Why Am I Second Guessing Myself

Rich, I am going to give you some advice. I have read many of your topics on various aspects of collecting, I have seen your topics locked because you ask the same things over and over looking for different answers to the same question. Many of your topics will seem trivial to most of us here, though they are obviously important to you, and I am sure many members just skip over your posts now in much the same way as the boy who cried wolf couldn't be heard when he truly needed help.

Here is my advice. Firstly, take a deep breath, hold it, let it out and relax. I am not having a go at you here, I want to help you. You are engaged in a hobby, as such it should be relaxing, calming. It should help you forget your troubles, not create more for you. What I want you to do is go and get a big piece of paper, write down all the things you love about collecting coins, write down why you collect coins, and write down all the things that frustrate you about collecting coins. If the list of negatives is bigger than the positives, then in all honesty, perhaps you need a new hobby.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that the positive list is bigger, if it isn't, I am amazed you have made it this far. Assuming my assumption is correct, focus on the negative list for a minute. What points on that list are going to totally ruin your enjoyment of this hobby if they can't be solved? These are the issues that need to be addressed first and foremost. What points do you think are more a result of inexperience in the hobby and will in all probability resolve themselves as your experience as a collector grows? These are the issues you can put aside for now and don't need to think about for awhile. Twelve months down the track if you still have these questions, revisit them. And finally, what points seem trivial and actually not that important at all now that they are down on paper. These are the points you can simply cross off the list and stop worrying about.

You are focusing on a problem here about photographing a coin. Here is a solution for you. Go get someone else to take the picture for you if you can't. If it is vitally important to you to have your collection photographed, don't feel bad about it. Get your collection photographed. Simple as that. Stop looking at the negative of the problem and focus on a solution that will leave you feeling positive. So it may cost you to get your collection photographed, you may have to build your collection at a slower pace. But from reading your posts, the money will be well spent for your own peace of mind.

This is a hobby to nearly all of us. Only the investors need to stress about their collections if they feel they have made the wrong choices. It simply isn't worth it if you have more negative experiences than positive. Some more advice for you, make your next post about the most enjoyable, rewarding experience you have had so far with the hobby. Make it about the latest coin you have found or bought. Whatever you do, make it positive. Positive actions achieve positive results.

I really hope this helps you.

There are some of the greatest collectors that have ever lived that never took 1 picture of their coins so they really do not have to go hand in hand. I have seen some people on other forums pay others to photograph their coins because they want a picture of the coin and do not have any interest in taking the picture themselves or do not want to take the time to learn. It took me years of messing with my camera off and on to finally be happy with the photographs of coins I can take. I guarantee if you go through the top registry sets on any TPG site almost none of them have pictures of their coins and these are the best of all time like Jack Lee and other greats of this hobby. Some others that do have pictures just pay the TPG to take the pictures when they are getting graded, so believe me you are not the only one who can't take a picture of a coin but it should not discourage you to not even want to collect coins because you do not have to have one to have the other. If you want each you can achieve both if you just take the time to do it. It seems like you think all you should have to do is point the camera at the coin and snap the shot and people drool over what you have accomplished, if it were that easy then it wouldn't be any big deal and no one would drool anyway. Think about it, anything worth having is worth working for, if its not worth the time then no need to start it. I think there have been multiple threads started by you complaining about your pictures and I understand your frustration but if you took all the time you are taking typing all these threads and actually practice with your camera you may be able to figure it out. No one is going to be able to tell you exactly what you have to do to get pictures you will be happy with and if you look at one of the other threads you have started about this subject I explain why. Please just keep adding to one of the other threads with your frustration instead of adding more threads in multiple sections about how frustrated you are with coin photography, that way people can click one thread and read everything you have tried and be able to know how frustrated you are without having to go back and search and read multiple threads to do so

Hello,

Wow, I don't know what to say. Thanks for the advice. I guess that CCF is really like a family. I did as latman suggested and the only obstacle is a stupid picture of a coin I honestly didn't like anyway. All of my Proof sets and Modern Commem. Proof coins scan well and look good enough on my website. Are they perfect? Does it matter? My website is not there to impress.

I love collecting, I love the feeling of getting a new Proof set or Modern Commem. Coin in the mail from the U.S. Mint, I feel like a kid at Christmas. I love coding my website and seeing the final result and knowing that soon others may learn from what I have created.

I love Coin World Magazine, has anyone here heard of Bill O' Rourke? I love his column and because of him I enjoy coin roll hunting. Have you ever given an Ike dollar to a kid and watch their face as they wonder what it is? I love it!

Thanks for Everything.

Rich

Ready for a laugh? You've more than likely chit-chatted with him here and didn't even realize it.

This isn't my place to wade in here at all......but:

Everybody here knows that I can't take a good coin picture !! (right JB !) ... ... But I still take them when I absolutely have to ! And it gives me "practice" and by reading others posts...that gives me "knowledge"....so, eventually I know that I'll get the hang of it !

But you can't be quite that much of a perfectionist with it !
As many who know me on the boards here can agree.....I, often am a little "animated" and "descriptive" in my posts.......just "a little" .... I can't help it....that's just my personality and writing style that comes through in that way for me. And I think this "frustration" that is being talked about here with you (which, forgive me, but I've not seen your postings) is something similar.
I think you are a fellow perfectionist to some degree (nothing wrong with that !) and when it confounds you......you wanna "vent" about it ! And plea for help too ! ....
As our Mods have said.....basically there's nothing wrong with that, but you just have to try (as I "try" ) to be concise and stay topic related, and simply "get" or "share" coin related information. While you're doing that, you'll pick up some friends and submerge yourself into a great site that is chocker blocked full of nice folks who share the same obsession as you do !
I like to fling a little "humor" out there, now and then, to lighten people up or give them a chuckle ......and it's a fun time had by all !

Though I've never seen or participated in a "BLOG".....from what I know about them.....you wanna be careful that you don't make most of your postings like a "blog"....where you just keep venting about something (or the same thing) repeatedly. This would be very "messy" from a Moderators perspective obviously.......the topics should have a point....address it .....have it shared by others.....and then be done with it.

Snitchard.....you are obviously a very intelligent person and one heck of a coin collector ! .....Glad to have you in the "family" ........see ya around on the boards !
Hope "my" Two Cents here is helpful and isn't "annoying" to anyone ! ....