I have to agree with the history part. It's what fascinates me most. I'm also very drawn to the artistic part of coins. I used to love to wander around the museums in NY looking at the paintings and such. The sculptures and armor held a great fascination for me. Still do. I do view coins as miniature works of art.
I still do not agree with the buy the keys first, buy the best grade, etc. I personally would rather have all of the common dates of a series in the condition that I desire and be missing the keys than the other way around. If I had to wait and save to purchase the keys to get going, I'd not be a collector.