Reading the "own gold coin" thread got me thinking of this topic. Do you ever kick yourself for taking a break/losing interest in collecting coins from a few years or even decades ago? I know its the past but it frustrates me that I spent so much of my disposable money on comic books and comic book trading cards back in the 90s and spent very little on coins. I'd say I spent a few thousand on them and now that I sold them on ebay a few years ago, I barely got $300 total & most of the comics went in the trash since no one wanted them, not even a freecycle ad. I wish I could have still kept my interest in coins so I could have had some more type gold slots filled among other things. But I lost interest in coins due to high school and college. Whats your story if you have one similar?
I have often thought of that. What I also think of is 'what should I do now to avoid feeling like that 10-20 years from now?'
I took a few months off from coins a year or so ago. I was just getting a little tired of it all. It worked great for me me to do it, but I never thought about quitting or anything, just took a break for a few months. I would recommend it to anyone to do once in awhile. I think most will know when it is time.
I'm in the middle of my sabbatical. I'm in the process of trading my 40% and 90% halves for ASE's. Seeing the prices is starting to convince me that my sabbatical is near it's end. We'll see how things work out as I try to put my family first.
Of course you kick yourself for not buying more when prices were cheaper. That is human nature. Real life happens, though, and it is always better to take care of real life than a hobby, and come back fresh with new wonderment later. I left US collecting years ago, but still enjoy talking about them and have noticed I have bought more group lots with US coins lately.......
i dont really kick myself but recently got interested again. i used to really be interested by coins when i was kid,(especially ones from other countries since the were so unique compared to the canadian and american coins i always saw) there was no internet back then and as a kid i didnt want to pay for a subscription to canadian coin news,(the only thing i knew existed) and i was dealing with just pocket change, and adolescent things got more important than coins. now i find myself here and (finally)realized that there is much more info on sites like these than printed works. finding errors on my so-so coins is interesting, but time consuming. so i am doing it for now but will take a break again soon since i do have other things to take care of.
I took about a 30 yr break of active collecting but would always stash items that caught my eye. Now I feel like a kid that knows nothing and more to learn than the time I have.
IMO this is the way to think...You can't control the past, only the future. If you spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror you end up running into stuff.:thumb:
I was in the service in the early 60's and the pay wasn't much. In fact it was $180/mo for me (Vietnam was when military started going up). But I had managed to save about $325. And I was in Alaska where silver dollars commonly circulated. Because of the low Army pay, coin collecting wasn't really possible. But my service was over and I was on my way home to go back to college. So I took my savings in paper money. Oops, I missed out on profiting from that.
Baseball Cards....1986... 'nuff said. Luckily it was only a few hundred bucks. No, I have never kicked myself for taking a break in coins -- I was chasing women, a college degree, and some job security at the time, and they were good investments of time and resources. I do kick myself for not putting even more money in gold in 2004 and 2005. While my investments made in this time period have paid off many times over, I would have made even more of a killing had I buckled my belt a bit tighter and bought more gold at that time.
even though i was on a break, i always put away stuff that looked interesting. i just wasnt looking as closely as i am now, and hopefully didnt just spend anything that might actually have been good.
Yes all the time, especially if it was one by choice or neglect. When I was newly married I sorta took a break for a few years which I very much regret. Sometiems people take a forced break because of school, military service, or financial reasons. Don't let life circumstances distract you from your coin hobby. A friend of mine I used to share tables with at shows, after a divorce, liquidated his coins (about 6 years ago) to chase girls - mainly strippers. Now, at 71 all he has left is his monthly social security check. He even did a reverse mortgage on his house which was fully paid for to finance his "hobby." He even has had them living at his house. One stole a currency collection, while another ran off with a new car he bought her. I am not telling you its bad to have some other hobby, but try to budget it in a way your Numismatics is not sacrificed. Sometimes this is unavoidable like in the instance of unemployment. With corporate downsizing, outsourcing, and age bias try to have your Numismatic portfolio in great shape by the time your 55 or 60. Many people laid off say at 50 are facing age bias in the job market and especially this one which is dismal due to the worst recession since the great depression. In addition, if they do find a job, they are usually forced into contract work. Then they are faced with another bias from employers and headhunters who see contract work as a minus on a resume. In this climate with all the dirty tricks corporations and wall street have pulled on working people, you can't assume your career will make it to early social so save all you can. Most of all, avoid expenses for un-necessary items like expensive cars, more house than your can afford, expensive spending spurred by wife (to compete with Jones), or some other hobby expense that has got out of control.
A whole box of comics for 25 bucks. Dude was selling them at a yard sale. So I bought up. After I got home and got them graded, I had about twelve dollars value. I keep them in the bathroom in case I run out of toilet tissue, but reading them sometimes does pass the time. I like the First Issues. They seem softer.
Yes. Spent the 90s buying baseball cards. Wouldn't have been bad if players could have stayed clean! Wouldn't sell my good collection though. Not adding or selling. But hard to think about all of the gold that 'could' have been purchased.
I took most of the 90's off, only buying a few things here and there not much really at all as I was young and just enlisted in the service and never, ever, had any money. I think I was pulling down about a thousand a month and had a $325 car payment. But the time off did me good, I was able to do more reading and research as opposed to reckless buying which payed off down the road.
Hindsight is 20/10 and it is always easy to play monday afternoon quaterback. In life, some opportunities you'll take a pass on and others you'll jump on. Don't beat yourself up for it.
