What can we do to save the Hobby

I came across this web page, eye opener about coins being made in China.


http://coins.about.com/od/worldcoins/ig/Chinese-Counterfeiting-Ring/

What can we do to save the hobby from such folks, I read where that some one called secret service and it did help.

 

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learn as much as u can .. dont buy raw coins off of auction sites , and get certified, and teach history..lol and help stamp out counterfeiting

 

The hobby is safe and there is nothing to worry about with Replica coins made in China.

 

The information in that article is over 3 years old. It has been discussed here and other places many, many times. Laws in the US have no effect in China (where it is perfectly legal to counterfeit coins dated prior to 1949). The bottom line is you (the collector) must educate yourself so you will not be taken by Chinese counterfeits.

 

What rock did you crawl out from under?

 

Q: What can we do to save the hobby?

A: Buy from reputable dealers.

TC

 

Education is the only way. It not only stops scammers in this hobby but it is proven to eliminate many other things in life as well, it is a huge problem solver, too bad most don't realize this or care. I can't go any further, I'll start ranting and break the rules of the forum.

 

eBay has started it's part. By Feb. 20 this year it no longer allows auction and BIN listings for copies and replica coins of genuine U.S. Mint products.

That's a step in the right direction.

There needs to be more enforcement of the HPA.

Elimination of private individuals making their own dies and striking over genuine U.S. Mint products.

Etc, etc.

 

And there will be peace in our time.

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

 

ahhhhhh, rigggghhhhhttttt...

 

All motorists will use their turn signals.

 

Educate ourselves, help educate others and introduce as many young people to the hobby as we can.

 

As long as there are collectors who rank getting a "rip" as their prime goal in life, there will be scammers willing to take advantage of them. Greed Kills ( or at least badly wounds).

Education on properties of real vs. counterfeit
Tools which can differentiate ~ magnifier, weighing devices, calipers, comparison resources, etc.
Attitude. If you do make a mistake, don't take it out on yourself or others, correct the situation or keep it for study.
Network. Know where you can get help and accurate information ~ from club members,dealers, forums , or TPGs.

 

I think saving the hobby should be more so focusing on getting younger people interested in numismatics and coin collecting. Although I've had jars of coins for years as my father was an avid metal detectorist and have since acquired more coins through inheriting and will acquire even more from my wife's grandmother who has loads as her families history dates back to the founding on America has members that fought in the revolution, civil war, etc. There is one thing that I see as a big put off for younger people and has bothered me since becoming more serious about collecting and not just stacking bullion. This hobby really reminds me of fly fisherman to make a comparison now not all fly fisherman are this way and not all collectors are but a good majority I've encountered have an attitude of superiority much as if you were fishing with a spin cast and they are fly fishing and that their better than you being new collectors. This is probably the biggest reason why new collectors get turned off from this hobby. Frankly most collectors and dealers, etc I encounter seem like baby boomers or around that age and a lot come off as rude and condescending if your younger. Everyone has to start somewhere and I think a lot of knowledgeable people instead of sharing their wonderful knowledge in a teaching fashion use it in a different manner. Personally I think this is a big factor in this being a dying hobby much like my other hobbies fishing/hunting, the younger generation doesn't take an interest because who wants to deal with grumpy grandpa when they can just go play video games. Even in families where a hobbyist has amassed a nice collection you usually though not always see an immediate sell off on the death of the hobbyist, why is this? I know some people just like extra money but if you think about it it's probably because these people aren't taking the time to nurture and share this wonderful hobby with others even with their own love ones and instead come off as rude, arrogant and unapproachable. As someone that's learning myself I see threads where another noob will post a coin in excitement that they found something unique maybe excited on if it's valuable and you don't see many posts saying 'yeah nice coin that's sure unique....although it doesn't carry much of a premium it's still a nice piece to add to your collection and save' instead you see 'not worth anything extra, carries no premium, etc' These types of cold responses whether realized or not damper budding excitement and perhaps turn someone off from starting to take more interest in collecting a coin may not be valuable but think back to when you found something exciting that excitement drives interest and at least kindling the embers versus snuffing the fire out may turn someone from curious to serious. I think this more so than the problem of counterfeits is the greatest threat to this hobby, I mean look at how many traditions and such that have died out because they weren't passed on. I think maybe taking the time to not just collect coins but try and share this hobby with someone else would go a long way towards ensuring it's survival because if there's no one to collect the coins who cares whether they are counterfeit or not. The refiner's not going to smelt up grandpa's collection of counterfeits he knows better but he will gladly smelt up the silver, etc losing coins forever and pass on the cash to the family members versus the coins themselves being saved and passed on because no one took the time and right approach to pass on the excitement and knowledge of the hobby as well.

 

Paragraphs are your friend.

 

And
There will be no more accidents in the world. There will be no more people will illness, etc.
lol.

 

Vote out spendthrift politicians of any political stripe and boycott all nasty Chinese products, not just coins.

 

Pass a law making the slabbing of modern bullion a criminal offense. Have you seen how many slabbed 2012 ASEs are for sale on ebay and the various dealer sites? Geez! I mean, what's the point? Now, I can get a 2012 MS70 in 5 different NGC labels. I hope the people who buy those things get kissed first.

 

There ya go! Gotta love the treehugger.