Every once in awhile I get the urge to collect things, but then I punch myself in the face instead.
I think we all have a natural hoarding instinct, and "collections" are a way of channeling this instinct in a way that lends itself to all sort of spurious justifications. Maybe you consider the collection a sound "investment". Maybe you consider yourself some sort of historical steward. The truth is, rare coins will massively underperform the S&P as an investment. Furthermore, while there's certainly a body of knowledge to acquire and some interesting historical background, coin collection isn't very mentally stimulating or challenging. Do you really feel like amassing a bunch of metal disks is going to increase your happiness or quality of life? The joy will be in the acquisition and that joy will be short lived. In this way, collecting shares many of the attributes of consumerism in general.
Why not choose a skill based hobby instead like photography, piano, or wood/metal working? These hobbies can offer a lifetime of challenges, benefit others, result in you being held in higher esteem by friends and family, and can even be turned into money making opportunities after you've achieved a certain level of proficiency. $1500 spent judiciously will take you far in any of the above examples.