Imagine you've woken up and you've somehow got $500 going spare, small lottery win, or money left by a distant relative or whatever.


Lets say you fancied spending this money on coins what would you do?

Probably 2 to 3 coins for my F-XF U.S. type set.

Depends upon which of my sets i'm working on.

If it's my German then i could probably buy the remaining 5 or 6 and finish it and still have plenty left over for something else.

If it was my Henry VI or my Saint Gauden's set then i could probley only get the one.

If it was for my Anglo-Saxon set then i'd have to put it on one side and find some more more before i could get the next coin.

A Henry I of England penny would just about cover it!

Are you good at making dreams come true???

No coins Something special for three kids in a faraway place, my family hopes to see them again very very soon.

Henry I eh?

You sure do like the tougher ones don't you of the Norman kings? (well at least it's not William Rufus )

Sorry i haven't got any Henry I's!

There was a time when my answer would have been 100+ coins but I have bought almost all those coins already. Now the answer would probably be several dozen coins if it is money I have saved up for a purpose. However, if it is 'found money', it might be 1 or 2 or 3 coins.

I said "several coins".
I am very happy with coins that cost less than a hundred dollars. When I spend more than that for a coin, it starts to become more than just a hobby, and that's not what I'm interested in.

It all depends what you like. I like history, unfortunately i'm getting into Anglo-Saxon/Viking history and coins are probably the only really viable way of owning things contemporary to this period. Books that survive from this period and all perishable materials that survive are exceedingly rare and tend to be in museums.

Other archaeological finds exist which offer an alternative to coins, brooches and stuff but at the end of the day a brooch probably only went into a few households, maybe went down a few generations at most. A coin went all around the country, saw all kinds of people and can be dated far more accurately. They often have political statements on them, religious devotions. They capture the whole era in ways that personal items and jewelry cannot; social, political and religious.


Now this doesn't mean that i just like expensive coins... i seem to hoard Washington quarters in all kinds of grades, silver ones, clad ones, in UNC, AG, paint on them, corroding ones, spotty ones, cleaned ones. I like the silver ones the most and i like and find happiness in just adding more of them to the hoard. I guess i just like the design.


So i like dirt cheap and really expensive coins pretty much equally. I spend more time with the cheaper ones as it happens. Love raiding junk boxes too. Got a few Third Reich coins last time i went scouring through a junk box, it was fantastic to finally find a bronze 1 reichspfennig decent grade with a bit of lustre (i only had zinc ones) and the brass 10 reichspfennig was a nice one to find too. I got those for about 10 pence each at the York coin fair from some Americans, i hope they're there next weekend too so i can find some more.

I'd put it aside and save it towards my 1877 IHC or my 1909-S IHC.

Not real sure what I would buy but guarantee everyone it would go into a coin or coins. I like putting my money there so I would make plans to do so but I would also make sure I was getting a coin(s) that would hold its value or be in demand for quite a long time which would probably lead to a purchase of gold or a key, semi-key date coin(s). As long as its coins I am a happy man!

Yeah, I love finds like those.
I have a Choice BU red 1 reichspfennig that I truly treasure. Didn't cost much at all.
I like the way you collect, and I couldn't agree more that history is an all-important factor in coin collecting.
I've always said that this hobby can be enjoyed by anyone. It has nothing to do with how much money you throw at it, and it has everything to do with how much pleasure you can glean from it.

Expensive coins for the sake of it really don't do that much for me. For example i can think of say 1934 UK Wreath Crowns, mintage 932 (or near to). Sure if i sold a few things here and there i could get a few thousand pounds and buy a decent one in VF or something. But at the end of the day the coin has no real historical connection to it and i care even less for the design (and it's a psuedo-collector coin as well since the issue were minted to be sold at Post Offices as Christmas gifts for people and not for circulation), so i see one and get no reaction whatsoever, it might as well be 1928 for all i care.


I can see why people get excited about that 1933 double eagle because that coin has got history written all over it. Smuggled out of the mint, owned by a King, minted and directly affected by the politics in the US at that time, directly affected by the politics during it's exile. Tracked down by the US secret service and witnessed a custody battle over it. When it comes to history that particular coin is absolutely loaded with history. Infact i can't think of a better example at this time than that. I wouldn't want it for the sake of owning the most expensive coin in the world or having it for investment reasons, i'd own it for it's legacy, i'd keep it a while and then i'd probably sell it at a loss, there's only me that could lose money on a 1933 double eagle!

Right you are, sir.
I like your reference to the 1933 Double Eagle. You express yourself very well, and it's easy to grasp your meaning.

One of my favorite collecting interests is Merchant tokens from my local area. Nothing overly expensive, but the history they contain means a great deal to me, on a personel level. That's not something that's easily explained to anyone other than true lover of our hobby.

I siad "several" but it would actually only be two or three ... all Victorias, of course

Well, okay ... maybe a nice George IV, too.

I voted one coin it would be a key date walking liberty......

Easy. One coin, an 1877 or 1877-S Trade Dollar, MS-60 or 61, for my oldest daughter's century birth year set. Hey, it IS found money.

Jerry

I voted: I'd put it on one side till i had enough to afford my next coin...

I voted this way with the thought in my mind that this is "extra" money. I almost exclusively buy what I consider to be low to moderately priced coins. On occasion I have splurged on a gold coin of higher value. Right now, I could not think of saving up money to buy one of the more higher priced coins to fill my sets. It may sound strange, but for some reason "found" money would be easier for me to spend on a single frivolous coin; whereas money that I would gather from working and saving would have to go to some important necessity like a bunkbed for the kids, new winter tires for the car, etc.

I'm glad someone finally understands!

So many invesment orientated collectors have been left banging their heads on the table after only half an hour talking to me.


I also like coins with a local feel to them. I always smile when i see an 1812 Sheffield shilling token, i near fell over when i saw a Sheffield sixpence cos i didn't know they even existed! Tokens i don't usually deal in so much but the local feel gets me a bit.

Same with medieval coins i find certain mints more appealing, Lincoln is my favourite because it's my favourite city but i've yet to actually buy one! All i keep coming across are London, Canterbury and a few York mint issues.

I'd wait for some nice moderately priced ($50 or so) pieces to show up, and hope that the publishers didn't put out expensive new textbooks for the courses I'm in...

there are several Morgans I need that cost about $500 each. Or serveal that are $1-200 and I could get a couple.

I'd probably buy myself a Carson City Morgan and a few lesser value coins like some highly toned dimes, quarters, etc.

Several coins, maybe three. I would sell those and buy several more, and do that a few more times until I owned the blue Gothic crown which appears as my avatar pic.

Coin, single, gold in makeup, probably French, maybe Dutch or Austrian.

I'm working on my modern US Dansco collections at present, so it would probably end up being a couple of dozen.

1 coin because usually if I ever did get that much money, I'd spend it on a few to fill in holes in sets while I can. But if it were given to me, I'd go with that 1 coin I need to fill a certain hole.

Lately I've been spending more than $500 a month on coins.
Ron

I would buy myself a nice semi-expensive ancient. Then my wife would find out and I would be living in the now frigid snowbound canine abode.

Many years ago that would be to run out and buy numerous coins. Now with so many collections completed I have moved into the really upper range in value of coins. I don't go to any coin shows with less than a few thousand dollars due to the coins I want are way up there in value.

i've had to go to more shows with more money than that recently (remember - I'm a poor college student) because of the keys in my series

I would purchase the last 2 SAE that I need to complete my proof set and I would still have about $100.00 left.

I said, "Set it aside..."

Free money means special coins to me. I've yet to spring the $2,000-3,000 it will cost for a Subalpine Republic 20 franc piece, the so called Marengo.



Or I'd run wild on eBay for fifteen minutes...

What happened to Elverno?


Bump.

What's up with the poll bumping? You gotta test coming up that you refuse to study for or something?

I'd finish out my 20th century type set (less than $100 total, I think) and spend the rest on 2-4 nice pieces, maybe some gold or a bust in there somewhere. Maybe I'll put it all in towards a super condition 1839 Booby Head Large Cent like I've been wanting to lately. Hell, if hubby buys himself a $300 iPhone, why can't I spend it on that cent?

You can empathize, eh?

I've got a progress report due to my research advisor, a presentation for my research class, and I had an interview this morning. Of course I needed to procrastinate!!! You're good!


Oh, and I always like polls (I like numbers if you can't tell), there is never enough of them. They also keep discussions going longer.

non of the choices .. i rather save the $500 for when i really need it

I want to change my vote. It's Spring time and I would use that money to pay someone to clean and wax a few of my cars.

Yep. The American Dream, banivechi.

Ah, I understand: it's only a dream, sorry: a Dream!