I’ve been collecting coins, off and on, for some 60 years. My father got me
started during World War II when he gathered some indigenous coins for me while
serving with the 9th Air Force in Europe. After the war, he branched
out into U.S. commemorative silver pieces and Walking Liberty, Franklin and Kennedy
half dollars. For most of these early years, I was pretty much a passive
collector, the recipient of what Dad had acquired.
At left is an interesting Grosso da Soldi, issued by the duchy of Milan
around the turn of the 14th century. The obverse you see here shows a snake
holding a child.
The romance of coin collecting – the realization that taking an old coin in
hand is like holding a little bit of history – was slow in taking hold. Also, I
did not like the grading systems that took hold in the 1980s, and which added
intermediate grades in the uppermost Mint State (MS) 60 - MS 70 range. The changes, I felt, tended to
degrade nice uncirculated coins which might have picked up a few nicks or
scratches while stored in bags or other repositories with hundreds of other
coins. As a result, the main beneficiaries were the most affluent
collector/investors who could afford to pay hefty premiums for coins in pristine MS-67
and up grades.
Still, I continued spasmodically building the collection in the 1980s, buying
mostly U.S. gold coins which subsequently declined in value as the price of gold
dropped. There was little rhyme or reason to my collecting.
I attended a National Money Show,
produced in Portland, Ore., by the American Numismatic Association.
It was a grand event, attracting 7,000 visitors, with some priceless
coins on display, stimulating programs and more than 200 dealers
displaying their wares. Click
here for a look at a couple of ancient
Greek coins I purchased at the show.
And hark back to the antiquity, through the venerable
British Museum, briefly visited by John several
years ago.
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Ultimately, the incidental collector as I was faces a choice: either get
serious and organize the mess, or get real and dump the coins. If the collector
gets real, then worst case, he'll be rid of the inconvenience and end up with
enough money to buy something nice. If he gets serious, then he
might discover a new motivation for coin collecting.
What got me back on the track, I think for good, as a fairly serious coin
collector were two relatively recent developments: the Coin Collector’s Assistant computer
program, acquired in 1998, which enabled me to organize
my very diffuse collection, and the State Quarters program, begun in 1999. I am
pleased to say I have completed two sets of the State Quarters, comprised
entirely of "about uncirculated" specimens gathered in change or at banks.
For the dedicated coin collector, the suprem e pleasure and thrill of
discovery motivates a lifetime of collecting, at whatever level. Rare and
not-so-rare coins can generate a deep appreciation for art and a history not
found in your average water bottle or rock collection. And whether the coins increase in value becomes incidental to the pleasure of having
them. In some ways I am still a myopic collector, tending to favor shiny (even
if flawed) coins over those that are toned, Click
here for a choice I had to make between a "pretty" 50-cent commemorative and one that
while it looked a bit grimy was of at least equal value.
Now I'm mostly into foreigns and ancients, like that
rather bizarre piece from medieval Milan, a recent acquisition..
Go to John's
Home Page
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