Nothing takes the joy out of receiving a package of recently purchased notes like the sudden stunning realization that this recent purchase looks too familiar. 

It’s a thrill  to experience the arrival of something new. It’s totally the opposite when you find out that “something new” is something you already have.

It’s even worse when it is a repeat offense, and now you have three or more of the same item.

If there was ever a lesson in delineating between a collection and an accumulation, it’s when you begin having multiple examples of the same things. You may be able justify it in your mind, but it doesn’t make it right. You can laugh it off — “It’s an elephant, and I was trying to get a herd” — but that doesn’t disguise the issue that a certain amount of effort is required in keeping things straight. Organization is not an enemy.

Experienced collectors can avoid the heartache of creeping accumulation by various efforts. The problem is one that new collectors need to avoid, as exuberant over-accumulation can lead to discouragement.

In my case, the accumulation will not lead to the lights being turned off at the house because I spent too much on common world currency. I may someday find someone who wants what I have multiples of, but that’s just another step in the process that wasn’t necessary. It would be less a problem if this were an isolated incident, but I also have multiple low grade 1935 Buffalo nickels occupying an entire row on a sheet of 2 x 2s. When author Michael Shutty Jr. wrote One Coin is Never Enough, I don’t think he was talking about more than one of the same thing.

Part of the solution to a problem is recognizing it is a problem. When I listened to S. Paul Howard’s presentation at the Florida United Numismatists convention “How to Fail Miserably and Still Succeed as a Collector,” I recall the advice to have a plan and not try to buy everything. I joked that it was my plan to buy everything. Little did I realize I wasn’t kidding.

It took a whole day to organize the notes and coins to my own little system. Everybody with experience has a system that works for them to thwart disorganization and repeat-purchase problems, and I invite you to share your thoughts to help any other collectors who may going down a path to where they don’t want to go. I won’t be buying their extras.

Connect with Coin World:  
Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on X (Twitter)
Keep in touch on MyCollect - the social media platform for collectibles 

Whether you’re a current subscriber or new, you can take advantage of the best offers on magazine subscriptions available in digital, print or both! Whether you want your issue every week or every month, there’s a subscription to meet your needs.