my collection. For the small ones in airtite holders, I will place them inside a shallow felt-lined drawer from my coin cabinet. This is mostly so I don't accidentally lose the small ones, so the cat doesn't chase them and so the dog doesn't think they are discarded dining table scraps. The slabs go directly on the table.

I purposely take up as much space as possible, as the presentation of a collection in its entirety is an impressive site. I bring a few reference books and typically my laptop for identifying varieties and trying to trace provenance.

I set up a small portable lamp for close inspection. I go through the coins, studying a few individual pieces and making some mental notes about things to look into later.

I typically avoid any food or drink, to avoid making a mess, and would never light a cigar inside the house (or around the coins).

After some time, the cat will come over to investigate and sit herself on some slabs. The dog, jealous of the cat's leaping ability and desiring to also sit on top of the table, will whine a bit from the floor. The wife will come over once or twice to feign interest, suggest that I have too many coins and should stop buying them, and then tiring of the spectacle recommends we retire for the evening. I'll then pack up my collection, with a few pieces going to the cabinet, a few going underneath a plastic dragon statue who stands guard over collectibles, and the rest into a box for returning to the safe box.

Nic · August 28, 2016 6:19AM

Nothing wrong with buried treasure. Many of us are still children.

lordmarcovan · August 28, 2016 6:51AM

Originally posted by: topstuf

I do that, too. I post them on Collective Coin and browse often.

Not the same as an album, but it kinda works.

I guess that is enjoyment, but maybe not the experience of looking at the metal regularly.

Probably no answer.

Just musing.

No, I think it's a valid answer. It's just the new way, that's all.

I used to feel guilty that 95% of the time my coins are in slabs and locked away in a safe deposit box and I'm viewing just the pictures of them on a computer instead of the actual coins themselves, and maybe a case can be made that there actually is something "wrong" with that approach, but it works for me.

Regardless of whether you visit with your collection regularly or take the more modern "virtual" approach, the magic happens inside your head either way. And that mental magic is what brings the enjoyment. So in my opinion, either way is valid.

PS- I should add that my safe deposit box is at my job (at a hotel front desk), so it is free, and bigger than the one i used to rent at the bank. Plus I can access it 24/7, unlike at a bank. Also unlike a bank, it is attended 24/7. Either I or one of my coworkers is always standing within twenty feet of it.

PPS- Baley- I was enjoying your Bust dollar pix as I scrolled down, and wondered who posted them. But when I went down a bit further and saw that great 7070 album, I knew straight away whose it was.

PPPS- BryceM- those look great.

Cameonut · August 28, 2016 7:25AM

I view them in the bank vault a couple of times a year. Sometimes I bring a few home to enjoy a little longer.

Beyond that I enjoy the True Views taken years ago - an album of most of them is in my signature line.

silverpop · August 28, 2016 7:32AM

have my collection sitting in a old china cabinet and i'll look at them once in awhile

Bob1951 · August 28, 2016 10:36AM

ALBUMS, ALBUMS, ALBUMS!!!! I may have more albums then some collectors have coins.

1Mike1 · August 28, 2016 11:00AM

I use photos. Maybe once or twice a year I take them out of their box and view them in hand to check for any changes.

WingedLiberty1957 · August 28, 2016 12:16PM

Start with some kick butt TrueView photos and then reformat the coin faces into digital albums. Then print them off and hang them on the wall!

The PCGS Registry is another great way to have online views anytime you want.

PCGS Registry Link

CascadeChris · August 28, 2016 12:43PM

How do I enjoy my coins, simple... I VAM them

garrynot · August 28, 2016 10:30PM

I look at my coins more frequently since my bank had the "great idea"to discontinue safe deposit box service.

CommemKing · August 28, 2016 11:03PM

I sit them on my lap and watch TV. I study my early commem set weekly. There's a lot to learn about those coins.

TwoSides2aCoin · August 29, 2016 12:13AM

Originally posted by: Raybo

My collection is in my condo so I can enjoy them any time I damn well please. Guess I should get a SDB again, should also start to image them again, I have added several nice coins in the last several years.

Ray

It's no coincidence that you're one of my favorite collectors around here. There are many of you who will probably never know how much I appreciate your "choices", in regards to coins. AND if there weren't joy, there'd be no enjoyment.

So it stands to reason why some of us don't get all paranoid because of them. After all, and at the end of the day, they're only worth what someone is willing to pay for them.

And a few of us don't mind paying for them just to enjoy.

TwoSides2aCoin · August 29, 2016 12:16AM

Originally posted by: WingedLiberty1957

Start with some kick butt TrueView photos and then reformat the coin faces into digital albums. Then print them off and hang them on the wall!

The PCGS Registry is another great way to have online views anytime you want.

PCGS Registry Link

Wow... I get to enjoy them from my own private space.

asheland · August 29, 2016 1:08AM

Posting them here is a nice part of it for me.

Of course collecting silverware is more fun (to me) as you can use those items.

Cream in your coffee?

asheland · August 29, 2016 1:13AM

Originally posted by: hchcoin
Love the bust quarters Baley

Baley · August 29, 2016 1:40AM

Thanks guys, I really need to take some new pictures,

there are about twice as many of them now, and one more on the way (the first in over a year)

I think I will ENJOY playing with them again one of these days.

It's a bit of an ordeal though, not unlike what Nap wrote (very entertaining, Nap!)

asheland · August 29, 2016 2:11AM

I look forward to seeing the new bust quarters, Baley!

HappyLittleTrees · August 29, 2016 2:20PM

Originally posted by: topstuf

This came up on the forum that must not be mentioned but we talk a LOT about coins and I had just got another one at the show last weekend and one poster said, "Now you can stick it in the vault and forget it."

DANG, that resonated.

I...have... been doing that.

Oh I take out a box, flip to something VERY neat, lift it and look and then let it slip back in the box and put it away.

In ALBUMS.....(which we also discussed)... it seems there was a lot of agreement that albums were a far better way to ENJOY a coin collection.

Relative designs.....historical progression...all at once.

Sure you can lay out your slabs and do it SORTA like that, but I'm curious.

What do YOU do to "enjoy" your collection?

Besides rocking back in the satisfaction of just owning the coins?

You should do a date run of Morgans in MS61.

lordmarcovan · August 29, 2016 4:13PM

Originally posted by: HappyLittleTrees

Bravo the Mr. Spock quote. I think he was onto something there.

GotTheBug · August 29, 2016 11:03PM

.

ambro51 · August 29, 2016 11:10PM

Ill tell you, once I got my cataract surgery done, and was blessed with 20/18 vision in both eyes Without Glasses, it renewed my interests a lot!

coinspacks · November 15, 2016 11:06AM

I just got into the world of pelican and pelican type cases with customized foam.

Love it. Waterproof and lockable storage for all sorts of things.

Got one large case and just ordered another last night.

BillJones · November 15, 2016 11:08AM

I look at them; I study them; I learn their history. Beyond that putting together and completing sets is fun. Working on exhibits and lectures is great too.

In short for me there is a lot more to collecting than just filling holes in albums.

1630Boston · November 15, 2016 1:01PM

like this.....................

How do you ..."ENJOY"...your coins?

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