Options and change ARE a good thing in this hobby

Jacques_Loungecoque

So, I’m going against my public declarations, and back on what I thought was going to be my final word on type set formatting. I had committed a couple of years ago to fill my Dansco 7070 with great raw coins and crackouts. I was soooooo dead set on doing it this way. No more slabs I said, unless they were for flipping.

Then, as so often happens in this hobby,
I changed my mind completely. It’s back to slabs and I’m not embarrassed whatsoever, (and yes, I’m sticking with PCGS!). Lemme tell you why.

I have three kids. Two boys both graduating HS shortly and heading off on full rides. The younger is currently big on Australian and Canadian bullion types and out of the blue lately, U.S. currency. My older boy was stacking until he decided to sell off and chase girls full time. Ok. Totally fair, right?

My daughter, who I will always say is my favorite son, recently asked me to look at my 7070 progress. So I pulled out the album and she looked at the 20 or so pieces for about 3 minutes total. Then she saw two recent purchases still in slabs and she asked to look at those. Sure enough, it was a solid 5 minutes per coin. So I dug up some low dollar sample slabs I’ve accumulated and sure enough, at least 5 minutes with each.

I witnessed for the very first time my daughter’s undivided attention and focus on coins. She loves her Pandas, but this was next level. I talked to her and she was right to the point: the slabs were just more handleable and she could really get in there with the Eschenbach and the Ottlites. She told me she wished they were all slabbed.

And you know what? She ain’t wrong at all. Yes, the album has a very convenient display and is far less space consuming, but you just cannot manipulate a coin when you wanna take that time and drill down and soak it all in. Slabs are also more tactile and that’s key for kids. Given she’s my last little junior numismatist, and I have her for at least 8 more years, baby girl gets what baby girl wants. A few hundred bucks will open up dozens more hours ogling coins together.

This is one of those things I just adore about our little hobby/business/market. Options. Change. Options to change. At any and every turn we can change our minds and do something totally new, or again for a second, third, or fourth time……. and that’s alright! And it’s wonderfully awesome when we do it together with our little buddies.

Apologies for the crazy long read. If you’ve made it here - you’re alright with me.

braddick

Sweet!

OAKSTAR

Excellent!

JBK

@Jacques_Loungecoque said:

Apologies for the crazy long read. If you’ve made it here - you’re alright with me.

At least you used paragraphs and punctuation.

So if I read your comments correctly, you're a flip-flopping liar.

But what can you do. You're at the mercy of your daughter. You can't argue with her logic. 🤷

Walkerfan

The hobby has countless options and combinations. We can participate as little or as much as we want. That’s why it’s such a popular hobby. Anyone can participate at any level. Good for you and your daughter! It always warms my heart, when I see the youth involved. I wish you many enjoyable hours of collecting together.

seatedlib3991

I have been a big proponent of slabs for years. It always seemed cold hearted to me when i would have to tell my nieces, nephews etc. that they couldn't look at coins like they asked because the coins could be damaged. Nothing better than watching some 8-10 year old kids at thanksgiving (covered in jelly, peanut butter, Easter/chocolate looking at coins. the jelly just washes off. james

jacrispies

Once you and your daughter are finished assembling a slabbed 7070, she'll change her mind again and enjoy handling raw coins

I feel your excitement when reading your post! Good to hear you are getting your kids involved in the hobby. I am a raw collector but can appreciate the protection that slabs offer, especially with children handling them! Enjoy the time with your kids while they are still young.

MFeld

@Jacques_Loungecoque said:
So, I’m going against my public declarations, and back on what I thought was going to be my final word on type set formatting. I had committed a couple of years ago to fill my Dansco 7070 with great raw coins and crackouts. I was soooooo dead set on doing it this way. No more slabs I said, unless they were for flipping.

Then, as so often happens in this hobby,
I changed my mind completely. It’s back to slabs and I’m not embarrassed whatsoever, (and yes, I’m sticking with PCGS!). Lemme tell you why.

I have three kids. Two boys both graduating HS shortly and heading off on full rides. The younger is currently big on Australian and Canadian bullion types and out of the blue lately, U.S. currency. My older boy was stacking until he decided to sell off and chase girls full time. Ok. Totally fair, right?

My daughter, who I will always say is my favorite son, recently asked me to look at my 7070 progress. So I pulled out the album and she looked at the 20 or so pieces for about 3 minutes total. Then she saw two recent purchases still in slabs and she asked to look at those. Sure enough, it was a solid 5 minutes per coin. So I dug up some low dollar sample slabs I’ve accumulated and sure enough, at least 5 minutes with each.

I witnessed for the very first time my daughter’s undivided attention and focus on coins. She loves her Pandas, but this was next level. I talked to her and she was right to the point: the slabs were just more handleable and she could really get in there with the Eschenbach and the Ottlites. She told me she wished they were all slabbed.

And you know what? She ain’t wrong at all. Yes, the album has a very convenient display and is far less space consuming, but you just cannot manipulate a coin when you wanna take that time and drill down and soak it all in. Slabs are also more tactile and that’s key for kids. Given she’s my last little junior numismatist, and I have her for at least 8 more years, baby girl gets what baby girl wants. A few hundred bucks will open up dozens more hours ogling coins together.

This is one of those things I just adore about our little hobby/business/market. Options. Change. Options to change. At any and every turn we can change our minds and do something totally new, or again for a second, third, or fourth time……. and that’s alright! And it’s wonderfully awesome when we do it together with our little buddies.

Apologies for the crazy long read. If you’ve made it here - you’re alright with me.

Don’t you dare apologize. It was heartwarming to read your post.

Copperindian

@Jacques_Loungecoque: enjoyed reading your post. This is turning into a great thread! Elsewhere, I posted as to why I collect slabs rather than raw (although I do have a handful of those) - it’s for my heirs (my grandkids). At this point, I have no way of knowing how much interest they will have, if any. But, there are signs. The oldest (13) is my granddaughter & I’m pretty certain she will have little or none. But, she will appreciate what I’ve done for her & will likely want to keep them regardless of value. She’s awesome! Next, at 12, is her brother. He may have an interest & loves toners just like his poppy! That’s “my” boy! Finally, at 11 is their cousin; he already has an interest - collected all the state quarters & is into foreign coins (he’s spent 1/2 his life overseas). I’m virtually certain he will stay involved as he gets older.
It adds to my collecting enjoyment to anticipate the future as it relates to them. I couldn’t be happier!

Jacques_Loungecoque

Thanks for all the kind words. I’ve always been a believer in making accommodations for the next generation - within reason. And my daughter’s desire is surely that.

Manifest_Destiny

Awesome story!

AZDAVY

Thanks for sharing, enjoying the hobby is what is important. A huge bonus if your kids also enjoy it.

BryceM

Interesting. In my 7070 I have coins that are at a price point that I frequently take them out and handle them. One of my favorite memories is handling raw ancients in Harlan Berk’s Chicago shop. It’s really cool for a kid to hold and examine an actual large cent. If you can swing it, an ounce of circulated gold is also fun to heft.

Sapyx

I would say, two (and a half; I wouldn't quite write off the other son just yet) out of three kids are interested in following your footsteps in numismatics in some way? You've certainly beaten the odds there. Coin collecting is not a hereditary illness, meaning each child has the same chance of becoming a coin collector as the rest of the adult population: about 1 in 10.

I would also point out that each of your children shows a different interest or angle in numismatics: you're into US coins, your son is into US notes and foreign bullion, and your daughter seems into US coins and foreign bullion. That, to me, is the core of "having options" in the hobby - you don't need to try to feign interest in "the mainstream" (whatever that is), if it doesn't interest you, there's always some other numismatic objects to collect. It also speaks volumes of yourself as a mentor and guide: you didn't turn your kids off the hobby by having an attitude of "this is how you must collect, and any other way of collecting is wrong".