Coin Collectors Female Or Male?

I definitely think there is something in the way that a man thinks that lends itself to coin collecting. Keeping in mind that I have been told often that I "think like a man", I think it has to do with the black-and-white aspect of it along with the cataloging and organization. Collections like coins and sports cards can be done in a very organized manner with price lists to work with for worth. Men seem to like collections that are more "concrete" with a recognized market.

Many women that I know collect things that do not have hard-and-fast collectible prices. There don't tend to be many catalogs or price guides. These collections may seem more haphazard (not saying that they are). Women seem to be more open to collecting many different things with less emphasis on the market value than on the instrinsic value. Obviously, there are exceptions to this and these are only my observations.

NUKE the Mozzie!!!

I am definitely the sort of woman who collects things more haphazardly and without regard to future market potential. For me to collect something, it has to have emotional or intellectual value for me, and the monetary value doesn't really come into it except to the extent that it limits what I can buy. I'm the sort who is disappointed whenever coin values go up because it means that my coin-buying dollar won't go as far. Lately, it has affected what I will consider buying, and it makes me grateful that I had the foresight to buy certain things before the price went up. My 1909S-VDB cent has more than doubled in value. Oddly, I wish it hadn't. This is because I wouldn't mind getting a second one, but I don't want to pay today's prices for it. The thought of selling my collection hasn't ever crossed my mind. I'm too emotionally attached to it. I would probably let myself descend into some real financial hardship before I would sell anything; in fact, during times when I was financially strapped, I still bought coins. Somehow I found the money.

Computer games... I have had some interest in them since the early 1980's, but I have never been attracted to the ones that involve a lot of fighting or competition. I never got into D&D, but I got into computer role-playing games that were obviously influenced by the D&D concept. My favorite to this day is Ultima VII. It's well over ten years old now, but I've never found one that I like better. It is heavy on philosophy and light on fighting.

Longnine, there may be something to what you say about people projecting parts of their personalities onto objects. Like most people, I have to change to adapt to the rigid environment of the workplace. My true personality needs other outlets, and the coins I am most drawn to (as well as many other things) somehow reflect who I am. Symbolic devices, such as Miss Liberty and the gods and personified concepts found on Greek and Roman coins, appeal greatly to me. Many of these devices reflect my own personality. I am also drawn to powerful women from history, such as the family members of Roman emperors - often the powers behind the throne - and, of course, Elizabeth I of England. I'm not really after power myself, but I do appreciate having these female role models throughout history, and it is nice to have an object with a direct connection to them.

I guess people approach collecting, computer games, and other hobbies from different standpoints. There are always numerous reasons why a person could get involved in something.

Heather

quote:

---

Originally posted by longnine009


This thread is taking a interesting twist. What about Jung's ideas on the projection of unconscious contents into matter? I absolutly believe we are seeing part of our own surpressed personalities in coins. Such as Jung's Shadow Archtype--contents people surpress because they believe they are bad or evil as well as good things that they refuse to acknowledge exist in them. Could we be seeing those things about ourselves in blast white vs toning? Good things about ourselves we don't think are there in--Abe Lincoln? Rebellion or anti-rebellion in Civil War tokens? Why is there so much interest in Miss Liberty? What exactly is it that is "Rebelling against the Crown"--(ego)?

---

I tend to be drawn to coins not with liberty on them, I don't generally give two stuffs about liberty or any other portrayal of that nature. I tend to go in big time for coins with Kings, Queens and Emperors on them. Ones with really ornate shields and crowns that just ooze royalness, one's from absolutist monarchies like France appeal all the more. I guess I'm less rebelling against the crown but openly endorsing feudalism. Which is why I get a real buzz off of medieval coins, especially of the harsh oppressive Normans.

I also like Roman coins in a big way; especially of Emperors; Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, Domitian, and all other 'despotic' power crazed emperors. Good emperors such as Marcus Aurelius hold little to no appeal for me.

Same when watching films I always end up liking the bad guys more than the good guys... go Darth Vader!

Supressed imperialistic pro-feudal tension perhaps?

[quote]Originally posted by Ætheling
Ones with really ornate shields and crowns that just ooze royalness, one's from absolutist monarchies like France appeal all the more.

Sounds like a good time to bring up narcissism and the two Daves. Narcissism is yet another thing that *we are told* is bad. Just as we are told fear and greed are bad. IMO, it is *measures* methods and applications that determine whether something is bad or "evil" or not. Doesn't greed also overcome risk aversion? Doesn't fear reduce the risk of being too greedy? And doesn't narcissism also help give someone confidence? But we are told, with Chinese torture regularity, these things, in and of themselves are bad, bad, bad. So we suppress them. We don't believe they are in us, it's not there, I'm perfect. So it all must be seen for what it really is in shadow projections. As coin collectors we see it everyday in the two Daves.

For all the digs that go towards David Hall he *is* a very clever man. He apparently was looking in the mirror one morning and saw a heap of narcissism. He didn't pretend that it wasn't there, he embraced it. Indeed he made it into business model with registry sets. I doubt he's anymore narcissistic than anyone else, he just figured out a way to turn it to his advantage. He's a wonderful Shadow Archetype projected upon in a negative way. As is his necessary opposite David Bowers--the humble, down to earth, numismatical writing dude--projected upon in a positive way. They are the Shadows of each other.

This is why I believe, so strongly, that interest in darkside coins in America is going to be the shocker in years to come. Because we are a manic, narcissistic nation. Our last president and our current president are the most (and *equally*) narcissistic men to sit in the white house. But it's no surprise at all. We put them there. THEY ARE US!

Darkside coins are the humble, down to earth, "joe sixpack" coins. Much like Dave Bowers himself, they will come to be admired by people. As will other humble objects such as tokens, "ugly" toned coins, and circulated coins.

Sorry if I sound "un-patriotic" when I accuse us of being narcissistic, but it doesn't matter. No one's else's opinion matters except mine. I am from the boomer generation which is the most narcissistic generation to ever walk this planet. So no one has to believe what I say. You just have OBEY ME!

I used to be conceited, but now I'm perfect.

I think, in a layman terms, many U.S. collectors are tired of having the same bunch of politicians shoved down our throats and crossing the border for new adventures is a natural turn for those who really must have more. The internet has given us what the U.S. mail and the telephone couldn't and more and more people are climbing on board to find new beauty, new culture, new history (they don't teach much in U.S. schools), new friends and on and on and on....! My only regrets is that I waited so long in life to get interested but then again it took most of my life for the internet to put everything right before my eyes. So many coins and so little time!!!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mike

analysis?

---

Ya, Ya, vee make an appointment for you Herr Mike, ya? LOL

Now that I think of it Freud had some comments about collectors. I don't remember what they were, but I don't believe they were very flattering.

I agree with Crystalk about the Internet. People are going to start collecting whatever they feel like collecting in whatever way they feel like it because they can.

But I also believe the Internet is doing far more than that. It's allowing *broad* and rapid communications between coin collectors. This forum is a perfect example.

In the past, say, 20 years ago we *were told* what other collectors liked and why and there for what we should collect and why. When you look at books from the past you see things like collectors don't like dark coins or tarnished coins, they only like brilliant coins. Or collectors only like Uncirculated coins etc. Or we collect coins to learn history. I always wondered why someone had to buy coins to learn history? Couldn't you just go down to the public library and find all the history you wanted, for free? I don' collect tokens and coins to learn history, I learn history to learn about tokens and coins. I also like "ugly tarnished" coins and I *hate* uncirculated coins. I agree that collectors do like quality, but what is quality? Who decides what quality is? And why do they get to decide at all?

It's not like that with the Internet. Now everyone can say what they believe to be true about themselves and in the process everyone else can read it and in the process realized that maybe they're not crazy after all. Look what this collector is doing, look what this guy is collecting, etc etc.

No one really has a monopoly anymore on "what is" and why.

Did anyone see the picture on the front page of CoinWorld in the Jan 23 issue? It's a picture of Halperin, Leidman, Hall, Bowers, Travers and Kagin at the the FUN show at the discussion for 100 point grading, which apparently was scraped. Look at their faces. These are Top Guns in coin collecting and they look thoroughly dazed and confused. I wasn't there to see how this all transpired or what could cause such looks on people. But I do know 20 years they just said we're expanding the MS grades to 11 points, trust us you like it. And what was anyone who though maybe they won't like it suppose to do about it? Write a letter to a publication where it would be printed long after the fact?

*Real time* reaction and opposition from collectors to 100 point grading is, IMO, why it was scraped. I would still like to know why those guys are wearing those looks though. Surely they knew what the reaction was before it even started? After all, it was all over the *INTERNET.*

What's wrong with anarchy?