Finished 1 Of 3 Major Projects/Collections This Week

Congratulations!

I wish I had kept it the first time around. Back in 1982-1985, I attended ANA Summer Seminars, where they hold a library sale, a huge library sale if you've ever been. Well by the time I was at the second one, I had my car there, as I lived in Denver just 60 miles away. I had a 1962 Impala SS, with a ton of room. I literally filled the trunk and back seat area with boxes and boxes of auction catalogs and books each year I went. As the sale winds down the ANA starts lowering the price until it was pennies per pound or free, as they just want it gone.

I hauled 30+ banker boxes of RCRs, Auction Catalogs around for years, until I grew tired of moving it, I tried to give it away (pre Internet, Craig's List, ebay, etc.) nobody wanted them, not even schools, so they all went into a paper recycle trash bin, It wasn't just coin stuff, I had an entire collection of Sky & Telescope magazine, Tons of Model Railroading, Life, National Geographic, etc. the S&T from the early years are now selling for a minimum of $25 and up to $125/issue on ebay. I had to make three trips with a hatchback car to dump them all. Probably over 600lbs worth of now valuable paper.

So flash forward to the present, I just restarted my RCR collection two years ago, buying them all over again, this time not by the pound either. Though I did get some good runs at very reasonable prices, I think the least I paid per issue was .94¢ the most was for early issues at around $25 each.

Growing up I lived in a big house with a full basement, so storing stuff was easy. After leaving home, Mom and Dad sold the house as it was too big for just the two of them, in my later 20's and early 30's my job began taking me out on the road, with lots of travel, so it made sense to get a small apartment, as I was gone as often as I was there. Plus I moved fairly often, lugging and storing boxes required a lot of effort and a spare bedroom. Since I wasn't collecting at the time, nor had a telescope to use, or a model train set any more, it was get rid of them time. a dozen years later, and I'm buying them all back, I must be nuts! And paying a hundred percent more for the privilege of doing so.

Just wish I was selective about dumping stuff, I knew the really early issues on everything would be worth holding on to. Should have done at least one or two boxes.

Mr. Westcoin

I'm currently trying to figure out how to get this stack of books on my bookshelf. I don't have enough space to add another bookshelf.

-MV

Q. David Bowers released all the best articles in the Rare Coin Reviews in a set of books that are still available on ebay, Amazon, etc.

I call them the "Numismatist's Companion Series" there are a total of 8 volumes, The Bedside, Fireside, Topside, Lakeside, Countryside, Weekend, Travelling, and Downtown. I think I've listed them all. They are great books to have if you enjoy stories on history and numismatics.

Plus they take up a lot less shelf space then the full set of RCR's do.