Will the coin market ever collapse like the market for stamps has?
Fountainhead
Posts: 956
During FDR's day and through the seventies, stamp collecting was all the rage. But it's comparatively dead now.
Why did stamps collapse, and will coins ever suffer the same fate?
Why did stamps collapse, and will coins ever suffer the same fate?
Salute the automobile: The greatest anti-pollution device in human history!
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
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Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
GSAGUY
rainbowroosie April 1, 2003
(Yes, I know stamps haven't been around as long as coins...don't get smart with me, sonny!)
The USPS isn't helping the future of coin collecting with these self destructing stamp "stickers" they're using now.
But I don't see collectors supporting the stamp market the way the coin market was supported in the late 90's. If a stamp wasn't "Elvis" hardly anyone was interested.
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
I remember the last melt down about 14 years ago or so ... It wasn't pretty...
Forum AdministratorPSA & PSA/DNA ForumModerator@collectors.com | p 800.325.1121 | PSAcard.com
Your coin is delivered in a supersized envelope covered front and back with four cent stamps that were bought at 75% of face.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
A hundred years ago, people collected medals, not coins -- but the medal market is illiquid and mostly dead today, without any recovery of interest -- not on the coin market scale, anyway. No boom-bust in the medals market.
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
Really?
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
And don't forget button collecting was a big deal sometime in the past. Fortunately coins continue to ebdure
Do any of the big 3 grading services slab stamps ?
Their is just something about a shiny round piece of copper or silver or gold you can't get from a small piece of paper.
Les
I'm pretty sure there were some, at least a few, people collecting coins a hundred years ago.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
more stamp collectors in the 1950's and large numbers of stamps could be saved with very
little capital tied up in them. The hobby was wildly popular so this encouraged ever more
speculation. When interest waned a little bit there were far more stamps of most of the
more recent issues than he market could absorb. The hobby began to spiral down. Many of
the great rarities in the field held their values or even increased but the types of stamps
which were widely collected just dropped lower and lower. Today these stamps often whole-
sale at less than face value despite being as much as 75 years old. Many can be bought re-
tail at less than face because of the effort required to "spend" them.
While most of these older stamps may never be scarce enough to ever command much of a
premium, it might not be wise to write off the issues from after this market started down in
the late '70's/early'80's. It's likely many of these issues were not saved in massive quantities
and attrition has been as high for them as the earlier issues. In some cases, like the early
self adhesives, attrition has been even higher because the adhesives have proven to be un-
stable. Eventually there ill be an increase in the number of stamp collectors and then we'll
learn how many of these were saved.
<< <i>Perhaps, over a much longer period of time. I think the fact that many of the collectible coins have precious metal helps coins remain desirable. And there is a far larger period from which to collect if you go back to Lydia in 500 BC or so. More options. >>
Of far more benefit is the cost of buying coins and the relative size of the older and
more recent issue segments of the market. If the coin hobby ever were to be dominated
by the value of very inexpensive coins the same thing could happen.
The coin hobby will implode (pricewise) only when coins become obsolete.
The coin show I just went to this weekend in Vienna VA also had a stamp show running at the same time. There is about 10 or 15 dealers that always seem to be there. Traffic is very light, but the folks are really great. My lady looks for some stamps for the art work not the value. We have some framed stamps on display in my home because we have an Americana motif (Red, white and blue) in some parts of our home.
The mint is now selling the State "Greetings From" stamps with the state quarters.
I noticed you can get alot of stamps for less that face thats for sure. I'm sure many of the coin dealers take some time to go down to the stamp show and purchase "cheap" postage for low cost shipping on coins. I know I have received a few coins in the mail with the packages that were covered with stamps to make up the postage. I keep some of the because they just look too cool.
Anyway to save a buck in business. JMO
In Laurel
MD
Just a fist full of Dollars
I wonder if FDR had something to do with it. After he declared everyone who owned bullion an outlaw, he pushed his own hobby as an alternative, so maybe the pop in stamps was artificial....
...there is a far larger period from which to collect if you go back to Lydia in 500 BC or so...
Ah, but the Ancients market is dead -- or at least illiquid -- compared to the moderns. At least U.S. coins, that is.
ts obvious, stamps are'nt round, if they start making coins square(like collectors) we're in trouble!
Never seen an old Japanese coin, have you?
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
(Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
<< <i>
Never seen an old Japanese coin, have you? >>
Does Japan have coins?
NOTE: No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
Type collector since 1981
Current focus 1855 date type set
many of the first ones have good value, especially in top condition
for most of the stuff in the last 60 years - not much
Coins were and are minted as money for any and all purposes and have a deeper physological attachment and value than stamps. even though many coins have no intrinsic value, the older silver and gold coins do.
I think that most markets are cyclical, and that coins are no different. In my opinion numismatics just has much more prestige associated with it than does stamp collecting.
If the collector base died away then surely so would the prices. I don't think it will happen as extensively as it has for stamps even though we will surely see varying cyclical price swings.
Just some ideas,
Tyler
<< <i>stamps are a lot like the Lincoln series
many of the first ones have good value, especially in top condition
for most of the stuff in the last 60 years - not much >>
Many top grade Lincolns of the last sixty years are now bringing a pretty penny. There
are many even in the lower grades which sell for stiff premiums and there are varieties
which also sell for more. This is not true for stamps. With the exception of errors there
aren't recent date stamps which sell for high prices- - yet.