A couple more newbie questions about coin collecting

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I searched but did not see these questions specifically answered. If you prefer to point me to a prior discussion that I may have missed instead of detailed answers, that would be great!

So far my collection consists of coins won at raffles, coins I've dug, coins bought at my local coin store that look pretty z|, etc. As a result, I have a few coins from a lot of locations and a number of duplicates. So my questions are:

1. Do you recommend focusing on a country and timeframe and building that to completion? If so, is your goal to collect an example of each coin for each year that it was minted?

2. When you go to a coin store or show, what information do you take with you to compare your existing collection with what is offered? Do you take the kind of spreadsheet downloaded from Numista, just the coin numbers, do you keep a notebook of needs, etc.?

Thanks very much for any replies!
Welcome to Numista!

For your first question...
One of my favourite things about coin collecting is that there is something for everyone. Every coin collection is as unique as the individuals collecting them. I recommend looking around and getting a good feel for what you like and going from there. Some of us collect every year of a coin, and some just get one of each. As for me I have a focus on Newfoundland coins but I also pick up coins that just appeal to me for whatever reason.

If you go totally with someone else's recommendation without making it personal then you'll end up with a great collection but you won't appreciate it as much as one you made your own.

For your second question...
I'm not really qualified to answer this one. There are no coin shows here and only one tiny shop so I don't really have to worry about a portable catalogue. And if I did my collection is so small at the moment it's not much of an issue. The Newfoundland coin checklist is one page so it's easy to tuck into my pocket. I have every coin and its mintage on there. Easy peasy.

I think this might depend too a little bit on the type of collection you end up having. Maybe you'll have a one-pager as well. And when you're finished with that you'll have another one-pager to follow. Maybe you'll have one that you'll need a specialised book for. There are lots of pocketbook style catalogues for different coin sets. Such as the Charlton Canadian guides.

I'm sorry if that was no help. :° But really the world is your oyster.
Hello,
For question number 2, last time I went coin shopping I simply checked with my coin collection here in Numista, via my cell phone; that saved me from buying two coins I already had.
Thank you both for your input. I really appreciate it!
For the first question, it's like MonaSeaclaid said. It's very difficult to make a choice for someone else. You have to discover for your own where your interest lays. Two important things however you have to question yourself: how much time can you spend on your hobby and how much money can you spend on it. Money is of course the biggest obstacle. Whatever you collect, you will always have too little money to really buy what you want. So money probably won't decide what kind of collection you're going to keep. Time does. Collecting coins is a very time consuming hobby. The bigger your collection is, the more time you need. So if time is a problem, collecting by date is not a good option (unless you only collect one or a few countries by date), then it's better to collect by type.

For the second question, I go to coin fairs every week. I collect the whole world by date, so remembering what I have is not an option. In the beginning I took my Krause to coin fairs, but it is very devious to search all the coins you want to buy. So after a while I quit taking my Krause with me (by the way, nowadays you already need at least two Krauses to take with you) and just bought by good luck (one of the reasons I have so many doubles). Since I discovered Numista, I take a spreadsheet with me to coin fairs (not the spreadsheet from Numista, but my own with the information on it I need) and that works very well.
Thanks very much for your input! I'm rolling all of this info around in my head.
Maybe a good place to start is to think about the coins that got you into this hobby and why they appeal to you.

For example, I find that I love coins with ships on them. Maybe you love the ones with plants on them. Maybe animals. Maybe you just like tokens. Or maybe you like ones with just words/numbers.
Quote: "FacundoEche"...​ last time I went coin shopping I simply checked with my coin collection here in Numista, via my cell phone...
​Me too! Numista's mobile version is fully functional.
Thank you both for your assistance. Everyone's input is really helpful.
Quote: "Essor Prof"​For the first question, it's like MonaSeaclaid said. It's very difficult to make a choice for someone else. You have to discover for your own where your interest lays. Two important things however you have to question yourself: how much time can you spend on your hobby and how much money can you spend on it. Money is of course the biggest obstacle. Whatever you collect, you will always have too little money to really buy what you want. So money probably won't decide what kind of collection you're going to keep. Time does. Collecting coins is a very time consuming hobby. The bigger your collection is, the more time you need. So if time is a problem, collecting by date is not a good option (unless you only collect one or a few countries by date), then it's better to collect by type.

​For the second question, I go to coin fairs every week. I collect the whole world by date, so remembering what I have is not an option. In the beginning I took my Krause to coin fairs, but it is very devious to search all the coins you want to buy. So after a while I quit taking my Krause with me (by the way, nowadays you already need at least two Krauses to take with you) and just bought by good luck (one of the reasons I have so many doubles). Since I discovered Numista, I take a spreadsheet with me to coin fairs (not the spreadsheet from Numista, but my own with the information on it I need) and that works very well.

​Hi,

the same as the quotation above for the first question.

For the second question I differ a bit, since i don't go to many coin shows (2-3 a year), but when I do go to a show, then I don't take anything else along, than my head and my allotted budget for the day. I have 38.000 different coins (i collect by dates and mint marks), so a spread sheet is not possible, my memory is no good either.... So I try to find sellers with low prices and then I just buy the nicest coins from smaller countries, when possible. Coming home I normally put 99% of the coins into my doubles list and with a bit of luck I substitute the 1% with less nice coins in my collection. On a lucky day I might have one or two "new" coins. This is OK, since I use my doubles to swap for coins I know I miss, so in the end I manage to get coins for my collection in this indirect way.....

I don't have my doubles (around 15.000) in Numista, since I cannot put all the data I need into the data base, so I only swap by my excel doubles list even with numista members.

Have fun collecting whatever you want organizing it to your own taste0:)

Ole
Globetrotter
Coin varieties in French:
https://monnaiesetvarietes.numista.com
Not being one of the modern technologies, who have everything on their mobiles, I still do it the old fashioned way.
So, in answer to question 2, I take with me my Krause catalogue and I have put a mark around the KM# of all of the coins I have. This way, I do not buy coins I already have.
Down side of this method is the weight of two catalogues. 1901-2000 & 2001-date
As for question 1, how many answers are there? Thousands. When you start collecting you tend to collect everything, then later on, you may change your approach by going in a different direction, but that will happen over time.
I'm just a collector of coins, not a slave to it, unless I am in a coin shop.
For all you banknote collectors. Link to my swap list.
https://colnect.com/en/banknotes/list/swap_list/COINMAN1
Quote: "Sjoelund"​​​​For the second question I differ a bit, since i don't go to many coin shows (2-3 a year), but when I do go to a show, then I don't take anything else along, than my head and my allotted budget for the day. I have 38.000 different coins (i collect by dates and mint marks), so a spread sheet is not possible, my memory is no good either.... So I try to find sellers with low prices and then I just buy the nicest coins from smaller countries, when possible. Coming home I normally put 99% of the coins into my doubles list and with a bit of luck I substitute the 1% with less nice coins in my collection. On a lucky day I might have one or two "new" coins. This is OK, since I use my doubles to swap for coins I know I miss, so in the end I manage to get coins for my collection in this indirect way.....

​I don't have my doubles (around 15.000) in Numista, since I cannot put all the data I need into the data base, so I only swap by my excel doubles list even with numista members.

​What a coincidence. Since I discovered Numista I do exactly the same thing (the part in bold on your quote) as you. I try to buy nice coins cheap even if I already have them to use this to swap here on Numista. And although I probably have around the same amount as you in my collection (I also collect by date/mint marks/varieties/edge orientation) I still always find a lot of new coins on coin fairs, especially on the big ones. But I take my time, most of the times I'm the first one to enter the coin fair and the last one to leave.

I assume to get such an amount of coins in your collection, you did go to coin fairs much more in the past and you stopped going so much because you couldn't find much new anymore?

What I don't understand however, is why you don't put your doubles on Numista? You say that you can't put all the data you need in the database, does that mean there is a restriction? Because then I will have a problem too because I have probably 75.000 doubles (I'll know it exactly when my whole collection and doubles are added to the database, but that certainly still takes a few years). Or do you mean something else by "I can't put all the data I need in the database"? Numista has such a fine engine which automatically compares someone's doubles with your own collection, I really can't imagine I have to scroll through excel files manually.

Sorry SueK, this post was a bit off topic, but as you can read between the lines, even after 45 to 50 years of collecting, the passion is still as big as it ever was. I hope you can say the same thing for yourself within x number of years.
Well that's three of us using the same technique - I just can't resist a nice coin. I reckon I'm doing a service by rescuing these gems from the junk box and back into someone's album.

I gave some thought to how best a new collector should approach the hobby a few years ago when a young relative was starting out. I can't remember a time when I didn't collect coins, I've been doing it since before I could read and write so I had no personal experience to draw on. Here's the summary of what I worked out with the help of several other collectors who shared their thoughts.

The easiest way to get started is by collecting the coins you find in your pocket every day. US collectors have a great advantage here. It's still possible to find silver coins in circulation, wheat cents, pre war nickels. These, along with being able to pick up UNC quarters from the various series and the rolls of JFK halves / Dollars that you can get from the bank at face value can build a very satisfactory modern US collection at little cost.

It's not very satisfying though and will quickly become stale. Time to look further afield....

What series is -

Historically significant?
Inexpensive?
Easy to complete?

Answer = The coins issued by the collaborationist Vichy regime in occupied France. Even the ones with uncommon mintmarks can be picked up for very little cost and across the various denominations it makes for a good sized collection even though it spans only a few years.
Non illegitimis carborundum est.  Excellent advice for all coins.
Make Numismatics Great Again!  
Coinman1 I do the same thing with my Krause catalogs! Although lately I have been enjoying paper money...I sure hope that that will come to Numista...
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
Oklahoman,
I also collect banknotes, but nowhere near as seriously, so very rarely buy them now. If someone comes back from a holiday with some, then I will add them.
If I found any WWII prisoner of war banknotes, then I would definitely be interested in them. I have five, but there must be more out there.
I believe at this time, the people running the Numista site, have their hands full just keeping up with us on coins, so banknotes would be another problem that they can, at this time, do without.
In the future however, I think it it would be a great asset to Numista.
I'm just a collector of coins, not a slave to it, unless I am in a coin shop.
For all you banknote collectors. Link to my swap list.
https://colnect.com/en/banknotes/list/swap_list/COINMAN1
I dont think it would be as hard as all that. Create a banknote info template. Let members choose to create either a coin or a note page. Create it. Approve it. And list it at the end of the coin listings or in a banknote section. Numismatics are historically 2 legged...metal envalued by a government and paper envalued by a government. I hope that eventually Numista will stop hopping around on one leg. I would love at least a banknote forum and would volunteer to help there. I wonder if numisdocs would accept paper money articles?
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
Sorry for hijacking this thread. I love talking with Coinman1. We collect the same things...
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
Hi Essor Prof,

quote "I can't put all the data I need in the database" end quote

That's exactly my problem, I did start to enter my doubles, but gave up, since I didn't want to keep TWO volatile files up to date, much too tiresome and in the end my numista file was not accurate any longer!!

So I stick with my excel file, and it happens that numista members accept to change like that, because of the amount of my doubles..... not a joke!

Take care, Ole
Globetrotter
Coin varieties in French:
https://monnaiesetvarietes.numista.com
Quote: "Oklahoman"​Sorry for hijacking this thread. I love talking with Coinman1. We collect the same things...
​Lol...no problem! All of this discussion is really interesting to me. Thanks to all!
Hi! Welcome to Numista!!!

I agree with every thing said above, specially that you need to decide your target, so you will enjoy your new hobby.

On my side, when I started collecting, I thought of collecting worldwide coins, but very soon I realized there are really too much coins and many really expensive that were (and still are) out of muy reach.

So I decided to limit to a region. I live at South America, so I decided to collect only coins from my continent, is easier to me that all countries have the same language (and Brasil, that portuguese language is simmilar to Spanish, and can be understood with few effort); immediately I decided to add Central America countries , and also caribbean, as English is not a problem for me too (some caribbean countries), so my limits ended on Latin America and Caribe. At start I focused on 3 countries: Uruguay, mine, of course, Paraguay and Panamá, I choosed those 2 cause I was told they don't have a very wide range of coins; so having a fairly complete collection was possible.

Later, I visited Cuba, and got trapped by their coins and people, so this was my next (and actual) step. In fact actually is the 4th. country with more coins in my collection, and will be chasing 3rd. in a short time.

So, I suggest you to put low expectations at start, and when you get close, you would expand them.

For example focusing on a few countries, that you think you can get easily many coins, you can focus on circulating modern coins at start, and add other types (noncirculating commemoratives, trials, older coins, etc.). You can decide to collect by themes instead of countries (animals, flowers, national heros, buildings, etc. you decide what you like), but also I suggest you search for information of the coins you get; why the coin is about certain person, event, etc., you will learn why they decided to mint the coin, and you will understand their minds. If you get 50 coins, and you don't know a detail about them, will be only a number; if you have 5 coins and you know they are a series about something, and the reasons why they minted them, you will have the coins, the knowledge, you will love them and you will be enthusiastic to show them to your friends and family, and tell them the history, and stories about those coins.

The most important is you go for goals you can reach, and attract you. Once you get close to reach them, you can expand.

About info for fairs, etc. if you register correctly your collection at Numista, you can use it as the guide of what you have and what you need. If you go to periodical auctions or fairs, you can ask sellers for contact data, maybe they can send you listings of products they are bringing to fais or auctions, this way you can check before what they have and you can make notes of what you need, time is something you will not have at fairs, so knowing what you need is a great thing. Also you can't go checking for a coin while in an auction; when you finally find it they have already sold that coin, and the 5 following lots. Buying remembering what you have is only an option for a very short time; when you reach 400 coins, you will not remember all of them.

I go to 2 monthly auctions/fairs in my city, they previously send me listings by mail (now they are also uploading pictures on their sites), I check them, and go with a list of what I want. Last Friday i went to an auction with 250 lots, and on Saturday to a combined auction 300 lots, and fair 2000 lots. With my listings on hand I bought most of what I wanted, without mistakes, and even 4 lots for a friend theat asked me to do it.

Hope you fall in love with this hobby, and you can enjoy and share your passion.

Best regards,
Daniel,
adanieluy - referee for Uruguay and Cuba.
Just 10 options: you understand binary, or you don't.
Catalog Referee Coins, Banknotes & Exonumia: Uruguay, Cuba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador, Zamunda, Parva Domus and more.
I love Cuban commemorative coins! They are so distinctive. I have some east asian commemoratives that I could tell were cuban mint coins because they are so distinctive. I think some west asian and some african coins are cuban mint products as well. I love them.
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
I really appreciate everyone's input, guidance and suggestions. Clearly this is a forum of very helpful, knowledgeable people. Thanks very much!

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