I got to take a break from collecting for maybe a few days. The addiction to coins is stressing lol. Trying to keep up promises on trades, when you still need to get postage. I highly doubt I'll be able to stay away for even an hour.
It is good to take breaks. I've found myself more enthused about the hobby then ever after a long dry spell.
That may have come off sounding harsh...and I didn't mean it that way, more just tongue-in-cheek. Sometimes I force myself to stop looking as to not make my finances stressed!
It sounds like you need to exercise something that lots of youngsters, and lots of adults, struggle with, and that's patience. You don't need to complete your collection today, or tomorrow or next week. Take your time, kick back a little and enjoy the ride. The fun in collecting isn't the destination, it's the journey.
My biggest problem. I know. It's a habit. And that is the best speech I've ever heard. Is it okay if I quote that?
Lol, yes its borrowed. Its been around forever. However, its true. This is why most collectors never wish to buy a complete collection. Ask any dealer. They buy a complete set of something and have to break it up to sell it for the maximum price. Collectors want to pleasure of the chase. A completed collection is anti-climactic, its not very fun. When you finally get that last piece, its not a sense of accomplishment as much as worry about what you will collect next that you feel. So just enjoy the journey OP. One suggestion is to start reading about a COMPLETELY different numismatic subject than you deal with now. If you only collect nickels, read about quarters. If you collect US coins read about paper money, or 19th century British, or ancient Romans. Broaden your horizons. You do not have to buy any, but reading about a whole new numismatic area is fun and exciting, and can be free.
Yeah, and its even worst if you are a world or ancient collector. US coins are at least possible. I have sets of books like the BM on Greek coins. 33 books with hundreds of coins per book, and its not very uncommon to see coins listed as "not in BM". US coins its possible with a large enough checkbook, for ancients it literally is impossible to collect all types, let alone varieties.
Not really unless you get into hyper obscure definitions of the word variety. In ancients, I am talking about varieties like different animal control marks, different direction something is facing, etc. In the US they have every dang die listed as a "variety" for early coins. US coins, (which I started with and still own), are the most hyper-collected coins on earth. They truly make mountains out of molehills in US numismatics because we have such little history here.