jtryka Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 I have been thinking for a little while that I have become far too unfocused as a collector lately. I've been buying virtually nothing for my sets, instead buying currency, darkside, just completely random coins etc. Perhaps it's time for a break, sell off a bunch of nonsense I've bought over the last year and eventually move back to my Saint set. How do you determine if it's time for a break? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banivechi Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 If the coins you've bougt are nice and cheap, what's the problem? Instead to have rolls of similar coins, diferring only by a date or mintmark, I ever prefer to have hundreds of different coins from different ages and countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 See the drought thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drusus Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 If the coins you've bougt are nice and cheap, what's the problem? Instead to have rolls of similar coins, diferring only by a date or mintmark, I ever prefer to have hundreds of different coins from different ages and countries. ditto, my collection is all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccg Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 I've got stuff in every field as well myself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dockwalliper Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 I blame it all on you guys. I was happy with my pennies,nickels, dimes and quarters until I was exposed to CP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burks Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 For me I will take a break when the hobby is no longer fun. If I can't go to a coin show and enjoy myself, it's time for a break. Heck, my Dansco 7070 has had one coin added to it this year (with 75% of the album still unfilled). Just found more things I enjoy collecting, even if they aren't for sets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belg_jos Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 I know the feeling. A sense of direction is fun, but on the other hand, I like the new stuff too. I start respecting more things that aren't in my interest too. I talk to more people, and not about my errors, like I used too. Now I can talk about anything, even currency and exonumia. Sometimes I feel a bit lost, but selling things doesn't help, I guess. I remember that I went through al of my worldcoins once, which I didn't collect, to make them into lots for the ebaymachine. After they were gone, I knew more about those coins, than I ever had (by looking up the KM numbers). Just a couple of weeks after that, I ended up buying my first worldcoins (on purpose ). Strange how things can go... Jos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just carl Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 The way I look at it is if at the far left it shows I've had thousands of posts, I spend to much time on coins, coin shows, coin forums. That to me means time for a break, go outside, use some of my old cars and put the tops down and go for a ride. Pull some weeds in my garden, go shooting guns with some friends, Even make something outdoors if needed or not. Just to old to spend what time left on one item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Laker Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 I've been buying virtually nothing for my sets, instead buying currency, darkside, just completely random coins etc. So where's the problem? Seems you have just broadened your strategy and collecting interests a bit. I have been collecting for over 30 years and have yet to complete a single set of anything. I enjoy the idea of attending an event with absolutely no gameplan. Just buy what catches my eye that particular day. It seems to be working since at no point in that 30+ years have I ever tired or lost interest in collecting and I continue to be thrilled whenever I venture through my collection and inspect all the different varieties, errors, denom., foreign, ancient, currency, etc. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 Sometimes I take mini-breaks from the hobby and take up dormant hobbies, like re-creating the whole VVS so I can have my own Red Air Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted June 1, 2007 Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 Sometimes a break is a good thing. Gives you a chance to rethink and then return to part of the hobby with renewed enthusiasm. It's easy for me to get lured into new areas and I end up with my "resources" spread all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drusus Posted June 1, 2007 Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 I dont take breaks, I just try to keep it in perspective, its a pass time...nothing more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vfox Posted June 1, 2007 Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 My collecting is ALL over the place, and I once took a break a while back and sold EVERYTHING that wasn't in my particular collecting field. Let me tell you, I regret doing it. I sold all my world coins, even ones I liked, all my currency, US and non, and every low grade example of anything I owned. My collection literally fit in small shoe box. My collection has gotten to the point now where I have coins basically all over the place, in fact there are 4 colonial pennies, a 1/4 anna, a silver quarter, a bus token, 2 wheat backs, a bag of 1000 foriegn coins, a silver 5 mark, and a 63 barr star note sitting at random spots just on this computer desk. Like I said, all over in collecting, and my house, lol. But seriously Jeff, I was so super focused on my type coins that I nearly lost interest. Then I slowly started buying cheap junk bin coins, then some world coins, then some currency, and boom I was having a blast. Yes my collection is all over the place and lacks focus, but I am enjoying myself 1000 times more than I was just a few years ago. If you still want to refocus, this is what I suggest. Sell your dupes, and things you've lost complete interest in. But something you've been interested in and still like, place it aside, and let it sit for a few months. When you come back to it, if it doesn't spark your interest, then sell it. (Even worse is when you completely forget you ever owned it, lol). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Orc Posted June 3, 2007 Report Share Posted June 3, 2007 When you are not getting any enjoyment from hunting down the coins you need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustin43160 Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 well if were you i wouldnt take a break if i had the money but mean its up to you i collect any con i can fnd and afford my latest purchase is a 2007 silver buffalo round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rittenhouse Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Don't take a break...re-focus. The costs of being unfocused in collecting are possibly worse than being undisciplined in your 401K or IRA. In both cases you wind up with poor return. With coins you end up with A LOT of money scattered with no purpose and thus poor enjoyment to boot. Some years ago I had occansion to talk with a gent whose main interest was early copper. But he had drifted into myriad other things that had caught his eye. He lamented that his LC collection was stale and missing all or the truly rare pieces. I went over to his place and reviewed what he had. I found enuf nice but non-core stuff to more than cover a 1799 S188 and 189, 1804, 1821 adn 1823. Focus is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 It never hurts to pause from time-to-time and I believe it is a normal part of collecting. I have a few things that have built up in the past couple of months while my attention turned to travel and processing photos from my trip (www.flickr.com/photos/wdhyder -- the South Africa set still in progress). I also finished and submitted three articles in the past few months. I'm ready to recharge for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 This thread is terrifically heartening. I started out buying US types, maniacally hunting down bits and pieces even if I didn't particularly like that coin. Then out of curiosity I bought a few odd-looking coins off a bid board, spent a few weeks of furious research trying to figure out what they were, discovered they were French and Nuremberg jetons... Then I sold the US types and went nuts into French royals, 19th-c. and jetons. (I teach French language and literature.) I've loved every minute, balancing between impulse buying (a coin just too interesting to pass up) and filling slots when it's advantageous to do so. And now I'm back to US types, but from the ground up --going slowly, researching (which is most of the fun) and doing lots of comparison shopping. I just joined Coin People, and obviously I think I've made a good decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I just joined Coin People, and obviously I think I've made a good decision. More than you know. Welcome to coinpeople. There's a pretty dedicated Jeton collector here among us. I bet you can reminisce (sp?) with him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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