Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;brg5658, post: 2160845, member: 29751&quot;]The hobby means different things to different people.&nbsp; I can only give my opinions / advice based on my perspective of what collecting means to me.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I collect and study coins for primarily three reasons.&nbsp; <b>1</b>) History, <b>2</b>) Art/beauty, and <b>3</b>) interest in the manufacturing process (which kind of goes along with history).&nbsp; I think of coins as small works of art or sculpture.&nbsp; As such, I don&#039;t get hung up in the shenanigans of flipping, peddling, and huckster-mentality of many of the supposed / self-proclaimed &quot;dealers&quot; on CoinTalk.&nbsp; Instead, I have focused my efforts on reading, analysis, photography, and history.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m not suggesting you collect for the same reasons as me, but you should eventually &quot;land&quot; on a list of things that are important to <b>you</b> in the hobby.&nbsp; If your goal is to make a quick buck by flipping the most recent US Mint wares, there is a group here who does that.&nbsp; If your goal is to collect a small number of very artistic and concentrated topic coins, then there is a group here who does that also.&nbsp; If you like the look of copper, or gold, or silver over other metals -- or bigger coins over small coins --&nbsp; again, there is a group of collectors who have those goals and preferences too.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the nice things about CoinTalk (and other numismatic forums) is that you will make friends with people who have similar interests.&nbsp; I have made many good friends in the hobby, and some of them (like [USER=5795]@yarm[/USER] ) are now regular contacts for advice, discussion, and wisdom.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>In summary, the hobby is whatever <b>you </b>want it to be.&nbsp; Given your goals, there may be slightly better or slightly worse times to enter the hobby, but I would say there is never a &quot;bad&quot; time to start collecting.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in