Coin Collecting Quandries – PART ONE

 ( FOOTNOTE #1 – No moo-cows were harmed in the writing of this post )

 

Okay.  So as a collector you will already be aware that things are not always straightforward.  Yes, the truth is that the whole business of numismatics is full of all manner of dilemmas, pitfalls and crocodiles (well…. they do feature on a few different coins anyhow).  That is precisely why I have decided to write a few different posts discussing some of the most common problems encountered by coinies.  Whether or not my input will actually do anything to help with things remains to be seen but hey-ho; at least it makes for some fun-packed reading 🙂

And here we are.  This is to be part one of a ‘not-quite-sure-just-how-many-yet-series’.  Enjoy and I do hope it is of some benefit to you.

 

Packs, Loose, Capsules or Cards?

 

Settling on how you store your coins and in which format will be tied up with practicality and personal preference.  On a practicality level, not everyone has the space to collect dozens of Royal Mint packs so cards or capsules will be a much more sensible choice.  But some of us are sticklers when it comes to fancy artwork and packaging.  So, for some people packaged coins are the only acceptable format.

Obviously, this will need pondering on.  For example, if you start out by buying packs and then switch to capsules it is going to really hurt tearing all of that beautiful artwork to take out your coins (I speak from experience.  There is something sacrilegious about it all!

 

Definitives or Not?

 

When it comes to the question of collecting definitives or not, several factors will help us to arrive at an answer.  Some of it will come down to our budget to begin with.  If you check out the price of unreleased Shield Section fifty pences or Technology two pound coins then you will soon see what I mean.  And not everyone will take their collecting seriously enough to justify spending around £100 on a standard coin.  I mean a Shield Section fifty pence is something we all see in our change every day.  Is it really important to have one for each year of release?

 

Curveball Coins

 

Just when we think we know what we are doing when it comes to our collection, something awkward will come along and leave us in a right old pickle.  And there are more coins like this than you will first realise…..  A good example would be A-Z ten pences.  Since their release in 2018/2019 these have caused serious problems for many collectors.  Is it best to collect one year or both?  If only one then which?  Or is it important at all?  Does it really matter if you have a mixture of years if you are lucky enough to own all twenty-six letters?

 

‘And not everyone will take their collecting seriously enough to justify spending around £100 on a standard coin.’

 

But A-Z are only one predicament for numismatists…..  How about a few others like 2009 Blue Peter?  This will currently set you back by £250-300!  Whereas the 2011 version with exactly the same picture will cost you a hundredth of that.  Once again, this all comes down to one single question – just how far are you willing/able to go with your coin collection?

Stay tuned.  For that was only part one of this sorry saga.  Next time I shall be covering even more ‘Coin Collecting Quandries’!!!

 

 

© Article and images (except where stated) copyright Mik Smith 2022