thisistheshow

It sounds like you will have plenty to do and enjoy with the hobby, even beyond buying. The idea of really studying what we already have can certainly keep us busy. 

Thank you for the links. I will check them out.

9 minutes ago, gherrmann44 said:

There is variety in thematic collecting. In my thematic sets I have combined worldwide coins, tokens, and medals into sets. No two pieces in any of my sets are the same. NGC encourages this type of registry collecting in their custom sets. Like type sets every one of these coins are different, maybe therein lies the key to my collecting passion, variety!

I do not know anything about the custom sets-other than that I think I read there were being changes. Where do I go for more information on these?

Gary, thank you for these thoughts. It sounds like you travelled far, literally and numismatically, to find your way. I like how much room there is in the idea of these thematic sets. I find this idea interesting and will consider it as I look to build my own collection. 

Thanks for sharing!

34 minutes ago, jgenn said:

I look forward to reading your future posts on this topic.  As for me, I'm in too far to do a reset now (or to put in another way, the bitter taste of my realized financial losses would likely keep me away for good).  My major mistakes were underestimating how deeply I would end up exploring this hobby and not having a solid collection goal in mind from the start.  They are sort of connected in that if I had foreseen how much I would end up spending, I certainly would have done a better job at focusing my collection efforts.  But my experiences trying to fill Whitman coin albums as a kid did not provide a good guide for the adult with actual disposable income.

This great hobby attracts those that only search through circulating coins to those that invest in coins as an asset class with lots of room in-between.  To me, enjoying this hobby means finding a comfortable spot in that spectrum that accommodates both your budget and numismatic interest.

Are you starting from scratch, having sold your earlier collection or will you bring a legacy collection forward? 

I have only been collecting for a few years, but my collecting was all over the place.  Sometime around  mid 2017, I decided that Washington quarters were my favorite US series. I ended up doing a low grade raw set of the silver issues. Unfortunately, mid 2018 I ran into some financial needs. I ended up selling that set, other than the two key dates, along with a lot of the rest of my collection.  I knew that I was selling for less than I could if I took my time and sold on eBay or some other places, but I was in a hurry. So in many ways I am starting from scratch, though I have a smattering of coins. 

9 minutes ago, Revenant said:

I think you're right in that a lot of us make mistakes early on but I also think there might be a little more to it than just making mistakes. Life, collecting, this hobby are a journey and there's a self-discovery aspect to that as well. I wouldn't be surprised if most of us, after 10-20 years of collecting, aren't collecting what we were collecting when we started out, partially just because, as we grew and aged, we discovered what we really liked and what really spoke to us as a collector. I think the biggest mistake I made in 2007-2009 was starting too many things that were interesting and seemed fun without stopping to think about what I'd actually have the time and money to be able to really pursue and do well. I didn't take the time to consider what I had the ability to realistically do and then ask myself what I wanted to do the most, what I would enjoy the most, and only do that to the extent that I could. That has left me with a number of half-finished projects that subsequently lost steam as I moved on to other things. I still have those sets / coins for the most part. I suppose I regret them to some degree but only because I think I would be in a place I'm happier with now if I'd maintained my focus better. I keep them around as much as anything now as a reminder to pick my battles and focus.

I really appreciate your insight. You make many excellent points here. The journey of collecting involves mistakes and change, some of which comes about because of those mistakes. 

15 hours ago, Revenant said:

Are you from Brazil originally then? If so, I wonder what brought you to Texas? In grad school most of our South American students were from Columbia because of a relationship that our school and our center had with some universities there. Texas is a very big place (albeit still less than 1/10th the size of Brazil), and the trip between Houston and DFW is quite a drive, but it's too short to make flying worth the effort.

The Journals have been one of my favorite aspects of the site since I joined in 2007, but I've been mostly away from the community for the last 8 or 9 years while I've gone through some changes in life. Especially as I've gotten older, I try to write only when I feel like I have something to say that others might find interesting. So thank you - it's always nice to hear that people like what I share. Hopefully you'll find you have something to share in that regard.

My wife is from Brazil. I am from Massachusetts. We met while both living in New York and we moved to Texas about 15 years ago. 

That's pretty neat-meeting up face to face. I just joined here, but I have been on other forums for a short while. I have not yet done that. But I would like to in the future. 

I am in the DFW area. I have been to Houston a few times to go to the Brazilian embassy, but never had a chance to check out the city. 

I have been perusing the older journal entries. It seems like a great feature of this site, and one I might just have to take advantage of soon. I see that you are quite active writing. I have enjoyed your few entries I read. Looking forward to more. 

Take care.