I've actually been collecting for decades, but getting online with my life-long hobby is still fairly new to me even though I started collecting in the late 70's!My Mom gave me a few old U.S. silver and really old British copper coins, then grandma gave me a few silver half dollars maybe Franklins (I was 10), then someone got me a Whitman Lincoln penny book and small Whitman box (which I still have and actually toned a couple gaming/museum tokens I left inside it...for 39 years!).I remember riding our variety of kid bikes like the Goonies to our local bank almost 2 miles away and then taking a few rolls of pennies back to a spot literally near the railroad tracks in North West Indiana to dump out the pennies in the grass and hunt for 1909 VDBs :-) Seemingly every kid's magazine and comic book had ads about rare wheat pennies and such and I was already hooked for life.I'm loving how getting on the web in the last couple years has both expanded my knowledge and my collecting interests, even at 50-something.A whole bunch of my collection over the years has come from searching both vintage rolls and U.S. Mint rolls. I collect plenty of graded coins too and worked my way up to a pretty darn serious collection without really trying too hard honestly. It just took time and plenty of self-education. I don't claim to be an expert but I do have my specialties like most of the long-time collectors.Now those who are interested in coins are lucky with the huge amount of resources available, also some are also completely over-whelmed or frustrated by the vastness of it all or maybe they unfortunately already got ripped off in some way. I don't like that... like pretty much all of us I really don't like to see people upset (at any age) by the very thing that they are potentially quite interested in.So just as the pandemic began with lock-downs I decided to start doing videos to share my 40+ years of knowledge and wisdom about things I think I might know, numismatic-ally :-) Not in any particular order.Skills which happen to include being very good at NOT getting ripped off with online coin and roll purchases! You know, those "unsearched" rolls, and those ultra rare expensive coins with blurry photos lol?!I was lucky to be working at home mostly already managing field people full time. But also I'm in some higher risk health categories, diabetes, very very old lol, other stuff... anyway I like so many others immediately took the safety of others and of course myself quite seriously. As side note, my immediate family includes nurses, EMT, and actual scientists so I was getting quick and honest updates on all things pandemic. I decided to spend some of what I knew was about to bringing some potential bored moments sharing my numismatic existence.While still working full time I simply started filming some of my coin roll hunts and waxing poetic and showing off some loved coins from my collection and truly unique things too...and of course my main thing which is now that I approach retirement and STILL LOOOOVE coin collecting I simply want to advocate for and participate more in the larger coin collecting community.The name of my YouTube channel is "Coins are Neato!" and my hope is that viewers enjoy it even half as much as I've enjoyed so many years of coins and the good people I've gotten to know over the years! And yes, I still say neato!My degree is actually in Commercial Photography from the days of emulsion film so I've always enjoyed great imagery and videography as well. I decided my self-education this year would be about participating in the coin communities online and delivering anything I can to them that might be helpful, or entertaining, or hilarious of course! All while making interesting, informative, visually appealing videos about anything the numismatists might enjoy. Like so many others I've always loved inspiring younger collectors among other things but I really love when I can inform the informed people of something new too! I also happen to come from a family of teachers, a role which started my own career(s) too!I'm feeling pretty proud of myself at the moment...I have learned video editing and I'm improving and getting feedback. I've shared a good amount of coin collecting knowledge, I kept working full time while making a few dozen videos and participating much more in the online coin communities and it's only added to the validation of my existence. :-)Thanks to my new found online channels of numismatic info and participation and entertainment, this year has been AMAZING!!!Bet you didn't think I was going to say that! :-) Trust me, I'm not ignoring all that other stuff!Hopefully you weren't effected too negatively by everything this year but our hopes and love and support (from those who can) and even the "everything's going to be ok's" are totally there with you.Please enjoy some totally random coin images!Happy holidays and Happy New Year!!!- Be safe everyone, be kind everyone.- Kurisu
