I can't really remember exactly when I first started collecting coins, but I guess it was sometime in 1992. Since my father worked at the Hellenic Mint (vice Mint Director or something to that effect), I would occasionally visit him in his office and -of course- take tours to the impressive machinery of the Mint. I was immediately fascinated and thought about starting a collection. At first, I just considered it... cool, but soon I got addicted to this hobby and now I spend a lot of time and money (for my budget) for it.

What coins do I collect?

I am only interested in different types of coins issued worldwide, so that would make me a "world by type collector". There is one exception to this rule however, as I am currently trying hard to collect as many Greek coins as I possibly can. This means I collect Greek coins by year, and even that may not be an accurate description, as I often collect the same coins multiple times in sets, kits or individually (slabbed or plain circulation coins). Although I do not collect banknotes, I will keep those that 'fall' into my hands, especially those issued in Greece.

My collection consists of circulated coins mostly, however I do prefer the more expensive silver ones, Proof Sets and Uncirculated Collections. Unfortunately, the stiff prices discourage me from enriching my humble collection with even more of them, but I do not despair. After all... it is only a hobby. I also prefer uncirculated coins to circulated ones. Actually, I strongly believe that you can't really judge and appreciate the design and craftsmanship of a coin heavily circulated and thus worn, as you will undoubtedly miss some important details. Some collectors emphasize the fact that a circulated coin carries the history of the country it circulated in. That's a romantic perspective of the hobby which does not appeal to me.

I also like older coins -prior to 1940-, but my primary goal right now is to collect as many Greek coins as I possibly can and my ultimate dream is to some day acquire all the Greek coins ever issued in modern history (which will never happen of course).

Collection Statistics

Today my collection comprises about 2332 different coins and 41 bank notes from 126 different countries. More specifically, I have:

• 227 coins in 7 Euro Starter-kits
• 66 coins in 9 Proof Sets
• 7 coins in 1 Specimen Set
• 195 coins in 26 Uncirculated Collections
• 72 coins in 8 Sets
• 64 in separate cases - uncirculated
• 5 error coins (1 from Cyprus - 4 from Hellas)
• 6 planchets
• 10 exhibition coins (Austria 1, Hellas 6, Poland 2, Thailand 1)
• 1 anti-counterfeit coin
• 26 Silver coins (Cyprus 2, France 2, Hellas 13, Liechtenstein 1, Luxembourg 1, USA 1, Netherlands 2, Great Britain 1, Chile 4)
• and the remaining are mostly circulated coins (with a few exceptions)

My oldest coins today are the 5 lepta 1869 King Georgios I and 2 lepta 1869 King Georgios I, both of which are slabbed. The most coins I have from a single country are 313 coins from Greece, however I am counting some coins twice or even more times as I have them in mint sets, slabs, starter-kits etc. I seem to be collecting around 100 coins each year which are more than I expected but there is always room for improvement.