What Do You Consider A Large Collection

This thread poses some really interesting questions!! Sorry to dredge up an older thread.

Quote from SsuperDave

I really agree with this line of thinking. I've seen many collections that are nothing more than accumulations, huge in physical size but low in quality, poorly organized, and have no real collecting theme other than hoarding as much stuff as possible.

After seeing some of the magnificent collections posted here on CCF and for sale at a few local coin shops I have greatly redefined my views on what is a quality coin. Just a few years ago I often put quantity over quality, purchasing a dozen $20 junky coins instead of one $240 that I could be proud to own. I'm sure that trend will continue as I become more experienced and fill many more of the holes I've been wanting to fill since childhood.

A large collection cannot be viewed and admired in it's entirety in a single day.

I think you are doing great! much better than me!

Very interesting ebay link.

I see a lot of interesting coins there, I have many of the same coins.

But from what I see, that is a very large accumilation of coins.
A very nice accumilation coins.

There has to be some balance between quality and quantity.

Of course we are back to, that would be different for each collector.
For example ... I don't see why someone would want to have
5000 circulated common wheat cents, and the person who has them
might not understand why I have over 5000 state/ATB quarters.

Another angle is, what a collector is comfortable paying for a coin.
For me I have no problem paying $50.00 for a coin, that could limit
getting higher quality coins. To deal with that issue, the past couple years
I have tried to put funds together and buy some better coins. This allowed me to purchase several coins in the $500 to $1500 range.

My line of thinking this way, is the product of CCF. When I see the nice half dollars that members like Moe or Muddler have, I wondered why I didn't have nice coins like that. I had to make changes in the way I collected.

But it is very hard to break the habits of a accumulater, although I am trying to make a effort to get the higher quality coins.

GR58,

Your list of recent additions are good, some are on my wish list. I have found myself looking at "nice" coins but they are low priced, often circulated and damaged in some way and will show no real gain in value but for bullion. I have forced myself to focus more on collectables in my "sets", forgoing clads and multiples of the same coin.

Interesting thread!

Now I rather consider that I don't have a large collection! After all, I only have 67 coins at present. However it has taken me 10 years to collect that many!

Along the way my budget has required me to sell on lesser examples I've upgraded. And I've been fortunate in the I've managed to pick up some real rarities, some by luck, others from other collectors.

OK, if I had more money I suspect I'd have more coins. But really, I can't see the collection ever going beyond 100 or so. Partly because some examples are so scarce that unless you want to try to get the British Museum to sell theirs there's just no way to improve on a lucky find. Partly because I'm getting pickier as regards quality and coins that previously I would have snapped up just don't appeal now.

It may not be terribly impressive as collections go. But I have few duplicates, I'm happy with the majority of coins I have and, perhaps most importantly, I still have a few gaps to fill!

Oh, I forgot to answer the question. OK, Richard Cyril Lockett's collection of coins took thirteen auctions between the years 1955-61 to sell. That's a large collection!

Quite simply, when the collection and its literature are taking over your home.