<< <i>The State Quarters program was supposed to generate hoards of new coin collectors. Where are they? The only new people I ever see at shows and in local shops are interested in bullion, bullion and more bullion.
Is there any evidence that significant numbers of new collectors of numismatic coins are active?
What do you see happening? >>
We are on to the Govt. and most folks ain't buying what they are trying to sell when it comes to Clad Widgets.
<< <i>I would say at any given local or national show 80% of the patrons are at least 40 and over. >>
I've been collecting a long time (I remember circulating silver coinage), and coin shows have been that way since I first attended one all those years ago.
In my opinion does it matter if someone is sitting on the river bank with a bamboo pole and a can of worms or sitting in the middle of the water in a multi thousand dollar boat if they have a hook in the water they are fishing.
Ron
Collect for the love of the hobby, the beauty of the coins, and enjoy the ride.
<< <i>Hi Ely183 I like your excitement and its something that you can always rekindle anytime you collect coins when you discover a series , or a specialty you enjoy. Numismatics as you have discovered is a very large world, there are many great and interesting things to buy, hunt for, learn about and enjoy.
You need to find a local coin club and join it. Attend the monthly meetings, make some friends, watch what sells and what dosent in the club auction.....and sometime get to a big show and prepare to be overwhelmed.
Get a Redbook. Get Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins by q david bowers. This book covers a huge spectrum of numismatics and is well written and current.
Stop Buying Coins.
Stop Buying Coins.
Read about them for awhile, join the club, focus on something you really learn to like.
Then buy coins, for you will know what you are looking for and how much to spend on it.
Ask questions here and maybe we can help you avoid a bad more or two....
You cant go too wrong buying new mint issues. At least condidtion and authenticity are never issues here. Once you start buying raw gold and get stung by a few counterfeits....youll have wished youd learned more quicker.
New coins, fairly new coins....from circulation, youre enjoying yourself but really just spinning wheels and what you gather together will be worth face value in ten years no doubt. Just a sad fact. Now if you had learned about Barber quarters, and how to tell nice VF XF coins from the dipped dogs, learn the series in and out....you could cherrypick nice coins, slab them, CAC them, sell them....thats how 'investing' actually pays in coins. Your investing your knowledge and making money with it.
welcome aboard... >>
ambro51,
I really appreciate the feedback. I told myself that I need to stop buying coins and get better educated and hearing this helps alot. I am on Amazon as we speak trying to get the red book and the one by Mr. Bowers. At the moment I am sticking to silver coins and once I educate myself I will work my way to gold coins.
Turns out my dad has a us coin nice collection he has hidden from everyone; he decided to show me last night He has some VERY nice silver coins majority in amazing detail; though all have never been graded. My plan is to read up in those books you mentioned and then use his collection to determine for myself the quality they are in (maybe get the nice ones slabbed?) I will post pictures on the forums sometime soon to get everyone's opinion. Besides these forums I been using a site called wikicoins to help me out. http://www.wikicoins.com/Barber_Dime is the address
I like your idea about learning one series and sticking to that in order to make a little profit.. I will think about that.
<< <i>counterfeits....youll have wished youd learned more quicker.
New coins, fairly new coins....from circulation, youre enjoying yourself but really just spinning wheels and what you gather together will be worth face value in ten years no doubt. Just a sad fact. Now if you had learned about Barber quarters, and how to tell nice VF XF coins from the dipped dogs, learn the series in and out....you could cherrypick nice coins, slab them, CAC them, sell them....thats how 'investing' actually pays in coins. Your investing your knowledge and making money with it. >>
A lot of people might be in for a big surprise.
It seems like every generation of collectors manages to overlook some good coins. Most people in the hobby now missed the high grade clads and today one has to wonder how many of the non-SF coins were saved. I'd hate to have to come up with a bunch of gemmy 2007-P dimes. They aren't going to be more common in twenty years.
Well Cladking all I can say is in some respects you are correct but the average new collector cannot tell a shiny coin that is new but will actually grade no better than MS60 from one that is much superior and will grade much higher.
You have the eye for this, but most new folks dont. Theyre just filling holes, with pieces from circulation....and thats usually not up to collector grade.
<< <i> A lot of people might be in for a big surprise.
It seems like every generation of collectors manages to overlook some good coins. Most people in the hobby now missed the high grade clads and today one has to wonder how many of the non-SF coins were saved. I'd hate to have to come up with a bunch of gemmy 2007-P dimes. They aren't going to be more common in twenty years. >>
What high grade clads are you talking about? As someone new which ones should I pursue? Do I obtain these by getting uncirculated coins and sending them off to be graded?
<< <i> What high grade clads are you talking about? As someone new which ones should I pursue? Do I obtain these by getting uncirculated coins and sending them off to be graded?
>>
...Just about any of them really.
Very very few clad gems made it out of the mint in the early days. The coins were poorly struck by badly aligned and worn out dies that were frequently poorly hubbed and never hasd the detail to start with. Then the coins were heavily bag marked and scraped before they ever got to the bank where they were widely ignored by collectors.
Trying to find things like nice attractive and gemmy 1969 quarters is quite difficult and would be impossible except a few made it out in mint sets. But not only were most of the mint set coins also poor quality but now huge percentages of these sets have been destroyed and many of the survivors are tarnished and corroded. Clean sets are a big exception not the rule and many of these sets have all bad coins now.
Really though there are collectors interested even in the high grade examples of coins that are quite common in high grade like the '72-D. Putting together sets of these is quite chal- lenging and is possible only because of grading companies and computers. Someday peo- ple are going to wake up and discover that even nice attractive uncs of many of the clads are highly elusive relative demand. A nice attractive MS-63 1971 quarter is far far scarcer than an MS-63 '50-D nickel but doesn't even command a premium to the typical unc price. In- deed even a typical unc is tougher than an unc '50-D 5c. Gems are uncommon.
Today many people are overlooking the coins that are out ofn the spotlight but will have demand someday because collecting coins is what coin collectors do. Collectors in the future will demand something like a choice or gem '07 dime and will find them quite elusive except for satin finish examples.
Not to paint with too broad a brush, but I'm not sure the next generation of collectors will have the patience to build nice collections. We are an 'instant pudding' society and it seems we don't reward patience. Most of us have had a bad collecting experience somewhere along the line because we weren't patient and we learned from it. I hope the young collectors will be able to take their time, do the reading and leg-work that is needed, and build collections they can really appreciate.
On the positve side they have MUCH more numismatic information available to them. They just have to actually read and apply it.
Comments
<< <i>The State Quarters program was supposed to generate hoards of new coin collectors. Where are they? The only new people I ever see at shows and in local shops are interested in bullion, bullion and more bullion.
Is there any evidence that significant numbers of new collectors of numismatic coins are active?
What do you see happening? >>
We are on to the Govt. and most folks ain't buying what they are trying to sell when it comes to Clad Widgets.
<< <i>I would say at any given local or national show 80% of the patrons are at least 40 and over. >>
I've been collecting a long time (I remember circulating silver coinage), and coin shows have been that way since I first attended one all those years ago.
Welcome aboard.
Ron
<< <i>Hi Ely183 I like your excitement and its something that you can always rekindle anytime you collect coins when you discover a series , or a specialty you enjoy. Numismatics as you have discovered is a very large world, there are many great and interesting things to buy, hunt for, learn about and enjoy.
You need to find a local coin club and join it. Attend the monthly meetings, make some friends, watch what sells and what dosent in the club auction.....and sometime get to a big show and prepare to be overwhelmed.
Get a Redbook. Get Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins by q david bowers. This book covers a huge spectrum of numismatics and is well written and current.
Stop Buying Coins.
Stop Buying Coins.
Read about them for awhile, join the club, focus on something you really learn to like.
Then buy coins, for you will know what you are looking for and how much to spend on it.
Ask questions here and maybe we can help you avoid a bad more or two....
You cant go too wrong buying new mint issues. At least condidtion and authenticity are never issues here. Once you start buying raw gold and get stung by a few counterfeits....youll have wished youd learned more quicker.
New coins, fairly new coins....from circulation, youre enjoying yourself but really just spinning wheels and what you gather together will be worth face value in ten years no doubt. Just a sad fact. Now if you had learned about Barber quarters, and how to tell nice VF XF coins from the dipped dogs, learn the series in and out....you could cherrypick nice coins, slab them, CAC them, sell them....thats how 'investing' actually pays in coins. Your investing your knowledge and making money with it.
welcome aboard...
ambro51,
I really appreciate the feedback. I told myself that I need to stop buying coins and get better educated and hearing this helps alot. I am on Amazon as we speak trying to get the red book and the one by Mr. Bowers. At the moment I am sticking to silver coins and once I educate myself I will work my way to gold coins.
Turns out my dad has a us coin nice collection he has hidden from everyone; he decided to show me last night
I like your idea about learning one series and sticking to that in order to make a little profit.. I will think about that.
Once again much appreciated!
<< <i>ElyJ83;
Welcome aboard. >>
Thanks, its good to be here.
<< <i>counterfeits....youll have wished youd learned more quicker.
New coins, fairly new coins....from circulation, youre enjoying yourself but really just spinning wheels and what you gather together will be worth face value in ten years no doubt. Just a sad fact. Now if you had learned about Barber quarters, and how to tell nice VF XF coins from the dipped dogs, learn the series in and out....you could cherrypick nice coins, slab them, CAC them, sell them....thats how 'investing' actually pays in coins. Your investing your knowledge and making money with it.
>>
A lot of people might be in for a big surprise.
It seems like every generation of collectors manages to overlook some good
coins. Most people in the hobby now missed the high grade clads and today
one has to wonder how many of the non-SF coins were saved. I'd hate to have
to come up with a bunch of gemmy 2007-P dimes. They aren't going to be more
common in twenty years.
You have the eye for this, but most new folks dont. Theyre just filling holes, with pieces from circulation....and thats usually not up to collector grade.
<< <i>
A lot of people might be in for a big surprise.
It seems like every generation of collectors manages to overlook some good
coins. Most people in the hobby now missed the high grade clads and today
one has to wonder how many of the non-SF coins were saved. I'd hate to have
to come up with a bunch of gemmy 2007-P dimes. They aren't going to be more
common in twenty years. >>
What high grade clads are you talking about? As someone new which ones should I pursue? Do I obtain these by getting uncirculated coins and sending them off to be graded?
Sorry if my questions are newbie...
<< <i>
What high grade clads are you talking about? As someone new which ones should I pursue? Do I obtain these by getting uncirculated coins and sending them off to be graded?
>>
...Just about any of them really.
Very very few clad gems made it out of the mint in the early days. The coins were poorly
struck by badly aligned and worn out dies that were frequently poorly hubbed and never
hasd the detail to start with. Then the coins were heavily bag marked and scraped before
they ever got to the bank where they were widely ignored by collectors.
Trying to find things like nice attractive and gemmy 1969 quarters is quite difficult and would
be impossible except a few made it out in mint sets. But not only were most of the mint set
coins also poor quality but now huge percentages of these sets have been destroyed and
many of the survivors are tarnished and corroded. Clean sets are a big exception not the
rule and many of these sets have all bad coins now.
Really though there are collectors interested even in the high grade examples of coins that
are quite common in high grade like the '72-D. Putting together sets of these is quite chal-
lenging and is possible only because of grading companies and computers. Someday peo-
ple are going to wake up and discover that even nice attractive uncs of many of the clads
are highly elusive relative demand. A nice attractive MS-63 1971 quarter is far far scarcer
than an MS-63 '50-D nickel but doesn't even command a premium to the typical unc price. In-
deed even a typical unc is tougher than an unc '50-D 5c. Gems are uncommon.
Today many people are overlooking the coins that are out ofn the spotlight but will have
demand someday because collecting coins is what coin collectors do. Collectors in the future
will demand something like a choice or gem '07 dime and will find them quite elusive except
for satin finish examples.
On the positve side they have MUCH more numismatic information available to them. They just have to actually read and apply it.