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I came to coin collecting the way many people do — not by choice, but through loss.
When my Dad passed away in early 2024, he left behind what he always described as "a few coins here and there." What I discovered, about a year later when I was finally ready to face it, was something far more significant — a collection stashed all over his home, carefully built over decades. Full sets of every Australian decimal denomination, collected from circulation in the early years after decimalisation and kept in surprisingly good condition. Mint and proof year sets, coloured $2 sets and boxes of carded and other commemoratives I'd never heard of…and absolutely no idea where to start.
I was thoroughly overwhelmed. I didn't know what I was looking at, what was special, what anything was worth, or how to even begin educating myself. What I did know was that four of his grandchildren deserved to benefit from whatever was there, and that I had a responsibility to figure it out properly.
My first move was Google Lens. Then a couple of Facebook coin collecting groups, where I just watched and tried to pick up the language. I posted a few photos and asked basic questions from time to time, and was quietly stunned when someone came back to tell me that one of Dad's coins — a 2012 $2 C-Mintmark Red Poppy — was actually something quite special. It turned out Dad had three full sets of coloured $2 coins and all the carded versions too. He clearly knew exactly what he was doing, even if he never said so.
But I also made mistakes and rash decisions that I wish I could undo.
Worried about having a significant collection sitting unsecured in my garage, I rushed — first to a local dealer who was less than helpful, then to a well-known auction house where, in hindsight, I think they saw me coming. I handed over about three-quarters of the collection before I had anything properly catalogued or any real understanding of what I was giving away. I was hoping for transparency and guidance. That wasn't my experience.
A few months later, I found Dad's handwritten catalogue tucked in a box of his personal papers."
I wish I'd had it earlier. I wish I'd had anything — a simple system, a reference guide, some way to know what questions to ask before walking into that room. That's the reason Collector's Little Helper exists.
The turning point came when I attended the Brisbane ANDA show in early 2025 and met a number of folks who were generous with their time and experience, including Damian Walker from Australia Coins, who was presenting on exactly the things I needed to hear — where to start, what to look out for, the gotchas that catch new collectors. I came away with a clearer head and a proper plan.
I kept the military and remembrance-themed coins from Dad's collection because we have a long family service history (both Dad and I served in the Navy, and my partner's grandfather was in the 5th Light Horse Regiment sent to Gallipoli during WWI), along with the full denomination sets and the coloured $2s. Somewhere along the way I discovered I actually had a hobby that I was enjoying and passionate about — something I'd never had before. I developed a particular focus on remembrance poppy coins from Australia, the UK, New Zealand and Canada, and I've started collecting children's themed coins for my own grandkids — mainly the things that my family grew up with and loved so much. I've also learned more about parts of human history in the past couple of years than probably at any other point in my life, following the stories behind the coins.
Dad's collection started all of that. I just wish I'd been better prepared to look after it, and knew enough to participate alongside him while he was here.
For me it's not about the monetary value, although that's always important. It's about the discovery, the learning, the pride in the legacy and the community.
The resources and references that follow are the places I've found genuinely useful on that journey. Not a definitive list — just the ones I kept coming back to, the communities that helped me learn, and a few things I wish someone had pointed me to right at the start. I truly hope this helps folks streamline their journey and get to an enjoyable place without the roadblocks or potholes I had to encounter. It's a wonderful hobby. I wish you all the best with yours.
— Kevin Burdette, Sparker Kev's Coins, Brisbane