Social Media’s Impact On My Collecting
By: Corey Scharer for the Coin Show Podcast
For all that is wrong with social media and the Internet in general, there are lots of positives hidden behind the cloudy veil of Facebook, Twitter, and other connecting platforms. If you sit and think about it, where else can you connect a family with their lost dog, reconnect with old schoolmates, keep in touch with distant relatives, or even share items with people with similar interests? This is a brief synopsis of my journey back into collecting, which all started with an investigation I conducted about 9 years ago.
As a Detective, I was tasked with an interesting case. To quickly get to the point, it was coin and currency related. I began sifting through Facebook sites for clues because I had heard that it was a great place to connect with hobbies and to sell items. With this investigation, it rekindled a small fire in me that started with a dateless Buffalo Nickel that I received in change from a burger joint in 1998. Armed with a good job, a little expendable income, and new and fresh Facebook sites, I journeyed back into collecting.
After some close and skeptical observations, I decided to sell a couple of my coins that I had purchased years ago on these Facebook pages (for a nice profit too!). I had great dealings and started making new contacts. Before long, these contacts helped to build my collection and most importantly gave me guidance and knowledge in this hobby. Quickly I began to learn who you could trust and who was trying to scam you for a few extra bucks. My collection grew and so did my faith in humanity.
Soon these same business contacts then turned into friendships. Most of these friends I had never met in person, but had done tons of business with and even sent a few thousand dollars worth of my collection to be graded! Seems asinine when you stop and digest it, doesn’t it?
One of these contacts was Matt Dinger. Well, we all know who he is right? Matt eventually asked me to help with the Coin Show, and I was floored. If you would have asked me 9 years ago if I would be this involved in the hobby, I probably would have laughed myself silly. Earlier this year I took a giant leap and traveled to the Central States show. I finally got to meet many of these contacts face to face, including the fine folks who work on this podcast!
So what is the point of this article you may ask? Well, I want anyone who is reading this to know that you do not have to go to 10 shows a year to make contacts and build a nice, quality collection. Up until Central States, I had been to two other small local shows. Despite this, I have amassed a collection of local paper money, National Bank Notes, and Civil War Tokens using social media pages, all while making great friends and contacts in the process. With a little savviness and some caution, you can use social media as a useful tool in your collecting journey. Happy collecting friends!
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