Showing posts with label Collection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collection. Show all posts

Sunday, January 28, 2018

COIN COLLECTING Values: The Importance of Research

A great collection of old Indian coins! Jai hind! - Photo: Wikimedia
Is coin collecting an activity that you would like to start enjoying?  Or, have you just recently started collecting coins?  If you have, do you have hopes of creating a profitable coin collection that can later, one day be sold for profits or passed down to your future family generations?  If you do, you should take the time to examine coin collecting in general.  With that being said, be sure to place a large focus on coin collecting values, as coin values should have a significant impact on the worth of your coin collection.

Although it is nice to hear that coin collecting values and researching those values is important to coin collecting, especially for profits, many are curious as to why that is.  Of course, coin collections are invaluable until they are sold. With that in mind, not all coin collections sell and for amounts that collectors had hoped for.  For example, a full collection of Statehood Quarters is likely to sell for much less than a collection of rare coins from the early 1900s.  Unfortunately, many collectors do not realize this without first doing the proper research concerning coins, their values, as well as their conditions.

To research coins and their values, it is first important to start with the basics.  Coin collecting basics are extremely important to beginners and their success.  The most important coin collecting basics, that concern value, includes never overpaying for a coin, even a rare coin, and never paying full value for a coin that is damaged or distorted.  Following these basic tips can do wonders for a coin collection and its value.

Additional research that you may want to do includes examining the exact values and conditions of coins.  This is important right before you choose to make coin purchases, especially from someone other than a professional coin dealer.  Many dealers are considered experts in the filed and will provide you with detailed information, including an exact value or a coin rating from the Sheldon System.  In fact, this system and other popular coin rating systems are ones that you may want to examine.

One of the best ways to research coin values or the Sheldon System is by using the internet.  Online, you will find a number of great coin collecting resources at your fingertips.  A standard internet search may lead you to rare coin dealers or other professional coin dealers, who may be operating with or without a specialty.  Although many recommend buying coins of value in person, purchases can still be made online.  If you take this approach, however, be sure to request pictures and detailed descriptions.



Printed resources are another one of the many ways that you can go about researching and examining coins and their values.  A number of printed resources can be ordered online or found in local libraries or bookstores.  When examining a book that highlights coin collecting values, it is important to take date into consideration.  Look for updated resources, as they are likely to provide you with the most valuable and accurate information.

As a reminder, research is important to coin collectors who are collecting for the sole purpose of profits.  With that in mind, researching coin values can also benefit you if you plan to pass down your coin collection to family members.  Carefully keeping track of coin values can lead to profits for them in the future.



Tuesday, January 23, 2018

What to Do With Your Stamp Collection

May Stamp Collection - Photo: Wikimedia
Are you an avid stamp collector who would like to move on?  Whether you have increased in age and are looking to make final arrangements for your most prized possessions or if stamp collecting simply isn’t a hobby that you enjoy anymore, you may be looking for guidance.  Many stamp collectors are surprised to hear how many different options they have when looking for part ways with their stamp collections.

One option that stamp collectors have when looking to pass on their stamp collection, is to literally pass it on.  This is most often done with family members.  If your age and what will happen to your prized possessions after your passing is a concern of yours, you may want to select a family member to pass your stamp collection onto.  Whether you do this now or state in your will your wishes, there are a number of benefits to keeping stamp collections in the family, especially those that are twenty years or older.

In keeping with passing your stamp collection on, you may want to examine close friends or family friends.  This approach is a nice option if you do not feel that a relative would be able to properly care for your stamp collection, expand it, or take pride in it.  If you take great pride in your stamp collection and would like to see it reach new heights, it is wise to select a new owner who would do just that.  This individual would be one who has a love of the past or one who personally enjoys stamp collecting as a hobby.

Another option, when looking to pass your stamp collection on to another, is to sell it.  Depending on the stamps in your collection, this approach may prove to be a profitable one.  Should you decide to sell your stamp collection, it is a wise idea to do the proper amount of research.  Examine collection values, ideal stamp collecting conditions, and so forth.  When selling your stamp collection, consider selling it as a whole set or in individual groups.  If you have stamps of value, your best approach may be to arrange a meeting with a stamp collecting dealer.

Donating is also an option if you are looking to pass on your stamp collection.  Depending on your stamp collection, it may be of great value and not just in the monetary sense.  You may have stamps in your collection that would be valuable to a historical organization or another nonprofit organization.  To assist your local community, inquire locally first and then expand your search to a national level if you do not see the results you were hoping for.  When donating your stamp collection, inquire about its intended use.  Will it be auctioned off for the profits or will it be housed on display?



As highlighted above, you have a number of different options.  As for which option is best for you and your stamp collection, it is important to remember it will vary.  Before deciding what you would like to do with your stamp collection, it is important to think about your decision.  Are you looking to pass on your stamp collection because stamp collecting is no longer an interest of yours or are there more important reasons, such as your health?  This important question should have an impact on your final decision.


Sunday, September 24, 2017

Vintage Cars 01





Sunday, September 17, 2017

Great Americans - Asa Gray (1810 - 1888)


Great Americans - Asa Gray (1810 - 1888)