True Coin Collectors , Where Are They ?

what about selling duplicates or those that have been upgraded? Or what's left from all of those unsearched wheat rolls?

People collect in many different ways and for different reasons.
As long as they collect who really cares if they sell coins or not.
Somebody has to sell coins otherwise None of us would have a collection

I sometimes buy entire lots because I can get them for the price I would otherwise pay for a single coin. I don't want or need 35 pounds of pre-Euro pocket change, so why not sell it to get some fodder for my next purchase?

Although I take flak for it, my own definitions are:

Hoarder - Makes no difference what they buy or how many of a kind they have. They have no inventory, no want list, and no real desire to do anything other than buy. Once they receive their stuff they put it in any handy corner without rhyme nor reason.

Accumulator - Someone who collects more particularly, but still does not have a want list or inventory and bases a large percentage of their buying on what they believe to be "good buys". Often times they will buy thinking they don't have something, although they later discover they do and are not all that concerned about such duplication. Is not interested in accomplishing any goals.

Collector - Has an inventory and/or want list and is most interested in accomplishing goals. Whether this be completing a set, a type set, one from each country, one silver from each year, one token from each town, or any other myriad of possibilities the collector is concerned with accomplishing some goal. They are more interested in finding what they want than in making a profit, although they are often times the ones who can spot scarce items for great prices as they have a strong knowledge developed through experience.

Numismatist - One who studies coins as it involves history, time lines, artists, engravers, mint history, type vs variety, and often takes that a step further to publish written information about their discoveries. Most spend at least as much time researching what they have as they do in trying to find more items.

There are a million holes in these descriptions that any particular person might find, depending on WHAT THEY BELIEVE themselves to be. Most commonly, someone will say they have bought and sold coins for 30 years - so they aren't numismatists? I do not mean to imply one is better than another. The pleasure, joy, happiness, peace, and feeling of control in any of the above is not relegated to a progression with one being better than another.

Although, there have been NUMEROUS well documented psychological and sociological studies that show that collectors are almost always more creative than those who do not collect anything and never have. There is a correlation.

When you say collectors who only buy and never sell are being reduced in percentage I would be interested in knowing if that estimation is based on any facts or your own belief. Again, your own belief is perfectly reasonable, but I do enjoy (and use) actual factual information.

Well the coins I buy I keep, I don't sell or re sell again, yes they are ultra overpriced but I don't care I really want them so I buy them.
Every coin in my VERY small collection has it's place and reason if I was to sell any of them I will lose sooo much money which is good cause I don't wanna sell I buy and keep

I agree with you completely, Slider. But even putting Investor on the same map as a collector has proven to be a very sore spot in posts past, and I've simply eliminated including Investors in my overall definition to avoid those animosities.

You are absolutely correct in that the investor is a key player, particularly on common gold and top-pop coins.

We all have different ways of collecting... where coins are concerned I am a "true collector" in that in about 30 years I have only sold 10 coins (gold bullion that I cashed in when times were hard) I still have virtually every coin I ever collected except for doubles which I traded.

In other fields of collecting though I have bought and sold in order to upgrade what I own. I am still a true collector, and have probably benefited from the experience of owning far more pieces that I could afford outright if I never flipped anything.

To me collecting isn't about whether you sell or not... some people never sell and I would class them as hoarders rather than collectors. The main trait of a collector to me is that they catalogue and organise their collection thoughtfully.