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How many coin collectors are there in the US?
Coinstartled
Posts: 10,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
I know that definitions are difficult, but lets say that they have an ongoing interest and spend some time learning through books, magazines and on the net. Acquire coins at least from time to time as their finances allow or maybe just bust out the Whitman and study the coins that they have.
I am thinking 1% of the population or about 3,000,000 collectors.
Too high, or too low?
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I wouldn’t have a clue on how to estimate that.
If you choose a very broad definition, people who collect coins are one percent to three percent of the total population, but those who have ever spent $100 on a collectible coin are probably much less than 300,000 people (or roughly one-tenth of one percent of the total population). Not all of those 300,000 people are still playing the game today.
I have assumed about 2,000,000 but with very unequal distribution demographically.
I assume the core demographic group is still white (non-Hispanic) men. I have heard there are more women collecting now than in the past but don't believe the participation rate is anywhere near equal. Latins and Orientals, a relatively low fraction of white men. Most other groups, minimal versus white men.
93 million.
35 with money to spend.
I just go to the Saturday bid board and multiply the participants by 3 million.
867,592
Heritage probably has some good numbers...... and I'm sure they'll keep it to themselves.
More than 30,000.
Depends on how you define a collector. I really don't know but if you eliminate those who collect statehood/territory/park quarter series, and those who inherited a jar of wheat cents or a few silver dollars from "mom and dad" then that's going to cut down the number a lot. Maybe by 80 to 90%?
IMO, you can also eliminate most anyone that has bought coins from the "Coin Vault" of any other TV markets... They just don't fit my definition of a coin collector. I could give them a name but I might get banned from the forum.
So without those, I'd say 3,000,000 sounds very high to me... I'd think the number of actual collectors is under 250,000 but that's just a WAG.
That's some thing no one will ever know! I would wager 40-50% of collectors are incognito!
Way more than what you think. Half of everyone I speak to has some form of a coin story.
34, property taxes are due.
By actual headcount, there are only 14 coin collectors in the United States. Everyone else is trying to get rich quick by finding a mint error in a parking lot.
That is the second time this week that some one had used the word "oriental" on this forum. We've identified the demographic as 90 year old white men.
Smh
Look up 'The Oriental Numismatic Society' on Facebook. Mostly English academic types.
Do people who have collections (inherited and in the attic/closet count)? Old accumulations are more common than collectors IMO.
Oriental
There seems to be more collectors when I want to buy something, but they all seem to disappear when I want to sell. Just kidding, there are plenty of buyers and sellers to go around. If the price is right they will buy, if not hold on for awhile it seems to go up and down like the Stock Market or a Merry-Go-Round horse.
People who pull interesting things out of circulation or end up with grandpa's collection of a dozen worn Buffalos, a couple 1940s VF Walkers, and a cruddy IHC, a lot. Maybe 2-3% of the population. People who buy coin books and magazines, spend money to buy specific coins, or read these message boards on company time? Maybe 50-75k collect classic coins. Possibly another 50-100k collect morderns.
Positive BST Transactions (buyers and sellers): wondercoin, blu62vette, BAJJERFAN, privatecoin, blu62vette, AlanLastufka, privatecoin
#1 1951 Bowman Los Angeles Rams Team Set
#2 1980 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
#8 (and climbing) 1972 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
LOL I swear, every non collector that has ever talked coins with me claim to have a Three-legged Buffalo or a 1909-S VDB.
Positive BST Transactions (buyers and sellers): wondercoin, blu62vette, BAJJERFAN, privatecoin, blu62vette, AlanLastufka, privatecoin
#1 1951 Bowman Los Angeles Rams Team Set
#2 1980 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
#8 (and climbing) 1972 Topps Los Angeles Rams Team Set
The criteria was oriented towards those that have some sort of active interest. Maybe halfway serious but inactive collectors should count as well. Seems to be a lot of them and their numismatic knowledge remains even if their interest has diminished.
How many members are there of the ANA? That’s a starting point.
Ok, quick show of hands folks.
...who didn’t get the coin.
Dues paying individuals 18,010; Life members 5,571; members Emeritus 643; Clubs 417 = 24,641 total as of October 29, 2019 (from the most recent issue of 'The Numismatist').
Conversely, there are probably 250,000+ living former members of the American Numismatic Association.
Based on the above and my general, imperfect sense, I'd say low tens of thousands. How many subscribers to CW or NN?
While I have been a member of the ANA for forty-one years, I cannot make any case whatsoever that the organization has any reflection on the number of persons interested in coins. I will stick with my earlier guesstimate.
Heritage most likely has this business intelligence and could get with +/- 1% of the actual number.
You can go from finest known to just above melt price in about 1000 saints.
It seems to be a fairly popular series.
My guess is not many real collectors out there.
My Saint Set
According to HSN, 150 million Americans collect coins. That is more likely the number of Americans who have ever had a state quarter in their possession.
(Cited from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/how-many-coin-collectors-are-there-in-us.164063/)
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Any figures advanced in this subject (other than memberships/subscriptions) are guesses....and there is no way to actually tabulate such a figure with any hope of accuracy. There are casual collectors, short term collectors, lifetime collectors, dealers, hobbyists and precious metal stackers..... those who have a few from Grandma and kids with SHQ books....I know that for any coin I am interested in, there are a lot of collectors, or they would be much more affordable
Cheers, RickO
25,000 which is down from 100k.
But the hobby is growing, right?
The ANA never had 100,000 members at any single moment. Never. Never ever.
But there was a moment close to 40,000. More commonly, during my 41 years of membership, about 34,000.
And of course, there are about 250,000 living former members.
25,000 which is down from 100k.
I'd love to see a citation of that 100k figure.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
So far as collectors who would be of interest to a dealer this is probably true. They have had decades to collect such data.
There will still be many collectors of things such as recent mint issues only that will be off their radar.
I am a professional statistician and there's not really enough public information to get this (IMHO). I think the universe may very well be 3M+, but I think @BBN guessed as close as I could get. My gut says 50k semi-serious US classic coin collectors, with a wide range of collecting interests. Many trends fall off to a level and then flatline for a long time, that might be where we are. The peak was still likely in the 60's and it's been dropping since...maybe we reached those levels for state-quarters, but if we did it dropped like a rock afterward.
I don't think we will ever get a decent head count on this. However, if you ask people in general what type of collector they either know or run across, i bet most will say coins, followed by sports cards. I don't think anyone will admit to collecting a single Beanie Baby, but I'm sure they are still out there!
I still collect Pokemon via Pokemon Go. 436 as of last count, gotta catch 'em all!
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
I may be thinking of the APS for the 100k. Stamp collecting was always a bigger hobby.
Questions like this are better answered with bell curves than words and numbers. Generally I think there are millions of casual collectors, tens of thousands of serious collector/investors, and tens of millions who "have some coins saved"
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
A few years ago i asked the forum whether they believed a million people owned at least one slabbed coin. Most everyone said no. But with 50,000,000 or so slabbed pieces, that would mean an average of 50 or more slabbed coins for the remaining 999,999 or fewer collectors.
That seems high.
I personally have more than 500 Slabbed mint error coins
I belonged to a coin club about 10 years ago. The topic of slabbed coins was discussed one time and a majority of the members claimed to not own any.
FWIW...
It is worth a lot in trying to estimate collectorship.
Probably ten coin shops in my city of 500,000. So one per 50,000. with a 1% of population collector base that would one coin shop per 500 collectors.
seems light.
How often does the design change? I personally prefer to collect the most rare and pretty of the series (like ASE right now the 2019-S Reverse is probably the best of this series so I will retain it with my 25th Anniversary ASEs). I don't see the point of collecting the same design for multiple years but that's just me. I like to own a piece of history from the Roman era etc. because those coins are pretty cool looking so I'm not logged into US Mint all the time; you'd probably see me only when a rare coin comes out of a series on the US Mint and getting it graded to see if it's a perfect 70 to keep or sell to buy a perfect 70 version before I store it at the bank vault.
Does the collector count include me or does that count only reflect those who collect the series of every year and log into the Mint to get the new year's coin?
I thought her number was 867-5309.
Except that 49,000,000 plus have probably been cracked out by those looking for a higher grade.
At least one... counting myself.
14,389,367 give or a take a few.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Double the highest number.... that's my take.