Sadly, I appear to be losing interest in this hobby...and I do not feel good about it...

SeaEagleCoins · March 28, 2010 12:34AM

... and it is the business end of the hobby that is eroding my interest...

I must first say that I am unable to post all of my thoughts and feelings completely... at least, here on this forum... as I am not quite ready to be banished... I have no ill will towards PCGS but my questioning of the business end of this hobby might not be welcomed here by the powers that be...

As a child, I enjoyed this hobby with my grandfather... going thru his change from his poultry market ... filling little Whitman blue folders as well as my imagination, as I looked at the cool coins and thought of all the stories they could tell...

As an adult, I reawakened to the hobby... and with gusto, I built a number of fine sets... yet I stayed mainly with raw coins and only slowly began to collect coins in plastic. I never felt quite right about the plastic... took the coin away from me, so to speak... yet I did and do understand the need for authenication and in some cases, protection...

But I am more interested in circulated coins... I find them much more interesting... the stories they can tell I find more alive than the story of a "priveleged" coin socked away in a coin cabinet or wherever, until it was sent in for encapsulation... kind of boring to me... no offense towards those who prefer MS coins... just voicing my preference...

Anyway... my hobby grew into what is now a business, as well... and I set a rule for myself when I began to set up at shows... "As long as I am enjoying the process and enjoying the coins, I will continue to do this. If it should ever stop being fun and/or the coins begin to become "just merchandise", I will get the heck outta here"...

Well... as I watched all the hoopla around the "Big One"... I also reflected on my general feelings about the business of Third Party Grading... and I must honestly say, I have never been all that comfortable with it... again, I unfortunately can not voice my reasons here, for fear of being booted off the forum... I am not ready for that... I may be going thru a phase right now and I have learned in my life to not burn bridges or slam doors closed...

Now that the dust has settled a bit from the big announcement... I find myself left with a big headache and a tremendous amount of apathy towards my coins and coins in general... while looking thru some of my inventory yesterday, I seemed to have no interest... they have somehow lost their appeal to me... the slabbed coins just looked like odd shaped poker chips with the coins somehow diminshed behind the plastic... I found myself looking at the coins and the prices and wondered why on earth anyone would want to pay any premium for them... they just looked like round pieces of metal to me... I know I did not feel like this a month ago... and maybe it will pass...

I found myself throughout the day yesterday... and now this morning... looking over the threads here... and find nothing of interest... no wish to respond...

Right now the hobby just leaves me with a feeling of sadness and there is an empty feeling I just can not shake...

My immediate reaction the other day... was to liquidate all my slabbed coins and get back to the roots of this hobby... I am still contemplating doing this... I need to remember the hobby of coin collecting and the business of coins is shrouding that from my view... after all, if my goal in life had been to be a successful business man, I think I could have chosen another business and left the coins for purely hobby... for in my experience, the only folks who get "rich" from coins are people who are already rich or get taken under the wing of a rich person... 10% of a million $ or $100,000 makes for a decent profit... 10% of $10 or $100 makes for either a little fun or a big PITA... right now, for me, it is feeling like a PITA...

There are fun people I have done business with and shared the joy of the hobby... but unfortunately, there are a lot of cut-throats in this business... on both sides of the table... and these "not nice" people along with their greed and avarice (that are closely tied to the slab business i.e. resubmissions/doctoring and such) continue to taint, to put it mildly, my experience... but that is the kind of thing one might expect when price guides are manipulated and/or inaccurate ...and the difference of one grade point on a label can mean a difference of sometimes $1000's of dollars... all based on a subjective set of standards... (stop, Larry... you don't want to get banned...)

At any rate, my goal in life has not been to be rich with money and/or possessions... instead I have strived to have a life rich with experience...

I am a bit curious to see what others here might have to say in response to this post... I am not really looking for advice... yet I am interested to know what others feelings and thoughts might be...

Sorry for the long post... I know many here don't like to have to read alot (

sorta) ...

edited for a small spelling typo

blu62vette · March 28, 2010 12:40AM

Good Luck sorting it all out Larry!! The hobby is also about relationships and we all know you have some good ones!

drwstr123 · March 28, 2010 12:42AM

I'm with you.

PerryHall · March 28, 2010 12:43AM

I know how you feel. Usually, a vacation from the hobby helps.

cmerlo1 · March 28, 2010 12:45AM

Sometimes I feel the same way. Well said.

hammered54 · March 28, 2010 12:45AM

I'm feeling ya....

BAJJERFAN · March 28, 2010 12:46AM

It does give one pause to think and wonder doesn't it?

According to the front page it is an industry, tho I wonder how one can have an industry when the primary feedstock is provided by the U.S. Government.

Hyperion · March 28, 2010 12:51AM

<< I know how you feel. Usually, a vacation from the hobby helps. >>

Agreed!!! dont do anything rash with your inventory and take a break if you can...

bidask · March 28, 2010 12:51AM

I would not be surprised to see prices fall on many US coins for different reasons and I would not be surprised to see dealer attrition.

My advice......I think you would find refreshment dealing in the DARKSIDE. Far far less altered coins, lots of great raw coins and plenty of history with a growing collector base.

Best to you...

Edited to add: Far less competition too.

BillJones · March 28, 2010 12:55AM

All of us go through ebbs and flows with the hobby. I’m usually very happy with it, but like you, as a dealer, I started to get dissatisfied.

As a dealer the best part of the business was buying and selling coins and interacting with other collectors. It was really great when a collector gave me a want list or asked if I could education him about some aspect of the hobby. That made the coin shows fun, and the time I spent either behind the table or going on buying trips to the regional shows, like Baltimore, a source of pleasure.

The down side of being a coin dealer was mostly the security questions for me. Going to and from shows and getting the cases and merchandise in and out of the bourse area was stressful for me. I was always concerned about some low life trying to hold me up or follow me home for the same purpose.

Also traveling with coins on airlines is really the pits. In addition to the heavy baggage, I also had to deal with security. One time the fool who was in charge of x-ray machine yelled at the top of her lungs, “He’s got coins!” Thanks, why don’t you just hang a sign on my back that says, “Rob me!”

I could ignore most of the greed stuff, because, heck, this is a business and other dealers are trying to earn a living. The main thing I didn’t like were the crooks who were out to screw people. Them I could do without.

I finally lost the fire in my belly as a dealer when the market when south for me. Down here in Florida that happened during the year when we had all of the hurricanes. The small and medium sized collectors stopped buying, and the shows got dull. I could not see a way to fix it without becoming mostly an Internet dealer, or becoming a national dealer who was on the road all the time. The over the counter business was dieing for me close to home.

Now I’m retired, and I’m just a collector again. I really miss going to the Baltimore show, but economics just don’t support it for me when I’m buying only for myself. I am active in a local club writing articles for them and giving talks every month. The collectors really look forward to what I have share with them and that makes me feel good. I post on this board and the other one.

Most of all I really enjoy the coins I have. I’m not one of these collectors who like to buy and sell constantly. I’ve had some coins for over 40 years. If I like a piece, I usually hold on to it.

And with that I guess I’ll say that I’ve never become burned out as a collector.

DNADave · March 28, 2010 12:56AM

ditto.

Coin Collecting is basically simple and lends itself well to individual pursuit.

When groups get together and push agendas, push their standards, and try to guide collectors their way, it becomes the coin industry which is less fun.

When I turn the computer off and collect what I like, everything is fine.

speety · March 28, 2010 12:58AM

<< I would not be surprised to see prices fall on many US coins for different reasons and I would not be surprised to see dealer attrition.

My advice......I think you would find refreshment dealing in the DARKSIDE. Far far less altered coins, lots of great raw coins and plenty of history with a growing collector base.

Best to you... >>

The two people who played the largest roles in getting my interested in coins have both turned to darkside recently. I have considered it for a while now...

Best of luck to you Larry

Sometimes a little break is a good thing.

ambro51 · March 28, 2010 1:05AM

When a hobby becomes a business, a different mindset takes hold. This has happened to me, and I am right now in the process of doing some time travel and returning to my roots.

You CAN go back. You CAN rekindle the spirit that awoke that passion to begin with. What was the coin series that you dreamed about...the coins that you had in your own little collection "back in the day"? Try and refocus your attention on what makes YOU happy with YOUR own coins. Try and make that your obsession again, and let the business end of it take back stage for awhile.

Im currently working on a similar 'road to recovery' in my business/hobby relationship. Not coins...but the level of obsession is the same. Years ago, my teen years, I was very interested in the Civil War. Long story short....after finally becoming a competitive uniformed shooter, and reenactor.........I learned photography of the period and began a decade long business of doing images as a vendor. I still smelled the smoke, seen the troops, though I did miss the action..........but the lure of that thick wad of currency twice a month was overwhelming. The guns went into the closet, the uniform was hung up and so on. From photography in the field, I went on to become the Worlds leading maker of New Wet Plate and Daguerreotype Cameras (yes they are still made). Ten years later...I am still at it, and busier than ever. But, the connection to what really made me happy, the ability to recreate the past, and experience the civil war atmosphere...has gone. Its is just so much dealing with fussy europeans, pushing wood through the saw and hauling packages to the Post Office.

BORING.

So......back to square one, in an attempt to rekindle the Love of it all again. Ive just joined the 12th New Jersey, hauled my moldy old equipment out of the closet, and actually sat down to read some Bruce Catton. I hope to get back into the loop of it all,get back into the field, and though not as a business.... start making some images again, and reenergize the whole body and spirit.

The journey back to the thrill and interest in what you love can be undertaken. The future is YOURS.

291fifth · March 28, 2010 1:05AM

The darkside beckons.

Embrace it.

RYK · March 28, 2010 1:07AM

Since you were not in the game for the 1901-S MS-68 25c, why should it matter that it now is in a newfangled 68 Plus holder? It was out of your purview then, as it is now.

Here's an analogy: I enjoy listening to Grateful Dead downloads from archive.org. Some are a bit rough, but they capture the essence of the shows for me. For the recent Furthur shows, you can pay extra and get downloads on iTunes (or buy the CDs at the show). The quality of the recording is superior, but you miss some of the crowd noise and buzz. For the most part, I am satisfied with the traditional do-it-yourself recordings, so why should I be disillusioned if other folks are buying the high-end recordings?

Have the people changed?
Have the circulated coins (or raw music) that you like to buy/sell/collect/(share or trade) changed?

shorecoll · March 28, 2010 1:18AM

My starting dealer and one of my all-time favorites never sold a slab, was a circ specialist and helped build some very beautiful sets. The thing I regret most in this "hobby" was taking so long to listen to that guy. There is a role for the type of dealer you indicate, a trusted person for those mid-grade coins that don't have to be slabbed, along with those that are or should be. A bridge between the low-end sleazoids and "museum quality". If we lose the collectors that need that type of dealer, we're looking at a long cold road.

crazyhounddog · March 28, 2010 1:19AM

I understand just how you feel..I feel the same way at times, but then I remember my dad and I when the hobby was young and so was I " back in the sixties" and the joy it brought along with the quality time I spent with someone I loved so much. I am now sharing this hobby with my son and grandson and I've got to say the third party grading of the modern coin collector has shed a new light on the hobby, paying money for "opinions" that seem to be etched in stone. I think I agree with the folks here on the forum who say to take a break , and don't make any harsh decisions till you settle down and relax.
You sure have a way with words my friend, now you have me down in the dumps, maybe you should write a book? I sure hope you work it out, I would like to see you stick around the forum, your posts are interesting and so are some of your topics.....Joe

TwoSides2aCoin · March 28, 2010 1:21AM

Everytime I start feeling low, I get out my Susan B. Anthony collection and imagine what she must have gone through. That bun in the hair just gives me the heebie geebies. Her dress is ugly, too. I'd suggest embracing this set.
Be careful though. This type of coin could drive a man to drink.

Sorry for the rant. I was bored.

fishteeth · March 28, 2010 1:22AM

I have to agree with you. Good post.

For the first 20 yrs of my collecting life I only liked raw coins. Lately with all the Chinese fakes and coin doctoring I was starting to be a PCGS collector,
actually just gave a fellow board member here several hundred dollars and a bunch of coins to get slabbed.

I, for some reason, was really excited about the big announcement. I thought finally something is going to be done to help all of us collectors. Well the PCGS
plan is only going to benifit the rich collector, I don't buy 3000 dollar+ coins. I had hoped that they would image all coins and set up a data base where we as collectors
could verify them.

I will probably still complete my set in PCGS plastic and then probably promptly sell it, always try and finish what I start and I am already about 90%complete.

To fill the void I have started a raw collection of G-F seated halves in a Dansco album. I figure this will keep me entertained for many years.

If this feeling gets me in trouble, too bad. There are always fishing message boards to pass my time with and then PCGS would have forever lost a young collector.

RogerKint · March 28, 2010 1:28AM

<< When groups get together and push agendas, push their standards, and try to guide collectors their way, it becomes the coin industry which is less fun.

When I turn the computer off and collect what I like, everything is fine. >>

VERY well said -

Gemineye · March 28, 2010 1:41AM

<< Sadly, I appear to be losing interest in this hobby...and I do not feel good about it... >>

You as a dealer are in to make a profit on your invesment so it shouldn't come as a suprise as to some motivation.
As with other collectors like myself I feel that there is now an investment that cannot be overlooked because of the time of my interest and the money aspect in the hobby.Long before the TPG's there were general problems and guidlines but now we see that there new services which are supposed to make our collecting hobby better.I for one see many choices that are complicated for a novice collector and frustrating for even experienced ones as well.
To engage more time and finance into this endeavor is a challenge.....JMO....!!!

AUandAG · March 28, 2010 1:41AM

Larry,
I'm with you in many respects. I too feel the ebb and flow of the hobby. Right now it's a feeling that
I want to dispose of everything and start over. Except I will keep my blue Whitmans forever! Still would
like to finish that '09-'58 cent set from circulation! Still looking for the two biggies.

The fun is in the search. Not the plastic. But, like you some coins need protecting so have to have PCGS
for that, and I thank them too. My biggest kick is still buying collections from the collectors. You know the
stuff, cents, dimes, a few buffs and quarters, halves and silver dollars. One or two gold pieces (all raw of
course). Maybe the whole lot isn't worth a grand but just sitting with the owner and hearing the stories
is worth it's weight in gold.

Slow down, back off, take a break for the summer. Then see how you feel. Hopefully Larrry, you'll be up
and running with maybe a new direction and a new reignited passion.
Hope that happens to me, too!

bob

Ibnemo · March 28, 2010 1:44AM

Good Luck Larry, sometimes just getting it out makes me feel better. Hope it works for you.

123cents · March 28, 2010 1:45AM

I feel the same way at times Larry and am glad you spoke out. I love collecting coins and talking about coins. That's why I enjoy this hobby.
With all these announcements lately it seems that coins are big business and nothing else.

BigDowgie · March 28, 2010 1:52AM

Sounds like you need a break. We all do from time-to-time. Get back into raw coins and continue enjoying those selective, stimulating people or skip the raw coins part. PCGS, as the other grading services, are businesses. Making money is why they do what they do. Put them aside and enjoy the more important aspects of the hobby!

PonyExpress8 · March 28, 2010 1:57AM

Larry,

I have different thoughts positive and negative 20x a day. I understand your feelings and have been there at times as well. What keeps me going and coming back is not the big business part of it but the relationships and fun of the hobby. You and I were both collectors before we got on the other side of the table. I think we feel similar that interacting with collectors and helping them build a nice collection is the satisfying part of this business.

I get just as big of a kick helping a collector add a Very Good-Fine coin to his collection as I do a MS coin for an upper end want list. I know you are the same.

Sure we hope to make a modest living along the way as well but it's really all about the stories and friendships centered on collecting that most of us truly love. At least those of us who came into the business from our love and passion of collecting.

You are a quality guy and good honest dealer. Take some time to get back to what you love about this hobby. I think you will pull through and rekindle your love of it. I hope you do for selfish reasons as you are one of the good guys.

Glenn

Unknown · March 28, 2010 2:05AM

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RickMilauskas · March 28, 2010 2:07AM

Larry,

I feel your pain...the "game" gets more complicated with more rules each year it seems. This is suppose to be a hobby (at least for the majority of us).
I think the "game" sucks a lot of us in who were on this ride for enjoyment and pulls us in to playing the game even though we really didn't intend on doing so.

I can identify with your post and especially like this part of it..."But I am more interested in circulated coins... I find them much more interesting... the stories they can tell I find more alive than the story of a "priveleged" coin socked away in a coin cabinet or wherever, until it was sent in for encapsulation..."

Coins with stories to tell about people, history, and their travels through the years. That is what collecting coins is about!

Regards,
Rick

CommemDude · March 28, 2010 2:24AM

For me, it's just time to reorder priorities,,, great coins still arouse a passionate response and that love for coins is impossible to extinguish.

I don't want to submit my registry coins for reholdering and regrading now that new half grades have been added and so it's time to remove myself from that pursuit. The upside is that I can look at coins more critically for what they are and not be emotionally involved with the grade on the holder and how it will advance my set. I just returned an "OK" 67 to a dealer and will stick with my almost-as-nice 66 and re-pocket the $1800 I would have spent just a week ago.

I still love the coins, appreciate the numerical grade opinion and holdering PCGS does for us, but I wish PCGS had gone with a blue bean and not added new grades, as I think that the 100 point grading is the next big one on the horizon.

dsessom · March 28, 2010 2:30AM

Larry,

I have many expensive hobbies that I can't really afford.

Sometimes, I take a break from one to do something else for a while. For example, I used to drag race. I had built a 1977 Trans Am from a heap of scrap, restored the car (with heavy modification) and raced it on the weekends. I got a lot of joy bringing that old car back to life. The racing part was just for kicks. After a few years of that, I got bored and decided to get back into coins. I sold the car, paid some bills and sunk the rest into (you guessed it) COINS!

My point is that maybe you should take a short break, do something else for a bit and then back into numismatics. I have personally found that a break here and there really rekindles the passion for the hobby. At any rate, the best of luck to you.

savoyspecial · March 28, 2010 2:44AM

others have mentioned darkside and i will echo those thoughts, or if you would like to stay with U.S. coins then try putting together a silly/goofy set.......sometimes i will get caught up in all the TPG, top pop, sticker, plus, dreck talk and it gets me down as well......take a step back and try putting together a raw set of coins........for some that may be filling blue Whitman folders with Lincoln cents from the bank or wheatie bags; for others less mainstream it might mean collecting coins that have been altered (hobo nickels, engraved love tokens with a common theme, etc)

keep one big toe in the hobby just so we dont lose ya but step back from the 'commercial' side of things for a bit......existing on the fringe is what i'm all about

Type2 · March 28, 2010 2:45AM

It's funny you say this. I just told my wife two days ago when I was looking at my safe with the door open that this is geting old and I my take a break from this. Maybe I'll hit the road with this bunch.

ColonialCoinUnion · March 28, 2010 2:48AM

I think it is normal for a well-adjusted adult to have multiple interests, and it is entirely possible that these interests may change over time.

TwoSides2aCoin · March 28, 2010 2:48AM

If I could lift someone up with joking and banter, but they didn't want uplifting, would I be wasting my time, or theirs ?
This is just a rhetorical question that needs no answer. I'm just thinking outside of the numismatic box.

WaterSport · March 28, 2010 3:04AM

I hear you Larry, Surfing season is just around the corner for me...Thats my break from collecting that has not done a lot for me either lately.

WS

SeaEagleCoins · March 28, 2010 3:51AM

I would like to thank all of you for your thoughtful responses to this thread... and for all the PM's I received...

This is something that I am sure I will work out for myself... and I realize I am not unique or alone in this line of thinking...

As for taking a break... well... I am backing off from some of the "bigger" shows I had been doing... cut back on my schedule... and will "sort out" my inventory, so to speak...

I already have signed contracts for a few shows this year... I will certainly fulfill my commitmants ... and I do have good relationships with others involved in the hobby, on both sides of the table... and do wish to continue these relationships... and there are those I have "met" here but have yet to meet in person... I still want to meet them...

Some shows and unfortunately many folks involved in the coin hobby/industry are all about the hustle to make a buck... and I get little to no satisfation from such endeavors... but I think I can find a way to rekindle the spirit of collecting that has been my prime motivation in all this...

On a positive note... after writing the original post to this thread, I spotted a thread by tydye... a good friend to me in this hobby... a humble post of a simple and humble coin... a "perfect" circ Hawiaain Half... and I was moved to post to that thread... it sparked the collector in me...

...there is hope for me yet... and I wish to think that the hobby will survive whatever the "business" of coins throws our way...

Happy collecting, everyone.... and thanks again...

PS... Due to an extensive show schedule, I only got out on the golf course a few times last year... this year will be different... well, as long as the weather permits

pursuitofliberty · March 28, 2010 4:01AM

It's tough when the hobby wears thin on you. I have went through it a few times over the years, although it was/has never been a business for me.

Last year I just put it all back in the sdb and didn't even stop by here to say hi for almost 10 months. I golfed and fished and worked on the house, and a bunch of other things. Some of it, like your situation had to do with the plastic, and being removed from collecting coins.

This year I feel better about it. I have purchased a few nice pieces, including quite a few more raw examples than in years past for a couple more modern sets I am working on. I have looked at more coins and enjoyed it more. Hopefully it'll be a nice run again ... and then, when the plus, sticker, slab, regrade, dip, crossover, AT, POS stuff gets to me again, I'll just take another break ... turn off the noise, and come back later.

Hope you feel better soon!

lkenefic · March 28, 2010 4:05AM

I never went into the business aspect of the hobby, but now that I'm "liquidating" the majority of my collection, I have a deeper appreciation for the profit margins enjoyed by those that purchase wholesale versus a collector such as me. I think my waning enjoyment for this hobby is based more on the juxtaposition between the enjoyment I feel when I find a nice coin that I want in my set versus the realization of how much that piece is actually worth when I go to sell it. I'll probably end up completing and keeping my type set and a few other pieces of sentimental value, but I'll rid myself of everything else. Leo

johnny9434 · March 28, 2010 4:14AM

I feel the same about it. Its just not the same as it once was for it was fun just to collect what ever your interest was, not any more. Like it was said maybe its just time to take loooooooooong vacation and see from there

ElKevvo · March 28, 2010 4:22AM

Ya know some of the replies have mentioned darkside and I will admit that I have been doing some raw darkside collecting for a while now as a diversion from the things going on in US coins. I can by the coins in bulk and go through them at leisure, adding interesting ones to my binder and disposing of the rest in bulk. I might loose a few bucks here and there but it is not very much and a good tradeoff for the amount of fun I get out of it. I enjoyed collecting from circulation when I was a kid/teenager/early college.

K

BaronVonBaugh · March 28, 2010 4:30AM

Good Luck, no matter which way you go.

The commits that come to mind would probably get me banned.

MrEureka · March 28, 2010 4:46AM

Larry -

I understand your feelings about the plastic biz. In fact, I'm sure that many of the things you have wisely not put in "print" are among the forces that drove me to the fringes of the plastic market, and beyond. (My focus is now on The Darkside and esoteric US material, where grades are nowhere near as important as in the more mainstream US markets.)

That said, I hope you realize that the past month or two has been exceptionally unpleasant around here. More than a month of focusing on the plastic, not the coins. More than a month of focusing on the bad in the hobby, not the good. And for some, more than a month of low level fear of "The Big One" and its aftermath. It has been exhausting, and no fun.

Fortunately, things should now start returning to normal. Hopefully, your funk will pass.

RYK · March 28, 2010 4:54AM

<< Larry -

I understand your feelings about the plastic biz. In fact, I'm sure that many of the things you have wisely not put in "print" are among the forces that drove me to the fringes of the plastic market, and beyond. (My focus is now on The Darkside and esoteric US material, where grades are nowhere near as important as in the more mainstream US markets.)

That said, I hope you realize that the past month or two has been exceptionally unpleasant around here. More than a month of focusing on the plastic, not the coins. More than a month of focusing on the bad in the hobby, not the good. And for some, more than a month of low level fear of "The Big One" and its aftermath. It has been exhausting, and no fun.

Fortunately, things should now start returning to normal. Hopefully, your funk will pass. >>

I agree with MrE. When I am looking at my coins or those of a friend, I am thinking of the history, the beauty, the scarcity, etc. When I come to the forum, I talk about the business, the grading, the coin docs, the politics, and am often awash in the egos, deception, and the darker underbelly of the biz. In order to reset myself, I have have to just look at the coins (likely the lovely circulated 58-O quarter in my hand

).

abitofthisabitofthat · March 28, 2010 5:03AM

Hi Larry - I hear you, Bro. I, as a collector and part-time dealer, have had ebbs and flows along the way myself. Actually, right now I feel energized about coins, but wonder how long that will last. You never know.

I had a long conversation once with a dealer (someone you probably know) and he was saying that all of a sudden he felt that coins were pointless, and that it would have been better if the metal in them was never mined out of the ground. Certainly an extreme reaction to the hobby. I believe he got past these feelings, and is still very active in the hobby. But it makes you wonder if everyone feels a bit burned out once in a while.

Glad to hear that you are not doing anything rash. I know that there is no Parsippany this month, so it looks like you are getting a bit of a break in your schedule anyway.

Hope it works itself out for the best.

Chris

leothelyon · March 28, 2010 5:42AM

Yes, it's money verse integrity. Which one do you think got shot all to he!! lately? Seek out and remember those with the latter. That's what I lean on!

Cheers, Leo

BillyKingsley · March 28, 2010 5:47AM

Larry, I hear you man. I have been a hobbiest of sorts since I was very little. Being a collector, I think, is a gene you are born with. I've collected various things througout my time and most are still with me to one extent or another.

But it's not possible to be on one topic all the time. I'm sure you have heard the phrase Familiarity breeds contempt, correct?

When you get to the point where your hobby that was supposed to be fun, is now causing stress, it's time to take a step back.

Let me tell you a small story. Starting in 2003, I would take a trip to Toledo Ohio every year, roughly a 15 hour one way trip that usually cost me about $1000, meaning I had to save for it practically all year. In the beginning, it was fun. For the first couple of years, I couldn't wait for it, and I'd be anxious to go for a while beforehand.

We did it every October from 2003 to 2008. By the end, I came to resent the trip. The ride was causing my back more pain then not, (I have a bad back) and the money part also was getting on my nerves, as it meant I had absolutely NOTHING to spend on my other hobbies for most of the year. Total those two togther, and I actually was resenting the trip. Furthermore, it was adversly affecting my other hobbies. My #1 hobby has always been, since 12/26/92, 1/64 NASCAR diecast. Because of the trips to Toledo, I got pushed back two years in buying the new season's issues. I didn't finish the 2007 cars until January this year, for example!

So, during 2009, I decided not to go. I'm not going this year, and I am not plannning to go next year or 2012 either. When I finally made the decision...it was a relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was happy, something that I had gotten to the point where I wasn't come mid-September. I found that the stress it caused was even adversly affecting my enjoyment of that whole hobby (model car building) and it still hasn't recovered yet.

Maybe you should take a step back from your line of thought? It sounds to me like you have let yourself, subconciously, get sucked into the mindset where a number was more important then the coin. I have not let myself get into that vein of thought, and what I collect lends itself to that quite well (You know what I collect!)

I have taken breaks from all of my hobbies. Some have lasted a few weeks, some have lasted a few YEARS. It's natural.

I also echo the sentiments of trying world coins. For me I find world coins actually a little more captivating then US coinage, even though I have never left the US and am very proud to be an American. I think a big part of that is caused by the fact that US coins are in many cases just more of the same. The designs are limited, even though there are a lot of them, still, how many Morgans can you look at before getting a little bored? (Just an example). For world coins, there's millions of choices. And the history, wow! You can get back way more then you can in the US. Some world collectors consider colonial coins, Modern! I was able to aquire coins from the Roman Empire for $10 or less. And I'm not talking beaters, I've gotten some that are really great quality, at least, in my opinion. And that's what's most important to me! I nabbed a coin from 1798 on the BST here in 2008 for $18. It's the Austrian Netherlands version of a silver dollar. A 1798 US dollar, in that condition, would have cost more then my house, I would wager! I picked up a coin from Poland from 1623 for $9.50 last year at CoinFest. You can't even GET American coins from 1623, let alone for under $10! In the world coin section here on the forum, there is a long (about 50 posts) thread about coin of the year, where the regular World contributors have been posting their favorite non-US coins they added to their collection in the last year. Take a look through that thread and see if anything "trips your trigger", as they say.

And finally, Larry, a little challenge from me to you. Sure, it will be silly, but it might just be fun! See how many Clad quarters you can get IN YOUR POCKET CHANGE from now until CoinFest. The kind you find in your everyday pocket change. Can you find a complete P & D set? The search, from daily transactions, in coinage you don't normally deal in, should be a whole new challenge and bring about new thoughts. I will even provide you a folder to store them in and make easy to bring to CoinFest and complete the challenge if you want! I will work on the same set also to be completed by CoinFest. Are you up for it?

TwoSides2aCoin · March 28, 2010 5:56AM

BillyKingsley thank you. I liked what you conveyed in your message. It gives a good perspective about finding balance and enjoying life.

mrpotatoheadd · March 28, 2010 5:59AM

<< Yes, it's money verse integrity. >>

It's possible to have both money and integrity. And it's possible to have neither.

leothelyon · March 28, 2010 6:10AM

<< 

<< Yes, it's money verse integrity. >>

It's possible to have both money and integrity. And it's possible to have neither. >>

How's 'bout greed verses integrity? Does that make more sense?

Leo

tydye · March 28, 2010 6:29AM

You just cherried a R-6+ bustie. It is all downhill from here

SeaEagleCoins · March 28, 2010 6:39AM

<< You just cherried a R-6+ bustie. It is all downhill from here

>>

You are a good friend... thank you...

Sadly, I appear to be losing interest in this hobby...and I do not feel good about it...

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The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

My Jefferson Nickel Collection

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