Strength, still have the spark of 10-yr old me when I see something new and want it. Back then it was like a decent V-nickel where you could read a few letters of Liberty, now it's .. a little more expensive.
Weakness, the above means I need to fill holes NOW, but then I look back and realize I should have held out for a better coin. Really, 1/2 my collection I wish I could have a do-over.
@TimNH said:
Strength, still have the spark of 10-yr old me when I see something new and want it. Back then it was like a decent V-nickel where you could read a few letters of Liberty, now it's .. a little more expensive.
Weakness, the above means I need to fill holes NOW, but then I look back and realize I should have held out for a better coin. Really, 1/2 my collection I wish I could have a do-over.
I think many of us have made mistakes in our collecting journey. I know I have. And when I realize it (or reconsider a purchase) they are gone from my collection and I take the loss. I feel I'm a better collector because I learned through hard, and sometimes expensive, experience. The resulting benefit is that I like every coin in my collection.
Seated Half Society member #38
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress, running like a water color in the rain...."
What do you believe is your greatest strength and weakness?
Asking for a friend.....😉
Tell your friend to ask me, himself and I’ll be happy to answer.😉
I haven’t collected coins in a long time but I’ll try to separate my past collecting days from my current dealing days. Looking back, I think my greatest strength as a collector was in finding the right balance in pursuing and acquiring really nice coins that were still within my collecting budget. I was very particular and didn’t settle. So if a coin wasn’t nice/desirable enough for me, I wouldn’t buy it, even if that meant I might have to go without that type or date.
I believe that my greatest weakness was the ebb and flow of my collecting interest. At different times in my collecting life, I’d be far more involved in the hobby than in others.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Thanks to everyone for your extremely thoughtful, and in some cases, intentionally humorous replies!
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of your “greatest weakness” revelations end up helping some of your fellow collectors.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
used to be impatient on buying, waiting for right coin, not as much any longer gotten better in that area over the years, but now that can backfire a bit, and missout on something that dosn't come around often enough, cause i let it slip by because of cost of whatever.
@TimNH said:
Strength, still have the spark of 10-yr old me when I see something new and want it. Back then it was like a decent V-nickel where you could read a few letters of Liberty, now it's .. a little more expensive.
Weakness, the above means I need to fill holes NOW, but then I look back and realize I should have held out for a better coin. Really, 1/2 my collection I wish I could have a do-over.
I think many of us have made mistakes in our collecting journey. I know I have. And when I realize it (or reconsider a purchase) they are gone from my collection and I take the loss. I feel I'm a better collector because I learned through hard, and sometimes expensive, experience. The resulting benefit is that I like every coin in my collection.
Excellent comment and lucky you! Unfortunately, I've caught the rare die marriage disease, and it is ruining me!
"Just say no!" to ugly coins that represent rare die marriages!
What do you believe is your greatest strength and weakness?
Asking for a friend.....😉
Tell your friend to ask me, himself and I’ll be happy to answer.😉
I haven’t collected coins in a long time but I’ll try to separate my past collecting days from my current dealing days. Looking back, I think my greatest strength as a collector was in finding the right balance in pursuing and acquiring really nice coins that were still within my collecting budget. I was very particular and didn’t settle. So if a coin wasn’t nice/desirable enough for me, I wouldn’t buy it, even if that meant I might have to go without that type or date.
I believe that my greatest weakness was the ebb and flow of my collecting interest. At different times in my collecting life, I’d be far more involved in the hobby than in others.
Thank you for your response.
My greatest strength is determination and persistence in promoting W quarters.
My greatest weakness was taking the bait from the trolls on this forum. Fortunately the Ignore feature has served me well and has helped me to resist commenting on their posts which brought me down to their level.
My strengths: Luck isn't a strength, but I've been pretty lucky with coins at times (even receiving a You Suck! award for a $2 junkbox find).
1798/7 16-stars dime turned into a love token, a $2 junk box find.
1874-S WB-4 (R8) that turned up in my collection.
I'm not afraid to take risks with raw coins and on balance, it's been a plus for me. Most of my SLH collection was purchased raw off of eBay.
1895-S XF45 purchased for $455.
1874-CC WB-1 (R6) for peanuts.
My grading is my own strange creation and differs from the mainstream, but I've had good results with it with PCGS. With CAC? That's to be determined in the next month or two. My interest in minutiae (I love microscopes) serves me well in hunting for rare die marriages. Cherry picking has added lots of excitement and $thousands of value to my collection.
My first two months of cherry picking overdates -
My Weaknesses: My strengths can also be my weaknesses. Taking foolish risks with raw coins can produce disappointing results, particularly when purchasing coins from *sshole dealers.
This coin has problems, but the Trueview makes it look downright toxic. LOL!
Another weakness is losing self-control when I encounter something rare, regardless of how ugly it is. Also settling for lower grade coins to fill holes. That's fine for a Dansco, but not if you're building a registry-quality set. However, that's part of the collector's evolution in the hobby.
1840-O WB-6 (R6) - at least it was cheap and current silver prices save me here.
Finally, my isolation from the hobby by not attending shows or joining coin clubs for three decades hurt my growth as a collector and robbed me of interaction and fun with a great group of people. That was hammered home to me when I attended the FUN show in 2019 and got to meet several board members here. Many of my mistakes could have been avoided with more time spent with other collectors. If one is new to collecting, get out to shows, show your coins and talk to dealers and other collectors.
Strength - My eagerness to buy cool coins, even when I don’t really know what I’m doing, has made me a better and more broadly knowledgeable numismatist.
Weakness - I’m too quick to buy cool coins, even when I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
@mirabela said:
Strength -- I've gotten pretty good at only buying coins I'm dead-on certain are excellent choices for my lifetime collection, at prices that feel prudent and responsible. I've averaged just three a year since 2014.
Weakness -- It's become a little more like any other part of financial planning and a little less like a fun, goofy hobby, and sometimes I'm not sure why I do it.
This is why I've never become a dealer. It is no longer fun then.
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
Strength-waiting for the "right coin" I never bought a lower grade coin to be replaced later-never saw much sense in that approach. Some of my sets took a very long time to finish.
Weakness-concentration to diversly-collecting too many lower price world coins (non-silver)-keeping all the dredge from collections that i bought over the years.
Comments
@MFeld
What do you believe is your greatest strength and weakness?
Asking for a friend.....😉
Strength, still have the spark of 10-yr old me when I see something new and want it. Back then it was like a decent V-nickel where you could read a few letters of Liberty, now it's .. a little more expensive.
Weakness, the above means I need to fill holes NOW, but then I look back and realize I should have held out for a better coin. Really, 1/2 my collection I wish I could have a do-over.
@TimNH . I am glad we share the youthfull enthusium. Sorry about your secod comment. That is pretty harsh and must have been tough to admit. James
I think many of us have made mistakes in our collecting journey. I know I have. And when I realize it (or reconsider a purchase) they are gone from my collection and I take the loss. I feel I'm a better collector because I learned through hard, and sometimes expensive, experience. The resulting benefit is that I like every coin in my collection.
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."
Tell your friend to ask me, himself and I’ll be happy to answer.😉
I haven’t collected coins in a long time but I’ll try to separate my past collecting days from my current dealing days. Looking back, I think my greatest strength as a collector was in finding the right balance in pursuing and acquiring really nice coins that were still within my collecting budget. I was very particular and didn’t settle. So if a coin wasn’t nice/desirable enough for me, I wouldn’t buy it, even if that meant I might have to go without that type or date.
I believe that my greatest weakness was the ebb and flow of my collecting interest. At different times in my collecting life, I’d be far more involved in the hobby than in others.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Thanks to everyone for your extremely thoughtful, and in some cases, intentionally humorous replies!
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of your “greatest weakness” revelations end up helping some of your fellow collectors.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Strength : deep pockets
Weakness : short arms
Grading ability and detecting coins with issues.
used to be impatient on buying, waiting for right coin, not as much any longer gotten better in that area over the years, but now that can backfire a bit, and missout on something that dosn't come around often enough, cause i let it slip by because of cost of whatever.
Strength: Patience - most of my collection has come as "second chance" acquisitions
Weakness: Perfectionism - I'll quickly dismiss a coin if any part bothers me (although maybe this is a strength?)
Strength: Quality Discipline
Weakness: Price Discipline
Latin American Collection
Diamond hands
COPPER is gutter !
Strength is trying to learn as much as possible.
Weakness overpaying for something I regret.
He's got a pretty face to ( so he says ) all 💪
Striving for the best within my means
Knowing when to say no
...> @Catbert said:
Excellent comment and lucky you! Unfortunately, I've caught the rare die marriage disease, and it is ruining me!
"Just say no!" to ugly coins that represent rare die marriages!
Restraint
Thank you for your response.
My greatest strength is determination and persistence in promoting W quarters.
My greatest weakness was taking the bait from the trolls on this forum. Fortunately the Ignore feature has served me well and has helped me to resist commenting on their posts which brought me down to their level.
This is a excellent topic, @MFeld!
My strengths: Luck isn't a strength, but I've been pretty lucky with coins at times (even receiving a You Suck! award for a $2 junkbox find).
1798/7 16-stars dime turned into a love token, a $2 junk box find.
1874-S WB-4 (R8) that turned up in my collection.
I'm not afraid to take risks with raw coins and on balance, it's been a plus for me. Most of my SLH collection was purchased raw off of eBay.
1895-S XF45 purchased for $455.
1874-CC WB-1 (R6) for peanuts.
My grading is my own strange creation and differs from the mainstream, but I've had good results with it with PCGS. With CAC? That's to be determined in the next month or two. My interest in minutiae (I love microscopes) serves me well in hunting for rare die marriages. Cherry picking has added lots of excitement and $thousands of value to my collection.
My first two months of cherry picking overdates -
My Weaknesses: My strengths can also be my weaknesses. Taking foolish risks with raw coins can produce disappointing results, particularly when purchasing coins from *sshole dealers.
This coin has problems, but the Trueview makes it look downright toxic. LOL!
Another weakness is losing self-control when I encounter something rare, regardless of how ugly it is. Also settling for lower grade coins to fill holes. That's fine for a Dansco, but not if you're building a registry-quality set. However, that's part of the collector's evolution in the hobby.
1840-O WB-6 (R6) - at least it was cheap and current silver prices save me here.
Finally, my isolation from the hobby by not attending shows or joining coin clubs for three decades hurt my growth as a collector and robbed me of interaction and fun with a great group of people. That was hammered home to me when I attended the FUN show in 2019 and got to meet several board members here. Many of my mistakes could have been avoided with more time spent with other collectors. If one is new to collecting, get out to shows, show your coins and talk to dealers and other collectors.
Greatest strength: Don't know.
Greatest weakness: Don't care.
So you do care about your greatest strength - you just don’t happen to know what it is. 😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Strength-My attention to detail and ability to handle finances well. I also have perseverance. I tend to finish what I start.
Weakness-Sometimes, I lack patience and I’m too spontaneous.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Strength - My eagerness to buy cool coins, even when I don’t really know what I’m doing, has made me a better and more broadly knowledgeable numismatist.
Weakness - I’m too quick to buy cool coins, even when I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Strengths: ability/patience to recognize and pursue coins with outstanding eye appeal
Weakness: sometimes too cautious on purchasing big coins and slow to sell coins I’ve upgraded.
S: OCD
W: OCD and too much gamble in me.
Knowledge of what is truly rare as a numismatic item, and NOT what is “ conditionally rare “
This is why I've never become a dealer. It is no longer fun then.
Strength-waiting for the "right coin" I never bought a lower grade coin to be replaced later-never saw much sense in that approach. Some of my sets took a very long time to finish.
Weakness-concentration to diversly-collecting too many lower price world coins (non-silver)-keeping all the dredge from collections that i bought over the years.