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How would coin collecting be different if the number of serious collectors increased by 100%? By 10

Greetings, All -

If the number of coin collectors doubled or increased by an order of magnitude, what would be the effect on the nature of the hobby? Would we have many more coin dealers (and bigger ones)? Would nice coins be VERY hard to come by? Would prices go though the roof - even for average, low end stuff? Would we still have the same type of shows as we do now?

What would you do if you found it impossible to buy the quality coins that you are used to? What if your chances of building a nice collection were seriously limited? Lots of collectors can be a good thing, but at what point will there be too many?

Dan

Comments

  • BAJJERFANBAJJERFAN Posts: 31,075 ✭✭✭✭✭
    <<"What would you do if you found it impossible to buy the quality coins that you are used to?">>

    If I was 10% into a set of Morgans and they were mostly commons I would sell and quit. If I needed a couple to finish I would probly settle for something of so so quality in the hopes I could eventually find something more suitable or affordable. Then again if that 10% was key and/or semi key dates I would let the investor side rule.

    Would be interesting to find out tho.
    theknowitalltroll;
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,630 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The number of serious collectors has already doubled three or four times since 1995 if
    you define serious as someone who pays more than ten times face value or ten times
    melt value for a coin. The hobby will likely need to double again in order to be certain
    of having the participation required to maintain prices in the future. There will likely be
    great deal more growth if for no other reason that this great hobby was at an extremely
    low ebb and this is just a return to more "normal" levels of activity.

    There is likely to be a lot less change in the way things happen than most would assume.
    There will be some increase in the number of coin shops and their activity level, but much
    of the business will take place over the net where it isn't so obvious. Dealers will buy and
    sell more material and shops will be more crowded. Shows will likely see a large change
    as they increasingly become more retail oriented and more dealer friendly. The biggest
    changes will be in the hobby weeklies and monthlies. Sales of these will increase greatly
    and the numbers of people required to get the paper out and answer the phones should
    increase significantly. The average collector won't see it much except in prices, and the
    larger numbers at shows. In retrospect most will view this as more an evolutionary change
    than a revolutionary change.

    Tempus fugit.
  • BigEBigE Posts: 6,949 ✭✭✭
    I am not sure but it seems like only a couple of years ago that Heritage had 40,000 people signed up for their auctions, and now there is over 100k----------------------------------BigE
    I'm glad I am a Tree

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