Why Do We Collect?

When your old and Wrinkling in Bed, or on the wheelchair we can look back at it and say "Wow who collected all those rare coins!!"

Its for the enjoyment, the interest, the passion.

Thats why we collect!

TKC!

Some people do collect it for investment purposes, some collect them for memorial purposes, i.e. their parents or relatives collected them and left it for them, but I collect coins that I travel to, as well as being historically interesting.

My collection is somewhat limited in that I only collect silver dollars. I have picked these up over the years in hopes of passing them off to my son down the road. One can only imagine what silver might be worth then.

I'm a classic collector, just as Fred describes. It's not a matter of choice for me. I have almost a whole wall full of shotglasses (although that's mostly the wife, who's another collector), a fairly substantial collection of older computers, a large group pf NASCAR memorabilia dedicated to the driver we root for, lots and lots of glass, and the list goes on.

I've gone from zero to a few hundred coins and back to zero half a dozen times in my life. This time, it appears to be sticking, because I'm acquiring them faster than I can write auctions to sell them.

Even more importantly, why is it mostly males that collect coins? Because it's a conquest--capturing cities, states, countries and political leaders only it's not violent. Except maybe for the hand to hand combat carried out once by Ed Frossard and Layman Low at an auction.

It also solves the dilemma of the individual vs. the collective. This is what you have in a coin collection, perhaps even in any kind of a collection. A coin collection is just that---a collective, but each coin is different. And they can be different in different degrees. Small differences such as die varieties or big differences such a type collection.

That's brings up another interesting question. Why do some collectors prefer large coins and other small coins?

It's probably personal preferance more than anything. It's just like asking "Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream?".

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Originally posted by Buffaloboy5

Wow thats a good question longnine!!! I might make that into a thread or not state your opinion here

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Well lets say someone goes on a journey. He stops in every town and buys a coin or two and puts it in his back pack. After a few years the back pack is getting heavier and heavier. Not only that the logistics of supporting such a growing collecting are getting bigger too--more reference books, more coin supplies, more cataloging, more research, a bigger and bigger back pack, more trips to Western Union to get more money for more coins. Then he needs a heavy cavas backpack for all those coins and then a steel backpack. And finally he discovers he can't move anymore. He suspects someting is wrong when he starts sinking into the mud. He got over-extended, two much too fast. He has to cast-off some bulk here if he wants to move again.