Rock, Paper, Scissors

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Everyone eventually reaches a limit to what they collect, no matter how eclectic their interests may be. The boundary may be for financial reasons, the completion of a special date set, or a lack of interest in continuing in the same old fashion. A study of the most popular collecting habits suggests that most people favor areas closest to either where they currently live or their birthplace and ancestry. High on that list are the collectors of United States coins and related numismatic items they find interesting.

Some of those traditional collectors never stray far from that endeavor, yet some occasionally do include a few totally detached items pertaining to the history of money throughout time, place, or usage. If you have reached that threshold, don’t lose interest in your hobby; instead, think creatively about new challenges. 

It is a truism that coins can be tied to every conceivable theme, historical event, occasion, or topic. Take the title of this article, for instance. Rock, paper, and scissors are as abstract a collecting concept as one could imagine. It is certainly a trial of one’s imagination to figure out how to collect items representing rock, paper, and scissors. And yet, it is possible to meet the challenge. 

Rock

Rocks present an expensive challenge. The most obvious is the famous Yap stone money. Yap Island produced the world’s largest and heaviest coinage, which is considered sacred among the local people. Due to their excessive size, the large stones often changed ownership without physically being moved and remain in place, as it became common knowledge among the inhabitants that they now belonged to a new owner. Stones were quarried and shaped on the island of Malakal in Palau, then shipped back to Yap on native boats. While these stones are generally unavailable, anyone setting their parameters could substitute jade, diamonds, or any other precious stones.

Paper

Paper, on the other hand, is elementary. Paper currency has been around since it first appeared in China sometime around A.D. 1275, as reported by Marco Polo. And its use has expanded throughout the world ever since. Collecting paper currency in the United States or worldwide can be a delightful challenge. It is colorful, historic, attractive, and as costly or inexpensive as you want to make it. Numerous specialized books are readily available on every area of this subject, making it an easy target for collectors with any interest.

Scissors

Like rocks, locating something pertaining to or cut by scissors presents another obstacle. However, with a little ingenuity, it is easily doable. Spanish cob coins were chiseled or cut with snippers of some kind. Throughout history, many instances exist where coins have been cut to make change, especially the cut and counterstamped pieces made during wartime emergencies. And, of course, many pieces of early paper currency have been purposely cut with an indenture to ensure that each party to a transaction had a matching piece for verification. 

It’s easy for anyone to make up their own rules of what a novel collection should consist of, and it can be fun to take up a new challenge and astound your friends at the next club meeting. Why not give it a try?