Do 21st Century Revivals of Classic Coins Water Down and Cheapen the Original Series?
cameonut2011
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Do 21st century revivals of classic coins water down and cheapen the original series?
For the registry guys, if the new Morgan Peace Dollars are extended and truly become an extension of the original series eligible for registry sets, would the influx of MS70/PF70 coins hurt the value of classic coins especially the top pops?
What if CAC were to accept them? 
The things that keep me up at night... 
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No 😎
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
+😎
Once I asked an artist if giclée prints reduced the demand and prices of originals. He told me quite the opposite in that the giclées act as marketing, making the original more well known and worth more.
Introducing ASE collectors to Morgans can only be a good thing IMO.
They are commems.
So it should have no bearing. Interest may percolate to the original series so that is a potential positive.
I would not think so, especially since the revivals look like cheap Chinese knockoffs. As already said it has (at least early on) brought some new life and lifted the prices of the classic coins.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I'm just glad my old albums do not have slots for the modern Morgans, or I might feel compelled to buy them.
Not for me, they don't. I only collect coins. By "coins" I mean issues for commerce and actually used for buying things.
Those have a history of possible circulation.
Those new NCLT things put out by the mint for sale (not circulation) have no appeal for me.
The only "historic" element to them is whatever mint order foulup happened with the sales.
It will introduce new collectors to the series and some will start collecting the real ones so it’s good for the hobby. But yeah, they are reproductions of the originals which will turn off some established collectors, but that won’t make them stop collecting the real coins from back in the days, they just won’t be interested in the new ones.
Mr_Spud
Nah, the only thing they can do is add more excitement and cause a series to become popular for awhile. As evidenced by the Morgan Dollar explosion of 2020-present.
I think the 21st century revivals of classic designs are great and should be expanded. @TheCoinAnalyst should be pressing the US Mint on whether they plan to do further classic coin revivals.
I think in addition to new Morgan/Peace dollars, a good niche for the US Mint would be the gold coins. The US Mint should definitely bring back the Indian Head $2.50/$5/$10 and Saint Gaudens $20. Bringing back the Liberty head $5/$10/$20 should also be looked at. They already have broad statutory authority to mint 24k gold coins, this is something the US Mint can do without legislation. Think about it, if they did a 2027-D Saint, a 2029 Indian Head $2.50/$5, a 2033 Indian Head $10, 2033 Saint Gaudens $20 and made those coins into a permanent series like the Morgan/Peace Dollars, this can put high quality classic coins in the hands of average collectors without having them to spend an arm and a leg for good quality coins, especially with how a CAC bean significantly raises the price on gold coins like Saints. A 1 oz. gold coin from the US Mint today is cheaper than a generic common date MS66 non CAC Saint ($2640 for a 1 oz. AGB vs. $3250 for a 1924 MS66 non CAC Saint from Laura Sperber/Legend). This would make classic gold coins more accessible, especially with less and less disposable income to go around if you aren’t super rich. Put it this way, one can buy nice gold coins and still put money towards other expenses that are rising like housing/car etc. Something the US Mint should think about.
We've seen some good ones with the ASEs, AGEs, Palladium coins and now Morgan / Peace dollars.
It would be great if they started restriking some more of the old pattern designs.
I agree, the presidential first lady series used some of the older Liberty designs for the presidents w/o wives
Interesting. So the consensus appears to see these issues as being good for the hobby.
No, if anything it will bring modern coinage collectors to look and even buy some of the older stuff!
The new Morgan's made me want to shop around for some nice cc Morgan specimens and a ball park estimate for what I would have to pay for such coins.
Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.
Yes, does not seem to be driving away any of the classic collectors, and may be recruiting some new ones.
But I still don't think much of them. 😉
They don’t for me.
I like them.
Related question: Are the 2021 Morgan/Peace dollars suitable for upgrading U.S. type sets?
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
Why call them rivals? Put them side by side it’s the same basic design a 2021 peace dollar is not going to effect a 1921 high relief dollar value or desire to own one.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/publishedset/209923
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/album/209923
That’s where I was going with the registry sets and type coinage question. I had wondered whether it would discourage enough type/registry collectors to buy the new versions instead of the original and decrease demand. I didn’t think about the flip side of the coin that it could generate more interest in the set (e.g. date collectors and the like).
No
I bought a blank page for my peace dollar album so I could include both the 3 ray and 4 ray 1935s in my set.
I'd lean towards no.
One example: the 2001 Buffalo Commem is 20 years old now and that hasn't watered down the Buffalo Nickel series (and it has actually stayed above issue price).
I wouldn't think so. The Morgan dollars are old, the commems, not.
Oh, I think not!
We have circulated type sets, maybe proof type sets, and maybe commemoratives. These new things do not go in circulated type sets!
No.
I don’t think so. If I like the new version then I might get one as an example of a design I like in a grade/finish I can’t get for the original. I really like the SLQ design and picked up a gold one 5 years ago because I like it. I don’t like the new Morgans and won’t get one. The peace dollar? Yup, I’ll pick one up.
As for registry sets, I haven’t liked them since the first came along, and I have no sympathy if someone’s set gets screwed up as a result of a modern coin getting added. I collect what I enjoy, not to compete.
No, actually, I think they promote them.
I haven't liked them either, but I am glad they are here, for they surely have promoted coin values. My lowball coins have doubled or tripled in value and so did my AU58 coins.
To answer the OP... No. These will appeal to some set collectors, some new collectors. The old series will likely gain some new collectors due to the new issues. Cheers, RickO
So you must not have any proof coins, or perhaps impaired proofs squeeze into that criteria?
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Oh no. Lots of proofs and even classic commems.
Should we start an argument thread?
For those alluding to the Silver Buffalo dollars and gold Buffalos, Mercury Dimes, SLQ, and WLH, aren’t those distinguishable based on the different denomination and metal alloy?
@U1chicago @airplanenut
Sure they are are different denominations and alloys but it’s still reusing the same design. So to me it’s a fair comparison.
If we want to get technical the face value of the 2016s is the same as the original series. Also, coinage has changed alloy composition many times in our country’s brief history.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Absolutely
I think that the 2021 Morgan, Peace dollar and future releases will only increase one's drive to buy the older originals.
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
I think they only serve to drive demand for the originals more and drive coin prices up and collector memberships up. Which is a good thing until its competition on my set. This is NIMBYism within a hobby to feel against it.
I like coins, you like coins, but that new guy that likes my coins can go to heck.
My PCGS profile
Especially if they are in the same Registry Set. Collectors of moderns will want to buy the classics for completion.
They can have sets for classics only, moderns only and all.
I don't see where that comes into play. I started by saying that I don't think the revivals cheapen the original series. I have an example of a gold SLQ from 2016, and I will get a 2021 Peace dollar. I just buy what I like, and when there's a 100 year gap in production, I don't consider a modern creation part of the original series. That a new one comes out, however similar or different from the original, I just consider it a modern.
No.
It could happen if type collectors prefer the MS 69-70 graded modern pieces (having fallen to around $50 then) and the novelty wears off like it did with 50D nickels forcing them trade cheap.
When American Eagles came out it killed Saints and Walkers. So why not repeat with modern issues of classic coins?
I'm guessing it's doctoring and cleaning that killed Saints and Walkers. American Eagles were just the final nail in the coffin. I think one reason collectors like moderns is they don't have to deal with the shinanigans that can come with older coins.
My first large silver classic PCGS slabbed coin turned out to be an overdipped coin. I marveled at the surfaces which I found out was caused by over dipping later. That wouldn't happen with Eagles.
Yup sold out of USA classic coins. Been there done that. Now Just focused on mods, bullion coins, world, currency.
What really killed Saints is overgrading. Due to overgrading you need CAC to differentiate between the inferior coins and superior coins. Not only that, most Saints have rub on the knee and many Saints are technically AU coins but are market graded MS. There's now wide price differentials between CAC and non CAC Saints. Like a 1924 PCGS MS66 non-CAC on Laura Sperber's website is $3250 whereas a 1924 PCGS MS66 CAC on APMEX is $5389, yes an over $2,000 difference between CAC and non-CAC on a common date generic coin. If the US Mint came out and made a 1oz. 24k Saint with the exact same design including lettering font (a problem with the AGE) as the 1908-1933 Saints and sold it for $2640 (same price as a 1 oz. AGB), I'd buy it in a heartbeat in order not to deal with the shenanigans of the 1907-1933 Saints. The US Mint can do this with its already existing broad statutory authority to mint 24k gold coins.
Speaking of Walkers, Walkers rarely come fully struck. The 2016 Gold Walker is the most fully struck Walker you'll find.
This is a big issue that can affect enjoyment I’d classics. It is causing even advanced forum members to leave classic US coins.
This goes back to my thought on pitfalls for collectors. It’s easy to buy moderns where everything is more or less the same.
There are a lot of gotchas in classic coins that I’m guessing many people don’t want to deal with or deal with often. The way to enjoy coins is different when you have to and don’t have to deal with these things.
Many of the modern knock-offs are inferior to the original coins.
There are few of them that I like. The 2009 Ultra High Relief $20 gold was good because it provided collectors with a chance to own a near copy of the pattern coin with diameter of $10, with double the thickness, which is uncollectable.
I bought the gold Kennedy Half Dollar too, mainly because that coin grabbed my attention when I was young collector. It brought back fond memories.
On the other hand, the gold Mercury Dime didn't even have split bans.
The Gold Mercury Dime and the 2001 Buffalo Dollar were the worst classic design revivals. If anything with the popular classic designs, the Mercury Dime has the least amount of pitfalls if you want to collect them. For starters, coins that are fully struck with FB are easy to obtain in the original series at a reasonable cost.