Your Friends and Family perspective of ancient coins

Having a brother that also collects things that also has similar interests as I do can be fun sometimes. Though he doesn't collect coins, he does understand how the hobby is. So I was looking at coins on online sites when he remarks "those looks like pieces of rocks", I guess which is partially true.

My parents who don't collect anymore also understands the aspect of collecting, though they rather I spend the money on other things lol. But I feel they don't understand the appeal of ancients.

Then of course there are the friends. Some think its cool to be holding a piece of history and some don't get it.

Does anyone here share their hobby with friends or family? I find they could perceive ancients to be fun, funny or extremely boring.

 

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I think most people I have shown decent ancients (from BC) to think they are cooler than some of my old US gold, which might be more valuable. There is just something cool about something from BC surviving for so long in decent condition.

 

My wife is genuinely interested in most of the coins I show her, maybe not from a collecting standpoint, but certainly from an historical one. You'd have to be totally insensible to the fascination of history to hold a coin minted during the reign of Alexander the Great (et al), and NOT feel the mysterious, existential connection to our ancient predecessors.

 

I envy those of you with children who have interests similar to yours. I had hopes when my grandson showed an interest in ancient history but he preferred Pharonic Egypt and outgrew that phase after a few years without passing through Greece or Rome. My daughter wants my sub-10mm Greek silver because she thinks they are cute but the big stuff can be melted and cast into an urn for my ashes as far as she is concerned. My wife is a librarian and lives for fiction (which I never read).

My wife collected bells for years. She first was interested when she was in elementary school and went with her mother to a friend's house where there was a bell collection. To her surprise, when the lady died we got a call from her children asking if my wife would like the bells. They kept a half dozen to remember mom by and we got four big boxes of collectible bells including the ones that my wife remembered loving 30 years before. When you collect things for the love of it, you would rather give them to someone who would love them than to sell them for 10 cents on the dollar to a picker. That is something the investors among us will never understand.

 

My friends and family could give two licks about coins. My dad saves obscure ones or silver and then just gives them to me when I see him. My close friends just look at an ancient I may have lying on my bookcase to be dealt with and move on to a new action figure or fossil I may have on display since their last visit.

My mom like some of the coins I have shown her. She seems to like the big/heavy coins like Sestertius or Tets. LRBs and Scrap coins don't do much for her. Of course she like the ones with a animal of some sort the most.

 

My youngest son likes history, and likes my coins as they relate to history. He loves telling others what I collect, but he shows no real interest in collecting himself. The rest of my family think I'm already senile especially when it concerns my coins. Friends will look, shrug, and say oh that's nice. I used to be regarded as a body language expert, but one doesn't have to be an expert to read this body language.

 

My family is mostly uninterested in the history but they enjoy seeing the coins. Whenever they visit I try to plan ahead so I can stop by the bank and grab the coins and show them new ones at some point. I've had a few friends become very interested in coins, however from our discussions. One recently told me of his experiences being outbid on an owl on eBay. I pointed him towards CNG and Agora and offered to be his numismatic reference for either. Within a week he was lamenting how he had gotten carried away and spent considerably more than he intended on some (beautiful) Greek and Roman Imperial silver as an auction was closing. Interestingly enough, even though most of the coins I collect are Roman Republic, he is completely uninterested in the Republic except for 49 B.C. on.

I've actually been trying to get him to join CoinTalk but he is uninterested so far.

 

My 5 year old son is interested in ancient coins, but then again, he sees me looking at ancient coins on a daily basis while I'm browsing through this forum or looking at auction house catalogs. He likes to hold my coins every once in a while.

My ex-wife thinks I'm mad for collecting junk, but who cares what she thinks, she lives half-ways across the country and doesn't even bother calling or seeing our son much.

The rest of my family is probably indifferent one way or the other about my collecting habits.

I have shown my collection to a few select friends, and most thought it was really cool, and were stunned when I told them some of my Roman silver coins were had for as little as $50. They thought these coins must be worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars because they were so old.

 

Some of my friends and family are mildly interested when I talk about coins, or else they're just humoring me.

My mom tolerates it well but we have an unspoken understanding: she politely listens to me excitedly expound upon my latest coins and targets, and I politely listen while she rhapsodizes about Adam Lambert .

 

Who?

 

Oh man...

A karaoke singer from American Idol who's gotten a bit popular since his stint on it.

 

Actually, in the course of trying to have more things to do and talk about with my mom, I've started to really appreciate him! He comes across as a very nice human being and he does have a great voice, regardless of whether or not the music is to my taste. I'm just glad that she has a hobby

I will refrain from mentioning to my mother your disrespect of Adam

 

Most people I know are not interested in the least by my coins. My sister-in-law is also a coin collector but does not collect ancients. She is fun to talk to about coins.

I took my coins into a third year Classics lecture a few months ago and the students were fascinated. When I told them they too could own an ancient coin, many of them got their phones and started searching. Hopefully there will be a few more collectors as a result.

I am okay with most people not understanding my obsession...it is after all my obsession and I am fine with that.

 

Let me rephrase my question. Who?

 

Only one I tend to like from AI is Kelly and Brooke White. Almost everyone else is forgettable.

Adam did nothing for me. But at least he's amounted to something once his AI stint was over. Can't say that for the majority of them.

 

I must be missing something. Are they on Greek or Roman coins?

 

No, but he has turned into quite a handsome man and would look good on a Greek coin

iPhone pic taken from our fantastic seats at a Queen concert (me and my mom), with Adam taking over Freddie Mercury's role:

 

@Orfew Thats pretty cool, maybe you can sneak a coin into her collection. Might get her started.

Only AI contenders I still somewhat follow are Kelly and Carrie.

 

He's the one on the right? right?

 

my kids are as interested in my coins as i am in someones beanie baby collection. my wife tolerates my hobby. she one commented that one of my byzantine scphate coins was neat when she saw it on the table.
i have an uncle that collect US coins, i've seen his collection. someday, i hope he gets to see mine.
my dad collected state quarters, i picked him up an ancient LRB...and it fell flat.

i have several friends who think the historical aspect is interesting, and one who is moderate interesting in ancient coins...i've given her a few of mine.

awesome for TIF and mom having a front row mother-daughter night at a queen show!