Do you see an increased interest in World coins?

Refrema · April 30, 2008 1:25AM

I am noticing a marked increase in the popularity of collecting World Coins over the last year or so. I am in my second year as President of a fast growing Coin Club in Albuquerque (160 members). I have also run a 100 table, twice a year coin show for the last 5 years.

I see more world collectors, and submissions of world coins to our monthly auctions. We are also seeing more dealers who have world coins at our shows. I have asked some of our club directors, and they are also noticing the increase in World coin interest. Several long term US only collectors are actually beginning to become interested in world coins.

Is this going on in other clubs, and if so, why?

Bob

gecko109 · April 30, 2008 2:14AM

U.S. coin prices are starting to slowly turn collectors away IMO. Foreign coins represent a better value from strictly a collecting standpoint. I know my money goes ALOT farther with darkside coins than with U.S. counterparts, and I collect not as an investor, but for the joy of collecting.

BBQnBLUES · April 30, 2008 2:23AM

Considering the _lackluster designs of US coins, I'm noticing World coins peaking interest in new collectors as well as us ol' geezers

World Gold in particular !

MSD61 · April 30, 2008 2:34AM

<< Considering the _lackluster designs of US coins, I'm noticing World coins peaking interest in new collectors as well as us ol' geezers

World Gold in particular ! >>

You hit the nail on the head BBQnBLUES I hate to say it but it's almost as if you see one U.S. coin you've seen just about all of them especially moderns and all the dead Presidents on them. With world coins, while some countries look similar and this only because then maybe or have been a possession or a commonwealth of a larger nation, it would take one a lifetime to see all the designs of world coins past and present. While many collectors think U.S. coins are da' bomb many never realize that there are world coins that pre-date U.S. designs by hundreds and even thousands of years and that a lot of the U.S. "Classics" are based on foreign designs. I collect for the joy of collecting and I know there are some that collect for investment purposes but that just doesn't seem too much fun to me.

ccrdragon · April 30, 2008 2:54AM

wide selection, endless possibilities, beautiful designs, a long history, reasonable prices.... what's not to like about world coins?!?!?!?!?

newbiecollector · April 30, 2008 2:57AM

<< wide selection, endless possibilities, beautiful designs, a long history, reasonable prices.... what's not to like about world coins?!?!?!?!? >>

I concur.......100%

ozzysdad47 · April 30, 2008 9:59PM

<< 

<< wide selection, endless possibilities, beautiful designs, a long history, reasonable prices.... what's not to like about world coins?!?!?!?!? >>

I concur.......100% >>

Ain't it the truth..............................

sumnom · May 1, 2008 4:30AM

And how!

rwyarmch · May 1, 2008 6:00AM

What's not to like? Well, there are a few things about world collecting that some might not accept.

You probably aren't going to get to split hairs over grades/regrades (if you pay for TPG grades at all)!
You're probably going to be dealing with folks from other countries (maybe even in other languages), oh my!
The pace of world collecting is likely to be more leisurely than US collecting.
You're likely to do without an up to the minute buy/sell "sheet" for many of the coins you seek
Many world coin dealers will not be touting "investment potential" so you're on your own in this regard.
Ripping/stripping/dipping/flipping may not work as well.
You may not collect anything that qualifies you for a competitive Registy set.
You will not have CAC stickers to direct you to what you should buy.

But mercifully you will rarely if ever come across "Priced On Request".

coinkat · May 1, 2008 7:24AM

World coins has something for everyone...

History, Art & Design, rarity, and TPG

bidask · May 1, 2008 8:16AM

I buy like a kid in a candy store.

eCoinquest · May 1, 2008 12:10PM

I think there will be an even larger decline in US coins across the board as the prices are super inflated.
I am always amazed when I find a coin with a one-digit mintage sell for under 10K.

theboz11 · May 1, 2008 9:45PM

Should run a poll to see how many came here from the lightside. I did and concure with all that has been said. Now you folks need the next step in History, Rarity, and Beauty with endless possibilities, Try Medals

newbiecollector · May 1, 2008 9:52PM

I only have a few medals.....very few.

I bought one................of some ships of course..........just a while back. I love it.

Many (read most) of the medals I find that I like I simply can't afford.

percyb · May 1, 2008 11:16PM

<< 

<< wide selection, endless possibilities, beautiful designs, a long history, reasonable prices.... what's not to like about world coins?!?!?!?!? >>

I concur.......100% >>

I agree with this as well, but one has to stick to slabbed foriegn coins....IMHO as you would with US coins.
Edited to add that a poll on the lightside might be revealing, as someone above here mentioned.

CoinKing · May 1, 2008 11:29PM

Interest in world coins has ebbed and flowed over the past decades, but currently we are in a period of intense interest in world coins. This is fueled, IMHO, by the following:

High prices of US coins
Perceived value in world coins
Emerging middle classes in countries such as China, Russia, and Poland (three of the hottest areas right now)
A flight to quality (Gem world coins are still affordable but they are beginning to separate themselves from the pack)
Weak US Dollar (allows collectors to repatriate their country's coins
Variety of designs and themes
FUN

ccrdragon · May 2, 2008 2:18AM

percy - if I were to limit myself to slabbed world coins, I would have almost no coins in my collection since the areas that I collect don't lend themselves to slabbing (esp when the slabbing fee is 10 to 20 times the value of the coin...)

also, most world collectors are not grade-happy, slab-happy collectors... we collect because we like the coins, not because it's a competition to see who has the best (read highest graded) coins...

HonoluluDude · May 2, 2008 3:17AM

I just started a Darkside collection earlier this year. Now I can't stop buying 'em. US Coins are boring/too expensive, that's why I switched.

dizzlecc · May 2, 2008 12:00PM

I know I have migrated to the dark side.

While I still primarily focus on US coins, quality coins in the area I collect are getting much more difficult to find.

The world coins are different and the collecting options are wide open.

I have found that I start with design, learn the series and expand as I learn background.

The last coin show I went to the score was 0 US coins and 4 Mexico.

coinkat · May 2, 2008 7:35PM

I agree with Coinking... short and to the point and captured all the compelling points

cladking · May 3, 2008 4:44AM

The increased interest isn't extremely visible in this country since so
much of the increase is foreign. The average collector will mostly see
it as fewer nice coins available from dealers and at shows. Much of
all the darkside coins resided in collections in this country until just the
last several years and the flow back to their country of origin is fast
becoming a torrent. It's not only the change n demand but also the
strenght of many foreign currencies which is fascilitating this change.

There is another change which is going to occur as the years roll by
but isn't a great factor yet; large numbers of newbies in this country
will be adding or switching to darkside. Most US collectors stick with
US coins for years before adding world coins to their want list. With
the huge nyumbers of newbies in the market around the world and
in the US it's safe to predict increased demand for virtually all world
coins as we go forward.

Watch for continued huge price increases in these and huge percen-
tage gains in modern world coins.

Do you see an increased interest in World coins?

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