Has collecting changed now that it's much harder to get nice finds from change?
Zoins
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One thing I've noticed with the origin stories behind great collectors like Brent Pogue and Bob Simpson is that in both cases, there were father/son activities that involved the father letting the son search coins for face value or free. In Pogue's case he was given a sack of cents while for Simpson he visited many shops to find coins at face value.
How many of the YN generation now are learning an appreciation for coins by looking for coins at face value?
I'll note that this is not how I started. By the time I go started, it was hard to find silver in change and I was mostly getting silver coins as gifts from my from my father and because of this I had an appreciation for coins, but I didn't really get into them until I had enough disposable income to spend on them.
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I think it has. Now if you're going to collect and have anything of value, you've got to buy it (outside of rare parking lot finds). Also, when change was worth more, I think kids got more joy and reward from hunt and finds. If you could turn 50 cents into 75 cents by walking to your local shop, it was worth the trip (and kids could walk alone to a local shop, so I've heard).
Times certainly have changed as far as the availability of old coins in change. Silver is rare, and halves no longer seem to circulate. There are modern rarities to search for....However, at least for me, the moderns do not engender the same excitement. Cheers, RickO
That's an interesting theory. It seems from the late 60's and back you could get inspiring out of productions coins in change. Now for a coin found in change to be interesting you have to already have some knowledge of varieties and errors, and a magnifying glass.
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I'll also add that it's been so long since coins actually changed, there's no excitement in finding something that might not be in circulation for much longer. To me, statehood quarters and different reverses/obverses of the same coins don't really count. AND - I almost never use cash anymore. I don't receive change for my kids to go through, or for me to check varieties on. Coins are only really a part of my life for collecting purposes (and thus it's the same for my kids).
I’ll say it is a bit impacted. When I was growing up, silver was long gone from circulation. The only old coins you could reliably get now and then we’re older Jefferson nickels and wheaties.
But that was still enough to keep things interesting. It was the trek to the coin shows that really got me wanting stuff and looking through mail order lists my brother subscribed to. We had very little money so we didn’t get much but it stuck with me.
My mother inheriting some coins from her father also helped since I could look through lots of bulk silver. Wasn’t allowed to keep any, though. A lot of it was sold off in the 1982 run up.
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Access provided by the internet has changed collecting permanently which reduces or eliminates the interest of relying on change for most outside of the lowest budget collectors.
When anyone who has the money can now buy practically any coin they want when they want it, finding some obscure error or die variety in their pocket change isn't going to be that interesting except financially to hardly anyone. This isn't knocking anyone who chooses to collect this way, just the self-evident reality of how people mostly view collecting.
This is no different than the decreased current interest in the coins most US collectors used to collect in lower up to mid-UNC grades (wheat cents, Buffalo nickels, etc.). It's evident the same level of interest doesn't exist for this coinage either, for the same reason. This coinage has to compete in a market with much greater choice and it isn't as competitive as it used to be.
Today's collector is a lot more affluent than during the times when older collectors on this forum started. Another thread asked about "dream coins" and a common response was the 1909-S VDB. This coin is unlikely to be a "dream coin" for many current YN or even older new collectors. First because it's known to be common (not rare) and second, a noticeable proportion of the collector base can afford it where only a low proportion could before since it's relative preference has collapsed.
Maybe but not for some, while I don't expect to find a pristine coin there are many coins in change that are worth finding. Just last week I found my first W quarter of 2020. The big difference between now and back then is that coinage of old (mercs, WLH) were beautiful to view, todays dreck is the same ugly old dead presidents and uninspiring rev designs.
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The use of physical money, coins and currency, in everyday transactions will continue its ongoing decline. There are a lot of parents out there who rarely use cash, most seem to be locked in with credit card and/or debit card transactions. When the parents rarely use cash, it's much less likely the kids will have much interest in examining coins or learning about them.
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The opportunity is certainly still there. To people new to coin collecting, especially younger children, a wheat cent is an exciting find because it's something they've (likely) never seen before. Likewise, a quarter with a 1965 date on it is exciting if they've never previously found one in change.
For kids wanting to experience the thrill of coin roll hunting, they need not be searching for rare and valuable coins to enjoy the experience. At 8 years old, most members of this group were not plucking 1916-D dimes or 1916 standing liberty quarters from circulation - you were finding much more mundane coins, yet that likely did not diminish your enjoyment & excitement.
Putting together a set of Washington, State, and/or ATB quarters from bank rolls provides enough of a challenge to be entertaining, yet is still within the reach of a beginner. How excited will they be when they find that last El Yunque quarter they need to complete the collection? Or if not that, the last Chaco Culture, Acadia, Guam, etc.
Along the way, they have a good chance of finding other tantalizing coins that pique their interest, like a silver quarter or two, or perhaps a rotated reverse error, or who knows what else...
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That's an ironic statement, if ever I've heard one. If "anyone who has the money can now buy practically any coin they want when they want it", what could be more mundane? Where is the thrill of the hunt in doing that? Many of the rarest and most sought after die varieties of the modern era are from the 60's and 70's and these largely remain buried in circulation to this day. Much of the time, you can't buy them, because they're simply not available. What could be more exciting that picking one of these out of circulation for face value? That's a real accomplishment, not just a boring, everyday transaction.
Even Barbers would be nicer to view than today's coins.
The CRH you are describing isn't thrilling or even interesting to more than a low proportion of (potential) collectors. This type of rarity is only interesting to a very low number. I presume by your user name that you find it interesting but for nominal prices, any (prospective) collector can buy a large variety of coinage which was much more difficult to buy before and that's what a much larger number do now.
I don't buy common coins precisely because of the lack of a challenge but most collectors do, even though many think or believe otherwise. I presume they find it interesting or else they would quit collecting or buy something else. Either way, it should be evident that the greater variety made available by the internet makes collecting more interesting where they don't have to rely on CRH for their "coin fix" unless they can't afford anything else.
@WCC - That was a very short response. You must be having an off day.
COVID has further put the nail in the coffin for every day coinage transactions, where people prefer to use their credit/debit card to avoid possible infection.
State headquarters count for me. I grew up in the 1980s when all I had to find in change was the Lincoln Cent, Jefferson nickel, Roosevelt dime and Washington quarter. Zzzzz
Maybe
The silver lining is that apparently people are using credit/debit cards to buy (but not use) coins. But I wonder what age ranges are doing so. It would be interesting to see the age distribution of new ANA membership.
If not by going through change, how did you get into collecting?
I remember thinking the same in 1963. But it didn't slow me down at all until I discovered girls.
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