Collection Circulation: Coins and Banknotes

Do you have any collections?

I started collecting coins and banknotes as a teenager and continued until 2020. Eventually, I realized that this collection, built over many years, held little to no value. The mistake I made was collecting circulated coins and banknotes that were still in circulation. The true value lies in uncirculated coins and banknotes—those meant for collectors. Unfortunately, the few uncirculated items I had were stolen by someone who was cleaning the house and knew exactly where to look.

Since the installation of CCTV in the house, such incidents have stopped. The part-time maid still comes to clean, but now I’m more cautious.Between 2020 and 2021, I attempted to sell part of my collection and discovered I was scammed. The person claimed to operate from Indiana, USA, but was actually based locally. He used his wife’s account to receive the deposit and demanded immediate payment. If not paid, he would steal the money, coins, and banknotes sent by post. He kept the valuable ones and returned only the circulated coins.

He got away with it by showcasing fake conversations on Instagram, portraying himself as someone helping people in depressed countries with U.S. currency. Through this experience, I learned a hard lesson—how scammers operate and the importance of cybersecurity. I now take better care of my personal belongings and stay alert.

I still have the circulated coins and banknotes in my collection. It’s okay. I’ve decided I will give them away as a reminder of this lesson: don’t follow others blindly into collecting worthless things. When it’s time to let go, I must let go and embrace new things.

Lesson learned: Never keep currency as a collection. It became a burden to me.

Do I still have a collection? I still have and I don’t view the same anymore.