I know this is a 6 year old thread, but I’m bumping it anyway in light of how this hobby has declined. Many of those that posted in this thread probably aren’t active anymore. I found this thread in my research of the death of this hobby and when it started to really decline. But FreedomUIC and a few others hit the nail on the head, and this was 6 years ago.
I feel like a lot of newer CRHers now, particularly those who feel the need to broadcast on YouTube and other media platforms, either lack common sense and intelligence, or just don’t care that they are slowly suffocating the hobby.
Which begs the question. If you have insider information on the stock market, are you gonna go share those secrets with other investors? This is not greed, it’s just being intelligent and protecting your sources.
Many people will not agree with me and say that I’m bitter, a douche, etc. I’ll say this: I have become bitter —passionately bitter— about this hobby, I freely admit it. I started at 12 years old in 2008, joined Tnet at 13 in June of 2009. (Let’s ignore the fact that I was, at the time, a somewhat egocentric and outspoken member who drove others up the wall with my antics) But, I remember clear as day those times, and finding multiple Silvers in Dime and Half Boxes. In 2010 and 11, 2 to 3 Silver Rosie’s per box was just “average” to me. I have become bitter and quite negative, I’ll admit, after seeing the hobby change. The smartphone becoming more common starting around ‘10 and even more so in ‘11, combined with Silver skyrocketing in 11, then all the people posting finds in videos on YouTube, and even more recently, the articles in Forbes and Wall Street Journal about CRH, has likely exponentially increased the # of people doing this. Add into the equation the # of inconsiderate volume hunters and banks refusing to order or fees, you have a catalyst for the eventual extinction of this hobby. In another 10 years, banks will likely do everything they can to stop roll hunters at their doors, potentially even enact policies where normal account holders can’t order boxes or cash in coin over a certain dollar amount. Social media and loud mouths has dried up the Silver, banks have taken notice.
I will also say, when I was active on other Numismatic boards, when managing my Numismatic website (which doesn’t exist anymore) I DID have a YouTube channel and posted coin videos, but never so much as breathed a WORD about CRH. Why? Because I was smart, and also tried to look out for the already existing CRHers so mine and their finds wouldn’t be depleted any faster than they already were. Could I have gone “viral” with my finds when nobody discovered it? Likely! This is why I take it so personal and get so irked with these YouTube channels and people shooting their mouth off “look what I found!” “ANOTHER 1968 FORTY PERCENTER. WE GOT ONE GUYS! THIS IS GONNA BE A GOOD BOX!” Like, go ahead and roll hunt, go ahead and do your volume. But don’t post your finds on a nationally viewed platform and totally ruin it for others by bringing more new people with zero regard for etiquette, into the hobby. By now though, it’s too late. I can only hope that the skunks and bad luck plague them as well, though they likely won’t post it and may even turn to faking their finds for more attention and publicity, that is, if they aren’t already. I think many are.
Anyways. That’s the end of my rant. This about covers my disgust.
