Poll - How long have you been collecting coins?

TopographicOceans

*DISCLAIMER*

The poll does not seek to provide meaningful insight into how many forumites are non-collectors
The poll does not assume you have not devoted every single minute of your life to collecting from when you first started
The poll does not insult Donald Trump

The poll merely seeks the best answer you can provide to the question.

Poll participation is currently OPTIONAL and will have minimal impact on your life.

Embrace the poll, love the poll, mock the poll. The poll shall survive until it fades into oblivion.

BryceM

There are quite a few people who visit this forum who don't collect coins.

Some are dealers only. Some no longer collect. Some are thinking about it. Some are simply non-owning numismatists........

Dentuck

I voted based on how long ago I started, not necessarily whether
I've actively collected all those years. (Some years, especially during
college, I wasn't very active as a collector although I subscribed to
the papers, read numismatic books, etc.)

Treashunt

<< <i>I voted based on how long ago I started, not necessarily whether
I've actively collected all those years. (Some years, especially during
college, I wasn't very active as a collector although I subscribed to
the papers, read numismatic books, etc.) >>



ditto, and it scared me!

asheland

<< <i>I voted based on how long ago I started, not necessarily whether
I've actively collected all those years. (Some years, especially during
college, I wasn't very active as a collector although I subscribed to
the papers, read numismatic books, etc.) >>

LindeDad

Not really sure when mom started my allowance, but she also started my saving some for the harder times.

And that's my story.

johnny9434

a very long time.

MidLifeCrisis

I started when I was about 10 years old...collected until I was 15 or 16...then stopped for about 20 years...been actively collecting again since about 2005.

So what answer should I select in your poll?

I suspect many others on this forum have similar collecting histories.

TigersFan2

Since I was a kid and my grandmother would pull the wheat pennies out of circulation and give to me.

Baley

I started collecting coins in 1975, but have taken long breaks, the longest from 1983-1995 but several others that lasted months to a couple of years.

On one now.

golden

Since 1961.

OldEastside

Since the Last Year that the Mint struck a circulating coin that contained SILVER

Steve

etexmike

...been collecting for a very long time...

scary to think how long it has been.


Mike

giorgio11

Since Walking Liberty halves, Mercury dimes, and SLQs were in circulation.

Best Regards,

George

TopographicOceans

<< <i>I started when I was about 10 years old...collected until I was 15 or 16...then stopped for about 20 years...been actively collecting again since about 2005.

So what answer should I select in your poll?

I suspect many others on this forum have similar collecting histories. >>



I understand the confusion and that probably explains why we are seeing some pretty wacked results.

I wasn’t clear, so what I think is happening is everyone is adding up all of the seconds devoted to coin collecting from birth up to this moment and dividing the result by 31,536,000 to come up with an answer.

The Unified Code for Units of Measure defines the symbol a as the Julian year. Since Fusetalk does not support subscripted fonts so I couldn’t refer to a[j] and that’s probably where a lot of the confusion comes from.

So people need to recalculate their total seconds devoted to coin collecting and divide it by 31,557,600 instead.

I was expecting to see everyone answer less than a year, but there are a lot of dedicated coin collectors devoting every second of their life to numismatics. I am very impressed by that dedication.

MidLifeCrisis

<< <i>

<< <i>I started when I was about 10 years old...collected until I was 15 or 16...then stopped for about 20 years...been actively collecting again since about 2005.

So what answer should I select in your poll?

I suspect many others on this forum have similar collecting histories. >>



I understand the confusion and that probably explains why we are seeing some pretty wacked results.

I wasn’t clear, so what I think is happening is everyone is adding up all of the seconds devoted to coin collecting from birth up to this moment and dividing the result by 31,536,000 to come up with an answer.

The Unified Code for Units of Measure defines the symbol a as the Julian year. Since Fusetalk does not support subscripted fonts so I couldn’t refer to a[j] and that’s probably where a lot of the confusion comes from.

So people need to recalculate their total seconds devoted to coin collecting and divide it by 31,557,600 instead.

I was expecting to see everyone answer less than a year, but there are a lot of dedicated coin collectors devoting every second of their life to numismatics. I am very impressed by that dedication. >>


Noodlehead.

I answered 35 - 39 years.

winky

<< <i>Since Walking Liberty halves, Mercury dimes, and SLQs were in circulation.

Best Regards,

George >>



I remember finding 1938D halves in circulation in Germany when I was in the Army. Wow I guess I am getting old or something.

clarkbar04

I don't really remember when I started. My grandpa got me started collecting and he has been gone since 86, suffice to say it was well before that, and I turn 40 next week.

TopographicOceans

<< <i>Noodlehead. >>

Walkerfan

Got interested as a young lad in the mid 1970s.

coinkat

Is Donald Trump a coin collector?

TopographicOceans

<< <i>Is Donald Trump a coin collector? >>

Not that I know of, but if you insult The Donald, he'll insult you back and sue you.

The poll does not want to be sued.

coinkat

I'll respect your wishes.

Baley

Make Coin Collecting Great Again

SanctionII

Let me suggest a different measuring stick.

I have been a collector for ten different presidential administrations, soon to be eleven come 1-20-2017.

telephoto1

Since age 7 (1970).

Christos

Sense 6yo and I am almost 44. It has been an on an off thing over those years but the coins from my grandpa that he got during the war were cool.

DollarAfterDollar

About 10 years total.

Took about 30 years off to raise a family. Just returned about 5 years ago.

stman

Just started, do you have some stuff for sale?

koynekwest

Active continuously since 1961 but especially since I was bitten hard by the cherrypicking bug in 1989 or so.

jcping

WoW, I can't believe that I am in the majority group

BillJones

Since December 25, 1959 ...

Tyrock

Since 1978

Zoins

Collected when I was a kid and recently picked it up again. Been pretty active this year.

lordmarcovan

This Thanksgiving will make 39 years for me.

I never would've guessed that the biggest block in the poll so far (36 votes and 25.35%) would be in the "50-59 years" category!

I'm feeling quite old these days (my new supervisor at work is younger than my own son), but heck... I'm not even 50-59 years old yet... let alone that old as a collector!

(Not until the end of December, anyway, when I hit the big five-oh.)

ricko

Since I was eight years old.....my job as a paper boy (they don't have them anymore).... used to get all sorts of good coins that way ....IHC's, Barbers, Columbian halves etc., etc., etc.. Continued through my Navy years and various jobs in other countries.... still have some of those coins. Cheers, RickO

grip

<< <i>

<< <i>Since Walking Liberty halves, Mercury dimes, and SLQs were in circulation.

Best Regards,

George >>



I remember finding 1938D halves in circulation in Germany when I was in the Army. Wow I guess I am getting old or something. >>






I remember those days.

2ndCharter

My grandfather gave me a Blue Book for Christmas in 1957, my first purchase was at a coin shop in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1960 (not counting collecting change from my allowance), and my mother gave me a subscription to Coin World for Christmas in 1964. Boy, that's a long time ago.......

johnny9434

i remember getting franklin halfs in change

silverpop

since 1992

ProofArtworkonCircs

75+ years here. Who is the other old timer over 70 years collecting?

raja

2007. Started with 10th yr anniversary of Platinum 2 half oz reverse and proof
coin set...

cameonut2011

Wow! More than 3/4 of the posters here have been collecting for 20 years or longer so far (myself included). The median currently is 35-40 years (n=178)!

nwcoast

Not sure of the exact year though it was at some point in the early 1960's.
Had a several year span for which I lost interest though.
Rekindled my interest when I inherited a collection some years ago, and, still have my childhood coins.
Amazing amount of collective experience on the board here!

UncleJoe

<< <i>I never would've guessed that the biggest block in the poll so far (36 votes and 25.35%) would be in the "50-59 years" category! >>



Baby boomers!

Joe.

giorgio11

Yep, I was born in 1949 and definitely had the bug by my 12th birthday (although I have always bought and sold so consider myself a dealer from that young age).

Congratulations to ProofArtworkonCircs for 75+ years.

Best Regards,

George

pitboss

I was born in 1939 and my mother started me collecting during WW2 and I have been at it ever since.

astrorat

<< <i>

<< <i>I voted based on how long ago I started, not necessarily whether
I've actively collected all those years. (Some years, especially during
college, I wasn't very active as a collector although I subscribed to
the papers, read numismatic books, etc.) >>



ditto, and it scared me! >>

Equally frightened!

Gemini

Began seriously to collect in 1962 when I found a discarded 1954 blue book in the trash (I thought how cheap these neat old coins were not knowing these were dealer buying prices) I soon discovered the Coin World hobby newspaper which was relatively new and after that I took a deep interest in coins. I managed to put a Roosevelt dime set together from circulation and also a Franklin set except for the 49-S it was much fun then as Mercury dimes, buffalo nickels, Indian cents,standing Liberty Quarters, Walker Half Dollars, and Silver Dollars could be found sporadically in circulation my Aunt showed me a "horse blanket" dollar bill that she had saved I was hot to fill in those holes in the blue Whitman folders..sad that those who were born after the silver boom will never know the thrill of finding the many of these old coins in circulation!

bosco5041

This poll is really eye opening. It appears we are in bad need of new blood.

robec

Since 1960.