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[HistoricCoinage]

I started by collecting coins from change as a child and ended up with a sizeable collection with many Victorian silver issues but soon discovered the joys of English hammered coinage. I began with the less-expensive types of Henry III, Edward I, Elizabeth I, etc. before moving progressively back and now my main focus is mid to late Saxon material, Viking issues, Norman pennies and the occasional early Plantagenet coin.

My focus at the moment is trying to build up a body of high grade mid-Saxon material, but it's not cheap, so focusing on the pennies of Aethelred II, Cnut and Edward the Confessor are allowing me to do plenty of research. Hopefully I'll get around to publishing some papers next year.

[HistoricCoinage]

I have another curious question. Do any of you set out targets for each forthcoming year or just buy what fits?

It would be impossible for me to predict what would arrive on the market next year. Whilst I do sometimes get wind of forthcoming sales (e.g. the Ross Blakey collection as he was a friend of mine) I just do not know what will appear in the auctions and lists of that year and so just buy what I feel would sit within my collection. It's worked so far.

[Geordie582]

I started, back in '46, collecting pennies by date. I worked behind the counter of a YMCA on an RAF station, and there were plenty of Victorian (and on) copper coins. As we were only payed a small amount, as an RAF Apprentice, they formed the main currency on camp!. Later in my career, I was posted to Malta and was surprised to see a glut of Victoria and Edward VII silver! Apparently local farmers didn't trust paper money for years and saved up silver "under the bed" so when they needed a large purchase, animals, machinery etc., out came the suitcase!! I had an enviable collection when I left the island! Sadly I foolishly sold them all to buy my first computer! Now I mainly concentrate on English hammered of the Plantagenets and Continental Sterling copies. Budget concerns mean I'm limited to the lower grades but still enjoy the hunt. I did try going back in history and have managed to accumulate Celtic, Roman and Saxon as well but only "in passing".

[Garrett]

I have another curious question. Do any of you set out targets for each forthcoming year or just buy what fits?

I have a target of how much I am planning to spend on coins in the coming year.

As for the coins themselves because my collection is not large and I have a broad area of interest I can just pick off whatever becomes available at a decent price to fill gaps.

cheers Garrett.