The truth about your happiness and collecting rare coins.

ANACONDA

I've been around the block a few times. In fact, I've actually outlived a few turtles. (And that will take on special meaning in a moment.)

And during those years I have spent quite a bit of time thinking and thinking introspectively.

And, I have noticed that I am pretty happy whether or not I have a lot of really fine coins or whether I have no fine coins.

I've have been like you may have been..........."Man, if only I could afford that (insert coin you most desire)____________________.....THEN I would be finally happy......."

Then you actually get that coin! Max out your credit cards........lie to the wife......some coin envy has even caused some people to steal.

A short time later, though,........unfortunately..............you become..........................dissatisfied. You want something else even though you thought that your last acqusition was going to finally make you happy. And then you want that new coin badly.....as badly as you wanted the coin you just almost broke your back for a month ago. Wanting something you can't afford is not a good emotion......constantly being dissatisfied isn't a good way to be.

Buying coins thinking it's going to make you happy is a treadmill that goes nowhere. You won't find lasting happiness in your next coin or in any coin. The guy who has a the finest set of early Proof Gold in 67 holders didn't find lasting satisfaction with life because he owned those coins.

The trick is realizing that the acquisition of ever finer or more things doesn't make you permanently happy or content. You will find happiness, though, if you seek out knowledge about the right ways to find it. Fortunately for you, you can do research on happiness right here on the internet. Unlike the turtles I've outlived.

You've seen them before. Splattered on the pavement......they went in search of finer, tastier fruit......crossed the road to find it and got squashed by a cement truck. They weren't content in life to stay on their side of the road. If they would have been, they wouldn't have gotton squashed.

So, if a wise person would come to the conclusion that on your income and budget you should probably collect something that costs $25 a month to accumulate, rest assured, there is a facet of coins that you can collect. Collecting is all about setting goals and being patient.....and learning. Did you know a membership in the ANA allows you to borrow just about any book about coins through the mail......and for free? Collecting coins is a hobby..............it shouldn't be an obsession......

So, I recommend that you try to be content with your situation and don't stress yourself out by spending too much on coins at any one time in an effort to find happiness. Collecting can be a very worthwhile endeavor and fulfilling in it's own way, when kept in perspective.

FilthyBroke

This can pertain to many aspects of life, not just coin collecting. Knowing your own boundaries is something that you just can't teach everyone. Nor is personal satisfaction and contentment.

AnkurJ

It's just like anything else. Good in moderation. But as with many hobbies, it can quickly become an addiction. I haven't been well lately, and have had a lot of free time. My mind wanders a lot when not preoccupied. I've bought a lot of coins this past month and a half. But at the same time sold a good amount as well. But I'm always looking for the next score!

Hussulo

To a coin addict, buying a new, better, rarer coin is a fix. I am a coin addict..

golfer72

No great revelation here. Happiness can never come from obtaining objects. It comes from inside yourself, nowhere else. " You have to look for happiness within yourself. And dont go chasin' thinking that it is somewhere else. " Lyrics form Van Morrison

dbcoin

not a fan of Adrian, but this was a nice post. Well said.

ctf_error_coins

That is a Tortoise not a Turtle

I do buy coins that I can not afford, and some on credit (cards). I am building a (second) business in the worst of economic times. Hard to build a new business without borrowing.

You want to know what makes me happy, well my two kids and my wife and my freedom to do whatever I want to do every day.

DRUNNER

Teaching "The Pearl" by Steinbeck to my sophs now. A parable with a lesson of 'money doesn't buy happiness'. An interesting parallel with coins.

Drunner

Longacre

<< <i>Teaching "The Pearl" by Steinbeck to my sophs now. A parable with a lesson of 'money doesn't buy happiness'. An interesting parallel with coins.

Drunner >>





I need to go back and re-read all of the books in high school that I did not fully appreciate when I was a snot-nosed punk.

renomedphys

Happiness comes not from aquisitions. Happiness comes from giving and teaching and learning. Anything else is pure masturbation, including coin collecting.

edited to add: I guess that makes me a chronic masturbator

AnkurJ

<< <i>Happiness comes not from aquisitions. Happiness comes from giving and teaching and learning. Anything else is pure masturbation, including coin collecting.

edited to add: I guess that makes me a chronic masturbator >>



Another reason to wash your hands after every coin show!

Walkerguy21D

Good post. There are some real nuggets of wisdom in there, and even if there are 'no great revelations', it doesn't hurt to see them, whether for the first time, or as a refresher, offered in a different perspective perhaps. While I could easily afford a legit Top 5 walker set, I've contented myself with a Top 20 set, and moved on to circ Barbers, seated halves, and large cents. Same with the house and our vehicles - good enough is good enough - I don't care about impressing people and causing envy. My wife doesn't have to work, the kids don't need college loans, and I'm saving towards (hopefully) a very early retirement.



<< <i>Another reason to wash your hands after every coin show! >>


Now that's funny!

jesbroken

Nice post, Anaconda. A lot of truth dripping from each line. The problem with any black/white analogy is the grey area that is always lurking in the shadows. Some people, while facing the same exposure as another, never become addicted, yet they perform the same tasks(such as collecting coins), even though they appear to have the same fervor. I think different people have different levels of common sense and while some allow their "wants" to overrun their abilities, others do not. It is what makes the world go round, I suppose. "Different strokes for different folks" as Sly once sang.
At times, we all want to grab the ring, just some so much more than others.
Jim

BlindedByEgo

There is a particular anonymous twelve-step program with a well-worn aphorism: "Happiness is an inside job".

Abraham Lincoln said "A man is about as happy as he makes his mind up to be." We collectors are an interesting mix of curiosity and discontent, always looking to fill that "hole", real as well as metaphorical. Completing that set with just the right "look", or that Holy Grail coin, can be an endless pursuit - but a fun one, meeting a lot of great folks along the way.

My last quote, from Browning: “ ”The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life..."

messydesk

As you weaken the correlation between your enjoyment of the hobby and ownership of coins, the opportunities to enjoy numismatics increase. Share knowledge in a seminar, help someone else not get ripped off, look at some crazy expensive auction lots you know you can't afford and tell a collector that wasn't able to about them, compliment a dealer on a particularly nice coin in his case, get to know another collector better over dinner. I bought only one coin at the FUN Show, and none in the auction, but had a great time.

RYK

Buying coins thinking it's going to make you happy is a treadmill that goes nowhere. You won't find lasting happiness in your next coin or in any coin.

You could substitute any object for the word, "coin".

Coins, and other hobbies and interests (like running, the Steelers, travel, and the Grateful Dead), can be part of an emotionally healthy and satisfying life, to complement one's relationship with family and friends, job, spirituality/religion, and/or other less tangible pursuits. Frankly, the personal relationship aspect of the hobby has always been more rewarding to me than the acquisition aspect.

Excellent post, Anaconda.

ColonialCoinUnion

<< <i>Coins, and other hobbies and interests (like running, the Steelers, travel, and the Grateful Dead), can be part of an emotionally healthy and satisfying life, to complement one's relationship with family and friends, job, spirituality/religion, and/or other less tangible pursuits. Frankly, the personal relationship aspect of the hobby has always been more rewarding to me than the acquisition aspect. >>



Well said.

jayPem

"Enough is as good as a feast." Mary Poppins

ambro51

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Dude youre thinking too much.

go work on your website

ricko

Adrian,
I am a very happy, content individual. I spend more time seeking knowledge than material things. That being said, I do get pleasure from my coins, guns, marbles, books etc, etc. I wake up with a smile and go to sleep with a smile.... Cheers, RickO

fiveNdime

<< <i>Coins, and other hobbies and interests (like running, the Steelers, travel, and the Grateful Dead), can be part of an emotionally healthy and satisfying life, to complement one's relationship with family and friends, job, spirituality/religion, and/or other less tangible pursuits. Frankly, the personal relationship aspect of the hobby has always been more rewarding to me than the acquisition aspect. >>


too much of everything is just enough... cept for maybe the Steelers (& i wont eat any of the crow they serve this weekend)




<< <i>Collecting coins is a hobby..............it shouldn't be an obsession...... >>


why?
im obessed with all of my collecting hobbies


its about the happiness of pursuit. often, getting there IS the fun!

cladking

Now that we know why the turtle crossed the road...

Broadstruck

<< <i>Happiness comes not from aquisitions. Happiness comes from giving and teaching and learning. Anything else is pure masturbation, including coin collecting.

edited to add: I guess that makes me a chronic masturbator >>



Great... Another members BST listings I might not want to touch!

questor54

Setting a goal and achieving it is the best thing in life. Once one goal is achieved it is right and healthy to be motivated to set a new goal. Satisfaction is the enemy of progress. If there is nothing I want to have or do or achieve or experience, why am I alive? The changes we have to make in ourselves in order to achieve our goals are called 'growth'.

scoobydeux

Nice, articulate and thoughtful post.

renomedphys

Having given this a bit more thought, there is certainly some happiness that one can eek out from buying another coin, especially as it relates to accomplishing a real goal.

For instance, I have been told that a "head of 1836" matron cent with full details, be it a proof or otherwise, is a unicorn. I can imagine that I'd be pretty happy and proud to find and buy and show one off. May never happen. Oh well. That's OK too.

I rode the happiness roller coaster for about a year and a half while building my set of Matte Proof Lincolns, and after it was said and done, contented with my decisions and selections, I found myself in an odd happiness void. Yet having retired the set to the SDB, I find myself delighted to view them every time I open the box.

Now the focus of my collecting has turned to the aquisition of "finest of the type" copper, and yes, that too will ultimately prove an un-accomplishable pipe-dream, as too many of the coins I want are essentially out of reach to all but a select few. But that too can be a source of happiness as well, because as has been stated by many an enlightened folk, "it's all about the journey."

tradedollarnut

Fortunately for our country, striving for mediocrity is not the normal American way.

Catbert

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides…”
-- Goethe

Happiness is a personal choice!

abitofthisabitofthat

<< <i>

<< <i>Teaching "The Pearl" by Steinbeck to my sophs now. A parable with a lesson of 'money doesn't buy happiness'. An interesting parallel with coins.

Drunner >>



I need to go back and re-read all of the books in high school that I did not fully appreciate when I was a snot-nosed punk. >>



Sharpen the stick at both ends.

AnkurJ

I have collected many different things in the last 15 or so years. I started with reading new comic books, and as I moved on to college, I gained interest in vintage comics. Over the years I amassed a decent collection of comics from the 1930's and 1940's including some very valuable ones like Batman #1. My goal was to complete a run of early batman and superman comics, but the first appearance of each STARTS at around $50k! I was happy with what I had, and knew I could not afford the big keys, so I moved on. I still have my collection, and look through them every now and then.

Then I moved on to modern comic art, and still have a great collection of those. Have made some decent profits, but after a few years, I was happy with what I had. That and the prices of art were skyrocketing, and the more popular artists got, the more attitude they had. So I moved on.

Currently other than coins, I still collect presidential signatures, US medals, and dabble in illustration art.

I guess one should look at what they have collected, and see if it brings them happiness. When a hobby becomes stressful and causes more grief or angst than happiness, you should move on. When I reach a point in coin collecting when I am happy with what I have, and dont feel the need or wish for anything else, I will move on. That might be a while though! Just my 0.02.

roadrunner

When it comes to hobbies or collecting in general, usually the "chase" is far more rewarding and interesting than the end result.

roadrunner

jmski52

Adrian, you've just reminded me that I need to get serious about getting my sound system back into operation. My grandson needs to be exposed to some good classical music, and I need some of my good old rock'n roll. Thanks!

ClosedLoop

I do my best to collect what I could afford.
Sometimes my best isn't good enough..

bidask

When I see a turtle crossing the road, I stop, get out of my car , pick up the turtle and place it in the woods or meadow........sometimes even give it a ride in my car till I find some woods.

I also have a lot of nice coins.

kurtdog

ANACONDA, interesting post, it certainly makes one think. You're a philosopher, pal.

PS: I share some of those same thoughts and feelings, myself.

ctf_error_coins

<< <i>When I see a turtle crossing the road, I stop, get out of my car , pick up the turtle and place it in the woods or meadow........sometimes even give it a ride in my car till I find some woods.

I also have a lot of nice coins. >>



I have seen tortoises ( as in the photo which is NOT a turtle) crossing the road and it is actually illegal to pick them up as they are endangered. I just stay there until the pass out of the way off the road.

BTW I do really enjoy my error coins as well.

DRUNNER

Nice to let these thoughts roll around in the head for a day.

The coins are fun, the hunt is fun, and the acquisition is fun, but what is supreme is being at a coin show, overhearing a conversation, realizing that you are standing next to a Board member you have never met but have conversed with via electronic media for years, and watching his/her face as you introduce yourself.

Relationships are what we take with us . . and the bulwark of the hobby. That first beer (or beverage of choice) with a kindred soul is irreplaceable.

Bravo Anaconda, and the rest of you who bolster the positve aspects of the Forums.

Drunner