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 Replies: 29 / Views: 2,117 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
I think I have become too overwhelmed with all of the projects I have going on with my collection. This is where I am at: US cents - Lincoln - doing pocket change collection in Harris folders. US 2-3 cents - In a Dansco album. I like them and want to complete a set but haven't really messed with them in awhile. US nickels - V-nickels - In a Dansco album. Am to a point that I have to upgrade only what I have as most of the ones I now need will cost more than I can afford at the moment. US nickels - Jefferson - In a Whitman album. Just getting started, what I received from a friend on here and pocket change, haven't really gotten started yet. US dimes - Mercury - In a Dansco album. Getting harder to get the grade I like, will start getting more expensive from this point on. US dimes - Roosevelt - In a Dansco album. Started a couple months ago but haven't paid it alot of attention except buying an album and putting in what I had, haven't even checked my pocket change boxes yet, no time. US quarters- Statehood - AU/BU in airtites and also pocket change examples in a Whitman album. Haven't done much with it lately except to add the new D mint ones when I see them and I hardly ever see the P minted ones. Still haven't seen a North Dakota. US halves - Franklin - In a Whitman album. Working on this one the most as it seems I can complete it but then am getting to the ones that are running upwards to $50 on ebay. Still a few I can get below that but that won't last much longer before I have to fork over some cashola to complete it. US dollars - have some in airtites but haven't messed with buying any in over a year, so not a big problem here until I get to the ASE's. I have close to a complete set of NGC MS-69 but can't seem to pull the trigger on buying what I need to complete because I feel I will miss out on something else. Now, my wife likes the fact that I buy coins specifically for her but she doesn't help much with them. Currently creating an album out of a binder and Harco pages. I take care of and buy her stuff also. Mainly she is the one that started this whole mess by buying one of the Alaska silver rounds we have at a flea market type sale when we lived in Oklahoma City. The guy had some Mercury dimes and "bam", I was hooked. Over a thousand world coins - all of which I identify either by myself or with help from here or webpages. I classify them and bag them. I type them into the computer. I buy the Harco album pages and put them in the pages myself. This was lots of work, lots of work, and I still have only scratched the surface. These are the wife's, supposedly. Canadian nickels - Beaver - In a Gardmaster album. This one is the wife's also, well, supposedly. Getting close to a complete set but still some work to do. Have been doing alot with this set with trades I have been making. Canadian cents - ML - This is mine. I am just getting started and don't have an album or folder yet. I only have about 6 but want to put them in a folder and get started. Canadian dimes - Sailboat - This is mine. No album or folder yet. Have a couple and want to complete a set. Great Britain - 6 pence - This is mine. In an old Whitman folder. Only have about 10-12 to go to complete this set. I like them, they are neat and was almost a complete set when I bought them. Cuba - 5 centavos - This is mine. No album or folder yet. Have a few and want to complete the set. Mainly, because they are the size of a nickel and they are cool to look at and I like nickels and dimes or the size equivalent from any country. US Type Set - bought the Dansco album and put in the few loose one offs I had in it but haven't bought anything for it since. Seems like one of those round tuits. World currency collection - I don't know what I was thinking here. I am not into it so I don't really know why I even started it. Don't have alot but then I don't want it anymore either. Approximately 10 bills with sleeves and pages. Various odds and ends such as mint sets, proof sets, silver rounds, 4 large US cents. None of these are things I will or can afford to complete sets of but like them because I can say I have a few of them and they are neat. These are the things that I am currently collecting and which I have to spread my extra $30-$50 a month on. At this rate I feel like I will never complete anything and yet, I hate to give up any of it.  I guess I just need to hear from someone that when they first started out they tried to collect everything also and to hear what they chose to do. Yep, I do feel overwhelmed sometimes by all the different projects I have going on. What is everyone's thoughts and would you do something to downsize or keep going, striving ahead, with patience? Edited by Irishraider
10/01/2006 9:20 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
773 Posts |
First of all,was this the AMC flea market,or the Old Paris?I may have to go check that out.I can certainly see why you are overwhelmed...GEEZ!!If you're ever back over in th ElReno area,there's a really cool antique mall,where a guy sells a ton of ASE coins.Just from what I like,I would say stick with your Canadians,US cents,and your Franklins.Keep striving,just try not to focus on everything at once.Pick your most favorite,and go from there,or if you want go for all the keydates in each one,one at a time,the others maybe easier in the future.I'm not sure if I helped anyway?I may have made it worse..... :)sn31 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1454 Posts |
Hi sn. It was down at the fairgrounds and they have it each February I think. It was fairly huge and we just stumbled upon it because we had just moved there the previous year and was exploring to find things. That's what I like the most about moving to new towns. I had already lived in Tulsa a couple times so there isn't much new here.
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Valued Member
United States
439 Posts |
Oh yeah, I hear ya. I just got hooked about this time last year with some odds and ends my dad left me. I got online and started reading these coin forums and surfing ebay and every time I turned around there was something else I wanted to start up with. I got to the point that my budget was stretched so thin that I was just getting very frustrated. I'd add one here, a couple there, but there was so much started that I wasn't making much progress on anything. About a month ago I was rooting through it all looking for something and decided I had to cut back so I thought long and hard about what I could reasonably afford to focus on for right now. I settled on six things that I had a good start on and that I thought I could build on at a decent rate, then I sorted through everything and made a list of what I wanted to get rid of and just put the last of it on ebay last night. The cash I've made off the stuff I sold has enabled me to get some of the more pricey things as well as a bit better quality than I was aiming for and even though I have a lot less stuff I'm happy with where I am with all these sets. I figure I'm not that old so I'll just take my time and do a few things and get good quality sets built before I branch out anymore. It sounds like you're about where I was a while back. It isn't easy but you might want to cut back a little too. It sucks getting rid of your babies, I don't know how many times I wanted to cancel an auction, but I have to admit things are going better with the sets I decided to keep. Good luck with it. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
590 Posts |
It sounds like you have too much on your plate. I would complete the Franklins first. As far as the Roosevelts I would do the silver ones first ('46-'64) because it is a short set and inexpensive. Put the ones that are your wifes to the side unless she is working with them if so offer a little moral support so she don't get discouraged. This is how I would start, I know it's easier said than done. Good luck IR.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
Thanks sn, TSOTL and DeWayne. So far the things you have said is how my gut feeling is so far. I copied and pasted my whole topic and put it into Word. I am going to critique it now. Sometimes, just letting the ideas in my head spill out on paper and then reviewing seems to be how I can manage to decide things since this is kind of what I do at work now. I still work at the cabinet shop but got kind of a semi promotion (no pay raise yet though) to work at the detailer position. So I draw up the drawings and the cutting tickets for all the parts. I have to work right by the owner though.  My feeling was that I should concentrate solely on the Franklins and get that set done first. The silver Roosies sound like a good idea also. One of the other main problems I have is that I like BU coins so that is where alot of my expense at completing sets is coming from also. I think this is going to have to be a fix on my part and for me to come to terms that sometimes I can't always buy BU. I hope some others post as I would be interested to see what others say. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2177 Posts |
Irishraider, send me an email with your address and I'll send you 2 unc ND P SQs.  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
3730 Posts |
Irishraider, I have the exact same problem as you. I started putting coins in Whitman folders back in the 1950's, at which time I decided I liked a bunch of different coins. Today, 50 years later, I have a few collections completed, but most never will be. I still enjoy adding coins now and then, and I hope that when the collections are passed on to the kids, perhaps they will someday be completed. Completed Collections: Jeffersons Roosevelts JFK's Franklins ASE's (1 ounce silver) Maple Leafs (1 ounce silver) Australian Lunar Coins (1 ounce silver) Not Completed (Works In Progress) Lincolns Washington quartersWalking Liberty Mercury dimesSacagawea Dollars (Need the expensive proof) Canadian Cents Canadian Nickels Canadian Halfs Canadian Dollars British Large Cents Australian Kookaburras Australian 50 Cents (Just started this, thanks to Triggersmob) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Hi Irish I work in a similar method as you,, only I work with one series at a time ,, and I dont press myself to complete the entire set, instead I work short sets or decade sets,, it works like this,, I will put together lets use 1960 franklins,, I will put together the P,D and S 60 Franklins, then I may go after the 1960 PDS quarter dollars, and right on down the line,, now I can scramble these up to match my budget or my time I can alot to searching and buying,, But I have no pressure inside to complete an entire set,, instead I pressure myself to only collect the very best coins I can find with the funds I have available. Now while I'm doing that I still keep my eyes open for my specialties, Mercury dimes, and Lincoln proofs these sets are in a constant state of flux and in constant upgrade. However you collect just make sure its fun and challenging,, those are the keys to not burning out . Rick |
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Valued Member
United States
179 Posts |
 Hi Irishraider, I suspect there are a lot more of us in your situation than we would care to admit. I've always had the same situation as yours, too many coins, not enough time/money. I believe it wouldn't matter if your budget were 50, 500, or 5000, it would still be the same. I could never presume to advise you what to collect, or how, everyone is individualistic in that respect, but the most important thing is not to get frustrated and quit. I've found over the years (decades) that these collections provide a lot of stability and grounding in life.  The way I've come to grips with the "spread too thin" phenomena is to work with one set for awhile, then put it back and go to another. The trigger for a change may come in an interesting find, or a mixed lot of anything that I can afford, an article in Numismatic News, or you name it, it's almost random. There will be times when you push hard on one set and make a lot of progress, and when that happens it is of course very satisfying. I have several complete sets now,and they are very satisfying, so keep on pushing. Just last week, I found a 1951 Franklin Proof single at a small coin show in a nearby town, I had been searching for over three years for this one piece to complete my Franklin set of Full Bell Lines including Proofs, and then surprise, there it was, and at a very affordable price as well. I must hasten to add, though, that I put this particular set together for the most part years ago, before FBL Frankins were popular (or pricey).      The most frustrating set, and one of the longest running projects I have, is the Morgan dollar set...it's possible I never will complete it, and even if I had gone for the keys first when they may have been more affordable I couldn't have even begun to afford them back then. My best hope now is to finish it with lower grade keys, but it is one of the sets that is not "active" right now. As to paring back on the quantity of sets you have or are working on, I've never been able to do that, nor have I ever wanted to.  I also have never sold a coin, and only since finding this forum have I begun to trade a little. Let's face it, no one should ever have to give up a "baby". And further, if reasonable care is taken, coins are not perishable, they'll still be there just as you left them, whether it's monthes or years before you get back to them. You may find as I have, that as time goes on and you gain knowledge and experience in collecting (which is a never ending, lifelong process) that you will add even more areas of interest, or sets, to your collection. I most recently started a set of US currency, and then immediately branched off to another set of French Indochina and Viet Nam currency, which led into the coins of Viet Nam, French Indochina, and pre-French Viet Nam kings and emporers. So you see, the path has infinite branches. All this rambling on is meant as an encouragement not to get frustrated and let it go...if necessary you can always give it a holiday for weeks months or years and come back to it. Just stirring the pot with a few thoughts,  Dennis |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
830 Posts |
When I initially restarted coin collecting maybe 4 or 5 years ago (maybe a bit longer? I dunno) I was grabbing everything that caught my eye. I think that's a normal syndrome with us collectors. I have finally "calmed down" and I am only focusing right now on U.S. Type Set (Dansco Album), British Victorian Type Set (Whitman Classic Bookshelf Album), U.S. Large Cents by date plus middle dates by variety, and British Conder Tokens with architectural themes. I will probably be selling off the rest of the hoard in the near future. My advice? Collect what makes you happy. Which sets seem to provide you the most enjoyment? That's where I am ... finally |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
986 Posts |
There are a lot of great comments above, but I'll just add in my 2 cents...
If you're looking for the feeling of accomplishment from a complete set, I'd recommend just going for the jeffersons. It's a really easy set to complete from pocket change, and the keys will run you under $10 in circulated condition. This is a set where you CAN be nitpicky and only choose the best for your collection. Even in BU, these coins aren't expensive, and the most you'll have to shell out is around $70 for a 1939-d (but there's always the much more affordable AU, so you should be good).
Franklins seem to be a great set to work on. I wouldn't know yet, but it seems like you enjoy this set. If that's the case, then work on the set. It may take a while, but it'll be worth it in the long run when you can go back and say "I've got a complete set of franklins!"
Hey, I know about budgeting problems. I'm just a kid, and trying to feed this expensive hobby is frustrating. I've seen some great coins go by that I could afford a week later, but not at that exact moment. Now, I've set up this little system about how to buy coins. I'm trying to limit the number of coins I buy online. Instead, I'm saving up my money for a coin show every few months. The Atlanta Show is coming up, and I'm really excited about being able to go there with a few hundred bucks in my pocket. But I've saved for around 4-5 months.
Right now, I'm only trading coins online, except for a rare occasion where I may "have" to buy a coin. This has worked out well for me, since I can add coins to my collection without spending money. Putting up a want list in the BST forum will do wonders!
So that's one budgeting strategy to consider, but it's certainly not the only one.
There are sets that I know I'll probably never finish, and I'm sure that many have the same feeling. Even if I were to buy the lowest grade key date morgans, I'd never be able to afford anything else. So just collect those sets for the fun of adding a coin once in a while, and focus the bulk of your money onto sets that you can complete.
I really don't know too much about the level of difficulty for completing the foreign sets, so I'm not even going to venture there. Probably the best piece of advice is to collect what you like, and at the end of the day, you'll have a collection that you'll love as much as Eliasberg loved his!
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Forum Mom
 United States
5877 Posts |
When my grandfather got me started, he gave me some of everything. I then proceeded to do what you did and feel that I had to keep adding to everything. This can get very expensive and eventually, it started to be more like work than a hobby. I sat back and looked at everything I had and realized that, while I still wanted to collect everything, at different times I felt like adding to different collections. What I mean is that I started collecting by mood instead of always thinking about what I needed to complete any one collection. This made collecting very enjoyable for me again. At different times, I was only focusing on one or two different kinds because that's what interested me at the time. I also found that it was great when my mood changed because I already had a collection started in whatever series started to interest me. I don't know if I worded it well or if this helps you, but I know that looking at collecting this way didn't make me feel so pressured to complete any one set and I didn't feel overwhelmed anymore. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
And that is why I come here. There is a wealth of information and experience here. There are good insightful people here who I can always count on.
What I have decided is put everything else on the back burner except for the Franklins. It seems the most feasible set to complete and the one I should complete sooner than later with the prices going crazy. So I figure, sooner the better, and then after that I will see where my goal lies next.
I will still look through the pocket change for the cents, nickels and dimes I need.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4589 Posts |
hey Irish I personally collect what ever when ever and have no plan for what I want to collect etc. I guess I am all over the place
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2177 Posts |
quote:
Originally posted by scoutjim99
hey Irish I personally collect what ever when ever and have no plan for what I want to collect etc. I guess I am all over the place
Same here Jim. |
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Replies: 29 / Views: 2,117 |
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Posted 10/01/2006 9:40 pm
