Is the hobby becoming more popular?

dan1ecu

I just read the thread about the economy submissions to PCGS taking 75 days. Is the problem on PCGS’s end, or is the number of collectors increasing? Maybe the hobby is growing to the point that the existing grading services won’t be able to handle the volume? Could this be an indication that demand, and therefore prices, will increase? That wouldn’t be good for me because there are still some coins that I’d like to have at current prices.

What do you think?

islemangu

I think you are right and it is becoming more popular. Its about time!

I:m not at all an expert as many other members here obviously are but I do remember a coin mag article I read a while back that popularity in coins (along with associated value jumps) had moved on a cycle wave falling and then rising again every 10 to 20 years with the last top being 1986. I think with the internet development that cycle of future curve amplitudes will be exaggerated higher than all the past non-internet rises. I think the mints state quarter program will also suceed in bringing in many new and young collectors that will of course age and have disposable income to throw into their hobby later.

In the short run view, I think the post 911 increase in USA Nationalism(patriotism) will also have an impact in increasing the popularity of USA coin collecting.
(pardon my bad spelling and grammar)


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cladking

I see a lot of new faces in the hobby. I see empty shipping boxes for the
blue folders for all the circulating coins. I see the blue folders on the shelves
at book stores and see them sell. I see high grade older circulating coinage
disappearing from circulation more quickly than than low grades of the same
dates or later dates. There really is no doubt that coin collecting is becoming
more popular, the question is are we going to be able to maintain the enthu-
siasm of the newbies. This will be the next generation of collectors.

MadMonk

I think so, although I still think that the internet is hurting the not so large coin shows.

islemangu

I think so, although I still think that the internet is hurting the not so large coin shows.

I live in a remote location with the internet all I have and havn:t been to show in over 10 years. I thought the shows were mainly for the coin dealers to rub elbows and trade at wholesale levels or are the shows now bringing in a more mainstream retail consumer coin buying public??

Whats your ballpark percentage wise ratio of wholesale to retail trade now a days in US coin shows;
Small shows versus big shows
% by dollar amounts
% by quantity of transactions?


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lordmarcovan

From where I'm sitting, the hobby does indeed seem to be gaining popularity.

(One example: If it weren't, the TV shopping channels wouldn't have so many folks willingly lined up to pay a 300-500% markup on their merchandise...and they must have the folks lined up, 'cause you can bet they aren't doing it unless they're makin' a profit. And you know they usually deal in large volumes.)

paigowjohnny

<< <i>Is the problem on PCGS’s end, or is the number of collectors increasing? >>



Probably a combination. Hard to keep up with all the ASEs, state quarters, and crackout/"please gimme an upgrade" s that they're getting.

nwcs

I think more people are becoming more comfortable with slabs and are willing to send in more types -- even if they aren't moneymakers for their own purposes.

Gilbert

I posted similarly in a closely related thread:

I believe that PCGS, and others, opening the door to submissions by collectors, the Registry race, the increase in eBay and vest pocket dealers (read the money grubbers *smile*), the tendency for many of those submitters to sumit on the modern and economy tiers have all combined to drive the turnaround times beyond what many find acceptable.

My solution is to submit low volume and at regular tier (until that too becomes too slow). It works for me presently.

edited to add: To reconstruct your thread topic: "Trying to make money in selling coins has become more popular!"

paigowjohnny

Here's an example of what I mean...from across the street...

Slab those Eagles !!!!

I think the pipelines are getting clogged with submissions like this...

topstuf

Too bad the moderns can't go to a "temporary" dept. as that's where they will probably find themselves in the POG and Beanie category in a few years.
Should be a simple matter to train people to look at coins that are brand new and have never been used as money. I...DID....see a MS69 gold half eagle with an actual chunk out of the knee that looked like a can opener slipped.
I would imagine that the classics are getting swamped by the newies.
Slabs are an imperfect thing. They ARE more accepted though.
Perhaps from seeing how VALUABLE they are on TV when you have insomnia.

Maybe PCGS could just sell some slabs to the mint and let them send em out already done.

cladking

Topstuf; Future collectors will consider moderns to be just as much coins as bust and seated coins.

Incredibly there are some collectors who already do!!!

Baley

wow! if that's true, how popular will that make bust and seated coins then, if in the future, if clad coins were that popular, collectible, historic, neat, beautiful, etc etc? I hope that is true, because it seems to me, however rare and desireable clad coins and to a lesser extent, 20th century coins become, the 19th and late 18th century coins will be even more rare and desireable

cladking

Baley: Desirability is always a matter of individual taste. Rarity is determined
by factors primarily beyond the control of collectors. Moderns which are more
rare than classics will in all probability always be more rare than classics. Clas-
ics may always garner more interest and may always be considered more beau-
tiful than moderns by most collectors, but the fact remains the moderns are real
coins and some people collect them as such.

That the popularity of the moderns is increasing at a greater pace than most clas-
ics is largely an indication of their popularity among newbies and their great col-
lectibility after many years of being ignored by most everyone.

Baley

plus moderns are more affordable! I love to collect moderns out of my pocket change and to complete sets of roosies and washingtons and jeffersons and lincolns and franklins and kennedies and ikes!

even at 5 or 10 times face, some modern coins are bargains!

but at 100 or 1000 times face, my coins need to be at least older than me