What I've Been Up To And 2015 Coin Purchase Plan

I took a complete break from all coin activity for 2.5 months. I completely ignored anything coin related. I returned 2 days ago. I'm pleased to report the spell I was under is broken. I had gotten to the point, where I didn't question spending $150 on an Oz of silver, when spot was $18-$20 an Oz. Yet I'd agonize on spending $40 on a pair of pants I'd be making regular use of, and not storing away after a couple of weeks gazing at.
It really sunk in seeing repeatedly the coins I purchased new, a few months later drop up to 25% in value. I finally saw how ridiculous my behaviour was. After all money is a finite resource. I needed the complete break to get control of my spending habits. It really does feel like I was under some sort of spell now. I feel like I have a clearer perspective on where I want to go and I've even set a spending budget. I plan on capping spending at $ 1,000, unless I sell off older coins I'm not completely thrilled with.

The other funny behaviour I seemed to fall prey to was the need to complete a set, even if I wasn't thrilled with most of the other coins. I wonder what causes this and how many of my fellow collectors are plagued by this compulsive behaviour? The past few years mints have released numerous Multi coin subs with total prices being in excess of $400. Then shortly after completion there's a dramatic price drop. The RCM has been big on subs. The sad thing is they've further reduced the value by switch to cheap looking inexpensive cardboard cases. So you don't get a nice case or the clamshell, however, a cheaply made case that will fall apart in coming years. The cases are so cheap, a member here was given several for free by his post office. This speaks volumes to me!! How likely would they've given away beautiful solid wood cases?

In my evaluation and reflection, it seems the RCM has worked overtime to kill the Nclt side of the hobby.
They've done this by over repetition of themes, over inflated pricing, producing sub par display cases, and lastly over saturation of product. Back when it was quarterly releases there was excited expectation to see what the small release contained, and prices were a bit more realistic and some offering had pleasing display cases. Then too the coin was more likely to retain it's purchase price for a longer period.

I remember the thrill I had in 2012, when I actually found a true deal on a coin. Today it's expected to find recent releases at up to 20% off. The thrill of actually having a coin increase in value over coming yrs is scarce. More and more its becoming why bother.

People will only tolerate seeing their hard earned cash flushed down the toilet for so long. People will stop buying when they see there's little value. The average consumer wants value for his hard earned money. When a person stops to think how many hrs of work will purchase a 1 Oz coin it's beyond ludicrous. When I'm tempted now, I stop and think how many hrs of work will it take to purchase the coin and is it truly worth it.

I received this week the $25 color flag, $50 beaver, and $100 horse. My rep had ordered on my behalf. The beaver is the best one. It features different finishes, motion, fine details; I love the water bubbles and droplets, however the beaver theme is done to death. Really how many beavers are needed in past couple yrs! Same goes for the initial polar bear, the snowy owl was a nice change. I excited to get the horse coin until I looked at it closely. There's nothing interesting going on in the setting, when compared to the eagle, big horn sheep, no use of different finishes to create interest. Plus it's one ugly horse image. I was really let down, being a horsewoman and the mint having so few horse coins. It's like they really don't care. I'm actually struggling whether or not to take it to the bank. It's that compulsion to have a complete set!! The color flag I love the engraving, but the grey shading is really distracting. I do like how the info is no longer taking up a good portion of the image.

I've read the other topics on 2015 coins and I see there's a growth of wallet fatigue. I think pricing and value have a lot to do with the growing disinterest. I wonder how many collectors would continue to purchase if coins were 30% less at retail and managed to retain most of their value into the future? How many are bored with the recurring depictions of old themes? How many are just overwhelmed by the constant barrage of offerings the brain just turns off? How many feel their current collection is large enough? This is where I am currently, I may even have too many. What do people is the right size for their Nclt collections? I'd love to hear what my fellow collectors have to say!! I'm finding the discussions a most enjoyable part of the hobby.