Who AM I and why do This?
I have a grueling job, a wife and four cats (I married a cat person). Some assume it takes a massive ego to create your own web site (it does help). I started collecting again in 2016 after a long absence. It was frustrating finding information on simple things like how best to ship your coins or bid in online auctions. Most Google searches on these subjects take you to blog sites or message boards where you find 20 different opinions on every topic. True, you will find only my opinion on this site but I will offer my experience and reasons why behind the advice so you can judge how sage it is. As I gain experience I have other questions and as I find answers I will share. I’m fascinated by pricing in the coin market so much content will focus on that topic.
Will anyone appreciate the time and money I’ve spent doing this? Probably not. I don’t have expectations of that. Hopefully a few people will leave the site feeling they’ve learned something and that is enough (well that and clicking the like button on the way out).
Site philosophy
I am not an expert. I will readily share my mistakes in the hopes you don’t make the same ones.
Misinformation abounds in numismatics especially concerning values and pricing. Many old truisms of the hobby need to be updated for the times. “Learn to grade” is one, “join your local coin club” is another.
I don’t collect coins as an investment. At best coins are a store of value. I love books on history and have spent much on them over the years. Those books would go for $.50 each in a garage sale. Hopefully my coin collection is worth something near what I paid for it and the joy it brings me—well, that is free.
I own all coins displayed unless noted otherwise. My collection is largely 20th Century U.S. coins and features primarily Lincoln Wheat cents, Texas Commemorative’s, Mercury dimes, Morgan’s and so on. Apologies but precious few foreign or gold coins. I also collect modern silver proofs.
I believe the hobby and the industry that supports it are behind the times in technology, marketing, messaging and best practices. I get phone book size auction catalogs almost weekly. Who wouldn’t prefer a PDF catalog that was searchable, indexed and allowed bidding directly from the catalog? Some auction houses ship two weeks after I pay. I can get a turkey delivered in an hour. I will gently but persistently echo these themes on this site.
I seldom comment on blogs or message boards as the most innocuous of statements seem to generate controversy or snarky responses. Please be respectful in your posts as this site doesn’t attract enough traffic that I can afford to start blocking people.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the site.
The Christopher Collection