Join Coneca? Yes, To Help The Hobby Of Errors And Varieties!

If that is the case, General Discussion (which is restricted view) is not going to work.

I moved this to the Main Coin Forum so all eyes can see it.

In my experience, specialty collector organizations can be difficult to build and/or maintain. Why?

1. With all of the free resources that have been made available via the internet, many of today's collectors believe they have access to all they need to answer/support their hobby questions/needs and, thus, don't feel the need for a formal organization that has a membership fee and annual dues.

2. Most specialty organizations are national (or at least regional) in nature that meet infrequently (if at all). Without regular, face-to-face meetings, building a strong sense of camaraderie among members is difficult at best. IMO, camaraderie among collectors plays an important role in keeping organizations vital and why the best local coin clubs thrive.

3. For most collectors, budgets are focused on the areas of interest. Doing things for the general "good of the hobby" is not high on the priority list for many (I say this based on conversations I've had with other collectors). So, unless a collector has a collecting interest in errors and varieties, the likelihood of them joining CONECA just to "help out" the organization is low. For me personally, there are lots of numismatic organizations out there - I can't support them all! I happily send my money in to clubs/organizations aligned with my interests but have to draw the line somewhere.

I like the fact that CONECA exists, it's good to know that collectors of errors and varieties have a "home." I'm not such a collector, however, and so, a membership in the organization is not likely for me.