How Coins become Marvelous (Part 2)

Coins become marvelous the moment they are collected.
     Beforehand, they were used. They were money. But once the decision is made by a collector (any collector, not just a leading authority in numismatics), the coin becomes special -- it become symbolic, as it plays a specific role in a collection. And, we all know that collecting is a personal endeavor, steeped in the aspirations and hopes of the collector. In short, the  collected coin is possessed, not used.
     There are several attributes to marvelous coins. In this post, I will explore the first attribute. These attributes (all four of them) are attached to a specific coin once it is placed in the collection. After all, the decision to add a coin to a collection is not a random decision: a certain amount of contemplation (on the part of the collector) comes first.
     The first attribute: The coin is Singular. This means that is has been judged to have some superlative quality that makes the coin desirable beyond its utility-value as money. Beauty, rarity, or survivorship are typical qualities that contribute to its unique status. Once collected, a coin is revered for its unique role in the collection.

This CC dollar is singular. Of course the mint mark is on
the reverse, but sharp-eyed collectors can tell this one from
the obverse. Hint: check-out the second 8.

     It is easy to consider that a silver dollar from the Carson City mint is special. It is more than just bullion, and it is certainly more than a dollar. It is a survivor of the Wild West. In this regard, it conjures up images of late-night poker games in the saloon where heaps of cartwheels are contested by Kings, Queens, and Jacks. Or, perhaps you prefer to imagine a strongbox of CC dollars rattling on the top of a stagecoach making its way north to the Dakotas -- with bandits in hot pursuit (you gotta have bandits!).
     Either way, the Carson City dollar is a touchstone for history. It is a survivor from a past that we only know through fantasy. Such a coin is obviously singular, as it plays a unique role in the collector's pursuit of history. Sure, there are many other CC dollars out there, but each plays a supporting role in the context of a particular collection.
     As you can surmise, any coin -- even a lowly cent darkened by soot and corrosion -- can be singular in the context of a specific collection. Singularity is defined by the collector. It is not defined by a numismatic guidebook, mintage figures, condition grading, and so on. This is also true for other objects. A die-cast toy car, a wooden clothespin, an unusually shaped river stone -- all of these objects become singular in the collector's hand.
     Singularity is the first attribute of The Marvelous Object. I will explore the other attributes in future postings.