Aside From Coins, Do You Have Any Other Hobbies?

Another amateur astronomer here, since I got a Montgomery Ward refractor for Christmas at age 10 (I still have the objective lens). I've drifted through chess, rockhounding, and numismatics as hobbies but astronomy has been the one enduring interest.
I've had more of a naturalist approach rather than an 'amateur scientist', I do appreciate the science but the emphasis has always been visual observing. A hazard of this is an affliction known as aperture fever, the drive for ever larger instruments to see more. I've seen advanced cases at the Oregon Star Party over the years, the telltale is the need to tow the telescope in its own trailer.
With retirement approaching I decided to drop Sirius money on a scope that would have to be the final progression in my aperture fever. I got one of these:
https://obsessiontelescopes.com/telescopes/18UC/index.php
It cured me.

 

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Many years ago, I had a neighbor with a guitar. He taught me some of the keys and I got the bug to play. My first Christmas, I asked for a guitar, but got a harmonica. I was 17. My neighbor had two guitars, so he let me play one with him. The next Christmas I got my guitar. My father was in the Army, so I got a German "Framus" electric guitar...no amp tho. I just about drove my mother crazy when I played. I finally was able to get an amp... an older amp, but still sounded good. Now, my mother and everyone in the house was going crazy. When I was 19, I went to Uruguay for my church. One of the areas that I "served" in was close to Brazil. One day, my companion and I went to Brazil and I bought a hand made guitar. There is no pedigree or name in or on the guitar, but it was beautiful and played well. I was 20 when I bought it. This past Christmas, I gave it to my 16 year ole granddaughter. Although she had an electric guitar, she loves the acoustical guitar I gave her. She had been playing for about 3 years. I gave her all of my music books from the sixties...Peter, Paul and Mary, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Association. I really enjoy hearing her play, albeit, it's on Facebook. Now, my legacy lives on.

 

Merwin Hulbert revolvers from the 1870's and 80', antique clocks, photography and travel to the Oregon coast. Here's an interesting link to info on Merwin Hulbert. Enjoy.

 

For a while I collected cameras because I thought I’d be a award winning photographer. That didn’t happen and I sold many of the cameras. Still have a few for display

 

I never collected cameras other than the ones I used. In college I wanted to protect my good camera so I bought a old junker for $25 and used it to record water fights for the school paper. After a couple years, I sold it for $25 and stopped shooting 'hazardous' things. It took good photos. It was a Leica A (the first model) and sells for over $1000 today. I did buy broken folding cameras from the 20's and 30's when some were available with really high quality lenses and expensive options but most people threw them out when the camera broke or they bought a new one. I used the lenses (Protar, Dagor level glass) on my 4x5 view well into the 1980's. I still have a few and the shutters still work. They were made loose so they did not jam up as some later ones but accuracy of the times required testing rather than assuming they were correct as marked. I have not exposed film for 20 years now but have some of those shutters displayed as decor now. Many of my photos back then were stereoscopic and exchanged with other practitioners of 3D photos.

 

quad copters are one of my favorite hobbies. I find night flying a lot of fun. Both street and dirt bike riding. Fishing ah the true love of the outdoor side of my hobbies both sports and non sports cards old first print books comic books wooden boxes and on and on and on. I think the way it intertwines with coins for me is that if there are two things that catch my attention and one is a coin 99 out of a 100 I buy the coin.
red_spork built by you?

 

Ever been to NEAF ? RAC runs that and I'm a member.

 

NEAF ?

 

I've never been to NEAF. I've been to the Oregon Star Party many times, great place to observe unless it has been a bad fire season. Last time I went Tom Clark brought his 42" dobsonian and gave a great talk.

 

I just met another numismatist through an astronomy discussion board. In fact, I am working on an article about the similarities in the two hobbies. More on that soon.

 

Will that be for coins that cost "Moon" money?

 

I don't really coin collect, although I have a hoard of coins collected over the past 4+ years. Don't really know what's in that hoard, I just buy whatever comes my way while treasure hunting on the weekends and throw them within that pail, unresearched. One day I'll go through it and maybe be surprised?

My hobby is just that, treasure hunting (flea markets, small hole-in-the-wall auctions, estate sales, yard sales, etc.) on the weekends or whenever I have time and buy whatever I feel has "value" (artwork, sculptures, jewelry, coins. etc.). Sometimes I purchase items having no clue on what they are just to enjoy the thrill of researching these items.....hence the pieces below. All four were purchased not having a clue of the who, what, where, when, why, etc. etc. With some research, help from folks such as you all on these forums and a heck-of-a-lot of luck/being at the right place at the right time, I ended up with these type finds...




From left to right:

#1. Greco-Roman, Bronze Medallion with Bust of Helios. Circa, 1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.

#2. 16th C. Hispano-Philippine Carved Ivory Figure of Child Christ Resting.

#3. Dynasty XVIII Egyptian Silver Stirrup-Shaped Signet Ring, the Bezel Incised with the Throne Name of, Amenhotep III.

#4. Art Deco Period (1920s/30s) Gold, Platinum and Diamond (9.72 ct) Men's Signet Ring by: Durand & Co. of Newark, NJ.

 

I am reluctant to disillusion you, but I hope you didn't pay too much for that "Ancient Egyptian" ring!

 

My apologies, #2 date is a typo. It's 17th C. (circa, 1620) and not 16th C.

@-jeffB, Lol! That was my face and the jewelers face exactly when I took it to him for cleaning and polishing.

@DonnaML, there's nothing you can say to possibly disappoint me. And no, it's almost impossible to pay too much at the venues I posted above. The piece was evaluated by 3 different experts (Egyptologist, Museum Curator & Antiquities Dealer.........sorry, I don't want to namedrop on an open public forum) all having decades of experience specializing in the subject. All agreed on the throne name and all agreed more should be done in the evaluation process (XRF, Metallurgical, etc.). Once testing is completed, have it compared with similar tests of definitely genuine pieces of the period. XRF was completed and compared with 1981 publishing and those comparisons appear to fall in-line with my piece.

Even with all of the above being said, experts can still be unsure...

https://art.thewalters.org/detail/7680/signet-ring-with-name-of-king-akhenaten/

 

My apologies. It just seemed unlikely that you would find a genuine ring like that at a flea market or yard sale! Especially given how many fake Egyptian antiquities are around.

 

If it's almost ten-carat, doesn't that make it a six-figure stone?

 

I am also curious as the value of that ring. How much is it worth ?

 

@DonnaML, I consider myself an "antiques archaeologist" and you'd be surprised what turns-up when carefully wading through the muck of these venues. Remember, we have an ailing population and folks of my generation (30s/40s) are inheriting mom's, dad's, grandma's and poppa's home and the contents within........and some not caring nor was paying attention when their elders were explaining how valuable some of their ol' junk was/is. These contents then end-up at said venues mixed-in amongst the muck with asking prices of $600 for pop-pop's ol' shiny junk six-figure ring (indirectly answering @-jeffB & @spirityoda question).

 

I have somewhat of a lust for old seal/signet rings and the one below is no exception......even tho I have no idea on what script is incised on the bezel (I "think" South or Southeast Asia).