Two-headed collectors

Comments are a great thing for online blogs. They show that the hobby is alive, active and thinking.

Yesterday, I see someone noted that what I had written doesn’t make sense.

The Thursday blog said buy the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories six-coin silver proof set if you want one because you will not find a better deal in terms of what the mark-up over bullion value is.

The day before I wrote that now is a great opportunity to unload coins that you no longer want.

The comment implies that this is a contradiction. Should readers buy or sell?

Well, I think there are two critical factors to keep in mind.

The first is desire. What do you want?

If you have coins in your collection that you no longer desire to own for whatever reason, if they happen to be made of a precious metal, now is a good time to move them out to convert the money for hobby purchases of coins you do want.

If you were considering buying the 2009 six-quarter silver proof set, hurry up because deals like that don’t last. If you don’t want this set, it certainly would be foolish to buy it.

For the second point I would like to ask what collectors buy but don’t sell, or sell but don’t buy?

The life of the collector is an ongoing rhythm of buying and selling. Both are necessary and do not contradict.

Many collectors over the years find that their interests change. If my interests stayed fixed from what I liked when I started in 1963, I would never have gone beyond Lincoln cents.

Do I still have some Lincolns? Yes.

Have I sold some over the years? Yes to that, too.

Is that a contradiction?

If it is, then I guess most collectors live with that dynamic tension every day of their hobby lives.

But as I wrote, it all boils down to what you want.

Only you know what that is.