Women and coin collecting

it's better for the couple to get along with a different hobby between them. i collect coins. she collect shoes. i attend coin show. she attend fashion show. is that o.k.?.

 

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You gals need to get to know Charmy Harker, The Penny Lady. Shes is as knowledgable as anybody, and a player in the market. I am sure it would be great to hear her stories.

I met her in Phoenix at the ANA show and since become good friends and " poker buddies" with her. I do remember walking away from her table saying to myself, " Dam*, that gal knows her coins " !!

 

My wife has some interest, but I doubt she would have become interested by herself. We just like doing things together. Kind of like our whitewater trips... she's not wired for Big Water, but she's willing to come along so we can be together.

No, Elaine.

As Doug pointed out earlier, men and women are wired differently. We simply are not the same, regardless of how much coercion tries to insist we are. We aren't.

There is no reason to believe that men and women will ever be equally interested in coin collecting, auto mechanics, or shopping for shoes.

Men and women have dramatically different interests and tendencies, and this explains why some things are mostly women and other things are dominated by men. This contradicts the "oppression model" of victimhood, which needs an indecent burial.

I'm an engineer. I've been told for almost 30 years that "women are taking over" the field. And yet, today, there are fewer female graduates of engineering schools than 10 years ago. From a high of 37%, women are now barely 25% and dropping.

The same is true in business schools. A recent study of the top 20 MBA graduate schools in the country showed that every one of them was at least 2:1 men, and many were 3:1 men. Does anyone believe this has anything to do with a lack of opportunity for women in education ? Rubbish.

The gender gap is widening, back to it's natural state. Women are less and less willing to be coerced into things they don't enjoy just to satisfy someone's ideology.

No, Elaine.


Women have been 51% of the electorate for many more decades than any of us have been alive, and yet the vast majority of elected officials are men. That's not opinion, it's fact. Worldwide. Take a look at the next meeting of the UN Security Council. Almost all men.

The UK had a female PM 25 years ago, and hasn't had another one since.

Am I willing to vote for a female for president ? Yes. But very few people look to women for strength and protection, and I think subconsciously that's what we look for in the #1 leader.

We tend to see heroism and strength as male attributes... because disproportionately they ARE male attributes.

On September 11th, 327 rescue workers died so that others may live. 324 of them - more than 99% - were men. Fact.

Sports is a classic example. There is no reason to believe women will ever be able to compete directly with men in most sports. 36 years ago, 29 year old Billie Jean King played Bobby Riggs : a washed-up has-been twice her age. The agenda-driven media made much of it, though it clearly had no legitimate sporting value.

And yet, today, women do not compete directly with men in sports.

The reason is obvious and irrefutable. As a group, men outperform women in sports.

Why didn't Billie Jean King, the reigning Wimbledon champ, play the reiging Men's Wimbledon champ ? Why did she play a washed-up old hustler twice her age ?

It 's obvious. She would have gotten blown away.

I am not financially controlled by a woman. I am not, and cannot be, controlled in any way by any woman.

I would never associate with a "controlling" woman.

 

What he said !!!! LOL
Pretty good 900

 

Hi, I am a female coin dealer but also a collector, and yes, we are an exception (almost an anomaly) to the coin world. However, I didn't know that when I first got started, but nor did it really bother me. I have always loved collecting things. So when I received a nice collection of coins from my aunt, I ended up loving them, especially the Indian cent - and that started my love affair with coins!

I agree that it can be an enjoyable hobby for both sexes, and that it would be wonderful if more women were involved with coins. It always amuses me when I'm behind my table at coin shows and people, usually men, ask me "Your husband has a nice inventory of Indian and Lincoln cents - do you know when he'll return?" Since my husband doesn't share my interest in coins, I have other coin friends who like to help me at shows (they too are male). My favorite one is when someone (again, usually male) comes to my table wanting to see a coin, and they invariably direct their inquiry to my male coin friend who is assisting me, even though I'm standing right there looking at them. My friend smiles, points to me, and says "she's the boss!" I can't tell you how many times at one coin show this happens. But now that I'm doing more shows and becoming a little more known, it happens less often.

Any way, it's very nice to have another female join the coin world. If I may suggest, you might want to join WIN (Women In Numismatics) - it's a great organization to help you network with other coin women - both young and old. And I would be happy to help you with any questions you may have as well. Welcome! Charmy

 

Oh, how I can relate! I really cannot complain, she tollerates my coin purchases at shows very well. I just keep reminding her they are also an investment. I doubt she believes me though.

 

No, very good 900! And besides that, Elaine, women have always been an integral part of the hobby; look at how long the PCGS girls have been around!

 

I guess I haven't quite realised that the disparity is so great. At the monthly coin club meeting there are several women that attend, not because of their husbands, but because they are collectors in their own right. Most notable is one of the members of our little dinner group that meets before each meeting. Pru Fitts is an ANA governor and is teaching several of the mini courses being offered at this year' ANA summer series. Pru has more knowledge about byzantine coins than i could ever hope to know.

Richard

 

Completely true. At many coin shows I've seen dealers that have a wife with them and she has on display jewlery. Smart move. When a male brings his wife or girl friend to a coin show, they are usually bored so they head for a table with Jewlery. Same at gun shows, knife shows, computer shows. Women just normally don't care to make a hobby of collecting STUFF.
In most, naturally not all, households, women do the shopping, cooking, washing, sewing, cleaning and then of course there is that very small, little noticed thing called raising children. Most, not all, men come home from work and play with thier hobbies.
At any coin show it is very uncommon to see a women of any age. And too most coin shows, gun shows, etc are on weekends. Usually on a Sunday. Most women, not all naturally, find it is better to go to Church, wash cloths, possibly cut the grass, wash the car, take the kids to an amusement park.
I just don't know why they can't find time for our hobbies?

 

Wow, Carl - things have changed a bit for the younger generation. I think they would be rightly offended if they were relegated 100% to the chores you listed.

 

Ditto, and not just the younger generation!

 

No one doubts that an individual woman can be a terrific numismatist. My wife is. That's why we roll together. I spot things she misses, and she spots things I miss.

'Twixt the two of us, we make one heck of a team.

It has nothing to do with time. It has everything to do with inclination.

My wife has plenty of time, and is the first to say so. Our youngest was off to school in 1992. Ever since then, she has been a "stay-at-home mom" with no "stay-at-home" kids. She has loads of time. She freely admits she has the most low-stress existence any one can imagine.

Don't take my word for it. Ask the producers of shows like Oprah and Judge Judy. They know many, many women have plenty of discretionary time.

Carl... many of us men are very, very involved with our children after very stressful workdays.

 

There are certainly many serious coin collectors, and coin dealers, who also happen to be women.
The percentage, as compared to their male counterprts, is very small, because most women view coins as a way to make exact change, and not as a way to further their education, relax and unwind or enjoy the hunt.

Women are very different from the rest of us. :kewl:

 

I have been delegated 100% of the auto maintenance, 90% of the lawn maintenance, and 100% of the paycheck providence. Should I be "rightly offended" ?

If men are expected to cook :eat: and wash dishes (as I do), I think it's time women change the car's oil, put roofs on houses, and help build the roads.

 

I think this string is getting way off target and is putting a negative spin on Elaine's post. There's no need to get into the age old argument about men and women's roles here. As GDJMSP said, I think both can equally enjoy collecting hobbies, no matter what they collect and whether they are traditionally associated with either gender. The interest in collecting is either in you or not. But for whatever reason, coin collecting seems to have traditionally been associated with men who pass on their knowledge more to boys, but I think that is changing as I do see more and more young women getting into this hobby. As I mentioned earlier, I was introduced into this hobby by my aunt. Any way, I hope I speak for all of us, we would welcome most any species to enjoy coins with us!

 

Hey Catbert, what are you talking about? Now I'm offended. It's my job to cut the grass!

 

Carl, you know the old saying. God made women beautiful so that men would be attracted to them, and God made women stupid so they would be attracted to men.

 

I got back from the Rochester show this afternoon. There were a lot of women there, some were helping their dealer husbands, and others browsing, shopping etc.

 

That's good to hear!

 

Mary Sauvain knows as much about coins as any man I have met. She was an authenticator/grader when ANACS was owned by the ANA. She is a dealer. She has been an instructor at ANA Summer Seminar grading courses for over 20 years. (She was one of my instructors in both Basic and Intermediate Grading.)