One of the oldest jokes in the book goes, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.” Hoary? Yes. Old when your grandpa was a kid? Sure. But oh so true and applicable to the subject of this blog which is, as you no doubt already know, “how to become a good numismatist.” Because to become a good collector, you do need to practice. But what exactly do you need to practice most?   
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You can have unlimited funds but without adhering to a basic core group of numismatic fundamentals, I believe it is very difficult–if not impossible–to build a great collection of coins. Some of the best collections I have seen in the last few decades were built by collectors with average discretionary income levels.   
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Many retail dealers, myself included, welcome consignments from collectors. It’s a great way to increase the size of a dealer’s inventory without laying out cash and it is often an excellent source for dealers to place useful, fresh attractive coins to new or existing clients. As a potential consignor, what are some of the questions you should be asking a dealer and what are some of the expectations you should have? 1.   
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I often make buying decisions based on a coin’s popularity. As an example, I will buy a coin like an 1839-O quarter eagle for stock because it is popular and I know it will sell. But I might pass on a rarer coin like an 1862-S quarter eagle because it is not a popular issue and it will be a harder coin to sell. This got me to to thinking: what makes one coin popular and another unpopular?   
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When talking to collectors, I often find myself giving them advice as to what makes a “good collector.” I thought it would be interesting to share some of my thoughts and observations in a series of blogs entitled “Smart Collecting 101.” These will run, from time to time, over the next few months.   
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