FRUSTRATION!! SET ADDICTION!! HELP!!

saintguru

It just goes to show that no matter what you have or what you start collectiong, we all hit the wall sooner or later; mine is 87% completed and stopped. I have attempted, with some success, to build the finest set of Saints I could, however the wall has appeared right at my face and I am stuck in my tracks. The end of the $$$ for some time now, not to mention dipping into some reserves in a modest way! And coin collecting is NOT Obsessive/Compulsive????...yeah right!

So I am going to watch the sets above me hit 98% (the 27-D is out of reach in all practicality) and sit with my 87% and tell myself that I'm satisfied. (I certainly AM with the coins I have...It's the BASTIDGES I'm missing that haunt me). Is there a Coin Collectors Anonymous?? Are there others out there who have experienced this? I've found the frustration is eating away at me...I watched 2 MONGO coins in auction that would have added a light year to my set...and I am ready to count the holes in the ceiling tiles!! Is there HOPE for me??? Why do I feel like the glass is half empty...or in my case 13% empty???

tradedollarnut

I do feel for you - it can be quite frustrating at times. Sometimes I feel I'll never buy another coin for a combination of reasons - either they simply aren't available, aren't that nice for the grade, or are offered at double value because the owner is taking a shot or has unrealistic expectations. And then the next week something pops up.... and all is well.

Keep the faith!

ajia

JB,

You're not going to like my opinion....sell!
You're situation is not like TDN's, your problem is you hit the financial wall, not the "right coin isn't out there" wall.

If I understand your frustration, the coins are out there, you just can't afford them.

My suggestion would be to find another denomination that can be completed with the 'budget' you have to work with.
If you stay with this set you will either have to realize that it will take YEARS to complete or you will have to "dip" deep into your reserves and/or go into debt !

Of course that's probably nothing new around here.

saintguru

ajia,

SELL isn't the answer. Running out of $$ isn't a SELL signal...it's a DON'T BUY signal. I have buitl a collection. My intermediate term goal has been met. I will never finish, as that wasn't my goal. I never expect to buy a 1927-D or a 1921...I have stated in my set Objective that ms64 or better is what I required for my criteria. Now I can go to the bank every wek or two, or my computer every day and see the fruits of my efforts. To build another set?? No way!! The way to settle an obsession is to let it rest..another set would be too time consuming and IMO I have reached my goal...almost.

I am NOT going to go into debt to buy coins. I already have a margin account.

It's just those damn better sets!! But I still have special coins that most of them don't. Look at the grades and see what most sets settle for and what I've worked for...like the early P dates, or the 08-S, 09-D, 13-S...the 25-S and 26-D almost impossible in MS64. It's a worthy set ajia. Do you see what I mean??

eddieal

Look at where you are and where you would have been if you never started. Appears that God has been good to you. Count your blessings.

saintguru

Amen to that, bro. I got the GOLD! Now I just get to look at how pretty they are!!!

Thanks


1913 MS65

Cameonut

Ajia has provided some sage words of advice. SELL - but only if you want to.

Be careful of falling in love with your coins. This may be the best time to realize the best prices if you should decide to sell. You may have to wait another decade for a better market.

I am considering selling a significant portion of my holdings - prices are very good right now. I have a complete set, so I feel like I have reached my 'goal'. I would keep a few pieces that I really like. The rest would be sold for what the market would bear.

The basic decision for me is: Am I collecting for investment purposes, or the enjoyment of the hobby? I am still working on that answer. I think it is a bit of both. Once you have a complete set (or most of a set), the decision to sell becomes much easier. For now, I am still in love with my sets, but realize that I can't keep them forever. Someone else will eventually replace me as the caretaker of my coins. I think I would enjoy selling my sets instead of leaving in to the executor of my estate. Kind of like passing it to the next genertation.

I can still enjoy the hobby. The hunt for nice coins. The enjoyment of holding history in your hand. But not necessarily holding for the long term or for the completion of a set.

I hope that by distancing myself from the coins that I have collected over the last decade or two, that I am not turning into a dealer!!

Cameonut

saintguru

I thought that I was clear that there is a middle ground other than SELL or BUY. When you own 2 paintings by Mondrian and you can't afford a 3rd does that mean it's time to SeLL?? No, it's time to relax and smell the roses. Enjoy the beauty of what your actions have achieved. Collecting is not a sport that requires "action" as a necessary component. The greatest collections on earth sat in banks for decades and were undisturbed, cherished by the afficianados who had gathered them. It's llike a family...you build it and then you enjoy the fruits of your labor for years. Now THIS is something I am certain of.

sliderider

I just started into registry collecting. Is this what I have to look forward to?

saintguru

NO...anyone who says SELL as soon as you hit a wall nearing completion is simply being obsessive/compulsive about staying in MOTION!! The idea of collecting, as MY 50 years have understood, is to pick a series/'s that you truly like, and dedicate yourself to COLLECTING them as best you can. Once you have done this, and I believe it's a never-ending process with upgrades, etc., I believe owning and admiring them is the pay-off. I visit my ladies weekly and every time I see them I get excited again!

It's the difference between chicken-farmers and dog owners. The chicken farmer buy a bunch of chicks and as soon as they are ripe and tasty he sells them to KFC. A dog owner buys a puppy, nurtures it and has a friend for years. (no Korean reataurants, ha-ha's, you GET the point). For those here who have offered their "difference of opinion" that they have with my philosophy, you go sell YOUR chickens while I enjoy my doggies. But beware of dog!!

Maybe it's a modern/classic set difference. I collect "classics" and they are very hard to find and once you sell them it's very very hard to replace them. The moderns are around and can generally be replaced. I know this will start a war, but don't waste your time. It's not what this thread is about, and I don't care.