Since you got into the hobby, what's your longest vacation away from it?

nwcs

What the title asks...

BigE

I took last year off when the roof to our home blew off in a storm-------------BigE

Fairlaneman

Eight Years for economic and dis-enchatment with Grading practices.

Ken

fcloud

Even when I'm not adding to my collection, I continued to read a couple publications, so I guess the answer is "I haven't really been away even when I have been away (about 5 years)."

ajaan

1984 to 1989 when I lived in Thailand.

boz

14 years, married the b! from He!! She's gone, who says only the good die young, and I'm back

keets

hello neil

twice, for about the same length of time and at about the worst possible times, i walked away from the hobby. in 1975-1986 i entered the Navy, married and started to raise a family for the first leave of abscence. left again in 1988-1999 for reasons i won't expound on and when i returned for the present stretch something had changed in my approach to the hobby.

i missed the big silver run-up the first time i left and had the instinct to leave just in time for the spike in 1989!!! timing is everything, ain't it!!

al h.

ARCO

I liked coins as a kid in the late 70's. Not much activity until I woke up one day and decided I would start collecting coins in the spring of 2000. Studied a bit, then decided on a series that really yanked my chain.

I can't go one day without perusing Ebay, the internet, looking at my coins, reading or talking about coins with someone. Now I am trying to figure out how the hell I can pull myself away, or if I can at all!

Good lord I could use a coin vacation, but I can't get the courage to stop the search for even half a day...I wonder if there are any self help books for coin addicts.

Tyler

EVillageProwler

About 15 years, to graduate from HS, college and progress enough in my job... It sure didn't feel like a vacation!

EVP

wingedliberty

I was infected with the numismatic bug in 1978. The longest I have been away from the hobby since
that was 48 hours during an illness. I was in the hospital. I have never been away from the hobby since that for more than 24 hours. I would call it a passion.

Brian.

Fairlaneman

Seems a few people got out in the late 80's. Maybe the Grade Flation and cost of improperly graded coins {Raw} drove people away. My stuff was sold in late 1988 just at the right time. Got Lucky there.

Ken

Draco

Probably about 3 days since around 1990.

cladking

I never got far away from coins, but did lay a little low between '65 and '72. There
just wasn't enough money for both girls and coins so I concentrated on the former.

solid

Good timing on this thread!

The last coin I purchased was about 5 months ago, until tonight
when I picked up this 1939-S Rev 40 Jeff 5c PCGS MS65FS!!!

I already have one, but the price was great. Population is currently
4 with 2 higher. There are some more that have been graded, but
not yet designated for the Rev 40, but still a tough coin!

Ken

nwcs

Interesting answers. When I first got into the hobby, I was there for about 2 years before I needed to buy a car and get a job (at 16). Then I basically left it till I turned 26 or 27 and knew I wanted a set of state quarters. That and having money (and buying my first St. Gaudens) helped bump me back to the hobby till I got to this board and really started to spend money.

But now I'm thinking of taking a break from it. Not from reading the stuff, posting here, or looking at what I already have. But taking a break from purchasing anything else or going to shows/shops for a few months. I've got 36 or so coins out on 5 submissions right now. 20 should be back within 2 weeks. And when I get the last, I think I'll take that vacation. And spend more time learning my Greek.

Neil

dorkkarl

uh, about three minutes

K S

BillJones

My longest vacation was in the late 1970s when I quit my job and went back to get an MBA full time. I had no money with which to buy coins, but I still loved looking at my collection, so I guess you would call that a vacation from buying. There was not much time to study numismatics either because I was taking more than 20 credits a semester so that I could finish as quickly as possible.

Now that I am a full time dealer the MBA doesn't mean much, but it did boost my income for a while.

coincollector1989

93-94 while deployed.

coachleonard

Rabidly into coins from 3rd grade to 8th grade. Then we moved to Quantico, VA and i had no access to any coin stores at all, so drifted away from coins from 9th grade through 12th grade. Came back to collecting with a vengeance in the summer after my high school graduation adn have never really taken a vacation from it in the 20+ years since.

anoldgoat

Collected cents, nickels and dimes as a kid. Did't actively collect from 1969 to 2000. I did keep everything until they were stolen in the late 80's.

Flash

25 years.