What Would You Call A Hoard?

The dictionary calls a hoard:

Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hawrd, hohrd]

-noun 1. a supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully guarded for preservation, future use, etc.: a vast hoard of silver.

-verb (used with object) 2. to accumulate for preservation, future use, etc., in a hidden or carefully guarded place: to hoard food during a shortage.

-verb (used without object) 3. to accumulate money, food, or the like, in a hidden or carefully guarded place for preservation, future use, etc.

Anything you keep with the intention of using it at a later date and not at the present is a hoard.

2 - 5 gallon buckets of Buffalos, is that a hoard?

Well I guess from the responses that having 10 or 11 rolls of average circ. may or may not constitute a hoard . I suppose it depends on perspective. when I get a better inventory I'll post on the trade forum. Thanks for the response
Jeff

Richard.
I know you do we will talk soon my friend.

Bruce.

It's not so much the coins themselves that constitute a "hoard", but the person who acquires them. Here are the four basic classes of "coin acquirers", as I see them. In the real world, of course, most of us are made up of a mish-mash of all four types, but normally one will predominate.

An Investor is someone who acquires a portfolio of coins with the express aim of holding it as an asset, and selling it later. For an investor, profit is the number one priority. Apart from purchase price and current market value, investors know almost nothing about the items in their portfolio. Investors don't get "attached" to their coins, and would sell the lot and put the money into beanie babies or dot-com shares without batting an eyelid, if they thought that would earn them more profit.

A Hoarder is someone who acquires their accumulation in a haphazard way, with little or no thought to organizing, cataloguing or sorting their items; they simply keep anything of interest that comes their way. To a hoarder, ownership is the number one priority. A hoarder neither knows nor cares what they actually have, only that it's theirs. A hoarder will part with coins only in dire circumstances.

A Collector is someone who attempts to methodically build their collection. To a collector, goals are the number one priority; usually the goal is completing a "set" (however that is defined). Collectors are perpetually re-organizing and re-cataloguing their collection, and they can often tell you exactly how many coins they have. Basic facts and statistics for their coins will be known (years issued, mintmarks, mintage figures, purchase price, catalogue values) but in-depth knowledge of the history, background and trivia associated with the particular coin will be of secondary consideration, although knowledge regarding the goal will be keenly sought. You should be able to point to just about any coin in their collection and they can tell you when, where and how that coin came to be in their possession. Coins not required to complete the "set" are not sought after, and if the collector's goals change, they have few qualms about selling off those coins which are "no longer needed".

A Numismatist is someone who is interested in studying and finding out all there is to know about their coins. For a numismatist, knowledge is the number one priority; the coins themselves are secondary, to the extent that a numismatist may not feel the need to actually own any coins at all. A numismatist will often have a very narrow field of specialization, and show little or no interest in coins outside that field.

Myself? I'm a mix. I'm mainly Numismatist, in that the knowledge, history and trivia behind my coins fascinates me. I'm part Collector, in that I'm perpetually re-organizing and cataloguing, and right now I have 7,526 coins. I'm a little bit Hoarder, in that once a coin enters my collection, it never leaves (unless I acquire an upgrade). The only mindset that is completely alien to me is "Investor".

Well put SAP. You have Freed me from the stigma of being a scrooge Mcduck. But I must admit that I am part miser and part collector . my book keeping leaves a bit to be desired . I cant really say just how many coins I have and my foreign collection is a mess .thanks for the input
Jeff

If you have to walk fast with it to keep it all from tipping over, it's a hoard.