(off topic) Counting down the days until my coin collection may become extinct!

ASUtodd

Well guys (and gals), my wife is pregnant and the child is due Feb 23rd. As the time draws closer I start to realize that any hobbies I may have may soon come to an abrupt hault. My wife doesn't ahve any issues with my hobbies but the money flow...well that's another story... This will be my first child so the fear of the unexpected is overwhelming! Sorry for the off topic post but I had to release some stress!
Todd

7Jaguars

Don't!!! Keep them, things will work out - the main thing is that your NEW purchase will have to decrease until you figure things out.

TwoKopeiki

This is not off-topic, at all It's true that your priorities will change in the upcoming months, but it doesn't mean that you should get rid of your collection. Set it aside and you'll have something to come back to when life gets a bit less hectic. In the meantime you can read Numismatic books (and our forums, of course!) along with baby books, so that once you're back you know exactly what you're looking for.

JZrarities

You just got here !!!

Hold.

Don't sell, you'll regret it and end up buying it all back later in life at a much higher price. (spoken from experience)

lordmarcovan

Well, as your recent finds have shown, you've always got the detector. Assuming you don't get too many sleepless nights to sap your energy and prevent you from getting outside and putting the coil to the soil occasionally, you've got at least one avenue to pursue that won't cost you anything but gas money, batteries, and time. That is what I was forced to do when my firstborn came along, very early in my first, ill-fated, poverty-stricken marriage. And I found it was quite a lot of fun. With dug stuff, you don't get to pick what you're collecting, and you don't get to choose top quality, of course, but you can still have a blast with it without forking out any money. And the unknown aspect of it is exciting, just as with fishing (but even better than fishing, in my opinion).

Congratulations again on digging your first Indian cent. There is an important milestone that tells me you have crossed out of the "newbie" detectorist stage, and there are goodies in your near future, if you keep at it. Start working on a dug US type set. Maybe get some of the cheap Whitman folders for your Wheat pennies and see how many holes you can fill with dug coins.

Take these words of advice from someone who's walked the same path before: sell what you have to sell, but keep a metal detector handy. You can even sell the dug coins if you like, but keep pictures of them for your "virtual collection". I have never sold any of my dug coins, and have kept fairly tight records on where and when I dug each of them, and am glad now that I did. I wish I had kept better records of the relics I dug. Admittedly, I have sold some of those, and regretted it in all but one instance (when I got $1K for the ugly War of 1812 pewter US Light Dragoons beltplate I dug).

So you may no longer be an active purchaser of coins, but you can still pursue one aspect of the hobby. Furthermore, it is an aspect which pays for itself, so as long as you have the time to devote to it, you can still keep a hand in the game.

And if things get tight enough to where you need to sell your more expensive detector, remember, even the lower-to-middle priced ones can find just as much stuff. When I was as poor as the proverbial church mouse, I sacrificed a lot of coins and stuff to get a middle-of-the-line detector, and used it for 12 years. It paid for itself five or six times over.

A wife can't complain about a hobby that supports itself and doesn't cost the household anything. Furthermore, if you should happen upon a nice ring or two, well... it doesn't hurt to grease the skids a little, if you know what I mean.

It might end up being a hobby your wife can share, if she's interested (mine isn't, much- she only digs in the dirt to plant flowers). And you could share it with your child when he/she gets old enough.

Congratulations, by the way. Moreso for the firstborn child than the first dug Indian cent, but I say congratulations for both milestones, big and small.

We'll see you on the MD Forum, if not as much here and on the other coin forums.

ASUtodd

I don't plan on selling my coins I was just expression the fear of the unknown that runs through the mind late at night while I'm trying to sleep. I'll keep my coins, and I'll hopefully get buy new ones like I do now, but I worry about the future and what it holds for me. Just turned 30 and I feel like an old man!! The child thing was not my idea but I gave in. I love my coins and actually have been collecting them since I was 10 years old. I took a long break from the time I was 16 until now. My granfather passed away and left me a lot of his US coins so I got back into the hobby. Now I am new to the Darkside. I always thought of Foreign coins as cheepos that no one wanted...BOY WAS I WRONG. I acutally think that my coin collection may grow due to an idea that I had. I have convinced the wife (aka Managment), that buying coins for my son as an investment is a good idea.... SHE bought it! Well at least for now she has. I hope to get him into the hobby when he gets older. I just hope nothing drastic happens and I have to sell my stuff. Just me being paranoid and a drama queen! It's actually funny.... at work I carry a gun, fight folks, get in pursuits, and I'm on the SWAT team...yet an unborn child scares me! Hah, what a life!
Oh on a side note, you guys help me find a good German (origin) name for the young chap. Should go with the lastname of Sides. Thanks!

Todd

oldshep

Todd - Congratulations!!! This will be a good experience -not to stress. Take it from me - 5 kids and 11 grandkids and each is a prize.

Just put the hobby on hold, although many world coins are very inexpensive so just redirect for a while.

Shep

DesertRat

The only hobby I gave up when kids came along was reloading my own ammunition and that didn't fully take place until they were toddlers, then it all went bye-bye.

I've put coins on hold several times over the years and currently I'm in that mode but I still take them out and look at them often, just no newps for awhile.

congrats on the new addition!

cyclonus11

Echoing some sentiments already stated:

You may have to stop adding to your collection for a while, but that doesn't mean you have to sell off the ones you have.

Continue metal detecting. It gives you an opportunity to get out of the house for a little while every now and then, plus you find Coins for Free™!

ccrdragon

your priorities will change for the next several years, but you will have a time when you will want to get back into coins - mine came the day that my 5 yr old daughter asked to look at my coins (I almost got tears in my eyes!). I still have priorities that are much higher than coins but I will always have coins and will always buy coins when I can!

don't sell the collection - save it for the future generation!

wybrit

There are few more fun things in life than experiencing parenthood. It is much more rewarding than having a #1 registry set.

I have collected coins for the entire almost 11 year lifespan of my daughter. She and I have attended shows together, There's no reason to abandon the hobby, but it might take a different direction.

sneaky

Don't sweat it! My 9 month old is sitting right here next to me while I type this. Don't sell thinking you will need the money, because after you sell you will still need the money. You NEVER have enough money, but it ALWAYS works out. This is my first one as well and I remember getting scared near the last few months, but now I look back and think "What the heck was I scared for?" It's not that bad, it's actually reallygreat, as the laughs outweigh the tears by far!


(get them started early)

FilthyBroke

First off, Congrats!!!!!! I have three kids and it's a great time, despite what some people will tell you. In fact you may find the coin collecting a welcome retreat now and again. You'll see that this is really not a big deal, after the actual hospital visit. You'll do fine, I'm sure!

Best of luck to ya, we were all new to this once.

MrObvious

Hey Todd -

Believe it or not, I really enjoyed your post. My first child (of three) was born in March of 1993 and fifteen years ago today I was feeling exactly what you have described - and having a bit of trouble sleeping. The apprehension is normal and, I'm afraid, inevitable. I think the big issue is that if you wanted to quit carrying a gun and chasing bad guys you could always go do something else, once you're a dad you've got that job for life. Like the other parents here have done I just want to reassure you that as someone who was feeling exactly the way you do now, I have not regretted fatherhood for one, single second. I didn't buy too many coins for about 10 years, but I didn't sell any either, and I picked it up again with no regrets about the changed priorities during those years. Your life will change. It will be worse in some ways, and way better in others. But it will be different. The unknown things that make it frightening also make in interesting and fun. Enjoy the ride, brother - it's the best there is.

1jester

Congratulations on the baby, Todd! I too have a seven month old, and can say that parenthood is the best!!

pendragon1998

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Kid looks like he's looking at a dinner menu. lol

worldcoinguy

Congrats Todd - I suggest you load up that sleep bank while you still have a chance. No need to stress now.....you have plenty of time for that in the next 20 years. We just graduated my 2 1/2 year old daughter from diapers a few months ago so my garage is starting to smell normal again.

Kids definitely add an incredible dimension to your life. Be sure to take care of your wife these next few weeks.