Ever wonder if many in our hobby have lost focus on the enjoyment aspect of collecting. I do. You have those who would have you believe it is an industry and not a hobby. I believe it can be a profession for some but never an industry. Then there are the investors. They focus on return on investment and for the most part really do not understand or care about the history of the coin. Add the numismatic press which is constantly filled with articles that hype the latest instant rarity from the mint, the latest record auction sale, high grade "wonder" coins, the fluctuation in the precious medals price, and the x-number of best coins to purchase for quick profits in the next year and one can see how one could feel that the hobby has lost focus. This being said I feel the mainstream of the hobby has become too cluttered with distractions and this hurts us in recruiting new collectors. Most of us collect for the enjoyment of the hunt and the history or story behind the objects we collect. But don’t fear there are alternatives out in the fringes. The last couple of years I have rediscovered the enjoyment aspect of the hobby that I felt slipping away in the areas of Exonumia and Ephemera.

Exonumia is the sub-category of numismatics that deals with the study and collecting of medals, tokens, error coins, and the like. It seems that the types and subject matter of medals and tokens is rapidly approaching infinity. There are many historically significant pieces, there are commemorative pieces, and there are whimsical pieces to choose from. There is easily something here for everyone. As I have read through specialty catalogs and participated in auctions both in person and on-line the main thing I have noticed is that people will collect just about anything. The second thing is grading. It is like the old days in US Coins where the main concern was whether it was simply uncirculated or not. There are no numerical grades, state of preservation and condition do matter but there are no debates over is it MS-63 or 64. This is a refreshing change from the mainstream of the hobby. Also, pricing is reasonable enough so that one can build a nice collection on a limited budget. Oh, don’t get me wrong there are some pieces out there that command significant sums of money but overall one can have a lot of fun with little cash. Although there are books and articles on many facets of Exonumia there remains many areas that have not had much research published giving the collector the opportunity to explore and add to the hobby’s collection of knowledge.

Ephemera deals with material related to numismatic items. If Exonumia is off the mainstream then Ephemera is truly the back-roads of the hobby. I have found that as my research of certain coins or medals takes me deeper into the history around that coin I start collecting related items. A quick example is the 1936 Delaware Tercentenary Commemorative Half-Dollar. The coin was used by the organizing committee to help finance a celebration in 1938 of 300 years of Swedes in America. Obviously there were other fund raising efforts as well as souvenirs of the celebration itself made. This piques my curiosity, does it yours? Well, some items of interest here are original packaging and holders for the coin, original packaging and holders for the Swedish two-kroner piece also issued to commemorate this event, and a Medallic Art Company medal. Getting even further off the beaten path, there were replicas of the "Rock" at Fort Christina State Park (The Swedes equivalent of Plymouth Rock) sold as well as a book published by the Swedish American Tercentenary Association titled Swedes In America 1638 – 1938. Now this is not a title I would have purchased just for the pleasure of reading but since it was related to the coin I did purchase it. And I am enjoying reading it. Many interesting collections or exhibits could be built around coins in your collection this way.

Et cetera, Et cetera! The methods to bring fun and enjoyment into our hobby are bounded only by your imagination. As with many other things in life much can be gained by slowing down and taking the path less traveled. There are many niches within the hobby, find yours and kick back and enjoy the ride. Help show new collectors that there are alternatives and share your experiences and new found knowledge with your fellow collectors.

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