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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ewomack, post: 2459978, member: 15588&quot;]My pet peeves about the hobby...</p><p><br /></p><p>1. The emphasis the hobby press puts on extreme rarities that cost millions of dollars and remain obtainable only by the very few - I think this can make the hobby look out of reach or intimidating to younger potential collectors or to newcomers - honestly, the famous 1913 Liberty Nickels have little to no relevance for most collectors and I found the experience of seeing one (at ANA HQ) underwhelming. It&#039;s too distant, abstract and intangible for me, like wanting to own the Mona Lisa, date Marilyn Monroe or buy a house on Mars.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The generally unwelcoming attitude the hobby has to newcomers. I know this makes sense on some level and that other fields suffer the same flaw, but as I hear and read more and more worried opinions that the hobby is alienating young or new collectors, I keep seeing more evidence why the hobby alienates these people. I see it in coin shops, at coins shows, at coin clubs, on coin forums and just about everywhere I interact with coins and numismatics. Of course, this is only a generalization and I also see plenty examples of the opposite behavior. But it&#039;s something the hobby (or industry) ignores at its own peril. The hobby and collectors in general should show more compassion and patience towards new arrivals.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The repeated statement that the hobby is not about money but really about fun when it really seems to be mostly about money (somewhat related to #1). It&#039;s fundamentally a business and to pretend it&#039;s not just denies that many people look to coins as investments, status symbols or as displays of wealth, education or sophistication. It&#039;s completely possible to collect coins for fun, of course, but it&#039;s pretty difficult to collect seriously without at least some disposable income or an investment in numismatic education. Whether coins are in fact a good investment is a different issue, but sometimes they can be and this possibility probably attracts more people to the hobby than other factors.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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