Have you ever had thoughts of giving it all up?

I am wondering if any of you have had thoughts of ever giving it all up?
Yes, I mean your collections and the collecting motovation?

Reasons may include lost interest, to lack of being able to complete a goal. Yes I know this is a broad span but I would like to understand how some folks feel about what they are trying to accomplish?

How difficult would it be for you to say, "I am done" and move forward on to something else always knowing in the back of your mind that what you began or tried to accomplish has been diminished or abolished?

How does the economic impact effect your collection and future additions, and the big one, how does your family feel about you sinking thousands of $$$ into soemthing they know very little about!
Lets delve in to the physcological side of what it is and what is has meant to you or means to you to succeed in your collection.

Regards,

RickieB

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Rickie, I have thoughts like this every day. You know what I collect..... Now can you imagine if I had taken that same money and invested in a mutual fund or real estate or something that was interest bearing. This year is going to be the worse yet. But deep inside I realize the truth of the matter is that I would probably just waste the money in Vegas somewhere and be left with nothing. At least this way, I have something to show for it and it could possibly increase in value over the years. Plus, studying my coins is my relaxation and without that I don't know what I would have to de-stress myself.

 

Yes, I do ask myself those same questions.

However, generally, I just forget about coins for a week or a month, and when I return I am reinvigorated.

My family doesn't care much about my collection -- I use discretionary income to fund my coin acquisitions and have a very regimented budget that I follow almost without exception. Said another way, nobody wants because of my love affair with coins.

All that said, I'm not sure I look on collecting as a success/failure kind of thing -- it's the journey and all that you learn along the way that means the most to me.

Respectfully...Mike

 

Good question rickieb. The older I get the more and more I think about giving it up. My intent was to pass it on to my son, as my grandfather had done with my father, and my father to me. The collection dates back to it's beginning in 1882. My son is interested in the hobby so I think in a couple of years I will turn the reigns over to him. If my son or grandsons had not shown any interest in it, I think I would have cashed in this year at the end of the state quarters program.
I question the wisdom of passing the "baton" over to him because it can be a bit of a burden. I know I have felt obligated, at times, to continue the tradition so as not to break the continuity of some of the sets. Some discussion in the near future will be in order with him to go over how he feels about it.
I know, I still feel thrilled after a good find or a purchase of some of the lastest mint products, so the "honeymoon" and motivation is not quite over. Realistically, however, the resources to continue are slowly becoming limited.

 

I do not have thoughts of giving this great hobby up. I have another hobby that costs more and is getting less enjoyable as I get older. That is snowmobiling. Coin collecting does not require a 4wd truck, a trailer, a snow suit, a helmet, and a place to stay where the snow happens to be during the four months you can actually take part in the hobby. Coin collecting is also a lot easier on my back, and I haven't broken a leg while looking at my Morgan dollars. I hope to never lose interest in numismatics. It relaxes me more than any of my other hobbies...including snowmobiling.

 

I could see how it would be easy to throw in towel. If you tried collecting a series with many keys or semi keys that could get tough. Like any hobby interest could change or extra money could be harder to find. Some people who look at it as an investment versus collecting could easily be discouraged as well.

On the other hand, if you are in it for the love of the hobby there are a lot of ways to stay active, like collecting type coins or more affordable coins even in lower grades.

Currently I am working on my Morgan set, but reallize I will probably never be able to finish it. I am also working on type coins and lower mintage sleepers.

 

I have thought about it on a number of occasions but then I see something new that I like LOL (honestly that is the truth) as for my family well the Mrs has her own collecting interests including a small coin collection so she is cool with it and regularly buy's me bits :hug:

 

Thats odd, I was just thinking about it last night. Putting some world coins that I got from a wooden beer stein into a folder after putting them in flips a few weeks ago. Some of them were starting to grow some green on them. I thought, how can these coins be fine sitting in a mug and then as soon as I try to take care of them, they start getting problems? Maybe I am not the right person to hold and protect these treasures? I won't quit, but it does get frustrating at times.

 

When ever I do I,

When ever I do I think about that it's the roll of 1969-S that I have yet to find containing 6 copies of DDO-001 and the half a million dollars I will make from a $1.50 investment, or
I just set it all aside for a few days then pull out some of my treasures with a fresh cup of coffee and start studying all over again to get reingernerised.
I will find "the big one" one day be it the 69-S or the 70-S or the 58-P but I will find it and then "the search alyways starts all over again.
When I go to the bank and come home 2500 Lincoln's it's always like a treasure hunt right in my own home - how can you beat that for the price of $25 dollars ??
Ben Peters

 

Doug, if you do not mind, what made you decide this?

(folks notice how I am urging him to post more today so that some lucky person will get the toned nickles sooner)

Thanks Doug!

RickieB

 

Nobody likes a quitter!
J/K I still like ya!

 

Seriously, yes. I had thought of it in the past for various reasons. But last fall I found a good cause and reason to.:kewl:

 

Yep... every time I look at my stock portfolio and 401k statements...

 

I don't buy coins anymore so i could say i have given it up some what especially doing it for forty years starting when i was 14 years old/


I have a nice collection of coins that i will sell eventually . I love the hobby through ,and what really still keeps me motivated are the error and variety coins . The new ones that are being discoverd the doubled dies etc etc.

I was away from it for awhile ,but when the new discoveries came about with the one squeeze effect ,and the doubled dies are now back it gave me the incentive again to search through rolls.

I;m strictly a error coin ,variety guy,and I will never stop since it is a great pass time doing what i do searching through rolls ,and talking to all you guys.

I would not think of giving it up totally i would lose a family of friends if i really lost all the enthusiasm , and i would have know reason to be on any coin forum .


Jazzcoins Joe

 

Never seriously considered giving up, but then again, I'm young and have a vast field to cover.

Currently the scanned portion of my collection of non-machine struck coins comes to 190 pieces, dating from 525 BC to AD 1808 and spanning more cultures than I've yet had time to study. And it shows no signs of stopping. That's likely because my collection has few boundaries, and the few that it does have are continually being pushed.

 

I have given up collecting coins twice so far in my life. I sold both of my collections for far less than I had spent and regret doing so. In my current collection, I have far more than I ever did before and in much better grades. However, I will not sell any of my coins again...the wife tells me not too. I think she's waiting to cash in after I'm gone. The economic situation today doesn't stop me from spending any more or less than I did before. I dont use any of my weekly work check for coin spending anyway. My family, or should I say my wife, doesnt care how much I spend on coins, she'll get it all someday anyway.

 

Never had the problem, maybe my expectations are to low. When I get to stopping point I’m apt to not think about the hobby for a few weeks or months.

Have thought about selling everything and starting over with 5 or so coins.

 

Never really thought about quitting , I have had times where other interests took over and have put the collection away , but the itch always seems to come back stronger than ever , I'm probably going through my 4th or 5th restart .
rzage

 

I need to find a way to stall him for 5 days. :mouth: