I would think the average age would be in the 20's. I started at around 42 thanks to a friend at work. My wife and I were having our first child and he told me I should order the annual mint and proof sets from the mint to save for her. I branched out from there and have been hooked every since. Sure wish I would of started as a kid though.
Right now I really wish I could have said I got hooked at a young age...but unfortunately for me, it was years later. The last couple of years I have gotten into collecting - both coin and currecy, heavily..... Luckily my wife is somewhat interested and doesn't yell much when I spend a bit too much. Smaugy....
i am saying i am in the same situation on probation but coins are getting me deeper in the mire. comprendo?
Oh, well shoot, I was just confused there for a sec. I was like " Spock on probation!?!? Whaaa??" Ya know?
Since you asked about the average age and you consider most answers did not give an age, then the average of those that did give an age comes out to be 14.85 years old. You should have made this a poll. Placing such options as 1-5, 6-10, etc.
I would think most parents would teach their kids early on to collect. Although I had no parents that got me involved, I did it on my own not even knowing how to spell pneumismatik. I'd say 7-10 are the most formative years for casual collecting. Then in the early 40's when you finally realize that there's a value in it. Then when you retire, you look at it and wish you would have bought more when you were in your working years. But o well, you sigh and enjoy what you have.
I'd say this is a common thing. For me, I began collecting around 13 or so and continued to do so for a few years until it got too expensive and I got too busy, Although I always loved the hobby, and always intended to come back to it...it just wasn't really feasible at the time. Now, I'm 23 and it still isn't really feasible. But, once I get through school (another 4 years) and get where I can afford it I plan to return to "full time" collecting. Right now, I'm just sort of watching the hobby and if I see an occasional item I can't live without I grab it, but other than that my collection is dormant at the moment.
