| Author |
 Replies: 26 / Views: 3,480 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
I started collecting silver relatively recently in 2008 during the big pullback, which was quite serendipitous, I guess. I never really had a set goal as far as what to collect so my collection's all over the place as far as what's in it. Everything from US Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Mexican Libertads, Australian Roos, medallions, art bars, etc. Basically anything weighing around 1 oz. of silver is fair game for me, regardless of size or shape.
After taking a recent inventory, the age of my coins is quite recent, it turns out: mostly 1970's & up. As my collection grew, I settled on a number as a goal: 1000 oz. of silver. A nice round number and not out of reach, although it will take a few more years to realize it, unless the bottom falls out on silver again. But after spending hours on my inventory, the final tabulation surprised me. I was closer than I thought: 885 oz. from 800 odd coins with a couple of ounces still on the way.
Assuming you've ever given it any thought, what's your coin collecting goals? Are you close to completing it? What's left tot do? Is your collection something you see as a family heirloom to be passed down through the generations or are you waiting for the right time to dump it all for (hopefully) a small fortune? Perhaps you're just collecting like I was, with no real goal except for the joy of the deal.
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1450 Posts |
I started collecting Lincoln cents because I always have loved them,and when I found my"old collection" partially filled,I started from there. I don't have a lot of extra money for coins as a hobby(because I also collect minerals and gemstones and play pedal steel guitar,all which can get a bit pricey)so to stay in the wife's good graces I chose to attempt to complete as best as I could through roll searching. At first,I didn't intend to hoard the copper,but,anything worth 2 1/2 times face value makes no sense to pass on when there is no additional energy or time exerted to acquire it. I now have over $1000 face of copper cents in storage. I found a 1938 nickel in EF condition in change so I thought"I bet I can complete a Jefferson nickel set from roll searching and am within 2 of completing that set. In that process,I had found over 2 rolls of "extra War Nickels",i now have over 100,along with 40+ Buffalos and 8 Librtys. My silver collection started 6 years ago,as an investment,with monies budgeted for investment,NOT HOBBY,so my silver and gold have been bought for investment purposes,as a result,they dealt with differently. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I no longer have collecting goals. I used to, but not now.
More than 35 years ago, I completed an Australian type set in all three metals.
So after a couple of years of pondering, I decided to build a general numismatic collection that would be impossible to complete, even in a hundred lifetimes.
Basically, I have since built a general numismatic collection, supported with a decent reference library.
Now, I just acquire anything that is numismatically interesting, if the cost of acquisition for a piece I am considering, is right.
Currently, the size of the collection is around 3,500 pieces, collected over 35 years plus.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Australia
4411 Posts |
My ultimate goal is to collect a full KGV Australian Penny set in minimum grade EF. With the 1930 the exception which I would settle for in gVF-aEF  .... not gonna happen! That is 33 coins with mint marks and an overdate, excluding 1930. Of these I have 15. Unfortunately I dont have the 1925 which I plan will set me back around $2500. Edit: sorry didnt realise this was in the precious metal section... oh well you get to listen to my dribble anyway. Edited by enworb
03/11/2012 04:41 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
As my collection grew, I settled on a number as a goal: 1000 oz. of silver. An excellent goal, IMHO. In fact, it is one that we share. My goal was to collect 1000 ozs. of silver and once that was accomplished, 50 oz. of gold. I have not yet started on the gold and am still finishing off the silver. At the moment, I have 767 ozs. of silver collected and just ordered about 144 more ozs. via $100 face worth each of proof Statehood Quarters and BU Kennedy halves. That will put me just over 900 ozs. and well within striking range of completion.  I want my silver collection to look nice so that I enjoy getting it out and looking it over from time to time. I also would like about a 3-way split among ASEs & Maples, pre-1965 BU & proof US 90% coins, and rounds & bars. I will need to look at this more closely to see whether I am close to this or not and then adjust accordingly. As to the gold, well, I haven't really considered that too much. I do want coins that are easily recognized and that have the metal, purity, and weight marked on them for easy trading and identification. A lot of the old gold coins look terrific but lack these markings so I will probably concentrate on the newer US and Canadian coins. Half of these could be 1-oz. coins and then maybe the remaining 25 ozs. in a 2/3 + 1/3 weight split between the 1/2 oz. and 1/4 oz. coins. Not that this will all come out exact, of course, but similar to this estimate. |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1502 Posts |
my goal is to keep buying and selling until the profit I've made from selling covers all of my holdings.
|
|
Valued Member
Canada
316 Posts |
I'm just starting, so no real goals yet, trying to get a sets of pretty much every denom of Canadian, buying a couples of NCLT silver with design that I like. I'm starting to put together a world pennies birth year sets for me ans my kids so they ( or at least 1) can get in to coins.
My dad was into coins but took me 30 years before I said hey that looks fun.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
my goal is to keep buying and selling until the profit I've made from selling covers all of my holdings. Now there is a worthy goal if ever I've seen one!   Quote:
My dad was into coins but took me 30 years before I said hey that looks fun. My Dad collected a few coins in his time. He passed away in 1987 but my Mom knows that I like collecting coins so she gave them to me a few months ago. She probably didn't give them much thought hence the delay. I recently got the bag out and was looking through it. Dad had fun with his collecting but there wasn't a lot of rhyme or reason to it. I suppose that he just bought whatever looked good to him and was relatively cheap at the time. Because of this, there's quite a few coins that have no collector value so can just be spent as face value coins. There were about a dozen or so 90% silver coins, though, and they are well worth adding to my silver hoard.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1723 Posts |
"WELCOME KENNY" I started just stacking for investment purposes...slow and steady has been the only way for me to afford to get in, in the first place. I started with random ounces of kooks, pandas, ASE and maples. I then switched to only maples because I'm patriotic, I like the purity level, I like that the same design on all the years makes it a nice looking set and because of its reputation. I am 1 maple away from a complete set of silver maples mint sealed. That year is 2009. I also have the up to date...all 4 coins of the wildlife series mint sealed. We have been so broke so I have not been able to buy this dip now will I be able to buy for another 4 weeks or so. I would like to have the maples and wildlife series continued until they no longer make them and would like to start the koala series that started in 2007. These sets would be ones that I would continue throughout my life and maybe pass down to my daughter......or not. I would as well like to have another 50oz at the very least for investment(hedging...whatever you each decide to call it). Thats this poor mans plans. CHEERS! |
|
Valued Member
United States
410 Posts |
I collect US Mint silver proof sets because I like the State and ATB Quarters. I buy the silver sets instead of the clad sets because I can buy the silver sets for very close to the silver spot price. I can't see paying 15X the face value for clad proofs. |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
862 Posts |
I started collecting at the end of 2010, after seeing a poster of timber wolf coins on local dealer's window, I decided to get some, then it's unstoppable. start from maple leafs, britannias, kooks, lunar series, walking liberty, privy maple leafs, ATB 5oz, canadian silver dollars, libertad... I used to have a excel sheet tracking how many ounces I have, I lost count after reaching 700+, I'm sure it's somewhere very close to 1,000 right now  , my next goal is a set of silver panda, it's hard to collect since so many fakes are out there. |
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
1454 Posts |
SilverBug,
You said a mouthful. For me, collecting silver is as addictive a practice as any I've participated in, and I went to college :0 I probably knew it subconsciously, but didn't dwell on it until my fiancee pointed it out. I stopped buying any silver and went cold turkey for about 18 months, but now I'm back at it. I told her there are far worse things to be addicted to than something that will ultimately be a future store of value. The only thing that would stop me from collecting silver is a price increase to around $100, I think. I simply wouldn't have the money, if that were the case, without selling my current holding, and I have no desire to do that.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
862 Posts |
traevin: for me, I'm buying PM as insurance. so far I only sold 1 oz silver to another CCF member. I will keep them until the time comes that I can get a house with 500 oz silver:). if it doesn't happen, I will pass them on to my kids so that they can have a good startup if needed, I may convert some silver to gold when rate is good.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
SilverBug,
I considered converting silver to gold but the ratio is too skewed right not. Maybe when it's closer to 20:1 it will be time to move on it.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
I stopped buying any silver and went cold turkey for about 18 months, but now I'm back at it. Wow! That would be some nasty "cold turkey" for sure. The withdrawal pangs must have been awful!  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
Ed, the worst part is if one is vigilant, and I'm mean iron-willed enough to set a price for a coin and wait for it to come, it usually does. The inverse involves chasing coins with other crazy bidders to ripoff prices. If I'm not monitoring the auction at least once every three days, I get the sinking sensation that I'm missing some vital link to my collection. A great bargain. A truly rare and unique piece. Something I never knew existed yet wanted it my whole life. It gets to be just plain wacky.
BTW, I was thinking about that huge score of silver you had recently. I had an awesome day today. 12 new coins that aren't found in my inventory and just that much closer to both of our goals of 1000oz. You have to tell me once you hit it and I'll do the same. I'll pass 900oz once I take possession of what I bought today. Just a little friendly competition among numismatic aficionados :D
|
| |
Replies: 26 / Views: 3,480 |
Posted 03/11/2012 03:19 am
