Why choose numismatics??
Bob-tx
have a question.
Why would anyone choose coin collecting as a hobby now days? The reason I
ask are several:
- Fake / counterfeit stuff all over the place. Almost every day there are
posts about it,
- Grading disputes & falsification of grading companies. More frequent
posts,
- The money changers in it for the $, not for numismatic interests.
These and other similar reasons I am getting out of it, liquidating
everything. I wasn't even
able to find anyone who wanted to get started in the hobby with bunches of
free coins.
It appears to me that coin collecting is going the way of stamp collecting.
Too bad.
Bob-tx
oly
The Numismatic "Industry" has its pervasive problems (and problem
people), but hell - it only reflects the "dry-rot" in most areas of
life in Modern America. Almost all of that dry-rot eventually goes
back to the basic problem of greed.
A person with an interest in coins as historical objects can have
their coins and books and ideas just the same as ever, just like a
person who has an interest in stamps as historical objects can do the
same.
"Coins" can be a solitary and personal endeavour, and any conscious
self-searching individual can try to avoid being infected with the
runaway greed in the Coin "Industry".
oly
Bremick
"Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote in message
news:4d2ee941$0$5597$bbae...@news.suddenlink.net...
I've been a coin collector since the early 1950's myself. Considering what
originally attracted me, the prospect of completing an entire Lincoln set
from circulation, I doubt that I would have become so attracted today.
Buying products from the Mint each year isn't my idea of collecting either.
Also, it can be hard to get to "hooked" by adding a state quarter to one's
collection every three months.
On the other hand, the modest but diverse collection I have amassed over the
past half century still pleases me as much as ever, and I see no pressure to
"get out". Assuming you've done the same over your lifetime, it's too bad
you feel that way. Personally, I never sought many coins that are likely to
be counterfeited, and I doubt that a budding young collector would face that
problem either. I never considered fakes and counterfeits to be so "all
over the place" that it would affect my interest in collecting. I also feel
confident enough in my grading capabilities that I see no need to pay for
for a TPG opinion on the circulated coins which make up the bulk of my
collection. Grading disputes likely have been going on to one degree or
another long before we started collecting. I'm not sure what you're
referring to by "money changers", but I suspect with most coin firms,
profits usually will trump personal interest in their product.
Some think it's too bad that young people today also don't seem much
interested in collecting tobacco cards, match covers, postcards, model
planes, and yes, stamps. I doubt that even giving away some freebies would
create many collectors. Times and interests usually change. But I don't
see coin collecting disappearing among those of us who already have been
taken in by the history of it and become attached to what we have taken so
long to accumulate. I would have thought you would have been included here,
but I apparently not. Don't worry that today's youngsters don't care as
much about the things that once attracted you. If you enjoyed building a
coin collection all those years, why not relax and enjoy that collection,
even if you no longer care feel comfortable adding to it.
mazorj
"Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote in message
news:4d2ee941$0$5597$bbae...@news.suddenlink.net...
You've already gotten some good replies to your concerns, so all I will add
is that if you're trying to give any coins away, sign me up! I'll cover the
postage. :-)
Seriously, though, I have a grandson and three children for whom I'm trying
to generate an interest in coins. The annual Mint issues that I've
accumulated are "pretty" in their eyes but don't spark that romantic
interest that older circulated coins hold in the eye of collectors. My last
hope here is that maybe an assortment of all the various denominations and
issues (Fair or better condition) will boggle their minds enough to get them
going. One outlier in my accumulations, a run-of-the-mill 2-cent piece, got
more attention from them than all the proof AES and silver Mint sets. "You
mean they actually made two pennies into one coin, Dad? Cool!" De gustibus
non est disputandum.
- mazorj, Coin Evangelist
Frank Galikanokus
now days?
Nothing has changed. It's the same in any collectibles market. There are always fakes and
cheaters. Some of the fun is learning how to spot these scams and steer clear of them.
JAM
Reid Goldsborough
> Why would anyone choose coin collecting as a hobby now days? The reason
> I ask are several:
> - Fake / counterfeit stuff all over the place. Almost every day there
> are posts about it,
> - Grading disputes & falsification of grading companies. More frequent
> posts,
> - The money changers in it for the $, not for numismatic interests.
One answer to your question is to incorporate all of these three areas
into your study of coins. Keep in mind that numismatics, which is in the
subject line of your thread, is more than coin collecting, the
acquisition of coins. Numismatics means the study of coins. There are
lots of ways in the real world, human nature being what it is, that this
plays out. It's not all negative either.
About not getting kids interesting, some are, but much fewer relatively
than when you were coming of age. It's a different world, with more
sensually stimulating (sight and sound) pastimes today enticing them,
such as video games, videos, iPoding, texting, Facebooking, and the
Internet in general. Then, when people today get really bored, they can
verbify proper nouns.
--
Consumer: http://rg.ancients.info/guide
Connoisseur: http://rg.ancients.info/glom
Counterfeit: http://rg.ancients.info/bogos
Bob-tx
"Bremick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:ign2ai$k8v$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
What you say is pretty much my feelings as well. What I meant by 'money
changers'
are the people, not dealers who are obviously in business to profit, who are
seem to
be mostly fixated on buying and selling on EBay. There seems to be little
numismatic
interest except profit. There are a few very knowledgeable and sincere
collectors
on the newsgroup, but also many who are not.
In addition to losing interest, I don't want to leave my collection for my
family to
have to dispose of. They would have no idea how to go about it; in fact, I
have
little idea myself. I refuse to use EBay after reading all the negative
comments
regarding fakes, slurs about grading, etc. But, I figure it is better that
I take care
of this problem myself rather than leave it to my wife, kids, and grandkids.
I think the mint has probably done a disservice to con collecting with all
the
new issues of various coins; state quarters and prez-bucks are prime
examples
but not the only ones. Although I don't collect stamps, I think that hobby
has
probably gone through similar problems.
Bob-tx
Bremick
"Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote in message
I have mostly bought coins on eBay, but have sold a few as well. I believe
that if you're as selective there as you would be in a coin shop or show you
can add to a coin collection quite reasonably. It's often hard to tell how
much numismatic interest a seller has by his auction, or even if he or she
is a dealer. From my own experiences, I'd have to give eBay a thumbs up.
>
> In addition to losing interest, I don't want to leave my collection for my
> family to
> have to dispose of. They would have no idea how to go about it; in fact,
> I have
> little idea myself. I refuse to use EBay after reading all the negative
> comments
> regarding fakes, slurs about grading, etc. But, I figure it is better
> that I take care
> of this problem myself rather than leave it to my wife, kids, and
> grandkids.
The key here is-- will your wife HAVE to dispose of it? Will she likely be
apt to turn it into cash or will she be left comfortable enough financially
to simply store it intact in the near term until she either needs the
potential cash it represents or a grandchild develops a serious interest in
coin collecting. Personally, I would not leave my collection to anyone who
I knew would likely look at it as something to dispose of. This can be
frustrating.
>
> I think the mint has probably done a disservice to con collecting with all
> the
> new issues of various coins; state quarters and prez-bucks are prime
> examples
> but not the only ones. Although I don't collect stamps, I think that
> hobby has
> probably gone through similar problems.
>
I don't know if it's a disservice or not, but the Mint does seem to have
turned a lot of its customers off with the increasing glut of new issues and
the various forms in which each one is offered. I have become very
selective lately with Mint purchases. I have several friends who say
they've quit collecting new issue stamps because of this same frustration.
Eric Babula
news:ign5be$nvs$1...@news.eternal-september.org:
>
> You've already gotten some good replies to your concerns, so all I
> will add is that if you're trying to give any coins away, sign me
> up! I'll cover the postage. :-)
>
I'd like to jump in on that deal, too! Free coins??? Sign me up!!
Bob-tx
"Eric Babula" <mys...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9E6CE5F12AA5...@94.75.214.39...
I have offered coins to all of my grandchildren, but they are not
interested in collecting - coins are for spending. I have been turning
rolls of wheaties into the bank or grocery store at the rate of one or
two a week, in the hope that some kid will find some and get
an interest, but I doubt it will happen.
Other than that, I have sold all my type set at gray sheet prices,
because that's the best I could get. It broke my heart. There
were half cents, large cents, flying eagles, Indian head cents,
three cent silver and nickel, a couple twenty cent pieces, and
on and on. Got very little for the lot. I'm certainly not
liquidating for the money!!!
But, liquidate I must. Far too much stuff to leave for someone
else to deal with.
Bob-tx
Bremick
"Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote in message
If you feel your heirs would be likely get about what you did, why bother to
sell everything in the first place. You don't seem to have lost interest in
your collection since you claim it "broke your heart" to sell it. You say
you don't need the money, yet you're unloading everything for peanuts. Why
not let them decide if your bequeathed coin collection would be a hassle to
deal with? If you converted it cash instead, would you enjoy the thought of
them possibly spending it on video games or tatoos? Just because the
grandkids aren't coin collectors today doesn't mean they won't catch the bug
one day. But it sounds like it's already too late to worry about.
mazorj
"Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote in message
I heard that! My three children know that each of them gets one of the 3
sets of AES and silver proof sets I've been accumulating over the years, but
unless one of them develops an interest, there's no telling what will happen
to the rest of my hoard when I'm gone. For better or for worse, I'm too
attached to most of it to start disposing of it now.
Bob-tx
"Bremick" <rem...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:igplf8$n51$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Yeah, you are right, it is too late to worry about; a lot of the really
prized stuff is gone. I did give each of the four kids a proof set for the
year they were born (1956, 1957, 1960, 1963). I still have proof set back
to 1953, when we were married, but they have very little value. So yes, I
am still interested in coins, and love the history. Things like the
two-cent coin with the first 'In God We Trust' motto, the racketeer nickel,
the 1943 steel cent (which as kids we used to try to pass off as dimes
although it seldom worked), etc. There is a lot of history in coins. The
prex-bux have some historical meaning, but not much really since they are
after the fact history, rather that at the time history, such as those I
mentioned. Anyway, things come and things go, and my things are going.
Bob-tx