What Are the More Effective Strategies to Attract Persons to Our Beloved Hobby

Casabrown

Please respond based upon the following age groups:

10 to 20 years of age
20 to 30 years of age
30 to 40 years of age
40 to 50 years of age
Greater than 50 years of age

Many thanks

Casabrown

Sapyx

Personally, I firmly believe that a coin collector cannot be "created" ex nihilo. A person either has the personality that can become a coin collector, or they do not, and there's very little beneath a life-shattering experience that can change that. And the majority of people do not have that mindset. If you don't have the "collector mindset", then attempting to grit your teeth and "become a coin collector" will only result in pain and frustration, whatever your age.

Now, there are plenty of people out there who could become coin collectors, but haven't yet. And the difference is, these people have not yet had their "Aha! moment". Whatever that moment might be. It might be finding an old classic coin in change. It might be inheriting a coin or collection from a loved one. It might be an overseas holiday, or a friend/relative's overseas holiday, that exposes them to foreign coins for the first time. It might be a trip to a museum where they see ancient coins on display.

So, on to "strategies" for creating that "Aha! moment" in other people. They don't really fit neatly into your decade age-brackets though.

Children: this one's easy. Show them coins, and give them coins. And give them a variety of options; some kids who'd go "ho hum, boring" at a classic US coin would be blown away in amazement by an Australian 50 cent piece. And vice-versa.

Teenagers: super tough. There's so much going on in their lives all the time, finding time for an "Aha! moment" and recognizing it when it happens, is next-to-impossible. Just giving them coins is unlikely to cut it. If they weren't interested in collecting as kids, they're unlikely to start now, and they're unlikely to believe someone of their parent's generation telling them "coins are cool". This is an age when many of the YNs who started above will stop collecting, either permanently or temporarily.

Young Adults: also tough, but (especially if they're single), they are finally at the stage where they have some occasional spare time, and some occasional spare money to spend. Holidays are a good opportunity; suggest numismatic-related destinations and attractions (such as the local Mint), or if going overseas and they know you are a coin collector, ask them to "look for interesting coins"; this will at least get them looking at the coins they are handling.

Middle-aged: a less difficult generation, but made difficult by family status: finding one coin collector is rare, finding a married couple that are both passionate about collecting is super-rare. We love our hobby, but don't want to see coin collecting become a reason for marriage breakups. Emphasize "collecting on a budget", pulling coins from their change, or even collecting the "numismatic fringe" like tokens and such, where prices remain relatively low. Promoting it as "something you can do with the family" can't hurt, either; I've noticed that seeing their kids get enthusiastic about coin collecting can often find the parents become enthusiastic, too. Single people in this age-bracket usually have lots of available time and wealth to invest in a hobby.

Retirees and empty-nesters: here is where coin collecting has always had it's maximum engagement. Anyone who even slightly dabbled in coins, in any of the previous age-groups, now finds themselves looking back on those days with nostalgia - which can in itself become the "Aha! moment", when they realise just how much fun they used to have doing coins, and they realise they now have the freedom to fully indulge in that old passion. These are also the generation who are more likely to get involved in organized numismatics, joining a coin club.

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Casabrown

Wow...Quite Impressive!

WCC

@Sapyx said:
Personally, I firmly believe that a coin collector cannot be "created" ex nihilo. A person either has the personality that can become a coin collector, or they do not, and there's very little beneath a life-shattering experience that can change that. And the majority of people do not have that mindset. If you don't have the "collector mindset", then attempting to grit your teeth and "become a coin collector" will only result in pain and frustration, whatever your age.

Super post

What you describe here illustrates why many coin buyers seem to be actually more interested or at least as interested in the financial aspects versus the coin itself. The current culture (in the US mostly) of financial promotion has a lot to do with it.

@Sapyx said:

Children: this one's easy. Show them coins, and give them coins. And give them a variety of options; some kids who'd go "ho hum, boring" at a classic US coin would be blown away in amazement by an Australian 50 cent piece. And vice-versa.

This is how I got started.

Casabrown

Thanks to all as we are trying to revitalize our club.

By the way, if anyone is interested in a club in northern NJ, please do not hesitate.

Casabrown

Steven59

I don't know - kinda like being a "Hockey fan" - ya either are or ya Ain't.

MrEureka

Now that collecting coins out of circulation is a lot less fun, I think the hobby needs to shift away from its focus on dates, mintmarks and condition.

I would encourage collectors to get more creative with their collecting goals and to try building a collection that illustrates some interesting historical story. Then, tell the story to anyone who will listen.

And to illustrate my point, would you rather attend a presentation on "Collecting Buffalo Nickels by Date and Mintmark" or one on "The Speakeasy and Brothel Tokens of Prohibition Era Atlantic City"?

Casabrown

I really like the story telling approach.

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JonJet

Before I started collecting graded coins...I was collecting US Proof Sets...

Occasionally I would win a cheap eBay auction for Proof Pres Dollars or State Quarters...and I'd leave them as a tip at restaurants with a note that explained what the coin represented - asking the recipient to pass it on to the next generation once they reached retirement

The coin inside an airtite capsule would retain it's beauty for several hundred years - and the lucky 7th recipient would likely have enough value to purchase anything they needed to secure the original recipient's lifetime legacy

Casabrown

Very interesting

HashTag

YOLO

JonJet

@HashTag said:
YOLO

Curious about Your link...

Can You explain the word PREFECT as seen on the Showcase Cover?

bidask

"The Speakeasy and Brothel Tokens of Prohibition Era Atlantic City"?

That is not for kids !!