After several years of collecting I have made the decision every collector ultimately faces and have decided to sell my collection. My main area of collecting was 1955-63 Australian proofs with my collection to be auctioned Wednesday week on Numisbid. It may sound silly but I am quite proud to have assembled my collection which is one of (if not) the finest collections of the series ever assembled both on grade and eye appeal.
Rather just saying goodbye and being a long time reader and occasional contributer to the forum I thought I would pass on some things I have learnt over the journey to hopefully assist other collectors.
-Learn how to grade yourself
-Start by collecting inexpensive coins, any mistake purchase or change in your collecting interests won't affect your enjoyment of the hobby that way.
-Focus your collection on a certain type of coin or series.
-Learn everything you can about your collecting area.
-Trust your gut instinct, never let anyone change your mind regarding the quality/value for money of a coin.
-Always (where practical) view a coin before purchasing it regardless of it being PCGS graded or not.
-Think outside the box if you are looking for quality coins, not all the best australian coins are in Australia, my collection includes coins sourced from America, Canada, England, Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore.
-If you buy a coin with a problem (even cheap) it will still have that problem when you go to sell it.
-If you collect PCGS coins, look past the grade and also consider eye appeal
-Dealers aren't doing you a favor by selling/showing you a coin, it's the other way around, remember you have the negotiating power when buying a coin.
-Don't publicise the fact you are a coin collector to the masses, it's an unfortunate truth that many thefts of coin collections are not random.
-Don't buy coins that are more expensive than you're willing to loose, basically don't ever own a coin(s) which take the fun out of coin collecting.
-This is more of a personal opinion but I think it is always best to collect high quality coins than average examples of key dates. For example I'd rather have a Gem full red 1915 penny than a fine 1930 penny.
-Have fun!!!!!
I should say I'm not leaving coin collecting altogether but rather I will be a little more absent from the numismatic community.
great advice and all the best with your auction lots dcoin
Good luck and all the best in your future pursuits.
I hope you get a really good price for your collection, and still look forward to seeing you post in the future.
I hope it all works out for you dcoin
Good luck mate, very good advice as well...
Good advice, which I've passed along to a friend who seldom logs in.
thanks for the heads up dcoin
i too would be proud of this collection
i was already aware of these, and so i am one awaiting this auction to further update my pre dec proofs ..
just gotta find some coin :D