then vs. now

Gazes

I saw a recent post on here about someone who dropped out of collecting and now is back in wondering what he missed.



I too have been in and out over the years. For me, the change in the hobby has been dramatic. When I started it was a very very slow moving hobby with very little action. My news came in the mail from Coin world. Purchasing coins largely came from ads in Coin World or Numismatic News or a few dealers I knew. Auctions were difficult to participate in for many reasons. Communication with other collectors was the exception not the rule.



Now I consider numismatics to have more action than I can digest. News comes daily and Coin World seems outdated. Information from online sources such as this forum, Coinweek, daily PCGS marketplace updates, blogs, dealer's websites, etc. Coins can be found and purchased everyday (I don't but its possible). Auctions are frequent and bidding is as simple as click of the button. Coin Facts more than anything has revolutionized the hobby. Before getting my hands on population reports, auction records, etc was slow and time consuming. With a click of a button I can have more research at my fingers than experts could compile a decade or so ago.



Are the changes good? For me---absolutely. I like the constant activity and information available. For someone who has stayed involved in coins over the years, the changes probably have seemed as a gradual progression---but for someone out of it for awhile and jumping in---the changes are really jaw dropping.

JeffMTampa

For me the biggest change is the opportunity to interact daily with collectors of similar interest on sites like this. Back 30 years ago it was a "loner" hobby; today it's become fairly social. That's a BIG improvement.



Thanks Al Gore for inventing the internet.

panexpoguy

I think that the internet provides a hobbyist an almost effortless way to expand knowledge in areas where they never would have ventured 30 years ago. 30 years ago if you had to do research, you went to the library and looked up books in the card catalog and then had to read through it to find the parts that you were interested in and maybe you had to search for the book in a different library and ask that it be sent to your library, etc. So it was a good deal of effort to 'stumble' into a new area. With the ability to access and research so much info on the internet, it takes me only a few clicks to start reading about old gold, mint errors, Seated coinage, you name it. As a build a framework of understanding in these new areas I find that some things are interesting to me and I start to actively research them and follow threads more closely. Before you know it, I am collecting something related to it.

Analyst

Gazes: Now I consider numismatics to have more action than I can digest.

I would have to disagree. There is not that much action.

Some auctions feature excellent consignments of gradually built collections and additional fresh material. Other auctions seem to be characterized by tale coins that have been offered several times over the last half-dozen years. There is much activity at some conventions, not so much at others.

Regarding classic U.S. coins, I really believe that people who have full-time jobs unrelated to coins may follow events in the coin community without too much difficulty. Contemporary U.S. coins, Chinese coins and ancient coins, of course, are different matters. Also, it is fascinating as to how many significant coin auction firms and dealers there are in Great Britain, a nation with less than one-fifth the population of the U.S.

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ricko

I have seen the changes over many, many years in numismatics. From novelty shops (Five and Dime stores used to have coins) to the internet.... now, information and coin availability is virtually at your fingertips (except for many rarities of course). The internet was a veritable avalanche in numismatics. Cheers, RickO

Analyst

Ricko: The internet was a veritable avalanche in numismatics.

It was an "avalanche" and coin phenomena on the Internet still have momentum. The emergence of the Internet changed human civilization, not just coin markets.

I still argue that relatively current information about Classic U.S. coins is 'digestible.' Of course, no one can read everything that is relevant to a topic. Most collectors of Capped Bust half dimes, however, do not need to know about die varieties. Collectors of half cents do not need to know about the various die states, if they are not collecting such varieties.

I honestly believe that collectors, with full-time jobs unrelated to numismatics, can keep up with new articles, books, auctions, major conventions, coin club meetings, and other current events relating to Classic U.S. coins. While it makes sense for collectors to pay experts for interpretations of the grades of really expensive coins or for market evaluations of really rare coins, collectors can learn a great amount on their own during their free time.

In any event, I thank Gazes for raising this topic. I hope that Gazes is not offended that I am disagreeing with her. It would be counter-educational for all the members of this forum to think alike.

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topstuf

You can find cool coins on the Inet.





BUNCHES of em

Baley

The internet changed everything for a collector like me, would never have gotten involved in coins as an adult, at this level, without Ebay and online dealers, and this forum.



Simply would never have the time or energy to devote to the hobby the way it used to be. The most specific benefit is transmission of digital photography



That's why I was so sad to see the loss of PCGS image hosting, even at 50 kb limit. It's really killed my participation on the forum in terms of posting pics.