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What's so special about coins?

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I sent a package today for consignment and it was the first time I ever felt too connected to a possession. Instead of sending off the coin I sent some 1/1 football cards. Its kind of funny, I felt the coin couldn't be replaced , but I sent a unique 1/1 item that certainly can't be replaced instead. Anyways I wanted to see who all here feels to connected to there coins?

 

 

Here is the coin I removed from the package and put it back in a safe spot

 

 

IMG_20131012_225334_zpsb2f787ad.jpg

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Well, there's no doubt that your quarter there has more intrinsic value than any card. Silver plays a major role in industry and finance. Football cards don't.

 

But even if it wasn't silver, I think you still would have picked the coin. So I guess we're back to your original question, 'what's so special about coins?"

 

I was actually thinking about myself several weeks ago: What is it about coins that I like so much? Well (this is gonna get a little personal) but one reason coins are special to me is because I believe collecting coins has made me a much less critical and more easy-going person. How's that?

 

Well, I believe that coins have acted as an outlet for my critical nature. I can be a particular as I want about the coins in my collection. And the more critical I am, the better my collection becomes. So for me, coins have acted as a black hole of sorts for criticism. I can endlessly dump all of my criticism into coins and my collection only gets better. So yeah, I feel quite connected to my coins.

 

But yeah, people have been collecting coins for quite a long time. So I suspect there's a psychological generalization that links the personalities of coin collectors. What that is, I don't know. But I think we're all a little bit of a perfectionist.

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dimefreak - it's all about the emotional connection and that was why you changed your mind. That connection is strong and I can appreciate why this wowza quarter grabbed your heartstrings. That vivid color is amazing.

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If you actually discover the answer to this it might rock the foundations of the universe.

 

Why do people collect anything? The answer is probably multi-factorial.

 

It's a bit more than just liking shiny things. Maybe we see it as a way to create order from chaos (filling that last album hole), having something rare & desirable, having bragging rights (the crux of the registry programs), enjoyment of the history, as a way to speculate in the coin market, as a way to create a legacy (often lost on others), as a business, or maybe it's just a way to participate in some small way in the "hobby of kings."

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"it might rock the foundations of the universe."

 

nah. it's probably just a psychological trait that compels people to collect. to rock the foundation of the universe, you'd need to prove something like the hypothesis of a variable light speed.

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Here's a very simplified explaination.

 

http://nationalpsychologist.com/2007/01/the-psychology-of-collecting/10904.html

 

Also,

When collecting becomes a desperate and misguided attempt to deal with unresolved emotional issues, a line is crossed. No longer a liberating psychic activity and a means to a fuller life, it becomes a psychological straight jacket. Such collecting is a poisonous vine that can wind around relationships, work and financial stability, choking out joy, self-esteem and quality of life. Then the things we own end up owning us.

[April Benson, “Collecting as Pleasure and Pain,” New York Times, December 30, 2011. Ms Benson is a psychologist who specializes in the study and treatment of compulsive buying disorders.]

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Personally, I do not feel emotionally attached to any coin that I currently possess and any emotion expressed is simply an augmentation of really liking that fact that I have them/it.

 

Everything is available for a price which includes my "everythings" since none of my "everythings" is nothing more than something that someday, someone will have to dispose of in one way or another.

 

Having said that, I can take anyone of my "collected coins" and if needed, use them to feed my family or myself by spending them at the appropriate facility.

 

I cannot do the same with a Football Card or Postage Stamp or even a rare Ferrari. Each would have to be sold at an appropriate venue after a set amount of time before the financial rewards could be used to feed my family or myself.

 

Kind of a simplistic view but it is what it is.

 

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If you actually discover the answer to this it might rock the foundations of the universe.

 

Why do people collect anything? The answer is probably multi-factorial.

 

It's a bit more than just liking shiny things. Maybe we see it as a way to create order from chaos (filling that last album hole), having something rare & desirable, having bragging rights (the crux of the registry programs), enjoyment of the history, as a way to speculate in the coin market, as a way to create a legacy (often lost on others), as a business, or maybe it's just a way to participate in some small way in the "hobby of kings."

I thought that's horse racing. Oh no, that's the "sport of kings." I guess kings need hobbies, too, though.

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If you actually discover the answer to this it might rock the foundations of the universe.

 

Why do people collect anything? The answer is probably multi-factorial.

 

It's a bit more than just liking shiny things. Maybe we see it as a way to create order from chaos (filling that last album hole), having something rare & desirable, having bragging rights (the crux of the registry programs), enjoyment of the history, as a way to speculate in the coin market, as a way to create a legacy (often lost on others), as a business, or maybe it's just a way to participate in some small way in the "hobby of kings."

 

You sure hit the nail on the head with this response.

 

I might add that it takes my mind off of worries and does 'create order from chaos'. I love the history, rarity, beauty and investment potential. I like the fellowship between collectors and enjoy when I can teach or inspire someone else in a positive way. 2c

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Here's a very simplified explaination.

 

http://nationalpsychologist.com/2007/01/the-psychology-of-collecting/10904.html

 

Also,

When collecting becomes a desperate and misguided attempt to deal with unresolved emotional issues, a line is crossed. No longer a liberating psychic activity and a means to a fuller life, it becomes a psychological straight jacket. Such collecting is a poisonous vine that can wind around relationships, work and financial stability, choking out joy, self-esteem and quality of life. Then the things we own end up owning us.

[April Benson, “Collecting as Pleasure and Pain,” New York Times, December 30, 2011. Ms Benson is a psychologist who specializes in the study and treatment of compulsive buying disorders.]

 

Very interesting. I wonder how many of us have repetitive acquisition syndrome? ;-)

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Collecting as a hobby - possibly any hobby - is a non-threatening alternative to daily pressure and routine. That is good for the individual and for those with whom they associate.

 

It becomes toxic when we introduce the same emotional and interaction issues that make work stressful, or try to convert a hobby into a business.

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