Have You Ever Belonged To A Coin Club?...

I am a member of the Sydney chapter of the
Australian Numismatic Society, (established in 1913).

I had already known most of the leading members for many years before I joined.

Being a committee member of a club I would Totally recommend it

Yup, even started one where I live now.

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.

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.

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.

Our coin club membership cost $4.00 a year, when I joined this one 30 or so years ago it was a buck.

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"!