ANA Numismatist magazine - coming soon to a newstand near you - will it work or will it flop?

dorancoins

Found this on the ANA website late last evening.

-----quote-----

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2006
CONTACT: Gail Baker
Telephone: 719-482-9853
e-mail: pr@money.org

NUMISMATIST to Hit the Newsstands

NUMISMATIST, the official publication of the American Numismatic Association, will be available
at a limited number of independently owned newsstands and Kroger® supermarkets in 23 states
beginning with the December issue.
The ANA has partnered with Anderson News Company of Atlanta, Georgia, to test the market
for NUMISMATIST magazine at public news outlets. Approximately 4,300 copies will hit the stands
in early December. The magazine’s cover will differ slightly from the version received by
members and will include a UPC code in the lower left corner.
“As the premiere magazine for collectors of coins, tokens, medals and paper money,
NUMISMATIST has a loyal and very enthusiastic following in the hobby community” says Editor-in-
Chief Barbara J. Gregory. “We’re extremely proud of our publication and excited about sharing
it with the public.”
If test marketing is successful over the next three months, the ANA hopes to expand the
magazine’s distribution.
Celebrating its 120th year of publication in 2007, NUMISMATIST magazine began as a four-page
pamphlet under the editorship of Dr. George F. Heath, who founded the American Numismatic
Association three years later in 1891.
The American Numismatic Association is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to
educating and encouraging people to study and collect money and related items. With nearly
31,000 members, the Association serves the academic community, collectors and the general
public with an interest in numismatics. The ANA helps all people discover and explore the world
of money through its vast array of programs including its education and outreach, museum,
library, publications, conventions and seminars.
For more information about the ANA, contact us at 719.632.2646 or visit us online at
www.MONEY.org.

-----unquote-----

Here is the question - will it work (where new readers may, at some point, join the ANA) or will it flop (due to too many numismatic publications at some of these bookstands.)

I think that while the National Geographic Society did this not too long ago (with some positive results), the ANA is going into a very competitive territory with other numismatic periodicals. On the on hand, it might work, but then again, they are competing with the likes of CoinAge, all of Krause's periodicals, and all of Amos Presses periodicals. Not all of the bookstands will have the space as I noticed, for example, at the Books-A-Million in Terre Haute, Indiana, that the only numismatic periodicals there is Coin World and World Coin News. I'll have to wait and see - this should be interesting.

291fifth

Will it work? It depends on pricing and appeal to the general public.

The title won't help because the general public won't know it means coins.

My gut feeling is that it won't prove to be a successful test.

Coxe

It will be yet one more reason for some people to reconsider renewing their memberships. Can always peruse the magazine at the newstand or the library if that is pretty much the reason they are members.

Longacre

I don't think numismatic periodicals sell very briskly on newstands, generally. Therefore, if the ANA leadership is fine with selling a relative small number of copies that way, then it will be "successful" by that measure.

Michigan

<< <i>I don't think numismatic periodicals sell very briskly on newstands, generally. Therefore, if the ANA leadership is fine with selling a relative small number of copies that way, then it will be "successful" by that measure. >>




I'm sure the goal is to increase membership by making the magazine available to the general public. They are at a disadvantage to the
uninformed who would see the names "Coinage" "Coins" and "Coin World" and know that is about coins but probably not realize that "Numismatist" is about coins and think it was filed in the wrong location on the newstand.

Those that are regular buyers of the above mentioned publications I'm sure would not be confused however and it does give the ANA
a chance.

BBQnBLUES

The "Numismatist" will need to go to a larger format with full color photos to catch the publics eye..

michael

i hope it works but there are too many big specialized words for the general public to understand

also for half of the people who even get this rag by subscription in the mail

in my area they rarely if ever sell the mainstream coin mags on the shelf the numismatist i think will not go over well but i hope this is not the case