Start a Creative Collection

I have known many numismatists who have gotten bored with their current collections, usually because the remaining pieces needed were too scarce and/or too expensive to obtain. Some of them have gone on to start a new collection just for the fun of the hunt. In the process, some have been quite creative with their themes. 

“Outside the box” collections to consider:

• World coins issued in your birth year
• An example of coins of as many different languages as you can find
• Coins or paper money with all different monetary units (dollar, peso, franc, drachma, dinar, ducat, penny . . .)
• Coins or paper money that feature a word such as “freedom” (one formed around issues with the word ‘liberty” would probably be too easy)
• Coins or paper money depicting religious figures of your faith
• Coins or paper money of as many different monetary units as possible (one obsolete bank in Michigan issued notes in the denomination of $1.25, $1.50, and $1.75)
• One coin of each numeral from one through twelve to use to make a clock, or just a specimen from as many different numerals as possible
• Paper money of extremely high denominations such as the Zimbabwe $100 Trillion note
• Coins and currency depicting monarchs who were declared saints
• While there are a number of collectors who specialize in a specific kind of animal such as dogs, horses, or elephants, how about assembling a collection with one for the first initial of each letter of the alphabet (albatross, bison, cougar, donkey . . . zebra)
• A type set of coins that not only includes a representative piece of each type, but also an example from each mint that struck each type, though this could be expensive
• At least one specimen from each country that existed at one time, but not today
• As many different coins as you can find with the denomination of “2”
• Coins from as many different nations as possible that depict a queen
• Coins and paper money that depicts the same person on both the obverse and reverse like a Lincoln Memorial Cent, Series 1976 and later US $2.00 Federal Reserve Note, or a Roman Emperor Nero Gold Solidus
• Issues of a particular coin or currency designer, or perhaps a designer of medals
• As issue from each geographic area where Roman Emperor Hadrian issued his travel series of the silver denarius
• The final coin or currency issues of a country before it collapsed
• Paper money of one particular ink color
• Topical issues such as ships, palm trees, butterflies, maps, food, space, and so forth
• National bank notes of banks that were robbed by John Dillinger
• A coin from as many different shapes or metal compositions as possible
• Coins of the Great Lakes region or any other regional area
• Instead of a type set or a first year of issue type set, how about a last year of issue type set
• Coins of the “Greats” of history such as Alexander the Great, Darius the Great, Justinian the Great, Catherine the Great, Peter the Great 

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