Collectors, what, if anything, have you learned on the forums that has made you a better collector?

SanctionII · March 3, 2009 7:11AM

Enlighten us please.

tahoe98 · March 3, 2009 7:16AM

.........i learned to be more cautious than i used to be.

TwoSides2aCoin · March 3, 2009 7:18AM

I've learned how to edit my posts.

edix2001 · March 3, 2009 8:07AM

Certainly all the photos of coins and medals is educational in terms of grading and the diversity of material.
Fun, fun, fun!

DNADave · March 3, 2009 8:11AM

Collect what I like.

BECOKA · March 3, 2009 8:12AM

I have learned I should be patient but it's a hard practice to follow.

I have learned that you should look at many examples of a coin in a given grade range before deciding to make a purchase.

I have learned that its more difficult to lose money on coins with strong original eye appeal.

I have learned that cleaning is bad.

I have learned that dipping is industry accepted but frowned upon on these forums.

I have learned many things

Rollerman · March 3, 2009 8:21AM

I've learned lots of little things, VAM's and various die deviations. I've also seen a ton of coins in various grades that have enhanced my ability to grade. I have also learned the answer to a number of questions I have asked of the forum. It's a great place to be in my opionion.
Pete

rgCoinGuy · March 3, 2009 8:47AM

<< <i>I have learned I should be patient but it's a hard practice to follow.

I have learned that you should look at many examples of a coin in a given grade range before deciding to make a purchase.

I have learned that its more difficult to lose money on coins with strong original eye appeal.

I have learned that cleaning is bad.

I have learned that dipping is industry accepted but frowned upon on these forums.

I have learned many things

>>

I would agree with all of these, and add that I have learned to image coins like I never would have without this forum.

I have also learned that all types collect coins.

Finally, I have learned that I am really still in the beginning stage of being a coin collector, and have much more to learn.

291fifth · March 3, 2009 8:56AM

I have gotten much better at detecting various types of cleaning and surface alteration.

fc · March 3, 2009 9:01AM

<< <i>I have gotten much better at detecting various types of cleaning and surface alteration. >>

cept lasering.. i have yet to see a coin that has been confirmed to
be lasered and compared with a known good one.

why is that?

otherwise i agree with you. that and grading tips.

anablep · March 3, 2009 9:14AM

I have learned not to take everything I read here seriously, but I have also learned that there is much good advice to be found.

I have learned to accept that I should only purchase coins within my budget and not spend money meant for necessities on a hobby.

I have learned to be a better collector and how to identify coins that are not market acceptable due to cleaning, etc.

I have learned to appreciate what others collect.

Musky1011 · March 3, 2009 9:16AM

Wait for the right "LOOK" in the coin you want

No upgrading that way

FilthyBroke · March 3, 2009 9:18AM

I've learned that Yap money is best left buried if it's in someone else's yard.

LotsoLuck · March 3, 2009 9:22AM

Outside of my stack-o-books, almost everything I have learned is from this board. No wait, I am a expert on rolls of sliders, only because I bought so many before I finally said what a bunch of junk!

Fairlaneman · March 3, 2009 9:24AM

To listen, observe, remember and talk only when the subject is known.

Ken

InternetJunky · March 3, 2009 10:24AM

I have learned I really don't know nearly as much as I thought I did about coins

...which is why I'm here, I learn something new everyday reading posts. Free education and support from people out there doing the same thing. Whether its for a hobby for some or a business for others. Doesn't get any better

itsnotjustme · March 3, 2009 10:28AM

Friends in the Hobby
Grading Skills
Market Factors
TPG Reputations
Choice Mint Releases
Type Collecting
Knowledge of Errors
Knowledge of Varieties
Knowledge of Scams
Dipping skills (such as for hazed silver proofs)
Spotting Problem Coins

SUMORADA · March 3, 2009 11:06AM

Great Question...

Just this week I finally decided to submit several coins to pcgs ( about 50 or so ) that I have accumulated raw in the past year or so, ( no, not smoothie's ) with the help of many folks on these boards I think I have greatly improved my grading skills and in a lot of cases (I won't mention my screw ups) my judgement.

I will be posting grades as they come in over the next several weeks, so if there "not up to par" it's all your fault, if they turn out OK then it is obviously due to my keen eye and so on...

As always I am very appreciative of the great folks here sharing there knowledge on a daily basis with folks like myself so unselfishly......

Bochiman · March 3, 2009 11:13AM

I learned that many people whine about ebay bidders...and ebay sellers.
I learned that people that flip coins get angry when other people call them out on their selfishness.
I learned that "true" collectors don't collect moderns and look down on those that do.
I learned that people shouldn't cherrypick or rip a dealer.
I learned that, if someone posts a thread with a problem, and you don't vehemently agree with them and say how smart they are, they will attack you.
I learned that "wanna-be" dealers like to tout themselves every chance they can while real dealers let their actions speak for them.

Oh.....sorry.....I thought you said bitter......my bad

EvilEmpire · March 3, 2009 11:14AM

The main thing (not the MAIN thing, but the most important thing, I guess...hey, remember, i thought it was STONER Tuesday) that made me feel like I learned something valuable, that made me realize I actually learned something, that made me feel like I accomplished something for the betterment of my collection (both, $$ appreciation, as well as a greater appreciation for what I have in my collection) was to FOCUS and not ACCUMULATE. When I first started lurking, prior to my signing up (I did lurk for a couple years to be honest), I read a thread on the topic. I immediately got a bad feeling, went to my safe and pulled out box after box (PCGS and NGC boxes) that held my 'collection'. Not counting the completed sets I had (and there were 5 sets, though two were only theoretically complete... they were Lincolns ('59-present) and Kennedys, so obviously they were open ended, due to their still being minted (both sets being sold before I caught wind of this Lincoln thing, with the new reverse designs...if I had waited a couple more years, I only would have needed 6 more coins). Besides the Lincs and Kennedys, I had my 2 son's birth year sets (moderns), and an SBA set (all of which I still own, and the birth sets [both #1's] are gonna fit nicely in those 25-slot aluminum boxes that someone turned the boards on to [I picked up 2 boxes and they should be here tomorrow...I'll post about them after I get them], with the dupes I have for each set.).

After those 5 sets, I looked at what I had, and yep, sure enough, I learned that I had become more of an accumulator than a collector, which pained me greatly. Within a month, I had restructured my goals, and made a plan. I sold off all the coins that I realized I didn't really get into, as well as my Lincolns and Kennedys. They were both top 10 sets with a number of top pops, so I did rather well (actually, better than 'rather well') when I sold them. I wound up losing $$ on the part of my collection that was 'directionless'...fortunately I didn't lose alot, and with the gains I made from the Lincolns and Kennedy's, I still did well. IF I was more focused, perhaps I'd still have both of those sets, and would have upgraded the MS65's that were 'hole fillers', and ultimately would have been able to do ALOT better when selling time rolled around. A lesson well learned, as now I can look at my collection, appreciate it, and see a definite direction (instead of the clusterf**k I used to have). That direction/focus has saved me money in the long run, even though I have added coins that I previously would have NEVER thought about buying due to high cost. By NOT buying things on whims, by realizing I CAN wait without feeling I missed out on something, I realized I had more disposable $$ to spend on/for upgrades. I do still pick up odd coins that don't fit my 'focus area', but only when they are going for WAY less than they should, or if I feel they are upgrade material...case in point, a 1909-D Barber quarter, in an NGC holder graded MS61, paid less than $100, and if this coin doesn't upgrade to a 63, I'll crack it out and eat it...it's that undergraded...it looks nicer than most MS63's that I have used to compare it to (ALL the major TPG's, not just NGC)...it looks better than alot of PCGS 63's I have seen (basically, if I think I can get a rip, I'll veer off-course just slightly).

If it weren't for that thread/post, perhaps I would have gotten my shyte together on my own and realized I had more of an accumulation than a collection, perhaps I wouldn't have (I really don't think I would have, to be honest).....but, bottom line is, due to that thread so many moons ago, I saved myself a good chunk of money, and thusly, had more $$ to spend). That in itself is THE best lesson I have learned here. Also, where it CAN be easy to lose focus, I find myself thinking longer before I do buy something if it iosn't in my general area of focus (unless it's gold/silver bullion or 90% junk silver). I apologize for what may be rambling, but when the question was posted, it really hit me that I DID learn a VALUABLE lesson. If each lesson I learn from these boards/other members can have even half the positive impact on my collection (and more importantly, the way I look at my collection) that ONE lesson taught me, then I guess you guys/gals DO have some smarts, and that by sharing what may seem mundane to some, it can certainly make SOME of us better collectors...for that, I thank everyone here.

OnlyGoldIsMoney · March 3, 2009 11:15AM

I've learned the value of of listening and posting only when I have something useful to add - which is sparingly.

robkool · March 3, 2009 11:17AM

Grading... As well as cleaned vs. original. Natually toned coins vs. AT...

dogwood · March 3, 2009 11:18AM

I've learned from others opinions about the scarcity and desirability of certain dates/mm in the two series I collect above and beyond what the price guides and my own experience tells me. This is valuable information when collecting.

RedTiger · March 3, 2009 12:46PM

During my time on the forum:
I have become less accepting of problem coins.
I have greater respect for the PCGS franchise and less respect for some of the other companies.
I have learned to take better photographs. They are still mediocre, but they used to be horrible.
I have learned there are a lot of rich collectors that don't know much, and a few collectors of small means that know a ton.
I have learned that I am a very small fish in the pond of numismatics.
I have learned that counterfeits coins and fake slabs are getting scary good and being produced in large numbers.

Things I have learned elsewhere that coincide with my time on the forum:
No one wins an argument on the Internet.
Most of the folks here, will never meet me, never be my friend and never care about me, so why should I care what they think?
Humor is our best friend, temper our worst enemy.
I have learned not to take myself so seriously.
Life is too short to waste energy on petty disputes arguing with people that aren't my friends that I don't care about.
I have something to learn from almost everyone, even if I think that person is full of sh*t, or if they are the newest newbie.

BillyKingsley · March 3, 2009 12:51PM

I have learned....well, practically everything I know about coins, at least in an indirect way.

Examples:
I bought a Red Book because it was highly recommended on this forum (I read it in one day, in it's entirety, and most sections several more times
I learned how to spot a cleaned coin, and the different kinds of cleaning, IE, whizzed, dipped, etc
I learned that paper money is not printed every year like coins are
I learned what an OPA point was (after I got one in a mixed lot of world coins)
I learned when silver was removed from coinage

And so much more. When I joined this forum I had been in the hobby for less then a month, and knew nothing!

DieClash · March 3, 2009 1:07PM

Interestingly, in spite of 4 years of the board-wisdom (2 years lurking and 2 participating more or less), I find that I still collect the same stuff. I collect everything and in some cases I'm a hoarder and not a collector. The wisdom garnished here still hasn't altered that trait. Besides, I like all coins, mostly domestic but I go over to the darkside occasionally and I have some exonumia in my collection too. I like pluggin' holes in albums and folders with coins, both circulated and mint state; and I think modern U.S. Mint bullion discs are "coins".

In spite of what I've learned here, I still "collect" pretty much the same as I always have.

I've learned to appreciate toning on coins and to not dismiss all toned coins as "ugly" (it's an acquired taste, believe me)
I've learned that much of my collection is altered, cleaned, or otherwise messed with "crap" or modern "widgets"
I've learned that what I paid the U.S. Mint for coins twenty-five years ago is worth about the same today as I paid the mint (whatever happend to "today's mint products are tomorrow's classics"?)
I've learned to appreciate all aspects of this hobby (here we have classics lovers, modern clad afficionados, plastic-entombed coin worshipers, flippers, eBayers, trolls, OF refugees and various CoinForum poster addicts - you know who you are- among others).

But overall, I've found that I've learned more indirectly from following up and researching the hobby from the suggestions provided here than I have actually learned directly. And that's attributed to the caliber of posters here. Buy the book before buying the coin is still probably the best advice a hobbyist could follow.

Edited for grammar

Unknown · March 3, 2009 1:12PM

This content has been removed.

Barndog · March 3, 2009 1:17PM

- the Ohaus Cent-O-Gram scale is awesome
- the book "The Art and Craft of Coinmaking" by Denis Cooper is a must-own
- Chapter 9 of the George Escol Sellers book "Early Engineering Reminiscences" is another great literary piece on coinmaking, making the book also a must-own
- Russ is the guy to contact if you want to sell on ebay but are too lazy to do a good job at it yourself
- a quality loupe is vital to assembly of a quality collection

probably some more stuff, but that's enough for now.

Barndog · March 3, 2009 1:18PM

oh, another one: Mark Goodman is the best choice for photography of 1.35 gram silver alloy discs.

MarkInDavis · March 3, 2009 1:27PM

The number one thing I have learned is patience. There are a lot of coins out there, and but for a few exceptions at the high end, there will be another opportunity soon. I never look at a coin as though this is a once in a lifetime chance to get a coin like this. Of course, I collect what most here would refer to as widgets. Be a choosy buyer and don't fret the ones you pass up.

SmallEagle · March 3, 2009 2:02PM

By paying a small fee to a top expert in your area, you can eliminate most dramatic errors and gain access to the best coins on the planet.

TwoSides2aCoin · March 3, 2009 2:48PM

I'm not sure I've become a better collector. I've learned to be less of a hoarder.

OKbustchaser · March 3, 2009 10:29PM

2 very important things.

1. That it is NEVER MY FAULT!!! That evil scum sucking dealer (ESSD) FORCED me to overpay for crap that I didn't know anything about--or care to find anything out about.

2. This is a corollary of the first. It is A GREAT THING if you rip off a ESSD by buying what you know to be a 1000 dollar coin for 10 dollars because that ESSD is too busy earning a living to learn the diagnostics of every single coin ever minted. Of course, if that same ESSD used his knowledge to buy that same coin from you (because you were too lazy to learn something about the coins you own) then he should be tarred, feathered, and run out of the industry.

IGWT · March 3, 2009 10:35PM

Things are not always as they seem.

Mesquite · March 4, 2009 12:20AM

I've learned how to improve in my photographing of coins, and that any thread authored by LeeG, mgoom, Tom, Pharmer (RIP), coinguy1 (RIP) and a host of others is usually worth opening and responding to. I've also learned, just in this thread, that IGWT is paranoid.

dorkkarl · March 4, 2009 6:23AM

<< <i>Collectors, what, if anything, have you learned on the forums that has made you a better collector? >>

paranoia runs rampant

K S

tmcsr69 · March 4, 2009 6:28AM

I learned the best way to use shill bids.

PerryHall · March 4, 2009 6:35AM

I learned that only PCGS can properly grade coins and that all other grading services suck. Also, I learned that Koolaid can be addictive and can cloud one's good judgement.

Collectors, what, if anything, have you learned on the forums that has made you a better collector?

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