How Long Have You Ever Packed Away Your Coin Collection Without Viewing It?
BLUEJAYWAY
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I know some people do pack things away for a time. Books, records, collectibles etc.
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I gave my Granddaughter my 1st buff collection which was nearly completed from change. That was 9 years ago. It's still in the lockbox I gave it to her in. Looked at it the day Ellie was born, but not before(or since) when I got out of military in 72.
I have many coins not looked at in 20 years or so.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Interesting question and one I hope others answer.
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Probably the longest was in between the 6th grade and when the collection was sent to me by my Mom while I was in the US Navy in the Spring of '87. I was 22 years old. That re-sparked the collector gene that had lay dormant for many years. But it wouldn't be the only time that happened.
There were always times where it ebbed and flowed, but from 1987 through 2012 there was probably never more than a year or so where I didn't look at, read about or pursue finding or discussing a coin. I was into Numismatics pretty strong in 1989 to 1993 (or at least was around the hobby a lot more - I really ddin't have a lot of resources then with a young family and all), then faded in 1994 through 1999 as I built a business, then off and on through 2004/5 as life changed, and finally starting to get back into it pretty steady from then until the end of 2012.
Then, right before Christmas in 2012, my home was burglarized (thoroughly). I was gone for a week and I came home to no guitars or electronics, and quite a few other missing items, including a small safe bolted into a desk that contained a fairly large amount of medium grade (AU55 to MS65) raw Classic coins in albums and flips (think Buff's, Merc's, Walkers, Barbers, etc), and some fairly expensive slabbed coins and bullion. Too many things were home and close at hand for a photography shoot, and too many were not protected enough ... all where gone ... amongst many, many other things.
I was devastated. Beyond that, I was extremely angry.
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After I got past the initial shock and pain, the police reports and the back and forth of trying to find parts of the stolen collection ... I tried to keep collecting. To enjoy what WASN'T lost (I still had about 1/3 of my collection), and what I could still enjoy. But I found as I was around the hobby, all I did was look for the stolen coins, think about the stolen coins, get angry about the stolen coins. Eventually I had to stop.
Within six months I had packed up my whole library of books and periodicals in a couple of very large boxes and everything of value went to the SDB or into hiding, and I went back to the other parts of my life. I tailed off and then just no longer logged onto the board, didn't view websites, didn't search for coins. I let my ANA Membership expire.
I did more fishing and wheeling, finished raising my kids, kept working ...
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Fast forward to two months before COVID changed the world as we knew it. The better part of 7 years later. The last week of January, 2020.
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I got a call from an old girlfriend I had stayed in touch with on and off over the years. She asked if I was still into coins.
When I asked her why, she told me her Step-Dad was thinking about selling a large group of coins he had, and wanted some help and suggestions from someone he could trust. I explained I hadn't been involved much the last five or six years (I had lost track) but I still knew a few things and had all my books and guides from before.
I knew him and liked him. I called, we talked. We agreed to meet for dinner the following weekend. I brought a few books and guides, and after dinner we looked through literally hundred of coins he had collected with his Dad. Everything from circulated Washingtons to Mint Sets, and including a pretty impressive, mostly unmolested, and maybe 85% complete set of Morgan's in ChVF to low AU. I gave him thoughts and notes.
It was strange what that evening did to me. It had been the better part of 7 years. I hadn't looked at coins, or even at my own collection or the books during that time away. Just boxes gathering dust. Some "trinkets" in the SDB or in places no one would ever look.
And then, just like that, like the box of coins that my Mom sent me had done to me in 1987, the collector gene awoke.
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Three weeks later a few of the books were on my desk. A small box of coins came home to visit. Another box came out of a dark and hidden corner.
It might have been another two weeks later and I was looking on sites like HA, Stacks and GC ... and the 'bay.
I started to think about, "If I start collecting again ... what's next?"
And as this was happening, the world, for many of us, kind of changed its rotation.
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My working world really didn't really change because of COVID ... if anything it may have gotten busier ... but everything around me after work sure did. With everything pretty much closed down, and with my rekindled interest in coins and currency, I set about understanding what I had missed ... and learning more about what I hadn't yet learned.
Eventually I found "here" again, remembering a password I had used before that was the one I guess I had used here. I had a few unread messages from years past. One from a friend who was no longer with us.
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I posted a message in the first day or two back, explaining I had been gone. Several people I knew from before responded. One, who I had barely known, wrote me a nice PM that same night, and we struck up what would become a very important friendship in my road back to collecting.
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I'm glad I found it all over again. This time there has been more emphasis on friends and people, on going to shows and getting together and sharing the journey. And I've had a little more freedom to pursue the coins and currency that I had only dreamed about so many years ago.
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Thanks for letting me share ... in this thread and on the board overall.
I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I made a cup of tea and came to read. I ended up writing.
This post was therapeutic for me. It was easy to write. The anger, the regret, the turmoil, the pain ... it's all long past. My life evolved. Again.
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
Last viewed at my collection was about 35 - 40 years ago,,.
It’s funny but this forum has drastically changed the way I look at my collection. When I see the variety of beautiful coins here, it makes me pull my coins out and admire them even more…..and it’s certainly changed my buying habits…for the better I must say! BTW…I’m looking at my coins almost every day….and really enjoy it!
@pursuitofliberty . It is odd how sometimes in life we can turn losses and defeats into victories. Just always seems to require a change of perspective. Glad you have found joy in life and collecting. James
@pursuitofliberty
Wow. Excellent post and I’m glad you decided to type it out. I’ve been burglarized before (thankfully I was in my early 20s and didn’t have much of anything of value at that point in my life). It’s a gutting, excruciating experience. It made me very angry for a period of time. I can imagine how difficult that experience was.
Im so sorry it happened to you, and so glad that you’ve been drawn back in to something you clearly enjoy a great deal. Love that you were drawn back in by the act of helping someone else. Life sure can kick us in the rear end sometimes….but it’s great to see that you seemed to have come full circle since the experience. Good for you!
Some items I haven't looked at in 10, 20, 30, maybe even 40 years! I'm in more of a selling mode than buying at this stage, so this post is timely as exploring my collection recently to decide what to purge has been enjoyable. Reactions to long unseen parts of my collection include:
I don't remember. When I put him to bed, he looked like this....
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
When I woke him up, he looked like this.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
@pursuitofliberty Todd, that’s quite the journey and a good read. Glad you have landed in a good place, after all those ups and downs.
Most of it is in a safe i haven't opened in over a decade
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
My collection was on lockdown in the SDB for over 26 years. I decided to get them out back in 2021 after almost dying. I had 8 surgeries and 9 blood transfusions. After surviving against all odds I drove myself to the bank and went in with a suitcase and emptied it out. Sold a few things immediately to one of the local coin dealers. I found this forum and the rest is history.
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
I look at something almost daily. While the expensive things are in a bank lockbox I keep some of the inexpensive coins and albums here. I will admit there are a few things that I likely haven't seen in a few years.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I have frequently turned over my collection, especially the last few years, to focus on evolving collecting priorities. As such, I regularly view my collection. My story is a dull one.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Prior to moving out of state for my second job/employer the collection was left in a SDB at a nearby bank. Stayed there for 12 years until I was able to retrieve it after my move out west.
I have some items wrapped up 7 to 10 years. (Silver collection)
My YouTube Channel
I purchased a lot of material from the U.S. Mint (don’t know if that was a smart move or dumb move), from the early ‘80’s to about 2023. Special low mintage editions of gold, silver, platinum and palladium issues. From 1999 to present, they are all still in their original Mint packaging in sealed boxes, so I guess you could say I haven’t ever seen them in the over 25+ years I’ve owned them.
I was organizing some slab boxes this week and pulled from the closet several toolboxes of olde Albums from lincolns to Morgans. Lots of raw silver. Probably have not looked at all of them in at least 10-15 years. It was a nice walk down prior collections.
Top 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
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@OAKSTAR . I don't know when you laid down, but when you awoke did you mysteriously have a long beard as if 20 years had gone by? James
Do you remember the combination? 😀
Lol. It's written down. But, I don't know it off hand
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Well hello, stranger! 😍🥰😘😜😂
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
That's okay. I've done the same thing. Just remember where you put the note with the combination number on it. And a note to remember where that note is etc. etc.😀
The core collection, I usually get out of the sdb for thorough admiration and reevaluation once a year. There was a spell from around 1994 to 2003 (when it was a very different collection than today, though some of those pieces remain) when I don't think I saw it at all.
After wasting several hundred dollars a year on a SDB, I realized I could have a really nice safe installed and have access to my collection any time I wanted…without worrying about transporting coins to/from the bank and not having a secure area to view them without bank personnel/customers seeing what I was doing. Most banks I know of have either done away with SDB’s or are in the process of doing so. I do know that having a nice HEAVY, sturdy safe hidden away and bolted to the floor is a good feeling. 😉
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I've considered doing that ... my local only charges me $60 a year for the SDB and for a handful of reasons I don't really want them in my house, but the time may come when I have to. The security aspect is one of the things I somewhat dislike about the hobby, frankly.
I had the same reservations….but felt I was at the mercy of the bank…..and transporting the coins to/from the bank was bothering me too. I think because YOU know you have a safe at your home that others will know too….but they are delivered discreetly, the delivery person/s are incredibly good and can bolt them down and be gone in less than thirty minutes. After the install you get a sigh of relief because along with your collection, all those other important papers and items will have a new home too. Liberty Safe has some incredible safes…. Good luck!
Back when I was studying at Uni, I wouldn't have looked at the collection for months on end. That would be the longest period of time for me when the collection was stowed away and ignored. I'd usually take them out and look at them again during holidays though.
Now, I go to four coin club meetings a month. So I'm normally looking through the collection every couple of weeks. That's on top of going through it whenever I make a batch of purchases, or if I need to find a specific coin to show off on the forums.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded the DPOTD twice.
@pursuitofliberty: thanks Todd, for your great post! It’s near the top of your best ever, imo. I read, then reread it. Much appreciated in so many ways!
Ken
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Retired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
Nickelodeon
Interesting question — and honestly, one I didn’t realize would hit me this hard when I read it.
The longest I ever packed away my collection was a little over three years — basically from the start of COVID until just a few months ago. I started collecting when I was about ten, all because of my grandpa. He was a serious coin guy, the kind who’d sit for hours at the kitchen table with a loupe and a cup of coffee, talking about mint marks and rim dings like crazy. Heck, he once gave a presentation to a group of college seniors on Morgan VAMS!
Some of my best memories are from those afternoons with him. He’d dump out a bunch of wheat pennies and let me hunt through them while he told stories about getting silver dollars from the bank back in the ‘60s. He even gave me my first “real” coin — a toned 1943 Walking Liberty half. I was obsessed with it.
Then COVID hit, and not long after, he passed away. It wasn’t sudden — he’d been sick for a while — but it still knocked the air out of me. I couldn’t even look at my coins without thinking about him sitting across the table, tapping the flips with his pen and saying, “That one’s a keeper, kiddo.”
I packed everything up: my binders, the Whitman folders we filled together, even the small box where he kept his silver dollars. It all went into a closet. I told myself I’d get back to it eventually, but I just… didn’t. Between online classes, work, and trying to figure out life during lockdown, it was easier not to think about it. The hobby that used to feel comforting just reminded me of what I’d lost.
Years went by. Every once in a while I’d see a coin video on YouTube or someone post a cool toned dime on Reddit and think, “Man, I miss that.” But I couldn’t bring myself to dig those boxes out. It felt like opening them would open up everything I’d tried to keep tucked away.
Then, earlier this year, I was cleaning out my closet and found one of my old albums wedged behind a stack of textbooks. It was the Jefferson nickel book we’d worked on together — the one with his handwriting inside. I don’t even know what made me open it, but I did.
The smell of the old paper hit me first. The coins had toned a little since I last saw them, and I found the same 1943-P silver war nickel he’d helped me find in a roll years ago. I don’t know why, but I just sat there for a while staring at it. It felt like he was right there again, talking about full steps and planchet flaws like no time had passed at all.
That night, I ended up pulling everything out of storage. I stayed up until two in the morning cleaning flips, sorting, and setting up my desk again. It was like flipping a switch. I started watching coin videos again, joined a few online forums, and started getting that old excitement back.
It’s funny — I thought getting back into collecting would make me feel sadder, but it did the opposite. Now when I go through the coins, it feels like I’m carrying on what he started. I even caught myself talking to him out loud once when I found a nicely toned Roosevelt in a roll — and honestly, I think he would’ve laughed at that.
So yeah — three years. Three long years where the collection just sat in the dark. But coming back to it reminded me why I fell in love with the hobby in the first place. It’s not just about the coins; it’s about the people and memories behind them.
Thanks for asking this question. Writing this out kind of reminded me how lucky I am that he shared the hobby with me in the first place.
Proud follower of Christ!
I’ve been a coin collector since I was 7! I’ve had periods of not collecting as I’ve gone thru a few hobbies like astronomy , photography, astrophotography. But I’ve always pulled out some part of my collection to look at. Coins are like a comfortable hoody or sweater. They are there when you don’t want to death scroll the internet or watch mindless shows on TV. Looking at albums , coins or currency relaxes me.
My current registry sets:
20th Century Type Set
Virtual DANSCO 7070
Slabbed IHC set - Missing the Anacs Slabbed coins
Can relate. I purchased some coins at auction in high school, then 12 years later, some GSA CC Dollars, and forgot about them for another 20 years. The SS Central America Shipwreck Gold coins were being shown at a hotel literally across the street from my office in 1998, so I went to have a look, and here I am.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
That's a really nice write-up, seems it has really come full circle, in the best of ways.
Me, I'm the typical 70-80s kid who collected from change back in the day, wheat cents and pre-65 silver and the occasional exotic like a buffalo or Indian cent. They all went away forgotten for many years, then Covid came along and forced many of us to confront our attic stashes. Out it came, and it must have been 20 years since I'd gone through it. Nothing valuable except in memories, I somehow had snagged a seated dime that was my oldest and most interesting coin. I was hooked again. Started buying like crazy trying to do a type set, first on eBay, and then discoverd the big auction sites. Still got a few holes to fill, and nowadays I don't go long at all without leafing through the pile and checking my bookmarks.
Speaking of which, did you know you can put all your bookmarks for auction searches in 1 folder (in Chrome), and right click that folder, and 'open all'? Good way to wind down the day