What Is Wrong With The VAM Hobby?

There is very little wrong. Very, very little. There are only people who think the past is the model for the future. That don't work. It will survive us, in a thriving form we won't really recognize unless we're already thinking.

The problem is not as bad as we (I) have characterized it to be. Question everything, most importantly your own preconceptions.

The biggest problem with living in the present is that it makes us think we can dictate the future.

We do not dictate the future. We can suggest, offer opinion; those who follow us will be here when we're gone and at least for me I think I'll have a hard time beating someone with a stick when I'm dead.

All we can do is hypothesize. Our children will make the decision. The best we can do is to offer them the most informed choice. A generational change is coming; the change which brought us in has run its' course and the interim appears to be sparse. Those who will follow won't be doing it the way we do. It's not the same world, and the degree of change dwarfs the huge changes we went through.

We either adapt, or we miss them entirely.

The definitive answer has suddenly hit me like a bolt of lightning.

That's nice to know.

You wouldn't mind....sharing it with us, would you?

Z substituted a "who" for the "what" ... I confess ... it's me!

carmykle
You have just announced my life and the intro to VAMS,My eyes are not the same and I am sure you are speaking about most of us here, if not ALL.........Well said, I like your attitude, post away....While I adjust the stereo microscope!!LOL.

What is wrong with the hobby? It is probably better stated with this question. Are there issues with the hobby? The answer to that is yes, there are issues. These issues affect people in different ways depending on the level of involvement within the hobby and if they participate with registry sets.
A lot of these issues are not seen as these aspects are not readily transparent. The hobby is dominated by strong dealer interests and to a large degree by involvement with third party grading companies.
Third party grading companies play a strong role with their registry sets as it tends to focus the hobby only on those coins that make their list. This is very understandable until one questions which coins make the list, how well known are these lists before the third party grading company accepts them and what role and input does the average collector have in this role of deciding which coins are worthy of a list. This is not to impugn anyone or question the motives of people compiling these lists. These same people tirelessly promote the hobby. But understand, those in the know start buying these coins before they are generally known to the public at large. In my view, this is more than a little self serving and I am one of those types that is picky about transparency or lack of disclosure concerning that transparency. As long as everyone understands they are not playing on a level field and everyone is okay with that, I have no issues.
To some extent, this is standard operating procedure (SOP) within the hobby and my questioning this practice is (in some folks view) making much ado about nothing.

I also get concerned when legitimate questions about issues are dismissed as bringing up contentious issues and not worthy of discussion. My first thought, what contentious issues? and why can't these issues be discussed? After All, the purpose of a forum is to discuss issues in the arena of ideas. Being dismissive or condescending to people asking these questions does not foster growth within the hobby. In fact it is a huge turn off and helps explain the lack of growth within the hobby. My world view is to question everything, and when people tell you don't question, merely accept it as the way it is done, I am very skeptical. This isn't a religious issue of faith of whether to accept or not, this is understanding dynamics within the hobby I spend a lot of money on.

very very well put OZ, for most people who lurk and are small time collectors involved with finding there who VAM's, it doesn't have a tremendous effect until we start to compete with the elite registry collectors which the dealers are geared in supplying your needs...
Many of the dealers I have known do know what the top list coins are and what to look for,, however they have not the time to study all variety's. In my opinion this is the reason for the lists...so the dealers can play a part in the hobby......My reasoning is......
If the dealers had no part, that wouldn't work, but then there is the other side of the coin that the dealers are on the forefront...Which as I noted most don't have the top knowledge...It's those connected with the TPG's designing things in the back round one must think of....