You're all such visual people that I have to assume there are coin collectors out there. I love American Bust Half Dollars, among other coins. I started coin collecting when I was seven or eight years old and was still destroying watches by leaving them in my pockets on laundry day or taking them apart without being able to put them back together. While I have a preponderance of US coins, I have a fair number of coins from around the world and have specialized in some obscure areas, like the occupation currency distributed by Germany during WWII or copper coins from before the unification of Germany. I also have a number of scholarly books on Ancient Greek Coins, but I’ve never actually bought any. Anyway, tell us what you’re collecting! A coin I own: And, a coin I’m in love with but don’t own: From Syracuse, before 300 BC
I have a few [6] uncirculated key date U.S. coins graded and slabbed by PCGS and NGC. They range in condition from MS62 to MS65. I purchased them over 20 years ago...I believe the only one that has gone up in value is the 1916 Standing Liberty quarter [pictured below, bottom row, right]. LATE ENTRY: The reason I purchased [and continue to own] these coins is because they are the coins that I had lusted after as a kid in the 1970s...I had vacant spots in my dark blue cardboard Whitman coin holder books regarding almost all of the key date coins. When I became a big boy with a big boy job, I decided to purchase some of the key date coins [in uncirculated condition] that I had wanted so badly as a kid. I’ll occasionally fetch these coins from the safe and admire their patina...as well as check their current value even though I don’t plan to ever sell them. Also, my 1914 D Lincoln cent [pictured below, bottom row, center] is my “good luck penny”...I intentionally carried it in the breast pocket of my suit [in its NGC slab, of course] for good luck during my Delta Air Lines pilot tests/interviews in the year 2000...and I got hired!
I think I have a bag of those on my desk .... I don't collect coins but fell into dealing in them. That's the sum total of US coins I have at the moment ... have barely even sorted them yet. I do have some lovely and early Islamic (Lavant and similar) coins in at the moment.
I started out with just bullion issues from Perth mint, lunars, proofs and a few limited issues like the Dragon/Phoenix, 2017 Swan and proofs, of late though I have been finding a few pretty rare issues from way back when the mint fist started producing for public purchase like the Swan 1 oz fine silver piece proof and very little known issues from the early 80's. Bit of a mixed bag due to diversifying my stack. Also have a complete issue set from Royal Silver Company 99999 silver and gold and have nearly completed 2 sets. In amongst it all I have some from Kazakhstan silver Irbis from 2009 first year of issue and other assorted gold and silver bullion issues and proofs. I do home refining of silver and gold so I buy heaps of damaged or worn non numismatic junk coins for this purpose and pour my own bars. Metal prices have not really moved well so it's just stacking for savings really in an asset harder to spend than cash, nice to have it though than be without it.
I try to collect as many twenty, fifty, and hundred dollar bills as I can. However, I guess I'm a flipper. My credit card and the utility companies take them off my hands as soon as I get my grubby little mitts on them.
Speaking of coins...I have quite a few "slabbed" and raw coins that I would trade for watches (or cash if I must). No joke. Mostly US Gold + Silver. Collector grade stuff. A few foreign gold (Russian and Mexican). I inherited them from a collector and sold the lesser pieces last year. Double Eagles, Sitting Liberty coins, CC Morgan dollar, etc. If you are into a certain type of coin, send me a PM and maybe we can work out a deal.
I don’t have any photos but pieces of 8, Peruvian sol and half sol, Meiji 1yen, various trade currency used in Asia by the colonial powers, Arabic dinars of various nationalities and some other silver stuff.