Making no friends in this hobby...

Reading through these posts I guess I feel lucky. I have a co-worker/friend who I have known for 12 years that is a fellow collector. Also, my wife of 4 years has been bitten by the collecting bug though she did take the variety/error road. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that I can tell my wife that my co-worker/friend just bought a Frankie MS65 FBL, and she knows what I'm talking about

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

you think coin collecting at 36 is uncool? try it at 15!!

 

Hi, PCG.
I sympathize. My friends at least feign interest when I trap them in a corner for numismatic show-and-tell, but that just isn't the same as having both a to and a fro. And since most collectors hesitate to yak about their coins, it's hard to meet them by chance.

Maybe the older collectors in your coin club will be friendlier once they get used to having you around. In the meantime, I'm glad you found this forum.

Marianne

 

I Its really hard to make personal friends in this hobby.For instance your potential friend may be out to rob you. When I was newb , I collected just for the fun of it. I met a a so called friend that ended up trading me his "older" coins for some of my nicer better date coins. I really had no knowledge of "value" and just liked the history and artwork on them.

Another robbed me blind!!

This site has become my friend. I am able to learn and talk numismatics and view others collections and keep up to date with this whole saga.

There are some pretty knowledgeable and friendly people on here

Thumbs up for Coin Talk!!!

CLAW

 

Small world tim, iam 15 too....and your right its extremley uncool...(i dont tell my friends)....


Peter

 

At 15 yrs of age it is more interesting to most to collect girlfriends instead:hug:

 

And at 16 years of age its interesting to collect both!

 

Coindude, there used to be a GREAT shop there in town called the Texas Coin Exchange. It was on Texas, Ave by the tracks. Do you remember it being there? Might have been before your time. The owner used to have an AU 1856 FE Cent (I actually held it once) and he would periodically offer the coin in a contest nobody could ever win, LOL. Though I did win an 1876-CC Seated Quarter from him.

Sad story after he sold it. The new owner was killed in a robbery attempt.

B

 

Actually, it's already been attemted...lol I find that if I give her some of my few world coins laying around she's happy. But back to your question...I guess gold ain't too bad

To PCG:
I got one friend in the hobby...and that's my coin dealer. And he's really taught me alot. But i gotta tell you, the first time i saw him i almost turned right back around and left...lol. I never thought that would be the guy who took time to explain the little stuff of the hobby, search for the one coin i asked for even after i left the shop, but other than that...i've come to realize the friends you make in the coin hobby aren't the same friends you'll meet for a movie. You have to branch out and look to the guy who isn't anything like the guy you go to see a Cardinals game with. If you find that person...good job. But if all else fails, you can always talk to your dog about that beautiful Franklin you picked up that afternoon...lol
And welcome to CoinTalk...hopefully you'll meet a few friends here, too.
Bill

 

haha....I'm 14, and the first person i told looked at me and said "oh, Bill...you're not one of those people, are you?" lol-
But since then I've met a few people i never thought would be the 'type' to collect coins, if there is a specific 'type'. Like i said...branch out, and maybe you'll bring a few other people yo the hobby.
Bill

 

Peter, i'm only 13 and i must admit that one year of collecting coins isin't much for me but i hate the people i buy coins from because when i'm buying coins it looks like they think i'm looking for any type of thing to give away to somone with no importance, and they think i'm just trying to look inteligentor something because i'm staring at one. Then theese same people will smile and chat along with older buyers, because they are "real coin collectors". I'm havin the same frien problem... my fathers don't listen or pay attention to me as much as i would like when talking to them about my new coins, and all my friends will change subject in middle of my coin explenation. Even so i've managed to continue, and i think that it's going to be for a long time because i'm that sort of person who will like a thing a month and just forget it, but if i've been collecting coins for a year and a half and i still have the same passion for it than when i begun, so you never kno.
Hope you all find some good friend-collector to pass some time with.

Lots of luck,

 

Some people call me nuts but I really don't care about the "other thing"----coins is what I've been doing for 5+ years and I don't plan to quit or back off

Speedy

 

I've found this hobby/obsession of ours to be a lot more personal than other interests (cars, fishing, computers, etc.). Only one of my friends collects and the rest just kid me about it. Accordingly, I've done almost all of my collecting on my own. I come here to share my enthusiasm with other numismatists.

 

Like your sig BigsWick!

And may I say that I am hearing a lot more maturity from the younger ones among us than I usually do from that demographic. (I am in the 18 to 25 myself: I was 18, 25 years ago!)

No solitary pursuit is easy, but I have found that it's worth staying true to yourself. Keep it up...

 

There just seems to be something special about kids who participate in hobbies that are normally considered "adult". I've met or communicated with a lot of bright, mature young guys and gals through ham radio over the years:thumb: .

 

Forums like this are great, at least for people like me with little spare time. And everyone here is interested in coins, so you won't get the blank stare when discussing a coin topic. I don't think any coin clubs around me hold "midnight meetings", so I have not even bothered to check them out. I've only known one coin collector near me, and he is not into collecting any more.

 

Wow...overwhelming response. Thanks again to all.

The best thing about this thread has been that I see myself in many of your posts. To those who have found close friends in the hobby, congratulations, you're truly lucky. To the rest of you who seem to be similar to me, thanks for at least talking back on here...this sure beats talking to myself. lol

From the occasional teasing by my friends, to the dealers and older collectors dismissing me because of my age, it seems like I've found some kindred souls with a common interest. Like most of you, I have a diversity of other interests - sports being the most prevalent - but this is the only one that gets me funny looks.

My biggest surprise is the wealth of younger collectors on this forum! I'm actually pretty encouraged by all of you.

Thanks again to all of my new "friends". At least I'm relatively certain you're all real, and not in my head...

pCG

 

I`m 53 and I still get the suspicious looks (like I`m a 10 year old potential shoplifter) from the dealers at the monthly central NJ coin show in Burlington NJ. I might have spent $500 with DEALER X, 2 months ago, and I get the impatient ,"I`m busy" attitude because he`s talking to someone he knows (who, by the way isn`t buying anything) He forgot I bought that $230 Morgan from him 2 months ago.

I have made a friend. Only one of the dealers at this show will spend a few minutes talking to me. Showed me a PCGS PF65 Morgan from the 1882-4 era (I forget the year) Let me look at it for 5 or so minutes with my 10X loupe.( Looked PF68 to me!!!!!! FLAWLESS!!!!) He knew I wasn`t going buy it, but gave me the time of day.

Point is, You may run into 5, 10 coin dealers within 50 miles of where you live, maybe another 30-50 at a local coin show. If that guy seems to care less, or is "too busy" to bother with you, then don`t give him the bussiness. It confabulates me how someone want`s to make a living (or at least a semi-bussiness) and blows off most of their customers.

 

I've recently met 2 coin dealers near home, one of them is a woman who spends 6 -8 hours in this 1mx1m room waiting to somone to pop in and ask something, she looks pretty bored ( i can understand), then there is this man who has this longways small shop, eaverything there is in a total mess, coins on top of each other, magnifing glasses eaverywhear, and him in the middle of it all trying to sort things out, and to help him he's got this guy rushing in and out bringing and taking out boxes of coins... well so they both look really friendly and look like being positive to my visits, but i don't kno really how to start a sort of realation with them of asking stuff and talking a bit, one of the problems is that i don't know if the man is going to be too busy, and the other thig is that i think he would maby like a little talk, i'm a bit confused about the subject, so i would apreciate if any of you who are friend of dealers could tell me how you taked the situation, lots of thanks? well, thanks.

 

Well it is not easy for older folks either. My favorite dealer doesn't know my name, but knows I might buy something. Sometimes I just start looking at a set of coins and asking questions. I also took some raw coins in just so we could talk about them. The more I visit the friendlier they get (plus they know I spend a few bucks on coins). The last time I was in the store I got to view a 1856 flying eagle(already sold), two chains cents and several other coins. All the time they were telling me about the coins, what to look for, and what was best. He was waiting on someone in the cent area, asked them to hold a minute, pulled about 15 coins out for me to look at. WOW some of them were as good(all large cents) as what leadfoot posts. He did this even knowing I would not buy them puppies. So if they are close, just visit oftem and be friendly and listen. Never too young or old to learn.

At least I will admit my father shares my interest in coins. But he likes morgans and I like copper cents. We "discuss" grades all the times on the coins we purchase.