Maintaining your hobby during a pandemic

[Jesse]

How do you, as collectors, plan to keep up with your hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic?

[Proof Nut]

During the past 9 months I have been able to spend a few hours assessing my collection and chose to sell off items that would fetch a fair price and provide me with funds to pay off unexpected expenses and counteract some of the impact of the virus.

Lately I have been attending more virtual club meetings and enjoying the atmosphere while seeing collector friends in their own environment. While definitely not a replacement for the real thing, it temporarily fills in the need to socialize and interact with like minded individuals.

Please, if you have an opportunity or receive an invitation to attend a club meeting on Zoom or other virtual media, do not hesitate to do so. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment or know how to participate and if you are really stuck, ask a family member or friend to help you get set up.

Rest assured, numismatics will survive as it has for centuries and evolve to meet the challenges of the era and demands of collectors. Hopefully local clubs and Provincial or National associations which in my opinion are really the backbone of the hobby, are able to adapt and attract new members moving forward as we see ourselves through this terrible pandemic.

[Piles]

One other thing…..If you are a member of a coin club or numismatic organization please don’t forget to renew your dues for 2021. They need your financial support now more than ever.

Without any numismatic shows or in person meetings for the next few months or even longer, those that rely heavily on income generated from these events may not be able to recover once the pandemic is over.

Further compounding the problem may be the scarcity of adequate affordable meeting spaces that may force some clubs to close rather than relocate particularly if the membership numbers are drastically reduced in response to the lack of activities.

While there is no doubt that this unprecedented health crisis is a temporary one, organized numismatics is facing some of the most difficult challenges and changes not witnessed in decades. So much effort has gone into attracting new members to meetings and the public to shows, only to have this snuffed out by the Coronavirus.

[BrettB]

During this pandemic, I’ve started getting back into coins after many years. I’ve been doing it with my young kids and it’s been great to pass the time. We signed up for memberships with RCNA – are there any other clubs anyone would recommend joining? Where can I find out about virtual meetings?

Thanks,

Brett

[Jesse]

Hi Brett,

Happy to see you’ve returned to the hobby and glad you’re enjoying the time well spent with your children.

There are many clubs across the country—some more active than others, especially now with the pandemic. We try to keep a finger on the pulse of virtual meetings and publish previews whenever possible.

The South Wellington Coin Society based in southern Ontario just announced a series of virtual seminars. Read more here.

The North Shore Numismatic Society in Vancouver also hosts regular virtual meetings. You can email info@northshorenumismaticsociety.org for more details.

Happy collecting!

[Piles]

Brett, many clubs are slowly warming up to virtual meetings, however specific login details are often not published outside club newsletters and emails.

By visiting the Ontario Numismatic Association or Royal Canadian Numismatic Association websites you may find a list of member clubs and when they usually meet (pre-Covid) along with contact info.

Some clubs also have a website or Facebook page and from there all you need to do is to send in a request and the particulars will be emailed to you. The silver lining of the pandemic is that now you can attend dozens of club meetings free of charge without leaving the house and get a real feel as to whether to drop in when regular in person meetings resume. Booking guest speakers has also been easier and resulted in a greater variety of topics.

Hopefully this helps and perhaps we will see you at an upcoming meeting!

[BilliusF]

Unfortunately, my hobby is related to friends, because we always got together at my house to devote time to things that we are all passionate about.

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