Back in the day, I used to visit a local regular coin show and a local shop. Now, with ebay, it seems you can buy whatever you want, when you want it. Has this taken the zing out of collecting? I'm just curious how it's personally affected YOU; not trying to generate an issue of some sort. I used to collect a kind of art glass, but ebay kind of spoiled the fun. That's my experience.
I wouldnt collect coins with out ebay. I dont have the time or money to travel around to coin shows looking for coins I collect(thus limiting the hobby to rich people and retired old men ). not to mention things like Canada maples with privy marks cant be found from most of the coin shows ive been to (given they are small ones, but still) I do see what you mean about taking the zing out of it- if I had driven around to 100 coin shows to find my coins and then ebay came along I think I would be slightly bitter. On the other hand, when it comes time to sell your coins if need be ebay is a perfect place and gives everyone in the world access to something in your living room.
IMO, ebay pretty well stinks....horrible pictures and people paying well above CDN for coins. I get WAY better prices from my dealer and coin shows....plus I'm able to inspect the coin in hand before buying instead of looking at some crappy "scans" or cell phone pictures.
I will NEVER give away my secrets !!!! LOL Just wander around the web aimlessly, never know what you will find. Traci
I think about this a lot. As I've said many times before, I don't have a lot of disposable income and if I dispose of it, I usually have to go find it later!!! So if E-Bay wasn't there, it would be like the "old" days and you would really have to work to sell your stuff. E-bay may have high fees, bottom feeders, etc., but for under $1, I can put something out there at my price and see if someone buys. And I'll have lots and lots of people looking at it. It's not just e-bay, but the Internet that has changed the hobby. The old timers will talk about years and years of completing that Walker set (or whatever). Way too easy now - at least to complete it - I won't get into the quality you might be getting. On the other hand, I'm starting to notice that there are a lot of "penny counters". They won't go to a coin show because it will cost $15 in gas for the round-trip. No way they would ever be able to buy coins and make that back. We forget it's a HOBBY - or it's supposed to be. Whew! That feels good - reminds me of 9th Grade English class. We had a teach who would give us a piece of paper and then we were supposed to write without thinking - free flow or something like that. This is what this message be....
I don't think I would collect coins if not for the internet. I personnally would not like having to drive all over looking at coins at shows and dealers. After saying that do I enjoy going to shows and shops, yes I do very much. But, I would not enjoy having to depend on the shows and shops to collect. I like the internet factor of anytime day or night and in any weather. If a seller does not have good pictures or price, simply move on to another. I put a lot of coins in my "watch" section. I go through the type, year, and mint fairly rapidly. Those coins that initially meet my criteria (price and condition) get put in that section. I may do 2 or years or mintages at a time. Then I go back through them later and get very selective. If one would end before I get the chance to do this, no big deal there will be more. This is a hobby to me and nothing more. I do it how I enjoy it and all should do the same for themselves by whatever means or route one decides. If you only enjoy the show and dealer aspect of the hobby, then go for it. After saying all this I do truly love this hobby, and enjoy a lot of the people I meet in the process. This year has been tough on some people I think. Many collectors have seen and heard of others making some decent "change" flipping various new issues. This causes some to think more about the joy of possible profits instead of joy of collecting. Whatever and however you do all this the main thing is to have fun.
The net has been great for coin collecting except maybe for the lack of online resources to coin values that is still the land of printed publishing... that is Red Book should have an open database available online and not just pay sites for dealers to research current values or us needing to scour auction sites closed sales records. The internet is great for digging up most coin/currency related info that you are looking for instantly, also because it leads you to other areas and deeper understanding of the interconnected nature of coins, designs, money, politics, culture and history. The internet is good for the novice to learn about coins. It's also a tremendous thing for buying, and if you have unlimited funds, it's a bonanza! I love online coin buying because you can discriminate between sites and sellers and services, "cherry-picking" is indeed great online... Certainly I miss visiting shops like I once did as a teen and going to huge coin shows with dealers spread out everywhere... eBay (grrr!) has become a blight on coin collecting because of the lazy sellers posting lousy listings and frauds taking advantage of honest and genuine coin enthusiasts and collectors. Yet eBay remains a great place to turn some quick profit, especially on coins and it's the only way I think I'd be able to sell off the bulk of my collection and make money when saving up for a new special purchase or to take my collection up to the next level of sophistication. I feel good listing on eBay, especially when you know that you are selling good merchandise that other coin folk love shopping for and are will to pay for. You know they appreciate coins and when they get your stuff they can feel good about buying from you since you are honest. That's my 2¢
