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 Replies: 18 / Views: 3,379 |
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Pillar of the Community
7234 Posts |
Never have as my area has never had one. Actually there is only one Coin Dealer in the surrounding area with not having to drive 40 miles round trip! But living in the country does have it's benefits!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
531 Posts |
Yup, even started one where I live now.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
I imagine one club can be better than the next but I've been a member in 5 Coin Clubs since the early 1980's, but only really active in two. Sometimes, a couple years can go by where I kind of drift away. The one I have been in now for over 30 years has had some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. I try to keep my mouth shut during business meetings. There are certain people who like to run the club and we voted them in so it's either aye or nay and I usually go with the majority in votes. The best part is before the meeting. We bring stuff to show and tell. I always like to see youngsters there and try to make them feel part of the club. The auctions are fun and sometimes there's a good bargain. We do have a good coin show every year. The 45th annual show is this July. I always get to that. This year I have 100% attendance and won two door prizes and sold coins at the auction. We also have a Christmas party at a steak house. They are planning a bus or van trip to the ANA show in Philly this year. The bad part is missing some of the good oldtimers who have passed on. |
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Valued Member
United States
97 Posts |
I think every numismatist join one or more clubs and organizations related to their collecting interest. You will benefit by learning from some very knowledgeable collectors who enjoy sharing their knowledge. The local club I belong to encourages us, the members, to give presentations or simply bring "show and tell" items. We can buy, sell, and trade items at our monthly meetings. The club also have many young numismatists who regularly attend and participate in our meetings. It is good to see them enjoying a hobby and interacting in person rather than through texts or social media! Many of our members belong to other clubs, local, state and national organizations as well. Each has a specialty and is the "go-to" expert in their field of collecting. Some are published authors. So if you don't belong to a club, visit one, attend at least a few meetings, and you will find it an enjoyable learning and sharing experience. You will likely develop some friendships with others who share your interests. I belong to five clubs and organizations and have benefited immensely through these memberships.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5253 Posts |
I have for close to 15 years, although I resisted for many years. I echo the positive sentiments of @sel691 and @moxking.
I do have to say that even in a small organization there can be petty politics and hurt feelings, but the benefits outweigh these.
By all means go to a few meetings and at least try it out. How can it hurt?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12477 Posts |
I have not joined a club or even attended a meeting, but I did find out that there is one that meets less than hour away from me that has been around for nearly 60 years. I may be tempted to check it out at some point. Like oriole said, what's the harm? I need to learn more, first.  In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020
In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020
In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024
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Rest in Peace
United States
10625 Posts |
I belonged to a junior club many years ago when I was a YN. Today I'm miles away from the nearest local club and haven't thought about joining. I guess CCF fits the bill for me at the moment...
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Moderator
 Australia
16859 Posts |
I'm the President of one club in my area, and a member of three others (including the local branch of the same coin club Sel-69I is a member of).
Coin clubs are great for several things:
- You get to meet other coin collectors, which helps remind you that "you are not alone"; this is especially helpful if no-one else in your circle of friends or family collect coins.
- You get to see the great coins that other people have in their collections, in person. Seeing coins on a computer screen over the Internet is well and good, but nothing beats seeing the coins actually in hand.
- For younger collectors, you get to learn from the experience of the "old guys" in the club, the people who have been collecting since before you were born.
- Some clubs (including three of the four I am member of) produce a regular newsletter or magazine, containing club news and articles written by members.
- Many clubs have some form of auction or sale area as a regular feature, allowing you to buy and sell coins independent from local dealers.
The "cons" for coin club membership are:
- Coin clubs charge a membership fee. The Internet is free.
- Having to physically attend meetings to get the full benefit from club membership; this may involve some travel distance (two of "my" coin clubs are an hour away from where I live).
- There is a privacy risk. While coin clubs do their best to ensure that nefarious types do not get a hold of the names and addresses of their members, security breakdowns can happen and have happened on rare occasions.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2215 Posts |
I never knew such things existed!
This reminds me of a post I did a while back where I asked how many of us had friends who were coin collectors. Almost everyone responded in the negative.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Our coin club membership cost $4.00 a year, when I joined this one 30 or so years ago it was a buck.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
So much may depend on where you live. By that I mean in some areas it is really not to smart to join a coin, gun, knife, computer, etc. type club. Or any organization that may require personal information. Around where I live people do not even want magazines or any literature about coins sticking out of their mail boxes. By joining a coin club and giving personal information you could be marking your house for a future event and not a good one. By me criminals are smart enough to join such clubs just to find out what you have and where you live. At gun shows I've seen people going around in the parking lots writing down license plate numbers. I live in a high crime rated area so joining a coin club is just out of the question. However, if your in a safe area, might be one of the best things to do.
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Pillar of the Community
 5464 Posts |
Man, that is brilliant and outstanding! All your feedback and opinions are directly in-line with what I've heard from others during my travels. One-on-one, face-to-face and group discussions are a big positive for me. Things like auctions, door prizes, trips and the in-house club trades or sales with members is great. Plus the years of knowledge to learn from. As well as being aware of the security concerns. The only negative I have heard is; get ready to socialize with a bunch of "Old", "White", "Nerdy Guys"!  |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
There's a lot of people that will have very good experiences with clubs, that said it really just depends what is in your area. Some clubs are better than others and others are MUCH MUCH better than others. There are places I would join clubs, and others I wouldn't even stop into if I was bored out of my mind with nothing else to do. It really just depends what is around you
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4211 Posts |
I joined our coin club 3 years ago. We meet once a month and membership is $10 a year. We take bus trips to the FUN show twice a year and that only costs members $10 round trip. It's over an hour away but I meet one of the other members and he drives. I buy dinner. Our club was formed in 1947 and we have about 250 members. Anywhere between 75 and 100 show up each month. I am happy to be a part of it. And yes, we have old white nerdy men....but also a couple of old gray headed nerdy gals too! |
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Moderator
United States
189648 Posts |
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Replies: 18 / Views: 3,379 |
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Posted 04/28/2018 7:57 pm
