When the spark is gone...

MICHAELDIXON

For several years I have not had the desire or heart for coins and have been going through the motions. I cannot stand to go to a coin show! Yesterday, I went to Baltimore and took some coins to have photographed. I walked by the Teletrade table going to see Todd, stopped and told the lady I wanted to auction them through Teletrade. The last time I felt this way (1991), I sent everything I had to Heritage and they auctioned it for me (great results from Heritage!). Immediately, I opened a coin shop and had to scrounge for coins. Has anybody else ever felt this way? I'm 52 years old and have been collecting since I was 6. I have the urge to open a used car lot! Maybe, just maybe, it is time for a change!

Dog97

Yep. That why you haven't seen any posts from me in several years. Just got tired of it.

DIMEMAN

JUST MAYBE WE SHOULD GO TO MAMBE PAMBE LAND AND FIND YOU SOME DESIRE...YOU JACKWAGON.....YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!!

Sorry, I love that commercial.

Hang in there...I think we all through times like this. Don't sell your coins and start a car thingy!

MICHAELDIXON

JUST MAYBE WE SHOULD GO TO MAMBE PAMBE LAND AND FIND YOU SOME DESIRE...YOU JACKWAGON.....YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!!

Being retired Army, I love that commercial!! You made me laugh! Thanks!!!!

ROBBItheOKIE

Well yea I know what ya mean, I have at times in my life just quit coins all together weather by choice or not, and have always came back to the hobby and lifestyle with a renewed sense of purpose and the heart to once again find the spark that got me started in the world of coin collecting to start with.

I have never been a dealer of coins so I cannot say what kind of stress and situations that you would have to put up with, but maybe a hiatis from the world of selling coins or collecting just might be the thing ya need, dont know just what ifing.

RWB

Yep.
That's part of why I moved to research instead of collecting coins. It seemed that without the background history to tell us what occurred, examining the coins was mostly a futile exercise. For some, satisfaction of the need to acquire and control is all that matters, but others want more out of a hobby than opening and closing safe deposit boxes.

There is, for me, much more satisfaction in solving the many numismatic mysteries, than in owning a set of all the Stellas in all metals. The former can never be complete.

WaterSport

I take a periodic break, its helps keep things real and stable and more importantly, focused.

WS

MidLifeCrisis

Don't sell your coins. Instead, put them in a safe deposit box and forget about them for a few months or more. That way, they will be there for you when the spark comes back...and I think the spark will come back eventually.

chumley

take a break if possible,do someting completely different,you may come back refreshed and if you dont....boy you had one hell of a run!!!

crypto79

coin are a tricky hobby as in the environment that is around the hobby sometimes put up barriers that strip the fundamental aspects of what makes a hobby fun. When people don't talk to strangers due to the value of their collection they lose the interpersonal bonding aspect; I have at best good 10 conversations per year that don't result with me being ribbed or mocked in "jest". Not to even mention that coins are inherently non-interactive as not to mess up there condition but then the joy of compiling a small group is taken by the almost mandatory isolation time in the safety deposit box. When the hobby turns into a check writing contest to fill out a check list(written by others) one should step back and reassess and at the very least redefine based off their personal sources of satisfaction.

I draw my joy form the tangible connection to history and try to avoid the pitfalls with these steps.
1. Focus my collection and avoid buying off topic cool coins just for buying sake.
2. picked a history rich series and collect in lower grades to avoid investor competition
3. I define my set and don't let any other sources tell me I can't mix chops with regular or which varieties are important or collectible.
4. I pay to have professional photographs taken and set up a display that I can visit on the regular and share with other collector with out going to the bank. This helps with not only their protection but in stimulating conversations with other interested parties.
5. I spend enjoyable time at B&M, book stores, conventions and places like Coin Facts reading everything I can get my hands on.

Some people build web sites while others write books and some find joy and buy and resale side, find what works for you and do that part the most.

truthteller

I enjoy coins. I do not enjoy the coin business. The old school hobby is nearly dead, the new improved investment vehicle is now the standard. I enjoy buying raw coins, holding them in my hands, the TPG plastic makes them sterile.

As long as I focus on the coin, collecting still has a spark.





TRUTH

ambro51

Hmmmm....spark gone?

here ya go

Rollerman

<< <i>JUST MAYBE WE SHOULD GO TO MAMBE PAMBE LAND AND FIND YOU SOME DESIRE...YOU JACKWAGON.....YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!!

Sorry, I love that commercial.

Yeah, me too,,,,but what is a Jackwagon?
Pete

scottgardener

Don't sell anything you think you'll regret. That said, it may be time to thin out some items not likely to carry sentimental value, to take over to Heritage. Find another interest, or just save the money--of course, if you do the later, you may be better off just hanging onto the coins, given how much better an investment they've been lately compared to everything else.

AU58WALKERS

"the spark is gone..."

i feel the same way. ready to sell it all.

SaorAlba

I have lost it for a couple of days, but then the fires comes back with an enviable passion whence I occasion the next treasure to acquisition.

lkenefic

<< <i>Yep. That why you haven't seen any posts from me in several years. Just got tired of it. >>



same here... I went from posting several times a day to posting a few times a year... usually when I buy coins, which is now three times a year at the Baltimore shows...

edited to add: Response to AU58Walkers: I felt this way a couple of years ago too after I had completed my Lincoln Cent collection and was an 1877 IHC away from completing that set as well. It culminated in my selling both of these collections to pay off some bills, purchase some household items, and narrow my focus to just my type set... sometimes a redirection is good.

ctf_error_coins

When I got tired of collecting widgets, I got into error coin collecting. This field is quite fascinating and there is so much to learn, and you will never stop learning as there are so many different types of errors. The coolest part is that you can acquire major mint errors that are unique and no one else can own them but you.

TwoSides2aCoin

Sgt Roberts yelled my name in the motor pool one day. (1978) As usual and as is customary, I responded with "yes Sergeant ? " He barked and said "...bring me that condenser on the fender of that M151" ( that's a jeep) He knew I wouldn't hesitate to obey his command as I proudly identified that little part of the ignition system. I grabbed it !!! It zapped me with thousands of volts. Laughter erupted from everywhere as I see "my buddies" in a fit. They were there lying in wait, the *%$&#@!s . What I screamed immediately afterward is not allowed in this forum, but the title of your thread sparked my memory and I never told this story to too many people.

"When the spark is gone.... a capacitor flies."