Do you ever go public with your collecting (even with an insular group) or is it too risky?

Longacre

I am a member of my local Lions Club. We do charitable good works in the town and in surrounding areas, including, believe it or not, supporting a food bank in my town that gets a surprising amount of use in this unfortunate economy.

I recently got an email from the Lion President. It reads as follows:

"Fellow Lions,
In the next [undisclosed location edited for security purposes] Lions newsletter, Editor and Publisher [name edited for security purposes] would like to include club members and their hobbies. If you could send [name edited for security purposes] two or three sentences about what you like to devote time to and why, it would be appreciated. Whether it's building birdhouses, golfing, gardening, whatever, please take a moment to let [name edited for security purposes] know so that it can be included in the next newsletter."


The newsletter just goes to members of the local club. I am debating whether to disclose coin collecting as my hobby. I am not sure if it is something that should be disclosed in public, or whether I should just stick to something less risky, like saying I like to play golf.

Does anyone let others know that they collect coins? Is disclosing it to a closed group considered risky? I await the board's thoughts.

Staircoins

Part of the joy of the hobby is talking about it with others. Many know that I collect, and also that I buy and sell coins and currency. I've come upon deals in the course of ordinary conversation that otherwise would not have turned up.

Accordingly, I try to be relatively cautious and take prudent security measures regarding my collection and inventory. For example, I use a PO Box and keep everything at a safety deposit box rather than at home.

ColonialCoinUnion

Personally I would not disclose it except perhaps in numismatic settings.

STONE

I feel that being a younger individual, discussing numismatics with similarly younger (albeit university students) people, is a securable conversation with a minimzed risk to theft or burglary. There is a maturity level among most graduate students that I don't find threatens the security of my collection. I'm certainly careful with who I discuss these things with, and I must feel comfortable with someone elses presence in order to bring up the subject.

With that said, I do take several precautions such as a home safe and SDB, etc etc.

I love talking and discussing the subject, but at the same time most people don't understand the significance of coin collecting and shrug it off!

2ndCharter

Actually, one of my best "scores" in the hobby was as a result of speaking before the Hudson, NY Lions Club way back in 1984 about the hobby and talking about the history of the Hudson, NY Commemorative Half Dollar and its association with a local National Bank. After the luncheon, an elderly gentleman, who was an old-time local attorney, invited me down to his office to show me "something". He had an item he had acquired from an estate he had handled decades before, didn't know what to do with it, and he said that after listening to me, that I was someone who would appreciate it and he just gave it to me!

So, personally, I say, go for it - you never know what someone might have.

BillJones

I have spoken to a lot of groups over the years, including church groups, at public libraries and business groups. Part of the joy is sharing this hobby and helping people learn more about our nation’s history. I wish I had more venues where I could speak, but it seems that many collectors are more interested in how much money they can make or how to avoid getting ripped off than really learning anything about the pieces they collect.

At the last FUN show I had maybe a dozen people show up to see my presentation about the coins of 1795. The guy who spoke about how to avoid getting ripped off by dealers had a room full of people. When I volunteered this year to talk about the 1848 CAL $2.50 gold piece, the guy who schedules the speakers blew me off. I have pictures, Power Point, everything, but that's not what people want these days it seems.

My locak club is very happy with what I do, however.

scotty1419

<< <i>Actually, one of my best "scores" in the hobby was as a result of speaking before the Hudson, NY Lions Club way back in 1984 about the hobby and talking about the history of the Hudson, NY Commemorative Half Dollar and its association with a local National Bank. After the luncheon, an elderly gentleman, who was an old-time local attorney, invited me down to his office to show me "something". He had an item he had acquired from an estate he had handled decades before, didn't know what to do with it, and he said that after listening to me, that I was someone who would appreciate it and he just gave it to me!

So, personally, I say, go for it - you never know what someone might have. >>



What was it?

I'm of the opinion that it'd be OK to talk up the hobby, but there isn't any need to bring coins from The Longacre Collection (TM). Perhaps you can bring some more common items that help to demonstrate the hobby - talk about the history and why they are of interest to you. I dont see any need to bring out a $2k coin like that.

scotty1419

<< <i>At the last FUN show I had maybe a dozen people show up to see my presentation about the coins of 1795. The guy who spoke about how to avoid getting ripped off by dealers had a room full of people. When I volunteered this year to talk about the 1848 CAL $2.50 gold piece, the guy who schedules the speakers blew me off. I have pictures, Power Point, everything, but that's not what people want these days it seems. >>



Might I suggest that it sounds like a matter of marketing? Who wouldn't want to partake in a discussion about how they can be more efficient in their purchases (IE the speaker giving the attendees knowledge of value)?

Maybe you could point out WHY people should hear about the 1848 $2.50?

TahoeDale

Yes and no. My personal collection is a secret, as to the public.

However, my desire to converse with other collectors is almost an open book. And I too have
spoken to groups of interested young people, on the joys of collecting.

I also give advice to friends on how to evaluate the coins they inherit.

You should limit the information you give the Lion's Club, Rotary,etc. as you have done with the Forum--
I have no idea what you collect, other than an occassional modern.

Ahrensdad

I would not make such a disclosure in such a format. I have on numerous occasions in one on one/small group conversations in professional settings talk about my hobby.

AUandAG

Every chance I get I tell anybody that will listen. Almost everyone has a story to tell regarding
coins or collecting (their Moms or Dads, or themselves, etc).
I enjoy it immensely.
I have purchased 500 collections in the last ten years just by opening my mouth. I'm not a dealer,
I don't have a store, but I do have a passion!
Talk it up (but be careful about telling where you keep them and such) Being a lion I'm sure you
can handle the herd and even me and gnu!.
bob

pragmaticgoat

great question to ponder, all comes down to how comfortable you are with sharing such information. for myself I would not share that info, on my facebook page, my interests are family, reading, bass fishing, and golf.

halfcentman

Hiding is not an option for me, as I have a high profile in my town.

My wife is a chemistry teacher in the HS where we live. All three of my kids attend our town's public schools, and my two daughters and wife are actively involved in Girl Scouts. I also give talks on numismatics and mathematics pro bono to the public schools.

Oh, and 75% of my retail business is with people in my town. They all know where we live.

pennyannie

Over insure your collection for 10 times the amount and tell the world, be sure to inculde your home address.

Longacre- People can look at you and tell you are a coin collector. What other choices could they come up with? Beanie Babies??

PerryHall

<< <i>Personally I would not disclose it except perhaps in numismatic settings. >>



Agree. Coin club---Yes. Lions club---No.

silverpop

i have said in public i'm a coin collector i see no reason not to

khayse

I'm barely comfortable letting YOU guys know I collect coins.

-Keith

lkeigwin

I figure there's more danger in having secrets that are not difficult to discover than there is to being open about this hobby.

Go for it, LA.
Lance.

Dentuck

1. Tell your Lions Club you collect coins.

2. Tell your coin club you collect lions.

Soon word will get around that you own valuable rare treasures,
but they're all protected by wild jungle cats roaming your estate.

RYK

Many people know that I am a coin collector. Most of those do not know what I collect and how much of it I have.

I think that when I tell most people that I collect coins, it conjures the image of filling Whitman books with pocket change and collecting state quarters. Some of my good friends know that my collection is more serious than that. No one knows the full extent of my collection--not even me--as I routinely uncover numismatic items that I did not remember I owned.

RogerRamjet

I do share my hobby with others, but I also say, many times in speaking to them, phrases like "I keep my collection in my Safety Deposit box and view scans on my computer. " or "Yes, I am working on a set of walkers, which I keep at the bank in a safety deposit box." By the time we end, they know where i keep my collection.

And yes, I do have a SDB at a local bank as well as a safe at home.

PerryHall

<< <i>I do share my hobby with others, but I also say, many times in speaking to them, phrases like "I keep my collection in my Safety Deposit box and view scans on my computer. " or "Yes, I am working on a set of walkers, which I keep at the bank in a safety deposit box." By the time we end, they know where i keep my collection.

And yes, I do have a SDB at a local bank as well as a safe at home. >>



Excellent suggestion.

ricko

I have always spoken freely of my hobby.... never had a problem. Of course, I do provide my own security, and I am very good at that. Being open (as mentioned above) can provide interesting opportunities. Cheers, RickO

2ndCharter

What was it?

This was the item that the old-time attorney gave me:



His office was right next door to this bank and he handled a lot of estate work for them and acquired this note back in the 1940's. Twenty-seven years later, I still have the note and, yes, it's kept in the SDB.

I have spoken before numerous Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, coin clubs, etc. about the hobby over the years. I always bring a few items for "show-and-tell" but not the "good stuff". I also always mention that I keep nothing at home, it's all kept in the SDB, and I always bring up my wife's hobby which is raising and training German Shepherds!

That way, if anyone does want to pay us a visit at home, they can "experience" my wife's hobby!!

LindeDad

I love to hunt for coins and anything else......up to and including big game.

Bear

"No man is an island, insular unto himself.Rather, Each man is a

part of the mainland, a part of the whole".

BillJones

<< <i>

<< <i>At the last FUN show I had maybe a dozen people show up to see my presentation about the coins of 1795. The guy who spoke about how to avoid getting ripped off by dealers had a room full of people. When I volunteered this year to talk about the 1848 CAL $2.50 gold piece, the guy who schedules the speakers blew me off. I have pictures, Power Point, everything, but that's not what people want these days it seems. >>



Might I suggest that it sounds like a matter of marketing? Who wouldn't want to partake in a discussion about how they can be more efficient in their purchases (IE the speaker giving the attendees knowledge of value)?

Maybe you could point out WHY people should hear about the 1848 $2.50? >>



I guess if you have to ask, "Why?" the topic is not worth covering. There is no money in it for most collectors because they can't afford to own an 1848 CAL $2.50. There is only general numismatic knowledge to be gained and a sense of how difficult it was to get from California to Washington, DC in the mid 19th century. In this case the trip took from mid August to Mid December, and involved five ocean voyages** and one trek across the jungle of Panama.

1. California to the west coast of South America.
2. West Coast of South America to Panama.
3. After crossing Panama, Panama to Kingston, Jamaica.
4. Jamaica to New Orleans.
5. New Orleans to Washington, DC.

Yep, all that sounds pretty boring if money is your sole objective. But I’ll tell you this. The collectors who don’t take the time learn this stuff, oddly enough, often don’t well with their numismatic investments because they don’t take the time to immerse themselves in numismatic knowledge. Malcolm Forbes wrote years ago that collectors do well when they invest in non-traditional assets. Non-collectors usually do poorly. That pretty well sums it up.

johnny9434

only to a small group of friends would i admit to something like that. its to risky in todays enviorment to let that be known. jmo

Elcontador

I am happy to discuss coin collecting. I never discuss the specifics of my collection, though I'll go on as long as someone is interested about a particular series I find to be attractive. Everything I have of value, except for the 1932 S Quarter I found in change at a movie theater in 1963 and a few other items worth under $100 each, are in my safe deposit box,and I let people know that all of my coins are kept in said safe deposit box.

pennyannie

My only concern is the amount of kids that come over to the house. 80 percent of the house is off limits to them. You tell one person and they tell one person and they tell two people and so on. A few of the kids are interested in the coins but most of them perfer looking at the guns. They are faily knowlegable due to the reading material in the guest bathroom. They are not really kids anymore that are 17 and older. My son has some nice weatherby rifles and he plans to keep them so he is careful of what he says and to who.

mrearlygold

No and most of our neighbors where we live think I'm in life insurance and my Wife is a web developer/master ( that part is true ) and we sell books somehow online part time. If you ever want people to absolutely leave you alone, start talking about life insurance. Safe too. Who the heck is going to set up a life insurance salesman?


P.S. It's not your neighbors that you need worry about but there kids and it might not even be them specifically. Just there mouth. "You wouldn't believe what I heard" etc.

yellowjacket

I am very discrete about my collecting hobby. I would not include this information in printed material since you have no control over who views it. I do tell close friends what I collect; however, in the same breath, I say that I keep my collection in a SDB at the bank. I speak to groups about coins and the hobby, but I do not get into particulars about my own collection.

You never can trust who might be listening in to your conversations.
Garrow

tightbudget

I seldom ever mention it. In fact, a good number of people I hang out with don't know.

ambro51

Ive casually mentioned "I collect coins" and a very few reply 'so do I' and then it becomes the old wheaties and grandmas silver dollars etc etc so the situation seldom arises anymore.

erickso1

Some people I work w/ know I collect coins but they all have bigger PM possesions then I do. Outside of that it is just my immediate family and the forum here.

I do like the idea of prefacing any talk of coins w/ SDB and POB.

My SDB is also guarded by sharks w/ Lasers and Sabertooth tigers (you thought they were extinct!)

pennyannie

My collection is so secret that my wife is unaware that i collect coins.











Yea right. lol

MercLovin

Most people know I collect coins, and most people know I don't keep much of anything at home any longer. It started fairly quiet after I got back into collecting about 2 years ago, but lately, more and more people know because, honestly, I'm not really tight-lipped about it. I've gotten a few fantastic opportunities as a result, though, so I suppose it's all good as long as I don't keep too much worth stealing at home. I think, right now, I have maybe $500 in silver here, the rest is in my SDB.

melvin289

I showed my cat's vet my collection of Booker T. Washington and Carver/ Washington Halves. My vet is African American if it makes any difference to anyone as to why I showed them to him. His wife is a professor at the local community college and asked if I would be willing to dispay the coins at the college some February for Black History Month. I gained my Associates degree from the college. I have always been reluctant to do this as I'm afraid somewhere or the other my name would become connected to the collection. My thoughts is I have no one to talk coins with but the people here on the Forum as all my coin buddies have gone to their reward years ago. They were all older than me. What's the point when you have no one to appeciate them with you and the coins never see the light of day. That's the biggest reason I am not buying anything anymore to amount to anything and am fast losing interest in the hobby.

Ron

astrorat

<< <i>1. Tell your Lions Club you collect coins.

2. Tell your coin club you collect lions.

Soon word will get around that you own valuable rare treasures,
but they're all protected by wild jungle cats roaming your estate. >>

TwoSides2aCoin

I've been pushing these statehood quarters for 12 years now.

halfcentman

<< <i>My only concern is the amount of kids that come over to the house. 80 percent of the house is off limits to them. You tell one person and they tell one person and they tell two people and so on. A few of the kids are interested in the coins but most of them perfer looking at the guns. They are faily knowlegable due to the reading material in the guest bathroom. They are not really kids anymore that are 17 and older. My son has some nice weatherby rifles and he plans to keep them so he is careful of what he says and to who. >>



I used to have the same problem, but I tell everyone that my house is heavily alarmed and I do not keep even a Wheat Penny at home (which is true).

Baley

Many people know that I am a coin collector. Most of those do not know what I collect and how much of it I have.

I think that when I tell most people that I collect coins, it conjures the image of filling Whitman books with pocket change and collecting state quarters. Some of my good friends know that my collection is more serious than that. No one knows the full extent of my collection--not even me--as I routinely uncover numismatic items that I did not remember I owned.


My situation is similar to RYK's.

As fare as TahoeDale's comment that he doesn't know what Longacre collects, don't we recall lots about him?

Doesn't he collect quarter eagles as well as from pocket change?, he's a corporate tax attorney works long hours for The Man, lives in unidentified Connecticut suburb Estate, housekeeper named Consuelo has seen/moved/read his coin literature while cleaning up his library/study, where he wears a red satin smoking jacket while sipping brandy and contemplating existence, poses lots of deep philosophical questions, refers to self in third person.

Anyway, I'd not list coins in published hobbies, but friends know I collect. Like Staircoin, everyone who knows me knows the stuff's at the bank. And no coin mail comes to or is mailed from the house, I use a PO box.

mr3holesinone

I think it would be alright disclosing that you collect coins. As RYK mentioned, you don't have to mention the value or go into detail. Gold and silver are probably good words to avoid. Use Quarter Eagle or a more generic term such as half dollar when you need to go into a little more detail. Use your best judgement and you will probably be alright. As others have mentioned, you may even get a couple of inquiries or leads to deals.

pakasmom

You might consider just listing one of your interests as "Numismatics" instead of "coin collecting." It conjures images of you pouring over Q's literature, rather than having a stash of valuables.

Personally, I don't tell many people. 50% security concerns and 50% embarrassment.

WTCG

There is nothing wrong with sharing with others you are a coin collector. Nobody needs to tell everybody how much your collection is worth or where it is stored.

Similar to jewelry collectors and high roller gamblers there is a security risk involved but people do not need to be overly anxious or paranoid about security to the point where it overshadows the ability to enjoy your coins. I've noticed porn collectors tend to be less clandestine about their habit than the typical coin collector. It doesn't need to be that way.

RYK

I've noticed porn collectors tend to be less clandestine about their habit than the typical coin collector.
Do tell...

Mission16

It comes up in conversation at work or play. It just depends on the audience. I also let it be known I don't keep valuables in the house.

paladin

You can let others know you're knowledgeable about coins without necessarily being a big collector. No one needs to know the extent of your collection. Just say you're interested in numismatics and the history of coinage. Use common sense and enjoy yourself. Being open with those around you will present you with unique opportunities. That's the way it works.

PerryHall

<< <i> I've noticed porn collectors tend to be less clandestine about their habit than the typical coin collector. >>



I'm not familiar with the secondary market for used porn but I imagine it is a far less desireable target for burglars than rare coins.

tmot99

I can understand being cautious, but I like to share my knowledge. It's a little different between coins and my interest, Columbian Expo medals and tokens, but there is still a lot of value in my collection. I enjoy giving the history of the expo and how and why these medals were made.

Jeffrey1