So How Do You Enjoy Your Collection?

I enjoy dates of historical importance, such as (but not limited to):
Colonial era Spanish silver, Civil War dates & tokens (including 1861 when Lincoln was inaugurated), Silver minted from the Comstock Lode, The Roaring 20's & Prohibition, World War coinage and the 50's...cause who doesn't like the simple times? :)

I also enjoy collecting bullion because it makes me feel like a pirate when I pull out my treasure!

For me, I like actually handling the older coinage, Large Cents, Seated coins, Dollars, old 8reales....(with gloves and appropriate protections if course). When you touch the coins, its a tangible like with the past. You never know who may have held that coin...Presidents, Generals, Outlaws, maybe even a very distant relative...Slabs have their place of course, but I still have to handel them.

I personally try for a diverse variety of coins in VF 30 or better....rather than toil away on the dozen sets I am waiting to complete... I figure, when its meant to be, those missing coins I need will appear, which I'm just finalizing a deal in 1914d & 31s wheats that just fell into my lap.

Whatever your personal approach, be sure it never loses the "fun" because then it just turns into WORK.

Happy Holidays

I enjoy my collection by continually adding to it almost every day whether by adding a wheat, pre 64 nickel, copper cent, or some type of silver piece. I also enjoy showing it to close friends and family when they come over as well as just looking at what I've been able to collect over the past 2 years. I'm currently waiting on my V nickels to come in the mail and I will have completed my 20th century type set minus the bicentennial Ike.

Lately most of my new acquisitions have been numismatic books and auction catalogs, though I still grab an occasional coin here and there. I find myself being drawn towards coins I just can't afford or justify spending large cash amounts on right now, (1793 & 1794 Large Cents, early pre and Federal coinage, and patterns) so I enjoy them by learning as much as possible through reading and studying works of writings and photos.

My Two Cent collection by die variety is always ongoing, and I have many (around 100) that need some conservation, and further study and classification. That always keeps me busy, plus searching on ebay and various coin dealer websites for varieties I have not seen or don't have.

Man, you've got to. I've just started a few months ago, and it is quite addicting. It looks intimidating, but once you jump in ancients can be a lot of fun. The people at the ancients forum are really smart and always willing to help a beginner. I have some basic knowledge about ancients down, (ie where to buy, major types, history, what to buy, conservation, etc). If you need help, let me know.

As for how I enjoy my collection, I love the moment of first getting a new coin, seeing it for the first time, then studying it and letting the age of it kind of take me to another time, you know? I learn a lot about history in the process. The thrill of the hunt is great, too!

As a new collector, I haven't gotten into the whole "filling holes" thing. Don't really know if I ever will. So far my collection is almost completely random, with a slight direction just starting to come around.

I realized recently, that it was becoming very difficult to "enjoy" my collection because of the way I kept it. I had all of my coins in 2×2s stacked in a little box. The only way for me to get a good look at all of them at once and oggle at them was to take them all out, and lay them on a flat surface, play with them for a moment, and then put them back in the box where I may not see them again for a week or so.

So, after discussing this issue with some people here on ccf, I purchased some blank 2x2 binder pages, and I plan to get an ordinary old 3 ring binder somewhere when they arrive. I'll just get an ordinary old dollar store binder, and keep it laid flat so the pages don't sag or tear.

I feel confident that this will be a much easier and fun way to look at my accumulation of random coins, and to keep them handy for whatever.

While 'filling holes' in a series and completing a set of types is enjoyable, as are other things mentioned already, there is one activity I like most: delving though reference material and trying to verify attributions or finding attribution for unattributed coins. Many ancient and medieval coins (which are my main interest now) can be had at quite low prices if they are not identified.
And at 'TypeCoin971793' and 'wheatchaser140' (you probably already know), starting with series which have good documentation and are easily read makes a good entry into ancient and medieval coinage. Roman coinage is probably the easiest for most, using latin script in easy legible capital letters and with tons of documentation around makes for a nice entry.

Like westcoin I've been acquiring books most recently. I'm nearing retirement (about 8 years away I hope) and plan to spend many years learning more everyday from reading. And like westcoin the more I read the more I'm intrigued with coins that are out of my monetary reach at this point. I figure this gives me plenty of time to learn more by the time I can start accessing my retirement nest egg and hopefully get to purchase some of those "out of reach" coins I'm reading about now.

In the mean time, just slowly chipping away at my Seated dime proof set is a challenge enough.

I love how there's pretty much an infinite number of ways to enjoy our hobby.