Lurker Who Has Decided They Really Ought To Participate

Hello all,

I collected coins as a kid, then as a college student (including grad school), I was too poor to buy anything and too short on time to hunt coin rolls. Now, over twenty years later, I finally have some time and funds to pursue coins that I coveted as a teen.

I have been reading posts on this forum for a few months now. I really appreciate what is being attempted here. Frankly, I could have gotten restarted sooner, but I was scared to get back into numismatics because of the fakes flooding the market nowadays. I thought I had no chance at being successful in avoiding the fakes or altered coins. On a wild whim, I started stacking silver a couple of years ago. I quickly found generic silver bars boring! 90%, if I could get it at near melt, was much more fun! And I happened to meet a part-time, honest coin dealer in my area, which is surprising considering the low population density around here. My downfall was when that fellow sold me his last 7070... Then a few more Dansco albums... And in that random box of foreign coins he didn't have time to sort, I discovered glorious, huge copper pennies of the UK and Australia, as well as French coinage. Focus is going to be a challenge for me. Bet you couldn't guess that, huh?

Thanks to the dealer, print resources, and online resources such as this, I have been learning how to ease back into coin collecting. I also pick wild mushrooms for consumption. In that hobby, if you are unsure of something, you leave it alone. The same mentality seems to apply here, though the danger is not quite the same. Reading the forum discussions about authenticity of particular specimens allows me to assess whether or not I am ready to buy a particular type of coin on my own, or whether I should stick with vetted sources or slabbed coins (Trade dollars!).

Without knowledge and help from others, I wouldn't have any business picking mushrooms or coins. This forum has already helped me, and I hope to be a constructive contributor to the forum in due time.