Growing Bored With My Collection... Rant And A Few Questions...

Me too. That's the beauty of 20-20 hindsight.
If you could do it perfectly the first time, I would suggest brain surgery for your next hobby.
I'm selling off duplicates and upgrading the things I really care about.
And spending some time with a few other interests.
You've got more time to correct your course than many.
Good luck.

Just collect one of everything. I mean, if I have one of something, I'm a collector. Just ask my wife.

And then I find something pretty, like Belleek, and end up putting $$ into a dinner set, several different tea sets, and beau coup vases. I still haven't gotten a kettle. No, honest honey, no more than that.

Collect for fun, collect to make money. What's the diff? Well, if you were collecting to make money, you'd still have all of the boxes your pristine toys came in. Nothing quite as fun as watching 'Antiques Roadshow' with a bunch of senior delinquents. I had that toy!

One of the reasons I have over 10,000 LP records is because people were selling them. Cheap. What's not to love?

And if I put it off long enough, I never have to organize it all...........

ETA: I've made quite the progress over the OCD

In a way, it is useful to collect something else. You can just focus on the other collection for a month - or a year. The interest in coins will return sooner or later, I'm afraid...

Sell off the duplicates, those coins that aren't good enough condition-wise, perhaps also those that could easily be replaced with better specimens, and any random ones that you don't expect to collect in the future (although that cannot be predicted with absolute certainty), to add funds to your militaria fund.

Just don't sell the best coins you've got, try to keep anything that's clearly above-average.
Otherwise, in a few years you'll be thinking "I already had that one back then!". Depending on the coin in question, that thought might be quickly followed by "Why does it cost 4 times more to buy it now?"

I know. It happened to me.

Great advice already!

I would just like to add one thing.

Keep track of your collection if you do stop for a little while. I had a small collection when I was a teen and I am still looking for it. LOL Specifically a nice civil war token.

Having various coins dancing around your main focus, like Buffalo nickels, for example, isn't a "bad thing", imo.
Having a few Large Cents, a few 3CN's, a few Shield nickels, a few Morgans, just lying around with no plans, goals, or direction, just means a "future" start should the need or interest swell there. Which, if one sticks with this hobby, as you said you intend to, different coins attract us at different times. It's okay to have other stuff that doesn't fit right now, for it may in the future. Or for your inheritors (children).
I don't let "not having a complete set" of something bother me too much.

I will try to offer suggestions with out sounding harsh.


First .. everyone gets that feeling with their collections.
Somehow you have to come to a understanding with yourself
and what is possible for you as a individual.

At this point in your collection you said




What would have made you happy?

The new direction you mentioned




Will send you down the same path, well all except the Type set.

The Indian Head cents, Buffalo and Shield nickels have the same
possible outcome. A lot of lower priced coins and several
higher priced empty holes.

High grade Indian head, Buffalo and Shield sets would cost
a lot of money.

For me, I do have the Indian Head cent and Buffalo nickel
albums. But I have never really focused on them, but have
filled empty holes over the years when I found good deals.
The empty holes I have left are some of the higher priced
coins, but in time they will come to me.

My suggestion would be to do a couple sets you would be happy with,
but have a good chance of completing.

Something like
U.S. type set
Morgan dollar date set
Jefferson nickel set

Many people will take 10 to 20 plus years to complete the
type set. Then more years to upgrade.

The Morgan date set, you could pick a grade you would be happy
with, coins good eye appeal, maybe VF to AU. And stick to your plan.
Over a few years you could really put a nice set together.

Or a really nice set AU to BU set .. but 2 or 3
of them would get into the higher price range.

(The $1500 you have in your Lincoln's you might complete
a Date set)

Use the Jefferson set to fill your need of buying coins when you can't find or afford Type and Morgan coins.
For the Jefferson's stick with Bu and/or proofs, if you
decide to go with the with proof issue album.

This is not a race, it is a hobby. There are several different
levels of collecting that depend on income level or
how much your willing to spend on each coin.

Just find yours and have fun.

Not sure what it's like to get bored with this hobby. Just to many different types of coins out there. To many places to find them. To many other collectors trying to get what I need or want. To many coin shows, coin stores, hobby stores, etc. Unlike many other hobbies, this one has to many different possibilities of things to not get bored.