how you decide the theme you are interested in, what period?

[petitioncrown 4]

Hi All

As 2012 enters I look think back over 2011 and the people I met the collections I have browsed. What an interesting year. I was shown several collections, what a great year and what was more important to me was to understand how each individual is developing his collection. What coins are special to each collector? How there seems to be no ending to the need to study what we would have thought would be well recorded information. Well it is money and money has always been look after and one would have thought well recoded.

I am interested how you decide the theme you are interested in, what period? Do they have interest to change or just develop and expand your existing collections?

At the end of the year I was fortunate to acquire an EADGAR Halfpenny .53g, why because I had not seen such domination. I would also like the Henry III double penny. I am a creature of wanting the unusual. The other unusual coin was the date dated 1513 Henry VIII Tournai Groat, not because it was a Tournai but the first dated British coin.

The British series is wonderful; it has so many options, varieties that we will never bore

Wishing you all a happy new healthy & numismatic year

Jeff

petitioncrown.com

[Gary D 76]

I started collecting in circa 1965 and as I was still at school and of limited funds I collected from change, a paper round wouldn't stretch to buying proper coins.

What shaped my collection, I'm a date run collector and at the time a range of padded folders were available that ran from 1837 to 1967 with a card with holes for each denomination for each year. I stopped collecing at around the year 2000 with all the decimal year sets to that date. About 5-6 years ago I dug my collection out of the back of the wardrobe and got the bug again but as I had not really made any roadways into the Victorian era, just a bit of copper I desided to focus my collection into the range 1900-1967 and add the Maindy series, I have never been into gold so just collect farthing to crown. Currently I'm concentrating on the Maundy series and have less than 20 coins to go, I no longer need any full sets just oddment some of which are proving a bit elusive, on ocassion I have resorted to buying a full set to fill a gap and re-spin the odds onto ebay.

I am also heavily into varieties to try and keep the collection alive plus a few upgrades where EF to UNC is not too big a jump. I suspect once the Maundys are complete I will slow down and possibly put the collection back into the wardrobe, figuratively speaking.

[declanwmagee 122]

I am also heavily into varieties to try and keep the collection alive

That's the nail hit squarely on the head there, Gary.

That's why microvarieties do it for me - they keep the collection alive. Elizabeth II wouold have been complete, done and dusted, years ago if it wasn't for Messrs Freeman, Davies, Gouby and Groom, and a complete collection is a dead collection in my view.

Every time I find out about a new variety, it revitalises an area that was dormant. Yes, you can always find a better UNC, but I don't want to be constantly buying identical coins to try and get a tiny upgrade. Like it or not, the two kinds of 59 1/- Sc are not identical coins.

[Rob 3,160]

Hi All

As 2012 enters I look think back over 2011 and the people I met the collections I have browsed. What an interesting year. I was shown several collections, what a great year and what was more important to me was to understand how each individual is developing his collection. What coins are special to each collector? How there seems to be no ending to the need to study what we would have thought would be well recorded information. Well it is money and money has always been look after and one would have thought well recoded.

I am interested how you decide the theme you are interested in, what period? Do they have interest to change or just develop and expand your existing collections?

At the end of the year I was fortunate to acquire an EADGAR Halfpenny .53g, why because I had not seen such domination. I would also like the Henry III double penny. I am a creature of wanting the unusual. The other unusual coin was the date dated 1513 Henry VIII Tournai Groat, not because it was a Tournai but the first dated British coin.

The British series is wonderful; it has so many options, varieties that we will never bore

Wishing you all a happy new healthy & numismatic year

Jeff

petitioncrown.com

First of all, a Happy New Year to you and all the collecting fraternity.

Formalities over, I too have had an interesting year viewing collections and seeing the various angles taken by collectors when deciding what to go for. Many seem to be restricting themselves to denominations, or a period within that. Ever the contrarian, I decided to migrate away from the denomination scene a few years ago when I found it increasingly difficult to acquire good examples to fill the gaps in the collection, of which there were many. I also found the ranks of similarly lustred halfpennies in particular a bit too consistent to provide continuing eye appeal. As a whole they were very nice to look at, but constituted a complete unit rather than a collection of many pieces, each with their own attractive features. This is one reason why I decided to refocus the collection, though couldn't bear to part with the George III patterns which were in a variety of metals and by extension, richly and variably toned with much resulting eye-appeal. The shillings were more varied due to the toning properties of silver which provided eye-appeal, but still had the uniformity of size.

Without the constraints of a theme, the world is your oyster and so now the collection can have pieces ranging from a fraction of a centimeter across to a couple of inches, which in addition can sit next to each other in the trays. A point made to me by a discerning collector who accumulates rather than acquiring pieces based on a theme said this provides much more interest because you see each coin as an individual object in isolation rather than a small component of the whole - something I hadn't previously considered, but with which I wholeheartedly concur. You buy coins individually, yet end up looking at them as just one small piece in a tray of many.

As I am attempting to build a collection encompassing the whole of British coinage with no constraints on diversity but at the same time trying to avoid duplication, you could argue that this is the 'theme'. I hope this will negate the feeling of despair when it seems impossible to add to the collection because this shouldn't happen when there are few or no constraints. I know of several collectors who stopped because they had effectively completed the task in hand or were unable to add to the collection. At this point you have to make a decision and for some it means the end because the individual's enthusiasm is tested to destruction. I don't want to go there.

[Peckris 579]

Happy Noo Year!

I too started as a schoolkid in the 60s, after I saw a weird copper coin in a junk shop for 6d - it was dated 1672 and had the legend CAROLVS A CAROLO. It was a while before I - a Latin scholar no less! - sussed that it signified 'Charles son of Charles', i.e. Charles II. By the way, I only just thought of this, but is that the only occurrence in UK coins of a monarch mentioning his/her parent monarch on coins? From there I was hooked and tried to get one of every date of penny. It was ages before I managed to work out that the big gap between 1922 and 1927 had a reason. My first 1926 was an ME - but again, it was a year before I realised that's what it was. I bought a few coins haphazardly (farthings, 1887 shilling, 1919KN), and looked through hundreds and hundreds of bank bags. Eventually I "grew up", went to university and put my collection to bed for a few years.

Since then I've reactivated my interest several times. Penny and halfcrown runs (1860 to 1967, 1911 to 1967 respectively) and good examples of other denominations and series. Then I turned to type collecting as date runs seemed limited - just rows of identical looking coins, and every lower grade example nagging away "upgrade me". When I became a small-time dealer in the mid-1990s, one lot of ancient coins came up at auction, which stimulated a minor interest in Roman and Greek. And various other lots including early milled coins, and always the feeling of "keep the better things for yourself". My type collection is far from complete - there are early milled silver types which I know will take more years than I have, to complete.

I buy very little these days. Mobility is a problem, plus the fact that there are few to no dealers in the SW. That stops me spending my money quite effectively! Plus I have many other interests in addition to coins. I love my collection though, even though it's not complete.

[Generic Lad 25]

I've just settled to coins that I like. I'm sure that eventually I'll come up with something that I wish to pursue a complete set, but at the moment I'm just picking up examples of interesting coins at affordable prices. At the moment I've been trying to build up a good collection of bullion at face value (just yesterday I managed to pick up 25 40% silver Kennedy Half Dollars at 50 cents a piece, each with a melt value of ~$4 or so) but I can't say that I really collect American coins. If I can find a dealer that stocks them, I'd like to fill folder with bun (half)pennies or something but I haven't found a US dealer that keeps them in stock beyond a curiosity. I also want to get more into Greek and Roman issues and eventually buy a drachm similar to this one from Lucania:

Though that is a distant goal and most likely will not be accomplished this year.

I've also wanted to get better at reading medieval coins (I really need to get a better loupe!) I can make out what my Edward I penny says, but my Henry III penny is still mostly a mystery to me.

[Gollum 2]

Hmm, I guess, if I have too, that if what Rob is saying I think he is, that I am like him, a Magpie, anything and everything at present, it's interesting and fun, and I never know what I am going to get ( hang on a minute petes about with the Brasso again...... No peter I dont mean that kind of shiny arghhhh), right where was I, Oh yes, I prefer sixpences and both types of threepences, probably because of their sizes and that they are easy to hide from my kids, as well as memories when a child, I also like half pennies and shillings for the same reason. Crowns are a much newer thing, i don't know why.

My ony worry is that as I get a more worthy collection and expensive wht my children will do with it when I kick the bucket, will my collection be thrown on ebay for peanuts, thrown in the bin, or what. To think that a labour of love would end up that way is kind of hurtfull. As is those gnorant and greedy relatives you never see finding out and wanting their cut !.

For now though i will just keep collecting whatever I can get my hands on, its all fun and the variety is like a harem and a kazbar.

[Rob 3,160]

Hmm, I guess, if I have too, that if what Rob is saying I think he is, that I am like him, a Magpie, anything and everything at present, it's interesting and fun, and I never know what I am going to get ( hang on a minute petes about with the Brasso again...... No peter I dont mean that kind of shiny arghhhh), right where was I, Oh yes, I prefer sixpences and both types of threepences, probably because of their sizes and that they are easy to hide from my kids, as well as memories when a child, I also like half pennies and shillings for the same reason. Crowns are a much newer thing, i don't know why.

My ony worry is that as I get a more worthy collection and expensive wht my children will do with it when I kick the bucket, will my collection be thrown on ebay for peanuts, thrown in the bin, or what. To think that a labour of love would end up that way is kind of hurtfull. As is those gnorant and greedy relatives you never see finding out and wanting their cut !.

For now though i will just keep collecting whatever I can get my hands on, its all fun and the variety is like a harem and a kazbar.

Not anything and everything. I am in truth a fairly selective magpie.

As for worrying what is going to happen in the future, don't worry until the situation arises. All our collections are special to each of us, but very few will be first class and worthy of note. Those that have them will be aware of this and most will somewhere along the way have communicated the value to close relatives. Obviously, if you are collecting surreptitiously without the wife or family knowing, you are storing up a potential problem for the future, but if you share your enthusiasm with family members then they will grow to appreciate the collection too. I'm not saying they have to wholeheartedly embrace collecting, but forewarned is forearmed. I suppose I am saying, don't be the avaricious and secretive Gollum and be a bit more like the philanthropic members of past and present society - sharing your wealth by passing on the knowledge of what is in a decent collection will set them in good stead for the future and not result in throwing value away.

[coin watch 1]

As I am attempting to build a collection encompassing the whole of British coinage with no constraints on diversity but at the same time trying to avoid duplication, you could argue that this is the 'theme'. I hope this will negate the feeling of despair when it seems impossible to add to the collection because this shouldn't happen when there are few or no constraints. I know of several collectors who stopped because they had effectively completed the task in hand or were unable to add to the collection. At this point you have to make a decision and for some it means the end because the individual's enthusiasm is tested to destruction. I don't want to go there.

So true. For me it's been the traditional journey of firstly collecting English coins in general then after several transitions finally settling with the Tower mint of Charles 1st. I suppose because of my interest in that period with the civil war coupled with the evident influence of the times in the coin quality production, which for me makes some of those poorly produced coins acceptable to me were others would struggle to accept. But now for a number of reasons my collecting area is so narrow now which is ok as it makes research easier but I have noticed sometimes my enthusiasm being tested without regular additions.

I tend to find now that knowing as much as I can about my chosen area rather than just collecting is what keeps me interested. But then whatever 'wets your whistle' I suppose!

Happy new year coin people

[Rob 3,160]

I've just settled to coins that I like. I'm sure that eventually I'll come up with something that I wish to pursue a complete set, but at the moment I'm just picking up examples of interesting coins at affordable prices. At the moment I've been trying to build up a good collection of bullion at face value (just yesterday I managed to pick up 25 40% silver Kennedy Half Dollars at 50 cents a piece, each with a melt value of ~$4 or so) but I can't say that I really collect American coins. If I can find a dealer that stocks them, I'd like to fill folder with bun (half)pennies or something but I haven't found a US dealer that keeps them in stock beyond a curiosity. I also want to get more into Greek and Roman issues and eventually buy a drachm similar to this one from Lucania:

Though that is a distant goal and most likely will not be accomplished this year.

I've also wanted to get better at reading medieval coins (I really need to get a better loupe!) I can make out what my Edward I penny says, but my Henry III penny is still mostly a mystery to me.

Look in the local sellers' inventories if you want to buy non-US pieces. First of all the quality is likely to be better than on home turf and the quantities are also going to be greater. Very few items are found worldwide on auction sites, though the US is better served than most in this respect being the melting pot that it is. The lower grade material inevitably gravitates to ebay because most people don't have things that are worth considering for conventional auctions. At least in the US you are able to get mint state or thereabouts British coins with several sales coming up in the next week containing a good amount of qualtiy material. Greek and Roman are similarly widely traded, but beyond this you will need to look in the countries of origin. The US being geared towards slabbed coin sales means that only the higher grade pieces pass through the saleroom there. European countries have a reasonably diverse selection of material and you could do worse than explore this avenue. For most dealers, foreign coins tend to be a by-product of their own national currency which is what pays the bills. There are a few dealers in the US specialising in British material such as Allan Davisson in MN, but he tends to specialise in upmarket pieces which may be beyond your pocket. There are plenty of people on this site who would be able to offer British material if you were interested.

[petitioncrown 4]

To the point and correct, thanks

jeff

Hmm, I guess, if I have too, that if what Rob is saying I think he is, that I am like him, a Magpie, anything and everything at present, it's interesting and fun, and I never know what I am going to get ( hang on a minute petes about with the Brasso again...... No peter I dont mean that kind of shiny arghhhh), right where was I, Oh yes, I prefer sixpences and both types of threepences, probably because of their sizes and that they are easy to hide from my kids, as well as memories when a child, I also like half pennies and shillings for the same reason. Crowns are a much newer thing, i don't know why.

My ony worry is that as I get a more worthy collection and expensive wht my children will do with it when I kick the bucket, will my collection be thrown on ebay for peanuts, thrown in the bin, or what. To think that a labour of love would end up that way is kind of hurtfull. As is those gnorant and greedy relatives you never see finding out and wanting their cut !.

For now though i will just keep collecting whatever I can get my hands on, its all fun and the variety is like a harem and a kazbar.

Not anything and everything. I am in truth a fairly selective magpie.

As for worrying what is going to happen in the future, don't worry until the situation arises. All our collections are special to each of us, but very few will be first class and worthy of note. Those that have them will be aware of this and most will somewhere along the way have communicated the value to close relatives. Obviously, if you are collecting surreptitiously without the wife or family knowing, you are storing up a potential problem for the future, but if you share your enthusiasm with family members then they will grow to appreciate the collection too. I'm not saying they have to wholeheartedly embrace collecting, but forewarned is forearmed. I suppose I am saying, don't be the avaricious and secretive Gollum and be a bit more like the philanthropic members of past and present society - sharing your wealth by passing on the knowledge of what is in a decent collection will set them in good stead for the future and not result in throwing value away.

[TomGoodheart 403]

I think Rob is just collecting in a way that, for many, has become unfashionable. In the earlier days people would collect whatever took their fancy. Only more recently did specialisation become the norm, firstly as people found types of coins they preferred and secondly (as in my case) because of budget constraints.

If I had infinite (or more!) resources, I'd perhaps collect more broadly. But my collection is determined by my budget and preferences; having started with shillings I realised that milled coins after about 1700 just don't interest me. I like the quirkiness and variability of hammered coins. I'd happily return to earlier reigns (though I like the size of shillings so would primarily stick with those) and might expand to Scottish, Irish and European coins of a similar value to the shilling. But I sold what I had, plus the provincial issues, because I realised that to have a reasonably representative collection my pocket could only stretch to Tower issue shillings.

With over thirty portraits, some twenty reverse types and some two dozen mint marks there's a good deal of scope. And of course, helpfully there are at least two comprehensive publications dealing with the issue and cataloguing the varieties; a very helpful point unless you are the sort that likes nothing better than trying to classify an entire issue of coins yourself. Which requires some very helpful coin collecting contacts and/or sufficient funds to buy coins to study at will!

I still have many gaps in varieties to fill, a couple of types that it would be interesting to find, or see if they even exist, and I could always squeeze patterns/fine work coins and oddities such as the Tower/Briot die mules in if ever I had the funds to expand further.

But as it is, I am slowly learning to bide my time. I'm hoping to upgrade a few coins which, unlike the VF+ to EF dilemma of milled collectors will result in my acquiring a coin of a different character, albeit of the same variety. And given the scarcity of some coins, that will take quite a while.

In the meantime, like coinwatch, there's always scope for learning, for searching and for re-examining the coins I have for strengths and weaknesses as I get a better idea of what grades are available to collectors.

Edited January 1, 2012 by TomGoodheart

[Accumulator 52]

I have to admit being something of a 'completist', which is borne out in my approach to coin collecting. As a boy in the late 60s & early 70s I looked for one of each date of each denomination and stored them away in an album. I remember the elation of finding H's, KN's or bun heads in my change, even if they were in poor condition and even 40 years later worthless. Luckily I had an uncle who collected and gave me a few choice coins when I visited him (1925 and 1930 half crowns amongst many, for example). Many years later I built up a small collection of vintage arcade amusement machines which I used to press into use at my daughter's school fayres. To operate these I bought thousands more pennies and halfpennies at rockbottom prices.

In recent years I returned to my coins and particularly the pennies, sorting through tons of them for the elusive Freeman numbers which I wasn't aware of years ago. I've also been upgrading any lesser examples with the aim to complete the run, with varieties, from 1797 with as many UNC specimens as possible.

I also have a yearning to go further back in history but haven't quite decided which way to go, though it will almost certainly be silver. If time allows I may make a start on this in the coming year.

[Colin G. 147]

I don't think I have the patience to focus on a specific period at a time, so farthings as a denomination are ideal for me because a majority are within my budget range and therefore this satisfies my urges for multiple frequent purchases, with room for constant upgrade.

Whilst specific periods have been studied there is still a lot more room for further study which allows me to satisfy my numismatic side.

The denomination covers such a wide period in time that I get to dabble in silver hammered, the copper James & Charles tokens and the milled coinage.

With a scatter gun approach I don't feel I would be satisfied because I would not get to "master" a specific denomination, it just does not appeal to me. Sure there are times when I see something outside my field of collecting which appeals but that resistance is part of the fun

I get to see my collection bloom over a period of time, and I know it is definitely an endless goal, so I will never achieve a point where I fell I have to stop. I know my views may vhange with time, but I still get all of the buzz I need from those little farthings

[Generic Lad 25]

I've just settled to coins that I like. I'm sure that eventually I'll come up with something that I wish to pursue a complete set, but at the moment I'm just picking up examples of interesting coins at affordable prices. At the moment I've been trying to build up a good collection of bullion at face value (just yesterday I managed to pick up 25 40% silver Kennedy Half Dollars at 50 cents a piece, each with a melt value of ~$4 or so) but I can't say that I really collect American coins. If I can find a dealer that stocks them, I'd like to fill folder with bun (half)pennies or something but I haven't found a US dealer that keeps them in stock beyond a curiosity. I also want to get more into Greek and Roman issues and eventually buy a drachm similar to this one from Lucania:

Though that is a distant goal and most likely will not be accomplished this year.

I've also wanted to get better at reading medieval coins (I really need to get a better loupe!) I can make out what my Edward I penny says, but my Henry III penny is still mostly a mystery to me.

Look in the local sellers' inventories if you want to buy non-US pieces. First of all the quality is likely to be better than on home turf and the quantities are also going to be greater. Very few items are found worldwide on auction sites, though the US is better served than most in this respect being the melting pot that it is. The lower grade material inevitably gravitates to ebay because most people don't have things that are worth considering for conventional auctions. At least in the US you are able to get mint state or thereabouts British coins with several sales coming up in the next week containing a good amount of qualtiy material. Greek and Roman are similarly widely traded, but beyond this you will need to look in the countries of origin. The US being geared towards slabbed coin sales means that only the higher grade pieces pass through the saleroom there. European countries have a reasonably diverse selection of material and you could do worse than explore this avenue. For most dealers, foreign coins tend to be a by-product of their own national currency which is what pays the bills. There are a few dealers in the US specialising in British material such as Allan Davisson in MN, but he tends to specialise in upmarket pieces which may be beyond your pocket. There are plenty of people on this site who would be able to offer British material if you were interested.

Yes, I've been looking at several British sites, however I'm waiting for my current statement from my bank to make sure that there aren't any hidden fees with currency conversion, then I will buy higher grade pieces. The worst part is shipping, especially to fill my Bun Penny album, I'm going to completion at the moment for date and major varieties and less for uncirculated quality.

The biggest issue with the auctions is the price which has kept me away. Unless I know I'm going to get a good deal, am buying a bullion piece or a piece I really, really want for my collection, I'm not going to spend more than $100 on a coin (at least at this time).

However, once I graduate and start making some money, I'll move on to the nice auction pieces.

[Gollum 2]

I have a brother in the states ( I feel sorry for him ! ) and have considered collecting American coins, mainly because he can get all those silver coins for nothing or less than I would pay, but do we have to pay taxes on them ?, what would be the outcome if a packet was opened by customs here, would we be in the mire or clobbered for tax ?.

[Sylvester 15]

I've been collecting coins on and off and off and on for about 20 years and I think i've finally come to a realisation in the last few years.

I've tried quite a few areas (always in series rather that concurring); modern shillings, early modern sixpences, brass threepences, specific year sets (1837, 1887, 1912 etc.), Norman pennies, Anglo-Saxon pennies, Roman denarii, Henry VI Annulet Issue denomination set, Tudor mugshot gallery, half guineas, half sovereigns, Washington Quarters, Edward I pennies. etc. The list goes on. Generally what happens is I get going on one collection focus, make some decent progress then feel overwhelmed by too many varieties and types and I get disheartened because I can't complete it quickly (I'm a right here, right now kind of guy, not patient in the slightest) then I get distracted by a new series end up selling all my previous purchases and move to another area, and repeat, losing lots of money along the way.

In the end I find specialising less of a reward and more of a straightjacket, a complete inspiration killer. In all 20 years I've never managed to complete a set (date run or type set), even when one set was only a run of six coins I only managed three of them! Admittedly Anglo-Saxon were too expensive for me anyway and didn't turn up often enough to keep me interested.

So I made a decision in around 2004 to give up all pretense of a set (with the one exception of US Standing Liberty Quarters P-Mint date run because they pretty coins) and now I simply buy coins on eye appeal, if I like the look of it I'll buy it and I don't care if it fits or makes sense in a greater scheme, because my collection, what little there is left after various trades and sales, is now completely haphazard and random.

And you know what I feel much better about it! So I have no real theme, except buying whatever tempts me at that moment in time.

[Sylvester 15]

I have a brother in the states ( I feel sorry for him ! ) and have considered collecting American coins, mainly because he can get all those silver coins for nothing or less than I would pay, but do we have to pay taxes on them ?, what would be the outcome if a packet was opened by customs here, would we be in the mire or clobbered for tax ?.

Yes customs do open packages and yes they will charge you an import tax on them. Apparently it's random spot checks, but it happens more often than not.

[TomGoodheart 403]

I think it's good we have a variety of collectors here. Some that like seried ranks of similar coins ("yes, it's just another shilling" my wife says!), some that like a denomination and whose collections show how the purchasing value, historical importance and design of something like a halfpenny has changed over the centuries and people who look on coins as little pieces of art and collect what has eye-appeal to them.

Not that we all aren't a little bit of each of these (and more) in varying proportions. Just it's more interesting when we're not all chasing after MS65 rainbow cents or whatever.

It's also nice that we have a wide range of budgets, from the detectorists finding coins for .. nothing, really, through change pickers and car boot collectors for whom £5 is a lot to spend on a coin, to those whose single purchase was more than the value of my entire collection!

[just.me 23]

I started collecting around 15 years ago all denominations 1900 to date(except gold - too expensive and except maundy - they have never interested me) by date run. I was 17 when I started and money was very limited and many of the scarce coins such as 1905 silvers were out of the question. I then got a job and soon filled the gaps except for the wreath Crowns. I took a break for a few years and when I started again, decided on collecting the varieties for the 1900s to date.

Once this was at another road block, pretty much just needing the expensive and virtually unobtainable coins, I moved into the 1800s. Again I started with date runs then moved onto varieties. I then started on the minor-varieties and once I obtained most of these I started on Victorian die numbers, the die numbers is what I am concentrating on at the moment.

I have a few sideline collections/accumulations, forgeries, errors, modified e.g. love tokens/trench art pieces, silver Britannias and a few Roman coins.

I've often thought of selling off some and concentrating on finishing a specific type or denomination (I only have 3 wreath crowns and would love to have a full run), but can never decide what to keep and what to let go. So as it stands 1800 to date including all minor/micro varieties, its something I know will never be complete but it does mean there is always something there to buy and add to the collection.

[Peckris 579]

I started collecting around 15 years ago all denominations 1900 to date(except gold - too expensive and except maundy - they have never interested me) by date run. I was 17 when I started and money was very limited and many of the scarce coins such as 1905 silvers were out of the question. I then got a job and soon filled the gaps except for the wreath Crowns. I took a break for a few years and when I started again, decided on collecting the varieties for the 1900s to date.

Once this was at another road block, pretty much just needing the expensive and virtually unobtainable coins, I moved into the 1800s. Again I started with date runs then moved onto varieties. I then started on the minor-varieties and once I obtained most of these I started on Victorian die numbers, the die numbers is what I am concentrating on at the moment.

I have a few sideline collections/accumulations, forgeries, errors, modified e.g. love tokens/trench art pieces, silver Britannias and a few Roman coins.

I've often thought of selling off some and concentrating on finishing a specific type or denomination (I only have 3 wreath crowns and would love to have a full run), but can never decide what to keep and what to let go. So as it stands 1800 to date including all minor/micro varieties, its something I know will never be complete but it does mean there is always something there to buy and add to the collection.

I have only two and haven't thought of increasing that number - one is the common 1928 as part of my UNC 1928 set. The other is a 1931 which is not even EF but has nice toning. On the other hand, my complete set of last issue George V halfcrowns is something I will always treasure. But even there, my 1934 needs upgrading from GEF and my 1930 from GVF+ so there's always targets.

[Oxford_Collector 0]

I've just settled to coins that I like. I'm sure that eventually I'll come up with something that I wish to pursue a complete set, but at the moment I'm just picking up examples of interesting coins at affordable prices. At the moment I've been trying to build up a good collection of bullion at face value (just yesterday I managed to pick up 25 40% silver Kennedy Half Dollars at 50 cents a piece, each with a melt value of ~$4 or so) but I can't say that I really collect American coins. If I can find a dealer that stocks them, I'd like to fill folder with bun (half)pennies or something but I haven't found a US dealer that keeps them in stock beyond a curiosity. I also want to get more into Greek and Roman issues and eventually buy a drachm similar to this one from Lucania:

Though that is a distant goal and most likely will not be accomplished this year.

I've also wanted to get better at reading medieval coins (I really need to get a better loupe!) I can make out what my Edward I penny says, but my Henry III penny is still mostly a mystery to me.

Look in the local sellers' inventories if you want to buy non-US pieces. First of all the quality is likely to be better than on home turf and the quantities are also going to be greater. Very few items are found worldwide on auction sites, though the US is better served than most in this respect being the melting pot that it is. The lower grade material inevitably gravitates to ebay because most people don't have things that are worth considering for conventional auctions. At least in the US you are able to get mint state or thereabouts British coins with several sales coming up in the next week containing a good amount of qualtiy material. Greek and Roman are similarly widely traded, but beyond this you will need to look in the countries of origin. The US being geared towards slabbed coin sales means that only the higher grade pieces pass through the saleroom there. European countries have a reasonably diverse selection of material and you could do worse than explore this avenue. For most dealers, foreign coins tend to be a by-product of their own national currency which is what pays the bills. There are a few dealers in the US specialising in British material such as Allan Davisson in MN, but he tends to specialise in upmarket pieces which may be beyond your pocket. There are plenty of people on this site who would be able to offer British material if you were interested.

Yes, I've been looking at several British sites, however I'm waiting for my current statement from my bank to make sure that there aren't any hidden fees with currency conversion, then I will buy higher grade pieces. The worst part is shipping, especially to fill my Bun Penny album, I'm going to completion at the moment for date and major varieties and less for uncirculated quality.

The biggest issue with the auctions is the price which has kept me away. Unless I know I'm going to get a good deal, am buying a bullion piece or a piece I really, really want for my collection, I'm not going to spend more than $100 on a coin (at least at this time).

However, once I graduate and start making some money, I'll move on to the nice auction pieces.

LOL! I have the opposite problem, I do collect British silver coins (though am still very much learning and my collection is small and not very focused currently), but I also have a great interest in US silver (mostly the post-Barber to 1947 or so stuff, though I also have some pre-1965 silver proof sets), though because of the difficulty obtaining good examples (MS-64 or 65+ equivalent) at reasonably sensible prices over here in the UK, and the fact that many US sellers won't ship overseas, or charge lots if they do (plus the risk of import taxes), my US collection is very small. I'm interested in Peace Dollars, Walking Liberty half-dollars (*love* these), Standing Liberty quarters (*how* expensive, though!) and Mercury dimes. The buffalo nickels are nice too, but hard to find in good condition, so I've not acquired one yet. I'd like to collect an MS-65 or better type set of all of these. The war issue 35% silver Jefferson nickels are also interesting, I think.

[Peter 615]

Apart from getting predecimal coins from change I started on farthings with mainly the Farthing specialist before Mr Cooke came along.I then started buying from other dealers lists when I also bought a few other denominations.(In those days I also bought directly from coin monthly...you had to get in quick)

I then started visiting fairs and dealers.

My collecting now is farthings,lots of early foreign,hammered,Coins around the French revolution and all the gems gathered over the years to be kept as examples,Roman have always been interesting as have all the denominations of US currency.I do like large cents.

I study around the coins and hope to dig my pre Norman.

The Internet is a vast resource for coins and I seem to stumble upon new subjects.

I have failed at auctions a few times but had the most success at fairs where bargains/gems are still to be had.