How Many Coins Are You Planning to Release for the Great American Coin Hunt?
KellenCoin
Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
If you have not heard about it, the Great American Coin Hunt is an event happening this National Coin Week from April 21-April 27. Collectors and dealers across the nation are releasing old coins and currency into circulation in order to promote the hobby. The ultimate goal is to release 1,000,000 coins! Several things have come out of the hype around the GACH - the US mint released W-mint marked quarters, various numismatic and non-numismatic newspapers have published about it around the country, and some dealers have pledged as many as 50,000 coins to be released. In fact, there are so many people participating that the map being used to show where coins are being dropped crashed! Ultimately, I think it is a great way to promote the hobby.
Anyways, the point of this thread is for you to answer: How many old coins do you plan to release into circulation this week? It can be a large or small amount, but the important thing is that no matter how many coins you release, you are helping promote the amazing hobby of numismatics.
YN Member of the ANA, ANS, NBS, EAC, C4, MCA, PNNA, CSNS, ILNA, TEC, and more!
Always buying numismatic literature and sample slabs.
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Ah... good excuse to let go of some VG Buffalo Nickels. Throw in an IHC or two.
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I actually do it quite often. Usually Buffalos, and occasionally a Mercury dime. I leave one in the Coinstar coin return each time I use it. Trying to do my part!
Dave
I'm STILL waiting for SOMEONE to salt ANY of the empty Coinstar coin returns near me!...........
Returned about 20 Buffalo Nickels to circulation in south Austin, Tx. In previous years it was Mercs.
The key to this is publicity - not the number of coins released. Absent a strong electronic media campaign, much of the population will be completely unaware. Further -- what are people supposed to look for? Few have any understanding of circulating coins of the present types -- add old types and undefined pieces, and no much will happen.
Isnt that the point? They receive something in their change that is "strange" and go look it up. Maybe it sparks some interest?
I think it is a great idea.
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
I like to put wheats and raggedy steel cents in the "give a penny, take a penny" tray you see at retail stores.
It should be the point - but observation suggests people do not pay much attention to coins received in change. That have to be told in advance that something interesting might show up, and then there have to be enough unusual coins for a "buzz" of rumor, misinformation and goofiness to begin. Then, public and media will promote the event.
We have to think differently than when we were starting as collectors, or even as we imagined 20 years ago.
This event has been heavily promoted in both numismatic and non-numismatic media.
YN Member of the ANA, ANS, NBS, EAC, C4, MCA, PNNA, CSNS, ILNA, TEC, and more!
Always buying numismatic literature and sample slabs.
Glad to hear that. Have not seen or heard anything about it until your post. I asked my kids (late 20s/early 30s) and they drew blanks. Asked a couple of friends --- nada. Certainly not a scientific sample, but everyone I asked has been exposed to what I do and coin research; so they would be expected to be more alert than the average Wallymart fan.
How many e-media views have occurred? Facebook or TickTock ?
When I google "Great American Coin Hunt" and look at the news, here are the non-numismatic publications I see: WLFI 18 News, Sun Sentinel, We Are GreenBay News, Taunton Daily Gazette, the Post Register, the Saratogian, and Westport Now. It has been promoted within the hobby by NGC, PCGS, CoinWeek, CoinWorld, Numismatic News, the US Mint (who released W-mintmarked quarters for it), Littleton, hundreds of coin dealers, heavily on Facebook and Instagram, etc.
YN Member of the ANA, ANS, NBS, EAC, C4, MCA, PNNA, CSNS, ILNA, TEC, and more!
Always buying numismatic literature and sample slabs.
They'll just get snatched up by bank employees...
OK. That's a start. In-hobby promotion including dealers just alerts current collectors to snap up whatever they see. The newspapers mentioned have readership of a few thousand. The US Mint has a certain amount of coverage.
"...heavily on Facebook and Instagram, etc." How many e-media views have occurred? That's the number you want for coverage. "Heavily" has no meaning.
Population of the US is about 327 million; 88% are over age 9 and 4% are 80 or over. That makes a maximum 274 million. [https://censusreporter.org/profiles/01000us-united-states/]
This might help understand what I'm talking about:
The "Great American Coin Hunt" is a single point ad. Regardless of the number of repetitions, it is singular in nature. This is sometimes called a "splash" - it makes one 'big' splash in the pool and is gone. To be effective at conveying this single message the advertiser must engage approximately 50% (or more) of the available target group. This is required because it creates enough person-to-person communication of the message for it to reach at least half of those for whom the message is of real interest. Electronic "social media" can cut this engagement percentage to about 15% of the total, provided we understand that meaningful message communication occurs only within the narrow sub-group of "social media savy/connected" population. Once complete, this type of advertising is quickly forgotten and has almost no long-term effect.
To be blunt - an effective "Great American Coin Hunt" has to reach about 41 million people. That's a lot for any splash in the pool. (Aside - the US Mint's advertising - nearly all of which is a "splash" - has seen sales drop in almost all categories for the past decade.)
How can "Great American Coin Hunt" be more effective in the future?
It must be part of a consistent marketing plan. A marketing plan does not 'sell' anything specific - it informs and advises, persuades and encourages.
A marketing plan is built around identification, awareness, building interest, consistency of message and consistency of timing. Specific product ads are merely focal points within the plan. It is the marketing plan that produces population memory of concepts, advantages, associations, 'community' and ultimately to the series of products. (To go back to the Mint's sales problems -- and that of the hobby. The Mint once had a marketing plan. This supported awareness, etc. and ultimately resulted in much greater sales for the Mint and for related hobby materials. Congress didn't like spending the money even though increased sales generated profit over the marketing cost. Now they have to deal with some very miserable sales numbers and those affect collateral parts of the hobby.)
This is all basic stuff.
Unfortunately, folks like the ANA, PNG, and hobby businesses don't seem to grasp the fundamentals. They would rather waste resources trying to make a big splash in a little pool, rather than create a rising oceanic tide of success !
I'm gonna take a bunch a stuff to da bank. About 10 1939 nickels for one.
MY COINS FOR SALE AT https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/other/bajjerfans-coins-sale/3876
I think it's a wonderful idea.
I'll do a "reverse Coinstar" and put coins in Coinstar rather than trying to take out some in the reject bin.
Maybe do 50 or so vintage common coins from my little box of common coins. Some wheaties, buffaloes, good Indian cents, good V-nicks, etc.
Buy some groceries with the money, and hopefully provide a thrill to a few new collectors out there.
I will put some Buffs in circulation.... perhaps a handful of wheaties from one of my 'hoards'....I hate to part with my coins (other than moderns)...that is why I do not sell them. That being said, I would rather be part of a positive effort to stimulate interest in the hobby, than to sit idly by and do nothing. Cheers, RickO
Sounds fun. I will drop a silver or two in the coins tray each time I shop.
I am always spending Buffs, IHCs, and steel cents, still have a few more to get rid of.
Cool... I usually do this at Halloween. I'll give candy and an old coin in a 2x2 flip with a little note attached as to the history. I usually opt for Buffalo Nickels, IHCs and Wheat Cents...
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ill unload some buffalo's and early Lincoln's just cause
This sounds like too much fun!!! I decided I wanna get some interest sparked up around here, too. Looking to unload: 50-100 Wheaties, 10 Steel Cents (that's all I have), 20 IHCs, 60 Buffs, 60 V Nickels, and 30 Mercs. I don't know that I can spend all that in normal transactions, though! I did release about a dozen into the wild, yesterday. Dropped a few in the parking lot at Walmart, and then went in and hid a few in the shelves in the kids' areas - hoping that some kid would find them when they're looking for baseball gloves, glitter makeup kits, etc. Would really like to get them into kids' hands and hopefully spark some change hunting, like I did with my dad when he first got me into collecting.
Does anyone have any other creative ideas on how to get these "out there"??
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
@Eric_Babula
Are there school bus stops around? Drop few where the kids wait. Hopefully as they stare down at their smart phones they’ll notice something.
I plan on 5 mixed date rolls of Wheaties. 2 rolls of partial date Buffaloes.
I also do this starting on Black Friday. I think that most of us on this forum
and others should participate. A few Wheaties, Prez dollars or whatever .
If at one time it was of interest to you it most likely will be to others. Get it
out of your junk box and into someone's fledgling collection.
Sorry - but nothing special to me as a I do it ALL YEAR LONG. Thats right, proofs, silver, you name it. I wish the heck everyone else did also and stop hoarding the crap you keep thinking is great and will make you rich someday. Give some one else a chance to make a discovery every week, not just one.
WS
Great idea! Time to walk around the neighborhood and drop some coins!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
That's a great idea, also! So, if I can't find a way to dump these coins into circulation or into the hands of some kids during the Great American Coin Hunt (April 21-28 dates), I'll promise to keep slowly off-loading the rest of them over time until they're all in circulation, or discoverable (on the ground, in store shelves, whatever). When I get rid of the coins I listed above, that will be about 70% of my "crap" coins.
Well, not including Wheaties. I have about 20 pounds of Wheaties that I have yet to search through. Over the years, every time I got a Wheatie in change, or whatever, I'd just throw it in the bag, intending to some day look through them for anything special. For this Coin Hunt, I'll just dig out a couple handfuls and let them go into the wild. Who knows? Maybe some kid will end up with something really special!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
Now if we could only get the Fed to release some of those 2019 quarters in all the cities they said they were going to----
Just stuck a Merc in my work's soda (pop, soda pop, Coke, whatever) machine coin return, and a Buff in the candy/chip machine coin return! When I see them empty, I'll do it again!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
I think this is great and plan on releasing quite a few. I will probably pick out one “grand prize” coin worth $50 or something.
I've let go a roll of buffalo Nickel and 2 rolls of pre WWII lincolns in the Kingsport, TN to Beckely, WV area, which spreads 155 miles. I took a roll of lincolns and buffalo nickels to the bank last week and the other roll of lincolns over the last 2 weeks everywhere I went(hard to give out many cents with change, so I place them in the change bowl at most every stop I make). I also released several proof roosies 1970 up just for fun. Circulated proofs!
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Anyone up to salting Coinstars with AGE's ?
Be a Sport. Just a 1/10 ouncer would do it. 🤗
Might be fun to release counterstamped coins.
My daughter sent me this and said “Look at what the coin collectors are doing “. She lives in South Florida. Hopefully, it’s getting out to all the corners of our country.
DiggerJim
https://www.fox4now.com/lifestyle/check-your-change-new-rare-coins-to-be-dropped-into-circulation-during-great-american-coin-hunt
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about $100 FV worth of copper coated 1943 steel cents.
A roll of old Canadian nickels, the 12 sided ones should be a hit.
I heard about it on the news a few days ago (Milwaukee, WI). However, the two coin dealers that I went to yesterday had no idea what I was talking about!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
I'm going to spend 30 to 40 proof cents at various places. The shiny coins should grab some attention.
Second set of vending machine coin return coins (one Buff and one V-Nickel) are still there - over 3 hours later. Someone found the first Buff and Merc I left in there. Wonder who?! I might have to keep playing this game for a while!
Rocking my "shiny-object-syndrome"!!!
I'm currently debating ( within my own bored tired mind 🤔) whether I should locate one of my treasured 1913 Libery Nickels ..... and set it free . Think anyone would be inspired to do great things later in life ..... like become a Secret Service Agent ? 🙄 😁
Has anyone noticed an uptick in posts asking about coins being found?
Here or other forums?
Going thru McDonald's I got my change and heard the unmistakable sound of silver.
No not an old Roosevelt dime...
Arkansas proof quarter!
Whoo hoo!
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Great idea! Hope it works? I know this is a newly released poll and event but approx. 1 year ago, when I dumped all my coins for cash, I released in the wild about 100 Buffalo Nickels! I knew I wouldn't of gotten what I wanted for them so I decided to throw them in my bank's change machine. Hopefully, a young kid or someone not familiar to the hobby, to start a fire in their heart for collecting.
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--- If it should happen I die and leave this world and you want to remember me. Please only remember my opening Sig Line.A couple days ago, and with too much free time, I decided to get 5 Rolls of Quarters. To my surprise the Lady at my Bank allowed me to get them. I was looking for a W Quarter or 2 but no dice. I was shocked to see so many flashy looking new Quarters, some from around 2000 and a few from 1974 or thereabouts.
The result of dumping junk? Intentional seeding for inspirational puposes? I can only guess.
I just dug out my Quarters. One of them was so shiney I looked REALLY close at it. Turned out to be a 1969-S Proof.
Interesting. My Brother took it. I said help yourself........ it's just a junk Quarter to me. 💣
Tons of wheats along with Buffalos and blue and red seal currency.