Making friends in bullion collecting/investing is difficult

The older you get the fewer new friends you make. That's number one.

Additionally, it's a hobby of such large monetary value that many people are hesitant to make friends in it. How can you meet someone for the first time at 54, befriend them, and trust them to know you have tens of thousands of dollars of bullion to your name?

It seems most people in the hobby share their hobby with: their kids or parents, their spouses, or childhood friends they knew before they started the hobby, and other relatives.


Has anyone befriended fellow bullion collectors later in life and become actual friends with them? Where you go to shows together? Where you look at each other's bullion? Please share.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

To answer your question, I have not. But your last question sounds odd. The idea of looking at someone's coins seems normal. But I don't think looking as someone's bullion would be too exciting.

 

I agree. I enjoy looking at coins whether copper, nickel, silver, gold or platinum.

But looking at bullion in generic rounds or bars doesn't seem very appeasing to me, especially if it's gold leaf dog poop.

 

I met Matt (my podcast partner) at age 49. We have become (at least I think) very good friends. I expect we always will be.

 

First, I like to meet up with fellow collectors at major shows. Second, I would no more care to look at a bullionista's bullion than I would their medical records. Third, I've seen what bullion pieces looks like. Some are pretty nice. Most are dumb.

 

I never knew there was a functioning coin club in my county for 20 years even though it was 12 miles away. Only a human interest story about a member, led me to go to a first meeting. They were all afraid , except the one person of interest, to let people know they collected coins. Who knows how things would have gone if I had felt the same way and not have gone? I found several new friends and some like Kurt ( although I forgive them), and my family membership has led to great relations and outings. No one knows the extent of collections, just that we collect.

 

Zombies even existed in Mickley's day. Before he was finally burglarized he showed his collection to anyone that asked to see it. And he often complained that something went missing after he entertained some collectors or customers of his musical instrument business or just curious people. His coin collection was no big secret and he took losses because of it.

 

I think that is the key. TC

 

I joined a coin club a little over a year ago. We meet once a month and a lot of us meet up at shows which are 1-2 times a month in our area. We help each other out with coin purchases by getting several opinions on a coin, etc. When it comes to bullion and how many coins we have everyone is pretty tight lipped. Bullion and coins are a pretty sensitive topic as far as quantity goes.

 

If you are meeting genuine collectors, you are probably OK. My wife and daughter know I collect -- and they know not to talk about it. The danger comes from telling a non collector friend whose drug-addled kid finds out about it. Before you know it, you can have a burglary or home invasion.