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What area of numismatics did you once collect ... but never again?
291fifth
Posts: 25,201 ✭✭✭✭✭
For me:
1. Patterns ... my wallet still hurts every time I think about the beating I took when they were sold. Thankfully, there weren't many of them.
- Mint state Shield Nickels ... while the percentage loss wasn't as bad as the patterns the dollar amount was much worse.
They were sold 18 years ago and the memory is still bad.
All glory is fleeting.
2
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I do not collect "everything" anymore.
Austro-German thalers. These were my initial interests in coins, about 50 years ago. Collecting them was fun (and I bought my first ones from Bowers and Ruddy!), but selling them was a real pain.
Barber half dollars. More than two decades ago, I completed a date/mint set in what would be called 55-58 today. It took forever to find coins that weren't polished, scrubbed, or abused in some other fashion. Finishing the set wore me out, and it sat in a safety deposit box for years until I sold it in 2007.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Yearly Proof & Mint sets.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
MS Barber dimes. They held steady or dropped in price during the 2006-2008 market bubble period (after I bought them in 2006), and then they continue to drop or hold steady to this day. The PCGS price guide shows a crash somewhere around 2009 for many dates. Even "sleeper dates" like 1907-D and 1909-D, and tough semi-keys like 1901-S and 1903-S in the MS64 range lost large percentages in value. Some of the common dates held steady or increased a bit, but that was trivial. The exception was the 1895-O in MS64, which I still have. I might break even overall if I sell that one at some point. This situation was caused by low demand for the series in the grade range. I should have bought nice XF-AU coins for way less money and I'd be singing the opposite tune.
Series. I, like so many other new collectors, pushed cents and nickels into coin folders trying to find them all. I have since moved to Type collecting.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
Ditto on series. The obsession to complete sets distracted me (and my $$$) from my real passion, which is exonumia.
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
bob
Anything younger than me, with very few exceptions, the most recent the 2009 UHR $20.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Modern Commemorative Proofs
Too many to keep up
Proofs. Of any kind.
For some reason a few years back I generally soured on anything made specifically for collectors....... coins, guns, cars, Christmas ornaments..... whatever. Give me the real item, as it was originally intended to be used, and then let me find one in good shape.
BryceM,
AARGH.....So you tell me that my special edition numismatic books and catalogs (bound in fine Corinthian leather, embossed in gold, with moiré endpapers,...) are, gulp, crap?????
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Coin holders
I'm serious, I used to buy coin holders instead of coins to fill them.
Fan of the Oxford Comma
CCAC Representative of the General Public
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Non Bullion. Boring but liquid, is my middle name.
It saddens me to see the BST members attempting to dump their "collectibles" at fire sale pricing.
Non toned coins.
My Coin Blog
My Toned Lincoln Registry Set
This.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Modern mint products. I will buy some if any can catch my eyes but I won't collect them all anymore
Early gold commems, what was I thinking!
Latin American Collection
Classic Silver commemoratives....
This x2
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I still need the 1909S VDB and I check all my change.
I no longer buy modern Mint and proof sets. (Unless its after market and been out for 10 years.)
It also gives me an easy gift request for Christmas
Lincoln Pennies and Buffalo Nickels. I like them but I don't see myself revisiting them.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Ultra rarities
The major doubled die Washington quarters in high grade-just too tough to complete, especially if the copper-nickel issues are included.
TDN, every coin of yours that I've ever seen is an Ultra Rarity.
Never: Mint/proof sets.
Highly unlikely: Bust dollars, was buying VF/XF back in the 80's for what AGs are now.
Unlikely: Seated halves, just too much to put a set together.
High grade Morgan Dollars, Peace Dollars, Seated Liberty coinage, Liberty Head Nickels, Barber Coinage, generic gold (unless at a small premium over melt when gold is down), and pretty much anything post 1850 (with few exceptions).
collector silver bars....while it was fun while it lasted, I wish I stuck to bullion and got more 90% silver and coins I liked
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
Certified coins in general!
Because of the gradeflation that has/is occurring, I don't collect slabs any longer. I just buy/sell them.
Clad Washington quarters the charts look nasty
VAMs......
Any and all coins that do not contain silver or gold.
Mint and proof sets. Could care less. I did buy the Lincoln bicentennial set with the dollar and bronze cents back in 2009 but nothing since.
At one time I was a World Gold Specialist - sold it all out in 2011 when Gold Peaked getting good money both Bay and Shows.
Dismayed by high prices on US Gold TC in 1990, I went into World Gold. I remember paying $200 at a show I set up at in 1990 for a number of Canadian PF $100 Gold Coins, beautiful half oz gold coins - Jacques Cartier is one that comes to mind. Did well on these retailing them plus scored big time when gold went up in 2011. The Canada Gold $100 Commemorative Coins one of my favorite series in Numismatics - another is Mexico 50 Gold Peso Centanaro plus Mexico Cabilito Silver Pesos circa 1910. All three of these series are fantastic coins with lots of upside.
My take on most US Coin mterial at that time post market crash is money already wrung out of a lot of them. I was also a buyer of large size currency at that time in CH and Gem CU, especially NBN - did really well on those too. I did like US Classic Commems and CC material.
Modern coin rolls and bags from the mint. Too much bulk.
Modern commemoratives
INYNWHWeTrust-TexasNationals,ajaan,blu62vette
coinJP, Outhaul ,illini420,MICHAELDIXON, Fade to Black,epcjimi1,19Lyds,SNMAN,JerseyJoe, bigjpst, DMWJR , lordmarcovan, Weiss,Mfriday4962,UtahCoin,Downtown1974,pitboss,RichieURich,Bullsitter,JDsCoins,toyz4geo,jshaulis, mustanggt, SNMAN, MWallace, ms71, lordmarcovan,JWP,dantheman984,olah_in_MA,USMC_6115
The Five P's:
Patterns
Proof Sets
Presidents
Paper money
Promises
Ultra rarities
I loved patterns and did well with them. I'm surprised to see them on the list.
For me, IHC's. They were fun at one time but I got burned out and quit having fun with them. Decided to never again collect a series where people knew what I needed and could take shots at me. Now, I collect what suits my fancy and no one else can predict what it is.
I really like this.
Never again a date/mint mark series. No more full step Jeffersons or Lincoln varieties.
I'll get the 1883 With Cents Liberty Nickel in PC 6 and I'm done with the series. Prices have halved for these coins in this grade, or worse in the last three years and pops have skyrocketed. Don't like most recently made coins in this grade I've seen. An all there 1896 in this grade was offered to me for $6K last year; it was a $14K coin in late 2014. I passed on it.
At this point, if it's post 1850, I'm not interested.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Large cents, gone
Half cents, gone
Indian cents, on the way out
CWT's, almost gone
Only copper I will keep are Conders and HTT's, fascinating series'
Best, SH
Early coppers. I decided I preferred the silver coins of that era. And putting large sums of money into copper seems wrong to me.
Personal taste or market/liquidity concerns?
I first began collecting greek and roman coins. I was a fan of the history and I thought it would be cool to own a piece of history. I was very inexperienced and after a few terrible deals I stopped collecting coins all together. Later on I got back into the hobby and I began collecting older US coins instead. I did this because there was an abundance of information for a newbie to the hobby. To this day I still collect older us coins and my favorite to collect are Morgan Silver Dollars.
Heretic!
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
I'll give the early copper collectors credit - they are not addicted to plastic/sticker crutches and have their own EAC standards that have resisted grade inflation.
I'm a set builder. And I love dollars - so I decided to focus my resources there
Bu rolls of common Morgans and WLH
Bought them from late 70s to early 90s
Even holding on to the MS 65s I pull from the rolls has been a mistake.
Always plan of selling them but never get to it. Still sitting on (79-S,80-S,81-S,82)-S forgot O mint 83,84,85 and 86-P,87-P97-P,03-P,98-O,00-O, 02-O,04-O
Only Morgan I bought since 92 was a 93-S in low VF
It took me twenty years to learn what kind of material to buy, pre-1840 type
Copper. I still dabble but nothing like before.