Newbie with a quandary!

[Justin 0]

Hi all,

Well I have been reading the posts now for a few weeks and since I registered I have hit a quandary of sorts! I thought I should write my thoughts down so to speak!

I initially started collecting around 9 months ago. I started by way of the good old whitman folders and had the complete set bar one. I then noticed a few coins had turned a wee bit nasty in the folders and decided the move to albums was needed, which I built myself. All coins were acetone bathed before being sealed in 2x2's. This has proved to be a much better way of storing and seeing the coins.

I started collecting GB pre-decimal as per the whitman folders which was fun, but I initially did buy quite a few fair/worn coins to fill the gaps. I then moved onto third reich coins and US coins as well. With those collections I know exactly were I am going and what I am collecting.

The quandary lies within my three GB folders. My initial plan was to collect year sets from 1880 to 1980 (the 100 years prior to and including my birth year. My QEII folder is full now from 1953-1980 and a lot is of EF of better, apart from the sixpences, florins and half crowns which are currently VF (although this does not bother me much). The album pages from 1880 til around 1930 are a bit lacking apart from mostly farthings (most are EF/aUnc or Unc) or the pennies which was the first folders I filled!

My quandary is this, do I extend good ole Liz up until present and then concentrate on just pennies prior to 1953 as I seem to gravitate towards the big shinny bronze ones or do I stick with what I am doing? the main reason is that the price of most shillings, florins and half crowns prior to George VI are quite high and I don't think I could justify the cost! I know some pennies are not cheap but as they contain no bullion the lower end of the grades even in some of the rarer ones are a lot more acceptable to me (and the long haired colonel of course!).

Also by selling what I have accumulated in farthings, half-pennys and threepences etc I could get quite a few pennies in return!

I know its my choice but as a newbie I would like to hear the thoughts of the more experienced, what would you do, how many times have you changed your mind and is it likely to happen throughout my life of collecting?

Regards

Justin

[Rob 3,152]

The last question is the easiest to answer - Yes. When you start out you can't hope to know what you will prefer in the future, but once you have a focal point it is easier to decide what you can afford in terms of grade. By all means choose a single denomination if it suits you. Once you go into the realms of varieties there isn't a hope in hell of completing a series, so make the best of what you can achieve. If you like coins in a certain grade, then stick with them throughout the series as it gives a more balanced visionary impact. A single blazing BU coin will stand out like a sore thumb in a tray of fines. The converse is true as well, but in this instance it is likely to be low grade because that's all there is available.

There is no right or wrong thing to collect because you are doing it for personal pleasure. If you have already decided that you are not going to collect silver back to 1880 on the grounds of price, I would suggest you collect anything that appeals. A collection doesn't have to be focussed on a certain denomination, so maybe a type set of each reign is what you will gravitate to. It means that you can probably do the entire hundred years at reasonable cost because you don't have the expensive key dates to worry about.

Whitman folders are not a good idea. All card produced in recent times is acidic from the bleaching process, so you should avoid contact with paper other than that produced by traditional methods. The 2x2 paper envelopes are acid free for example.

Filling gaps as quickly as possible is not a good way to go about it in my view. Better to wait for the right coin for you to come along. Patience is very important when building a collection.

[Justin 0]

Thanks for the reply Rob,

Yeah I found out about the paper issue through the Whitman folders! I was kind of hell bent initially when I started collecting that I didn't really have a direction or patience as all I was focussed on was empty gaps!

I have now developed the patience and I no longer buy a coin purely on the basis of an empty gap or its a good grade, it has to appeal visually to me and I dont mind waiting the extra time to find something that looks good and will sit with the other coins around it nicely.

I will definitely been taking that tip on sticking to a particular grade if possible as it will make the collection more complete as you say and visually pleasing. I have a few BU pennies which do stick out massively beside a VF or EF!

One more question though, what would a "type set" consist of?

Again thanks for the reply,

Regards

Justin

[Rob 3,152]

A type set would comprise one of each denomination for an issue. So predecimal Eliz. II would have a farthing, halfpenny, penny, threepence, sixpence, shillings (English & Scottish), florin, half crown and possibly all three crowns. You could extend that to include a maundy set and a sovereign if desired and also a 1953 set because they were the only coins of the reign with BRITT OMN in the legend. George VI would be the same base and silver denominations, but the silver threepence would be extra. Again you have the early coins with IND IMP, but following Indian independence, this was dropped from 1949. George V has 925 silver, 500 silver, ME coins and the final issues. You can make your criteria as wide or as narrow as you feel comfortable with, but it gives mental encouragement if you know you can complete a set.

[Coinery 1,148]

My quandary is this, do I extend good ole Liz up until present and then concentrate on just pennies prior to 1953 as I seem to gravitate towards the big shinny bronze ones or do I stick with what I am doing? the main reason is that the price of most shillings, florins and half crowns prior to George VI are quite high and I don't think I could justify the cost! I know some pennies are not cheap but as they contain no bullion the lower end of the grades even in some of the rarer ones are a lot more acceptable to me (and the long haired colonel of course!).

Also by selling what I have accumulated in farthings, half-pennys and threepences etc I could get quite a few pennies in return!

I know its my choice but as a newbie I would like to hear the thoughts of the more experienced, what would you do, how many times have you changed your mind and is it likely to happen throughout my life of collecting?

Regards

Justin

Hi Justin,

Speaking for myself, I also can't seem to settle on anything at all. I didn't think I'd ever go anywhere near George VI, and then suddenly found myself with close to a 100 of them. I too thought I quite liked the pennies...but also the farthings and halfcrowns so, before you know it, I'm accumulating the entire series of G5.

I also like the hammered Elizabeth, Charles copper, Victorian Old Head, and so it goes on. The moral of the story is, I'm not sure if some people will ever settle, though I do envy those penny and farthing chaps!

I think you must go where your heart is, within the confines of your budget, because, as you've said, you can always sell-up and change direction if you fancy it.

Only two tips, really...don't leave gaps in folders or trays to fill, as it will eat you away (the Whitman folders were genious as addiction traps), group them together and then spread them out to make the space for a new addition inbetween.

Also, if you think you are going to be chopping around a lot, then you might have to rethink your grades, as selling poor grade coins won't leave you as much to spend on your next passion as you might hope, especially if your outlet is going to be eBay!

You're obviously well into it, so enjoy the ride, wherever it takes you!

[Peckris 579]

Thanks for the reply Rob,

Yeah I found out about the paper issue through the Whitman folders! I was kind of hell bent initially when I started collecting that I didn't really have a direction or patience as all I was focussed on was empty gaps!

I have now developed the patience and I no longer buy a coin purely on the basis of an empty gap or its a good grade, it has to appeal visually to me and I dont mind waiting the extra time to find something that looks good and will sit with the other coins around it nicely.

I will definitely been taking that tip on sticking to a particular grade if possible as it will make the collection more complete as you say and visually pleasing. I have a few BU pennies which do stick out massively beside a VF or EF!

One more question though, what would a "type set" consist of?

Again thanks for the reply,

Regards

Justin

Yes I agree with Rob's reply. I "converted" from date collecting to type collecting some years ago, but the process is never an absolute one. For example, I love my date collection of bronze pennies, but am resigned to not upgrading pre-1887, as it would now cost too much. And I have been disposing of some dates in my halfcrown run from 1911 to 1967. I also have a complete set of brass 3d. But my Edward VII halfcrowns are a very mixed bag : one UNC (1910), and three rares (1903/04/05). As Rob says, how wide or how precisely you define 'type' will vary from person to person, and there is no hard and fast rule. Tastes change over the years. Enjoy what you collect, and if that includes the challenge of the pursuit, enjoy that too!

[Peter 615]

I have post 1672 copper as my first love but that hasn't stopped me hoarding 500+ hammered and Roman.I also have type sets of every type.

I've got gold,foreign. (I do like pre rev French)I've got bank notes.My collecting is wide.It has happened over a long time.Step carefully and buy the best.I cannot tell you what to collect but you do need to get a focus otherwise you will end up like me with a nagging wife and an empty bank account.

[Justin 0]

Cheers for the replies guys, its been very much appreciated and a nice insight!

I may let myself become varied and wide when the kids are all grown up, but as of yet my wife has not begun the nagging or the bank looking too shabby, kids and family come first etc etc!

I have made a decision and decided to keep the 1953-1980 folder as is as I only need one coin to complete the set and will as time goes by upgrade the cupro-nickel coins to EF/Unc, but as the pre 1953 folders is a little slap dash apart from the pennies I will be concentrating on the pennies from 1797 onwards but concentrate on years and major varieties (Heaton/Kings Norton mint and the other few major varieties but not down to the little differences which should help the wallet a little!!

I will be trying to buy better grades as I will be concentrating on one denomination which will also help in the grading of coins when looking online! That was another steep learning curve one which stills stumps me on occasion!

With the pennies, Third Reich, USA and the case for the randoms with some Roman coins and other randoms I think that should keep me out of trouble and busy enough!

Again thanks for the replies and the insight it has been most helpful, now I am currently on a ban for buying (OK maybe not a complete one! ) until I can sell the stuff I am not keeping and finish cataloging everything else! Something else I didnt think was important when I began collecting! !

Regards

[Peter 615]

Maybe get a couple of books first.

I've only chanced on 2 coins in the last 7 days (under the radar)Mrs Peter deep down likes them...I'm sure

[Justin 0]

I did manage to get a few books collectors coins GB, grading british coins and the coin yearbook.

These have all helped in a massive way and thankfully I have only overpaid once for a coin, purely because I liked the toning so much, apparently so did the other bidders!

I am sure all women folk have an affinity for currency, my wife is more interested in the paper variety of sterling which she can spend in shops, but I believe she does like coins, maybe not the ones she can't spend though!

[Peckris 579]

Cheers for the replies guys, its been very much appreciated and a nice insight!

I may let myself become varied and wide when the kids are all grown up, but as of yet my wife has not begun the nagging or the bank looking too shabby, kids and family come first etc etc!

I have made a decision and decided to keep the 1953-1980 folder as is as I only need one coin to complete the set and will as time goes by upgrade the cupro-nickel coins to EF/Unc, but as the pre 1953 folders is a little slap dash apart from the pennies I will be concentrating on the pennies from 1797 onwards but concentrate on years and major varieties (Heaton/Kings Norton mint and the other few major varieties but not down to the little differences which should help the wallet a little!!

I will be trying to buy better grades as I will be concentrating on one denomination which will also help in the grading of coins when looking online! That was another steep learning curve one which stills stumps me on occasion!

With the pennies, Third Reich, USA and the case for the randoms with some Roman coins and other randoms I think that should keep me out of trouble and busy enough!

Again thanks for the replies and the insight it has been most helpful, now I am currently on a ban for buying (OK maybe not a complete one! ) until I can sell the stuff I am not keeping and finish cataloging everything else! Something else I didnt think was important when I began collecting! !

Regards

In the bronze series, I would say that ought to include

a beaded and toothed 1860

possibly 'crosslet 4' and other 1864 but not essential to have both IMO

1865/3

1875H

one wide and one narrow date from the 1870s

1902 Low Tide

possibly 1903 'open 3' if that floats your boat

the GeoV H and KNs as you have said

1926 ME

Those are all fairly major varieties.

[Justin 0]