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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,892 |
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New Member
Canada
9 Posts |
I recently saw the following article in the Canadian Antiquarian and Numismatic Journal, from October 1873. This was Canada's first numismatic publication, published between 1872 and 1933.
"Never be induced to pay extravagant prices for worthless coins. There are some coins which command, and are worth a large price. But these are in fact very few. Even the rarity of a coin is no test of its real value to a collector. It may increase the price of the article; but the young collector should bear in mind that the high price asked for the coin because it is rare, ought not to make him desirous of possessing it. The moment the collector begins to value the coins because of their rarity, he descends in the scale of Science; and when he seeks to possess rare coins, merely because of their being rare, he becomes a speculator, envious and uncomfortable in the presence of others, and ceases to be a genuine Numismatist. Read as you collect. Never let a coin lie in your cabinet that you cannot give a history of, or connect with some historical event if possible. Be careful that your collecting habit does not become a mere matter of curiosity. Let it rather be a constant aid to your study."
Good advice, in my opinion!
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Pillar of the Community
United Arab Emirates
557 Posts |
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Valued Member
Canada
386 Posts |
Good advice is timeless, even after 141 years.
It is interesting to see how well written the article is. With no television, radio or internet, I guess people really had time to focus on their writing skills.
Edited by 1945V
01/13/2013 10:39 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
Thanks for sharing. Love it.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
933 Posts |
very nice, thanks for posting.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
I'd have to agree with the point of being able to give a history on each coin you exhibit. If a friend were to ask you why you collect you should be able to back it up with a story and not just an "I don't know it's shiny" phony excuse. Good find!
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Moderator
 Canada
10463 Posts |
I think that is why I was drawn to certain aspects of exonumia, not because they are rare, but because the coins have stories to tell...
"Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert OppenheimerContent of this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses...0/deed.en_USMy eBay store
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Valued Member
Canada
247 Posts |
 Great find,still stands today. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1554 Posts |
 Toronto, nice to be enlightened of the "true" fundamentals of Numismatics! Glenn  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1581 Posts |
It would be funny to read what was considered a worthless coin in 1873.
Pretty much every MS-65 would be a prize today.
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Valued Member
Canada
333 Posts |
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Valued Member
Canada
196 Posts |
I still love my MS-65 coins.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,892 |
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Posted 01/13/2013 10:32 am
