Aside From Coins, Do You Have Any Other Hobbies?

Wow. Some very impressive hobbies mentioned!

I have a few, but nothing that approaches the amount of time and money I devote to coins.

I collect old vinyl records, books on Classical history, and maps. Astronomy and meteorology are also huge interests of mine. Someday I would love to start a side collection of ancient coins with astronomical types.

 

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I collect "recovery medals (chips)"
As a certified drug addiction counselor—I give these to the men and women in the drug rehabs where I lecture and counsel recovering addicts. I call it a hobby because handing these out is not a requirement of my service. I do it for the joy it brings me.

 

I've always been a hobbyist. There are, and have been, so many hobbies in my life. Below are a few things I've collected or been "into" since the hobby hormones kicked-in:

1. Genealogy research - mine and my wife's family. Her's I've taken back, with good sources, to 15th century England. My family is Greek and records in the old country are not nearly so well preserved as in England.

2. U.S. Plate Blocks: An early and short-lived teenaged endeavor. I particularly liked space exploration stamps. I still have the collection. I should probably use the stamps on envelopes, as they are nearly worthless as collectibles!

3. Blues Guitar: I was a semi-professional blues musician in my 20s/30s. I took-up guitar later in life than most and focused on blues from the start which accellerated my development. Blues musicians are obsessed with old gear, which led to my next hobby...

4. Vintage Guitar Amplifiers: I gradually built a collection of vintage 1950's and 1960's era Fender guitar amplifiers. These amps were for stage use, but their collectibility resulted in some significant gains when I sold them over time. I sold-off my last amplifier a few weeks ago, just before NYINC. You can guess where that money went.

5. British Sports Cars: Ever since my cool neighbor rumbled by my middle-school bus stop each morning in his Jaguar XKE, I've wanted a British sports car. I bought an MGA Coupe as a rolling restoration for my 40th birthday. Restoration is mostly complete. Now I drive it when I can, which is not nearly enough. Considering selling it. You know where that money would go...

 

My girlfriend and I just got into bowling. We bowl 5 games every Sunday morning because of the discount.

 

Ah, yes, weekly services at the Church of the Holy Decinity.

 

@Carausius

Nice hobbies. I did not know you played guitar. I have 3 at the moment. A Fender Custom Shop Strat 57 reissue, A Takamine acoustic, and my latest guitar. My amazing wife bought me a Martin this past Christmas. I have gigged a number of times-mostly classic rock, but I really enjoy acoustic blues. I already have my eyes on another guitar- a Martin D 18. What guitars do you own?

 

My first guitar was a Takamine acoustic! Currently, I'm down to my trusty, limited edition (1989) shoreline gold '57 Custom Shop strat, with Lindsay Fralin vintage replacement pickups. I'll never sell my Strat. I have regretted selling a beautiful 1957 gold top Les Paul. I have also previously owned a Gibson ES-295 and a Fender Telecaster and a few acoustics The Strat and the Les Paul were my favorite stage guitars - both amazingly versatile. I have considered buying a Martin 0028 or 0018. I love the 00 body style.

I really don't play much anymore. I'm like the professional tennis player who retires and never plays again because his play quality is diminished. I would have to play regularly for a year to get back to the level I was at 20 years ago!

 

I am sorry that you do not play anymore. I stopped for several years before picking it up again. Your strat sounds wonderful. A friend of mine has 4 Les Pauls including 2 gold tops. I could never get used to them, the weight is just too much for me. The strat is much lighter. I have considered the 00 Martins or even an OM. I would have to have more playing time on them before making a decision. I really like the Hog tops because they sound very different to the regular Sitka Spruce.

I am working on a few pieces by Tom Waits at the moment. Some of his tuff is tough but worth it.

Take care and I hope you get back to it at some point.

 

I've wanted a Martin M 38 for many years. It's not as "assertive" (sound-wise) as a dreadnought but it is MUCH more comfortable with its thinner body and balanced upper and lower bouts. Great fingerstyle guitar. Eventually my dream guitar became a Lowden (don't remember which style) because of the wonderful mellow and balanced style.

I have a Takamine Santa Fe, purchased when new (1981? I'll have to go look). I should sell it since I never play it these days. I grew to hate the thick narrow neck.

~15 years or so ago I was ready to finally buy a Lowden but after sitting in Guitar Rez (Austin) for a few hours playing my dream Lowden and a carbon fiber guitar , I took the latter! I couldn't believe how great it sounded since my only prior non-wood guitar experience was with Ovations and they sound like nails on a chalkboard. Yeah sure, I bought an Ovation in high school when I just had to have a 12 string so I could play Stairway to Heaven in its full glory , but I got over that quickly and sold it. What horrible guitars, those Ovations!

The Composite Acoustics GX was a much better choice given my environment for the last decade. High humidity takes a toll on fine wood instruments. The wide thin neck, low action, and lack of truss rod of the CA guitar suited my needs perfectly. Now I should get back into it... music has all but disappeared from my hobby list since taking up coins.

 

Thank you! Though I must say you are far superior to me in your sketching. The bridge sketch was inspired by an engraving from an 1880's edition of the Railroad Gazette.

I used to be a train enthusiast, but then my family moved and the trains got put away. Now I am into airplanes.

 

When I'm not studying history (especially Ancient history, English/British history from 1688-1837, and the Italian Unification / Risorgimento between 1815 to 1871), I can frequently be found playing Poker. (I really like Omaha Hi-Lo these days.)

 

Those are beautiful illustrations!

 

That is one fine looking Mustang. I wish I still had mine it was a fun car. It was a 1966 coupe with a pony interior. It was in pretty nice condition but nowhere near as nice as yours though. It would have been a great project car now that I'm retired.

 

Thank you @Deacon Ray, @Diane Harriet, @stevex6, @TypeCoin971793 and Hispanicus for your kind words This has turned into a fascinating thread and it's nice to get a chance to see some of the other interests that everyone has. Some really great hobbies shown here that make me want to expand my interests. Too bad free time seems to be fewer and farther between lately!

 

My other quiet moment hobby is historic modeling. I bring the same research to it as I do with numismatics. Fossils too, and ......damn too many things.

 

OOPS, fingers screwed up, sorry about that.

 

Whoa!

 

They can be money pits. Plus, as I get older, the harder it is to bend, stoop and crawl.

 

Charter fishing...Chesapeake Bay, MD

 

Incredible pics and great thread!