Personally I avoided all non-circulation coins for a while (when I first started more serious collecting), i.e. proofs, Maundy, patterns, etc,, because at the time I kinda thought well if they haven't even been designed for circulation, there's not much difference between these and modern tat churned out by the RM, Westminster, et al. Plus, if no-one has ever even handled these coins, that diminishes their sense of history (social and otherwise). Perhaps my appreciation for numismatic items in general has expanded, since a do now possess some of each ... partly because avoiding such uncirculated items would deny me of appreciating some true works of art in at their very best Do others feel the same?