I am an avid coin collector. Currently I collect quarters (just the Washingtons and States), pennies (all the way back to the 1850s Flying Eagle type), contemporary dollar coins (left, top), proof and mint sets (left, bottom), and recent types of paper bills. I also collect foreign money from countries I visit.
Most people think it weird how much I'm into coins. They don't understand how a little piece of metal could be so interesting. For some reason I find them very interesting. Coins are also nice because they don't take up a bunch of room. I like them as well because I don't feel any guilt for not using them, as I am apt to do if I buy an expensive item that is meant to be used. They just sit in my room, where I can pull them out and look at them when I need to get away from schoolwork.
I don't look at my coins as a form of investment. I don't plan to make money off them (at least not much). I do have a fair amount of capital invested in coins and collecting supplies relative to my age. Whenever I visit a city, going to at least one coin store is a top priority. I usually end up spending most of my money on coins of some sort or another. I love looking at the coins in the store I don't buy as well (usually because I can't afford them).
I hope to continue expanding my collection as I grow older. I would love it if I could find a coin store during my college years that I could work in. A coin store job would be my dream job as a mid-twenty something. I'd also like to run a coin store after I retire, when I wouldn't have to worry about making money. Breaking even would be enough.