I think I am losing interest in coin collecting

MSD61

....no let me re-phrase that, I am getting sick and tired of coin collecting and I am no longer finding any enjoyment in it. It used to be one could find a lot of nice stuff and not have to go into debt. The hobby is becoming rediculous and this thing with slabbing and grades are out of control. I just don't know what to do or how to feel about the hobby anymore. I have gone months without a new purchase because what I found was either junk or a rediculous price was being asked for it. Maybe I need a break or need to re-evaluate this hobby. I have taken a break from the forum because as of late what I've been reading here has be distrubing to me. The old timers seem to be disappearing and having less to say. I used to post here often and happy to answer any questions regarding Irish coinage. That was until I was PM'd with a message telling me I was a know it all.

I don't know folks maybe I indeed need to move on and just table the hobby for a while. Sorry to blow off steam to you good people. Take care and happy collecting!

Blackhawk

I've never consider any of the people here know-it-alls, although most know more than me about what they collect. I like people to show what they have and if you like to post informative threads, all the better. I've had times when I just backed off for a bit without even looking at coins and always found interest again when I resumed...perhaps you just need a bit of time off.

Cruzi

Hope its just a passing funk.



I just curl up with a few good coin books and some relevant coins and ignore the world for a while, it feels good to remember why collecting coins is fun.

Hyperion

sorry to hear that, maybe you just had a bad stretch of running into the wrong people.

I usually feel sick of golf by the end of the summer, and then sick of bowling by the end of the spring, and
then I switch back ! you just need a breath of fresh air ! dont do anything rash with your collection, just safely tuck them away
until you want to see them again ! they'll be waiting for you !

DBSTrader2

I took off about 20 years from active collecting - - but came back with a renewed interest. Not that I'm saying you should take off 20 years, but sometimes changing a routine which has turned into a rut can do wonders for one's enthusiasm upon returning.

I'd miss your posts, but I hope you do what's the best for your psyche, and return refreshed, if that's the path you choose.

- - Dave

oldshep

At least lurk and read your PM's - Maybe the bug will bite again.
Shep

Man

Maybe a break would renew your interest. I don't know who PM'd you but they do not speak for all of us. If I collected Irish coins I would love a ton of info.

Good Luck.

shirohniichan

<< <i>Hope its just a passing funk.



I just curl up with a few good coin books and some relevant coins and ignore the world for a while, it feels good to remember why collecting coins is fun. >>



Yea, verily. Reading good coin books is the best cure. You may find yourself interested in available and inexpensive coins that relate to the book you read.

ManyQs

<< <i> ... dont do anything rash with your collection, just ... >>



This is very good advice. I strongly suggest you send your collection to me for safe-keeping.

spoon

I know where you're coming from... I was yeti from the forum for a while until recently. I still picked up some nice coins in the interim, but my excitement has certainly tapered off over the past year or so. I find the neurotic impulses for collecting are sated by turning to paper money every now and then. There's some really pretty and interesting stuff out there--most all of it available for cheap. I think I'll start posting some OT world paper money threads here just for fun.

Well... that's my ramble. Good luck having fun! wherever you find it!

ManyQs

I like that sig there, spoon. Life member, Post 9450. I'll make sure our adjutant gets a heads up on that. Some reason I hadn't seen that before. Thank you.

1jester

I understand how you feel, Micheal.

A wise and esteemed Darksider told me this recently in this thread:, and I think it applies equally to you:

1Jester, I know for a fact that you could sell every coin you have, and stay away from the hobby for years. But... one day, sometime, someplace, you would see a coin... and it would start again.

I believe that the people who truly are captured by the little round orbs have it built into the system. We are wired for it. It's almost The Hotel Coinifornia. You can check out--but, you can never leave.

So, you may sell your coins. And you may take a breather. But, numismatics is in your blood. One day that coin will call. And if you buy it--more will come.

If you are feeling a little "burnout" (and I can surely understand that) divesting yourself of some coins and stepping away for awhile may be absolutely the best thing you can do. You may find you come back with a vengence.

I really like this thread. I don't want to end yet.

Clankeye


Good luck and keep the faith!!!

SYRACUSIAN

A break and a re-evaluation of the hobby and your incentives in particular is always a good thing. It wasn't that long ago that I felt I was reaching a similar saturation point, but the forum members came across and I got some very sound advice that I later put into practice and begun to find much more enjoyment than ever before. Part of this is also in the first post of the thread that 1jester linked.


We're born with it, it never really goes away,don't let a nasty PM put you down.

Sylvestius

<< <i>....no let me re-phrase that, I am getting sick and tired of coin collecting and I am no longer finding any enjoyment in it. It used to be one could find a lot of nice stuff and not have to go into debt. The hobby is becoming rediculous and this thing with slabbing and grades are out of control. I just don't know what to do or how to feel about the hobby anymore. I have gone months without a new purchase because what I found was either junk or a rediculous price was being asked for it. Maybe I need a break or need to re-evaluate this hobby. I have taken a break from the forum because as of late what I've been reading here has be distrubing to me. The old timers seem to be disappearing and having less to say. I used to post here often and happy to answer any questions regarding Irish coinage. That was until I was PM'd with a message telling me I was a know it all.

I don't know folks maybe I indeed need to move on and just table the hobby for a while. Sorry to blow off steam to you good people. Take care and happy collecting! >>




You've just summed up everything i am feeling and thinking at this moment in time. I am currently on a collecting hiatus and have been since November... the urge to buy is just not there anymore (nor is the urge to read anything about coins).

I have since shifted my spending resources into one of my other hobbies. I'm still browsing the forums at the moment but i'm finding i'm having to make myself do it. It kinda feels like being at school and the forums are homework...

I've seen two coins that i really should buy before i drift off, but i'm gonna have to really talk myself into it.

Sylvestius

<< <i>If you are feeling a little "burnout" (and I can surely understand that) divesting yourself of some coins and stepping away for awhile may be absolutely the best thing you can do. You may find you come back with a vengence. >>




This is true. I took a break in 1998/9, in early 2000 i bought my first coin in two years. 2000 then went slowly until September and then i started slowly gaining pace over the next two years. From the end of 2002-2005 i went on a real numismatic buying spree, a real rollercoaster ride.

Bought stuff i'd either dream about or never even bothered to dream about because i didn't thinking it was ever possible. Went from tin farthings, gorgeous early British sixpences, half guineas a plenty, hammered gold and other assorted nobles and all other kinds of coins i'd never though i'd get, i also managed to fulfil my lifelong dream of getting a Charles II sixpence and an Æthelstan penny.

Of course i had to own most of that stuff in series as i could never afford to own them all at the same time. But careful budgeting and taking chance of advantages when they presented themselves made it one hell of a time. Unfortunately i just burned myself out and i knew it could never last forever, money has just tightened up and i'm now working full time and i feel like i no longer have either the time nor the cash to persue the hobby. I think that three year golden period ruined my appetite, i just can't afford the stuff i got used to liking anymore. I feel like a guy that's just moved out of Buckingham Palace into a one bedroomed flat with enough room to barely swing a cat.

All i can say is thank god i did what i did when i had the chance. As for my future in this hobby, well i'll come back but my i need a break. So you're not alone!

rhound1977

I too went Yeti, we can get burn-out, as far as the negative comment, there was no need for it. Some times what is said in
this medium comes across wrong, it's kinda like being in your car and giving a fellow driver the finger, that you would
never do out in the open say in a grocery store with a rude shopping cart driver.

Burn-out does occur but it will wane (sp) I too find it hard to find coins for my GB type set, they are getting expensive and
hard to find, but I am also having fun building a British Colony territiry set (that may never get finished) among a couple of
others.

I collected coins as a kid but went out of the hobby for 25+ years and collected rocks gems and minerals in the interim until I had to
many of them and went back to coins in 2000 and GB in 2002. I gave up on U.S. and sold them all last year....

Change is a good thing, and my GB may go the way of the U.S. some day, but not for a while, I am hoping to build a nice collection
for my enjoyment to share with others who will look at it , and maybe something for retirement or an heir.

Hope to see ya around......

oreville

MSD61:

You are NOT a know it all!

Reinvent yourself in your hobby. A break is good but try to do a different aspect of the hobby. Read a good book about the country of the coins you like. Get into the history aspect of the coins.

Become a bit eccentric in your approach to the hobby. It is not about the slabs and spending lots of money but certainly once in a while if you spend a lot of money on a specific coin, protect your purchase cost by only buying slabbed.

Buy less often. That way your budget can be controlled. Do not be afraid to go back to the hobby of your youth and look at "junk boxes" or get some rolls from the bank and look at them.

Sure, the old timers seem to disappear but we do come back once in a while. But remember this;

It is not about the oldtimers. It is about the newcomers!! They need you more!!!

theboz11

There are some very nice and rare medals out there, coins are not the ONLY thing ,round, significant and beautiful. I got to this point by going through exacty what you are going through,. My American collection has not had an addition in 15 years and remains in the sfaety deposit box. My world coins have been on hold for over a year without an addition. And as a last resort, This is NOT the only forum in the world.


Edit to add: I wish I knew a "Know it ALL" ,,,,I need the help and advice from somebody like that on a daily basis.

cosmicdebris

Whatever you do do not switch to Conders too much compitition now as it is.

trozau

Scale back, slow down or start a new direction. With a kid in college and the PMs being high, I have considerably slowed down my purchases and limited it to the must haves (even going as far as to trade duplicates and non-essentials in my collection).

If you have to get out of it completely and get rid of your collection, set aside those that you like the most and/or would want to pass on to your kids.

wybrit

MSD61, I understand the feeling. Like others here, I have taken several hiatuses from coin collecting, including one right now.

That was until I was PM'd with a message telling me I was a know it all.

I couldn't disagree more with the person who PM'ed you that. He/she is likely alone in that opinion.

I wish you nothing but the best. The hobby is cyclical and I hope you will return as a regular poster. I enjoy your input here.

Preussen

In the mid to late 1980s I lost interest in collecting (I started collecting in 1975). This was largely because of the continued intrusion of that pesky, inconsistent, newfangled 70-point grading scale thing (yes, I collected “lightside” as well as my favorites; German). As controversial as “MS” grading remains today, do you remember how it was then? MS grading was a joke and so was ANACS…it seemed that no one liked or understood the purpose of either….and why the heck would anyone put a coin into a plastic slab? So much for the lightside

The final blow came in the form of an “unfortunate misunderstanding” with a favored “darkside” dealer that really turned me off of buying coins. After a few years of inactivity, I decided to put the money into other interests, so I sold all of my coins plus a fairly extensive numismatic library. Some years later I regretted that decision (and I still do).

I regained the collecting spark in 1999, and although I dabbled in “lightside” a bit, I now concentrate solely on German coins. I have rebuilt my collection into one far superior to what I had before, but I still cringe when I think of some of the nice pieces that are gone.

I guess my only point (if there is one at all) is not to make hasty decisions. - Preussen

satootoko

<< <i>until I was PM'd with a message telling me I was a know it all. >>

Letting the know-nothings drive you off means they have won! If you want to withdraw for a while for some other reason(s), that's fine, but don't give in to the barbarians at the wall.

STLNATS

Letting the know-nothings drive you off means they have won!



I spend most of my time at the currency thread and an awful lot of the discussion seems to focus on TPG and other topics of little interest to me. Real thin knowledge base combined with very large egos is evidenced at times as well. Still always something to learn and the notion of the PM you received just strikes me as the arrogance of ignorance and just should be ignored. We all can decide what to read and respond to, after all.

And, you can always post it so we all can see who's responsible....

My interests have also drifted from area to area even to the point of packing it in at times. I collected roman folles almost exclusively until the late 1980s when I shifted interest to US currency. Too specialized and usually nothing to buy. I've wandered back into folles (and vatican/papal) in a big way in the last couple of years and it seems like a whole new world again (especially since the internet really opened things up). While maybe not the tonic for you, a vacation to a new obscure interest might be just the pick-me-up you need......

Keep the faith!

sumnom

I like to read what the know-it-alls have to say, actually. That's why I like it here. My coin knowledge is quite narrow so it is a pleasure to come here to expand my horizons.

danglen

Coin collecting is a lot like watching a soap opera......you can go away for a year or ten and when you came back it's like you never left If you have to, take a break...the hobby will be here when you come back....and you will come back

AuldFartte

Micheal, I have scaled way back on my purchases and have re-evaluated my collecting strategy and interests, and I think it helped me. I make only occasional purchases now, and only if it's something I really want for a very specific collection, Victorian Type Set for example.

I had a few unfriendly comments come my way, too, so I shut the hell up for a while. Don't let it bother you, though. I find the less someone actually knows, the louder and more obnoxious they can get. I always enjoyed your posts about the Irish coinage even though it is not an area of collecting interest for me.

I still actively collect coins, but more slowly and deliberately than before, and I have been devoting a lot more time to one of my other hobbies: Photography. Maybe you can add a hobby to your life? Might just be fun

Whatever you do, please don't lose touch here. I think we all like your presence

MSD61

Thanks all for your kind words of support and advice.

TheKidCollector1991

As a young person I might not have enough time for coins. I have school, exams and alot more....
I would never get tired, hey sure I go on and off. But if you are called a KNOW it ALL don't take it seriously take it as a compliment about you intellect.

You sholdn't be obssesed but you should stay focused.

Thanks !

WillieBoyd2

I like to handle my coins and do not own any "slabbed" coins.
I feel that "slabbed" coins are like "do not touch" signs on museum items.

tbirde56

Stick around MSD! The more knowledge here the better. That's what the Forum is all about.


Snagged today at a decent price I think.

MacCrimmon

And who exactly, would I be writing Gaelic to if you vanish?

As to that nasty PM; Is minic a ghearr teanga duine a scornach.

I can add little else to what's been said, except . . .

Is iomaí cor sa tsaol. And, may that "twist" lead your pleasure back to a 'numispath'.

coinrookie

Set the collecting aside if you need a break. Do not sell your truly important coins. Try another hobby. If you concentrate and become totally obsessed on one hobby, it is a sure recipe for burnout. I have a 70 vette that I am restoring. I find when coins get frustrating, I can leave them and shut all the frustrations out by working on the car.



Steve

Clankeye

I love what Oreville had to say. Three points stick out to me:

1. Reinvent yourself in your hobby.

2. Become a bit eccentric in your approach to the hobby.

3. Buy less often.


That is great. A 1-2-3 for getting the mojo back.

I certainly understand what you are feeling MSD61. I have faith that you will find a way to stay involved in the hobby. As far as the nasty PM--the internet is just too vast a place, and there are just too many types of people that things like that aren't going to happen sometimes. Regrettable, but true.

Regards,

Clankeye

lordmarcovan

Hey, if I post a recent rare cherrypick with a harp on it, will it make you feel better?

Lemme upload the picture.

lordmarcovan

Something with a harp on it, to make you feel better.

worldcoinguy

Something rings true about the Hotel California comment - "you can check out but you can never leave." Looking back, my 5 year leave of absence from the hobby was invaluable for perspective.

MSD61 - I hope you find the time to refresh your mind and regenerate your passions. If it takes you in a completely different direction in life, so be it. Life is too short to agonize over a hobby that should lower your blood pressure instead of raise it.

Brent

Sylvestius

<< <i>I like to handle my coins and do not own any "slabbed" coins.
I feel that "slabbed" coins are like "do not touch" signs on museum items. >>



Oy that's my line! Ah geeze competition...

I think someone's been reading one of my semi-regular rants on that particular topic.

coinkat

See actual coins and not just pictures of coins... I have become a much better buyer by seeing what is available in person.

History is important too but so is design and the artistic merit that it took to make the coin what it is... appreciate all there is to see in the creation of timeless designs that tell a story of people and countries. Seriously... there is alot to choose from which makes it all the more challenging and entertaining. There is more to this than words can express.

Aethelred

Mike,

I have taken a year or two away from the hobby a few times in the past myself, sometimes you just need to recharge. I would advise not getting in a hurry to sell anything, take a break and don't buy, you can always sell later, but you can never un-sell.

Good luck bud!

ajaan

un-sell?????

Aethelred

<< <i>un-sell????? >>



I think that is a Bushism.

0john0

<< <i>....no let me re-phrase that, I am getting sick and tired of coin collecting and I am no longer finding any enjoyment in it. It used to be one could find a lot of nice stuff and not have to go into debt. The hobby is becoming rediculous and this thing with slabbing and grades are out of control. I just don't know what to do or how to feel about the hobby anymore. I have gone months without a new purchase because what I found was either junk or a rediculous price was being asked for it. Maybe I need a break or need to re-evaluate this hobby. I have taken a break from the forum because as of late what I've been reading here has be distrubing to me. The old timers seem to be disappearing and having less to say. I used to post here often and happy to answer any questions regarding Irish coinage. That was until I was PM'd with a message telling me I was a know it all.

I don't know folks maybe I indeed need to move on and just table the hobby for a while. Sorry to blow off steam to you good people. Take care and happy collecting! >>





Michael, a chara,

Ta an ceart agat. I haven't bought anything in months for the same reasons you listed. I stopped posting here because it seemed to me that people didn't really care. I always thought it was because I didn't collect the popular coins, nothing english or gold. But at the end of the day, I'm collecting for me, not them. There are some good people here, though. (LordM, cacheman, you...)
Enjoy whatever it is you decide to do. You can always sell some of the coins to me.

Slan go foill,
-John