When hobbies collide... (or post a pic of your favorite ruby slag)

RYK

Most of us have limited coin budgets, but certainly the limit is different from one person to the next. Most of us (except Russ ) have other hobbies and interests, too. Some of them are pretty expensive. For example, some folks here (Lucy comes to mind) collect cars, which would appear to an outsider like myself to be a very costly hobby. Others play golf, enjoy boating, travel, etc.

Recently, I have noticed other interests competing with the coin hobby for discretionary capital (please do not email this thread to Doug Winter--it might ruin his holiday weekend). I have even considered plundering the coin collection just a little bit to make another recreational purchase. This is the first time in several years that such a thought has crossed my mind. Is this natural? Am I losing interest in coins? Please feel free to share your own personal perspective on this topic.

Russ

<< <i>Most of us (except Russ ) have other hobbies and interests, too. >>



Hey, butthead! I also collect ruby slag.

Russ, NCNE

Tassa

RYK, do whatever makes you happy, but just remember, the Beanie Baby market ain't what it used to be.

RYK

Hey, butthead! I also collect ruby slag.

I stand corrected.

Russ

Nice piece. Is that yours?

Russ, NCNE

Bikingnut

I also collect ruby slag.

Just what is ruby slag?

Dennis

291fifth

You may be reaching burnout due to too much activity in coins. Sort your collection. Put all of the best coins in the safe deposit box and sell the mistakes. Take a break from coins and enjoy your other hobby. When your interest in coins returns, take them out of the safe deposit box and be thankful you didn't sell the "good stuff."

Russ

<< <i>I also collect ruby slag.

Just what is ruby slag? >>



Stuff like the bowl RYK posted, and like this:



Russ, NCNE

coinlieutenant

Very natural to have these feelings ...especially with the market the way it is now.

Russ

Russ, NCNE

Barry

I never heard of ruby slag either. RYK being from Pittsburgh made me think it was some molten metal droppings...

Russ

<< <i>RYK being from Pittsburgh made me think it was some molten metal droppings.. >>



That's actually where the term comes from. It's also known as end of day glass. Besides ruby, there's green, purple, caramel. It's cheap, pretty, and no two are exactly alike.

Russ, NCNE

RYK

I never heard of ruby slag either. RYK being from Pittsburgh made me think it was some molten metal droppings...

I had never heard of it either. Google bailed me out, and I changed the title in honor of Russ.

LanLord

I figure, one day I'll sell most or all of what I have, buy a motor home with all the amenities and the wife and I will travel the nation just enjoying the sights and sounds.

And if that doesn't happen before I get old and lose my marbles, I just hope my wife will pin a name and address on my lapel before she leaves me sitting in my wheelchair at the horse track.

Boothill40

From July to October salt water fishing kicks in so between the So. Cal. cattle boats out of San Pedro or Oxnard for trip to the islands or a five day trip out of San Diego for tuna it does bite into the coin budget Which isn't that big to begin with---Tom

TavernTreasures

<< <i>

<< <i>I also collect ruby slag.

Just what is ruby slag? >>



Stuff like the bowl RYK posted, and like this:



Russ, NCNE >>



I might find the answer by checking my antique books or google, but I will ask here. Are these pieces antique? What era are they from? American made? Who was the manufacturer? A rich man's or working man's glassware?

Russ

<< <i>Are these pieces antique? >>



Yes, and no. It originally came from Europe in the 19th century so there are examples that are antique. Most of what is on the market, (and what I collect), was produced domestically between the 1950's and the 1970's.



<< <i>Who was the manufacturer? >>



There are multiple makers. I collect pieces from the Imperial Glass company that were made prior to their acquisition by Lenox in the late 1970's. Imperial was founded in 1901 and began producing slag in the early 1950's. The company is defunct.



<< <i>A rich man's or working man's glassware? >>



Mostly working man's.

Russ, NCNE

ER

My other hobby:

Russ

<< <i>My other hobby: >>



Computers?

Russ, NCNE

ER

<< <i>

<< <i>My other hobby: >>



Computers?

Russ, NCNE >>



It would appear that way.

BillJones

My main other hobby is presidential campaign pieces. Most of them are what dealers call "political numismatics" which are die stuck medals and tokens. I also collect pin back buttons, but the most I've ever paid for one of those is $350.

I've never sold a coin to buy a political item, and I've never sold a political item to buy a coin, although I did come close to selling a political items I'd grown a bit tied of to raise some money for a coin. The deal did not happen, however, and I still have that item.

Russ

<< <i>I also collect pin back buttons >>



Whitehead and Hoag?

Russ, NCNE

MrSpud

Interesting. MrsSpud collects Fenton artglass as her other collecting hobby. We have some nice irredescent carnival glass bowls, vases and stuff as well as about 75 different glass Fenton Rabbits of every type and color of glass.

Artist

Don't worry RYK, after you have been together for a while it is only natural for your feelings of passion and lust to give way to ones of freindship and familiarity - relationships ebb and flow like that, and it is completely normal. Only you can tell for sure if your love is a glowing ember waiting to reignite or if it has gone out completely forever.



In addition to coins, I collect vintage Porsches (if you count 1 as a collection) and guitars. It has occured to me that even just downgrading a few coins by a point or two could put me into some NICE guitars - I mean, the majority of my love for a coin is for the coin, not for the absence of a few abrasions that mean a difference of $1,000.00s right? But then whenever I think of taking money out of my coin collection, I am reminded of how hard I worked to build it, buying well one piece at a time, and then I can't go through with it.

SlangNRox

<< <i>

<< <i>My other hobby: >>



Computers?

Russ, NCNE >>



Is the other hobby computer security?


My other hobby is collecting basketball cards and movie posters.

CarsonCityGold

Here's one of my collectibles next to my office. I just couldn't live without it. Took me 4 months to rebuild it after I got it back here from Kansas. Thats a 16 foot trailer to give you an idea of size.

Longacre

I play golf, although my schedule has been too busy to play much. When I play, it's odd in that it is the only time that I don't think of anything (work, troubles, stresses of life, etc.) for 4+ hours straight. It is incredibly theraputic. Very quiet, serene, nice scenery, flaura, fauna. It's a nice hobby that I don't mind cutting into the coin budget for.

ldhair

I'm always looking for a nice bronze.

coinbuf

Like Longacre I enjoy a round of golf, played 18 today and will try to get in another round tomorrow. I bought many nice coins last yr and have cut back some this yr. In part due to the amount I spent and in part to not finding as many coins that have caught my eye.

Chris

JDelage

I collect custom knives - before and above coins. Here are a few pieces:

xbob

Hang in there RYK. Your hobbies don't have to all revolve around coins. Enjoy it anyway you like even if it means diverting interests.

To post my other hobby... video games. I like new ones but there's nothing like Old School.

How I made this home arcade game. It plays EVERY vintage game.

"New school"

Jdurg

It's funny because coins are what led me to start, and complete, my other hobby; collecting elements. Back when I got my proof gold and platinum coins back in 2000, I realized that I had samples of relatively pure gold, silver, platinum, copper and zinc. I then thought "Wouldn't it be neat to have a sample of every element on the periodic table?" Not much came of that thought, however, so I kind of disregarded it. Then I got into college and really wanted to make a compound called nitrogen triiodide. (A VERY shock sensitive high explosive). To do that, I needed elemental iodine. That's where E-Bay came in. I bought the Iodine and then saw that I could get a whole bunch of pure elements from E-Bay. I did just that and my collection took off. Before long I met a bunch of other collectors and we were able to talke for a while and I eventually got virtually every element out there. Right now, I have a sample of EVERY element on the periodic table which has a stable isotope, and even some that do not. I have multiple allotropes of carbon, boron, phosphorus, selenium and others, and EVERY isotope of hydrogen. It's a beautiful collection and I'm constantly trying to upgrade my poorer samples. A collage of my element pictures can be downloaded from this link.

My other hobby is golf, and I've gotten incredibly better over the past year or so. I started playing a little over a year ago and was HORRIBLE. But I just started taking lessons and have taken about 15 strokes off of my game and I'm getting better every day. I can't wait to head out tomorrow with some friends. (Golfing is ALWAYS better when done with friends).

Russ

Russ, NCNE

saintguru

That ruby stuff is way gay, Russ. Do you collect cookie jars too?

Barry

My other hobby is cheap in comparison to coins...



P.S. HST = High Speed Telegraphy

BillJones

<< <i>

<< <i>I also collect pin back buttons >>



Whitehead and Hoag?

Russ, NCNE >>



Yea, but I'm not really interested in which company made the piece, so long as it's not a repro (and sadly there are LOTS of those). I'm totally interested in what's on the front of it. Whitehead and Hoag made a lot of political stuff, and it's not limited to pinback buttons.

RYK

My colliding interests:

Longacre

I would collect more things if I didn't have a collection of Mrs. Longacre's accounts payable to Tiffany's.

kcnovice

My main hobby(passion)


and yes the new coin collecting is eating into the uw photo/video passion budget.

saintguru

I collect Kerouac first editions and some Ted Williams stuff.

I simply MUST start looking into ruby slab.

Longacre

I never heard of ruby slab either. Looks interesting, but I am too clumsy to handle delicate stuff like that.

saintguru

I do THAT too, kcnovice!

Just dove the Galapagos Islands.

kcnovice

SG, any pics?? My next trip (other than the boring Carribean) Africa!

Russ

<< <i>I simply MUST start looking into ruby slab. >>



It's slag, not slab, moron.



<< <i>Looks interesting, but I am too clumsy to handle delicate stuff like that. >>



It's not delicate. It's hefty, manly glass. That pitcher I posted is only about 6 1/2" tall, but weighs nearly 2 lbs.

Russ, NCNE

Jdurg

<< <i>Hang in there RYK. Your hobbies don't have to all revolve around coins. Enjoy it anyway you like even if it means diverting interests.

To post my other hobby... video games. I like new ones but there's nothing like Old School.

How I made this home arcade game. It plays EVERY vintage game.

"New school"
>>




That is awesome! I love that stuff and have wanted to build myself a cabinet for quite a long time, but I simply do not have room for one at this moment. Once I get my own place, that's one of the first things I'll want to build when time and funding allows.