In What Stage Are You As A Collector?

I'm a 2 in my heart, but acting like a 3. The next holes I have to fill are priceier so I need to save up but my wife would rather spend elsewhere, and the bank says I only have so much.

I'm at a 3 for sure. I cant even remember the last non bullion coin I bought. However, if I found a nice Capped Bust quarter that caught my eye at a decent price I wouldn't be able to look the other way. I rarely find a decent example at a decent price anymore.

I am vacillating between 2 and 3.

However I started coin collecting at age 9 and first got serious just before my 15th birthday, by identifying what I had, buying a NZ coin catalogue and deciding to collect old New Zealand coins (Like all the Halfcrowns and other stuff I show) and British coins.

I collected very actively up to the age of 22 (1998) when university and my first relationship intervened. I still bought occasionally - but by this stage had a nice collection of silver American Morgans, Walkers, Franklins and even a Bust Half (1830 large 0), lots of Canadian silver dollars that Dorado would drool over and the like.

But then on April 16th 2001 when I was 2 weeks off my 25th birthday, this wonderful collection was stolen. My first relationship broke up and I moved in with my parents for a few months (It DID NOT work out). On the way down I stopped at a local mountain park and decided to climb the hill, when I came back my car had been broken into and the boot had been opened with the aforesaid coin collection stolen and gone!

After that I went from Stage 3 to stage 0 and was so traumatised over the loss. Fortunately it was insured, but I only got $2250 for basically a $10 - $15k collection and a lot of it bought with student loan I still have not paid back. The coins have never surfaced as the keystone cops in the area had no clues in how to search for them.

In 2005 I started collecting stamps very seriously and still do now. I got occasional accumulation coins here and there and around 2012 started buying groups off 2 old ladies in my stamp book circuit - this continues to now, and always sold them on Trade me never accumulating more than handfuls of common change.

However in 2018 with the arrival of employment after years and a rekindled interest I stareted collecting seriously again - at first anything silvery and historic, along with a new NZ collection which started when another stamp friend offloaded about 70% complete of a NZ Predecimal mix and from this base I have added to it and started upgrading indicvidual coins. I also collect global coins and change and again have an abiding interest in British and Pacific coins - however not American as there are so many Chinese fakes out there.

So

Stage 1 - 1985 - 1990
Stage 2 - 1991 - 1994
Stage 3 - 1995 - 1998
Stage 4 - 1998 - 2000

Stage 0 2001 - 2008
Stage 1 2008 - 2018
Stage 2 2018 - 2019
Stage 3 - 2020 onwards.


edited by Moderator

I suppose I am at the tail end of #3 and heading toward #4 at this point. My recent purchase of a 1916-S Walking Liberty half dollar in lieu of attending a now-cancelled coin show was the very last coin on my "remotely affordable key date" bucket list. Other than eventually completing my set of 5 oz ATB silver pucks and perhaps checking out whatever new limited edition offering the Mint comes out with each year, I'm pretty much done as far as coins go.

My paper money collection is in pretty much the same state. Maybe someday I'll find a technicolor note I can afford in a condition I can live with, but I don't see that happening anytime soon (if ever). Other than that, I pretty much just keep an eye out for interesting serial numbers and errors at this point.

I've never thought of actually selling off my collection, but if my 401K keeps plummeting the way it has the past week or so, I suppose it might be an option at some point in the future. I hope not, though.

Stage three.

I collect new editions out of my change and aside from completing the US Presidential dollars have no aims to add any more world coinage. I completed and album of ancient coinage and am done with that. I finished a box of sovereigns and almost completed a box of half sovereigns.

I feel like I have a completed English notes collection though may add more of the white notes. I also feel like aside from a Lincoln Fractional and a Justice seated fractional I am pretty much done with American notes.

I will add sets of foreign notes as I visit new countries too.

Generally I am pretty inactive, still collecting some watches and small silver antiques though.

Looking at what I picked up lately (AU/MS Indian Head cents), I guess I'm firmly in 3 now.