Richard01

I am an avid, if new and somewhat uneducated collector. I am reading every book I can buy to learn, but still know how much I'll never know...
But, here is the question I pose the board members: is the coin collecting hobby tolerent of all the different types of collectors, or do you have to be an 'on the tradeshow floor with 20 years of experience' to fit in? It sounds silly, but I have found that it is a hobby that in many ways makes it tough to belong if you don't fit the mold. Ebay is one example, as is the PCGS message boards, where the elite seem to take every opportunity to bash 'wanabees' and anyone who does not view the hobby their way. Me, I love coins... I love buying them, and selling them to buy others. I don't always know a good deal when I get one, and I get ripped on occassion, and I overgrade and undergrade, but I try to get it all right and have fun. Yet, there are many who would say 'you don't belong here' because somehow, you should not buy, or sell any coin of value until you 'truly' understand its value. In fact, I see endless posts about how wrong it is to try to buy wholesale since you should pay top dollar and get your coin from a reputable dealer who has the right to pay wholesale...
I am hoping this board is different, and recognizes that hobbies need to adapt and to allow new people in to learn their way and eventually take the hobby forward. If younger (and I mean experience wise, not age) hobbiests don't come in because they are not afforded respect and genuinely invited to learn and partake in their own way, then won't the hobby just wither and die?
So, am I crazy, or is the numismatic world a difficult one to wander around in? Is there room for those that don't care about the 'art' but love the coins just because they look cool, or are fun to dig through, and all of that? I have frankly been so disapointed in other boards, and the attacks and snide jabs, that I wonder if this hobby is worth pursuing. Heck, even my local coin store owner is snide about my knowledge, somehow hinting I should know more before I come through the doors.