A 1652 Pine Tree shilling. There’s room for one in every
collection Howland Wood stated in 1909.
(Noe-1 variety, Richard August Collection)

Among the all-time greats in our hobby Howland Wood (1877-1938) ranks high. When he started in numismatics is not known, but by 1903 (by then a graduate of Brown University, Class of 1900), he was deeply immersed in the classification of sutlers’ tokens—cent size (mostly) tokens used during the Civil War by soldiers who could spend them at supply tents in the field. This was in his spare time, in addition to his profession of photo engraving. In 1907 he was elected corresponding secretary of the American Numismatic Society. In the meantime, as a resident of Brookline, Massachusetts, he was active in the Boston Numismatic Society and was a familiar face at collectors’ gatherings. In 1913 he was named as the curator of the American Numismatic Society in New York City, moved there, and went on to an illustrious tenure in that institution. When the American Numismatic Association Hall of Fame was instituted in 1969, he was among the first honorees.

For The Numismatist of November 1909 he contributed an article, “Numismatic Maxims for Beginners,” which we reprint below.

Numismatic Maxims for Beginners”
Howland Wood • November 1909

• Don’t set your heart on acquiring any coin right off. If you force the market you generally have to pay more than it is worth.

• If you are a young man you can afford to wait; it is only the old men who cannot.

• Don’t plunge in too quickly at the start and think you must buy every coin offered.

• Don’t try to collect everything; you’ll never catch up with your contract. Also you will not enjoy what you have.

• You’ve got to learn by experience; a few jolts and knocks will impress you more than all of the advice an older collector can give you.

• Don’t take any man’s word that a coin is unique. There are far fewer unique coins than there are said to be.

• Collect, if possible, coins in the best condition; you then buy but once, and when you want to sell, you have something worth selling. A poor coin is an aggravation and an eyesore, and you as a rule can get very little for it when you want to sell.

• A library goes hand in hand with the collection of coins.

• It is better to collect a few series and know your subject than to attempt to collect everything and think you know it all but really know nothing.

• Every collector should have a Pine Tree shilling, as that is the first question your guests ask if you have.

• Never cry down another collector’s coin; give them, at least, the benefit of the doubt.

• Never talk scandal or say mean things about other collectors; if you have nothing good to say, say nothing.

The last maxim is the most important one to remember, and it is the one most often transgressed.