Coins We Love: Parenting and Coin Collecting
Parenting, like coin collecting, can be difficult! I learn this every day in my household because everything can’t always be perfect, especially when you’re dealing with High School Spanish and Algebra. But sometimes you settle for doing the best that you can. In working with collectors, sometimes this is the path that we take because we need to add “something” to our collection to keep our interests flowing. Working with the Hansen Collection has shown me how true it is that sometimes we have to fill that hole until the better or “almost-perfect” coin comes along. (Even if the coin is MS70 or PR70, I would argue that it’s not perfect!)
As we’ve continued to move forward in our sales of coins from the Hansen Collection, I’ve received MANY inquiries as to why he is selling his collection. The truth is, he’s not! These are simply the duplicates from the collection that have been upgraded or were not quite the “perfect” fit for the collection. As collectors mature in the hobby their preferences change. Whether the preference is blast white or toned, original or dipped out, high end for the grade, or with a truly original skin. These are all different flavors in the hobby and these changes are normal. However, in the Hansen Collection, we’ve ended up with duplicates that are far and away some of the most special coins we’ve handled. And when you realize that, you get a glimpse of what it’s like to be working with the primary collection. While the sales of the duplicates happened at a slower pace than we originally intended, it took many hours of organizing, reviewing, and making sure that we were picking the “right” coin for the primary collection before we moved forward with selling the duplicate.
So, while it appears that we’re selling off the Hansen Collection, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we’re more likely to acquire pieces to improve the primary set at this point than we are to consider selling those coins. Like our kids, the coins have become like family members, and while they may not love us as much as a family member, they generally do not bring about the anxiety of math or foreign languages (until you get into the Ancient Roman coins!). All of that being said, we’re honored to be the chosen home of the sales of duplicates from the D.L. Hansen Collection and if you should choose to sell your coins along with the greatest privately held collection of US coins, we’d be pleased to offer to you that same service.
Baltimore – The Wrap-Up: This was the best Baltimore show we’ve had in two years. The activity was rejuvenating! In fact, people were trying to sell JC coins as we were walking out the door. I had to tell him to “Stop buying, we’ll miss our flight!” I thought he might just skip the flight that evening, but I have a feeling that his wife wouldn’t have been a fan. Seriously, the show was fantastic. The release of the Gold Flowing Hair Medals by the US Mint was an interesting event. I’m a bit disappointed in the way that they chose to monetize the Privy-marked coins with an auction, but such is life I guess. I think we all would have been a little more excited to buy a coin if we thought we might win the drawing!
All of that being said, the show was a blockbuster and if it’s a sign of what’s to come in the market, I’m ready for another wild ride. We only have one more buying show left in the year, the PCGS Members Only Show in December. I typically attend to finish up my Holiday shopping at the malls, but it’s also a great buying event for those looking to trade. So, we’ll be attending that event and then getting ready for the annual kickoff event of the FUN Show. We’ll have some neat things on board for that show and we look forward to January. Until then, we hope that you enjoy these offerings and we want to thank you for reading!
Numismatically Yours,
John Brush
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