You missed an opportunity to learn from that blank stamp, I think. It probably could have taught you something about the manufacturing process of stamps.
Seriously, though, you just described my experience of the coin collecting community pretty well, too. You've got the people who have full collections of mint state Buffalo nickels, and you've got the people who collect coins with animals on them. A full boat of high grade Buffalo nickels can run you well over $50k, while you might not even have to put $50 into your animal collection to have a hundred nice pieces.
About the only thing the coin community goes hard on generally speaking is cleaning or artificially toning coins (using chemicals to apply fake patinas or color). Those are no-nos, and you won't get any respect by doing them. The exception is ancient coins, which, since they're hundreds or thousands of years old, and frequently come out of the ground, usually need some cleaning to be presentable.
Also, the numismatic community is one of the least toxic communities I've ever encountered online. Sure, there are corners of it that aren't great, but, most places I've been are very welcoming and helpful. Nobody will laugh at your dollar bin sailboat coins, either.
For coins specifically, I can tell you what I like about them.
I collect coins from all across time (literally back to the 7th century BC, when the first coins were minted), and all over the world. To me, they're tiny little objects of art, pieces of history, and artifacts worthy of study. Adding a new coin to my collection is a reminder that I'm its temporary caretaker. My collection, to me, is like a tiny museum of history, art, metallurgy and economics. Also, I think they're cool, and I like owning cool stuff.
I don't think that's exactly what you asked for, but, then, I don't think I actually can explain it in a way that will make a lot of sense to you. It's either you have the collecting impulse, or you don't, I've found.
Edit: duh, coins were invented in the 7th century BC, not the 5th century BC.
I'd stay away from the PCGS and NGC forums, at least for a while.