Why Do You Collect Coins?

Because they're there.

Coins are a touchstone to history. They're one of the few ancient inventions that are still used today in much the same manner that they were used in ancient times. If you were to go back in time a couple thousand years, kidnap someone at random and bring them forward to our time, they'd be confused and bewildered by just about everything else they saw around them, but they'd instantly recognise a coin for what it was, and they'd have a pretty good idea as to how to use them.

Coins are plentiful enough that you can buy as many as you can afford, yet they are still very distinctive and characteristic of the time and place that issued them. Each coin also has it's own unique history and provenance.

I recall that as a teen, I would go around bemoaning --It I had only one old coin, I would be happy. Needless to say it never worked out that way, I always wanted "one" more.

There is always another and another...

This is easy to answer.

History
Knowledge
I like them
I have a severe case of OCD and this helps. OR.. maybe not.. LOL

For me it's the aesthetics of the designs, particularly the "classic" US stuff; then there's the history, particularly of the ancient Greek and Roman coins; the sheer beauty of a lot of currency; and the desire to assemble a decent collection that I can pass on to my kids, if they're interested. I am hoping to have a complete date set of US Half Cents and Large Cents, a complete US Type Set 1793-1964, a complete British Victorian Type Set, and several of the significant ancients before I kick off. It's something that I find highly enjoyable, especially when I can afford something I really want. Slowly building my desired "sets" is quite rewarding.

The history behind coins is a driving force for a lot of us it seems. Of course I wasn't really thinking that at age 6 when I started. My parents figured it was a phase.

I HAVE always liked old stuff though. I'm the guy that will be on vacation, driving on a backroad, see an old cemetary and have a look around.
Don't know anyone buried there - just wonder what it was like there when they were alive.

So I don't know for sure but history, curiosity and addiction leap to mind.

I am not sure I have a definitive answer as to why, I just do.

However, I must say that I love Sap's explanation!

I believe the collecting compulsion has a genetic basis. A person is either born a "collector" or he isn't. The non-collector couldn't and wouldn't build a collection of something, anything unless you paid them to do it. Even then they would have no interest in it, may not even complete it, and would discard it as soon as they were finished.

For those with the collector gene, once they are exposed and start collecting something it does become an addiction.

The gene seems to manifest itself in different levels of intensity. In it's weakest form the person merely accumulates with no ryhme or reason and has no problem stopping from time to time. At it's worst the person feels compelled to hoard everything and finds disposing of anything difficult.

When the collecting gene is combined with another gene that causes the person to have an organizational compulsion. Then true collections are formed. The organizational gene also expresses itself weakly or strongly. In it weak form the collection is merely built in a "fill the hole" manner. In its stronger form it drives the person to learn everything he can about the objects of his obsession.

This explains the hoarder, accumulator, collector, and scholar in a field. What it doesn't explain is why coins instead of something else. It may be something as simple as that was the first thing I was exposed to once the genes became active.