What is the sense in complaining about the "fact" that truly rare and/or special coins are
SeaEagleCoins
Posts: 3,262 ✭
Please correct me if I'm wrong... but doesn't the term "rare" implicitly define something as "hard to find" or "not often seen"?
It just seems to me that complaining about the lack of "rare" coins to be a bit... well, dare I say... silly... Of course they are hard to find... they are "RARE" ...
...and again, correct me if I'm wrong... but I have always thought that the word "special" was to be used for those things or experiences that are a "cut above" the norm... not something that will be encountered on a regular basis... Premium Quality, so to speak ... so that is what makes it stand out as "special" ... if every coin was "special", it seems to me that the allure might fade a little... that such coins would not be so "rare" afterall... and hence, not worthy of any "special" premium...
It just seems like a no-brainer to me... if I could find coins that are supposedly very rare or special at every show on a regular basis... well gee whiz... I would begin to think that such coins are really not all that rare or special...
To lament the lack of such coins ... over and over... as if something is wrong with the market because of such a lack... really makes me wonder if the complainer(s) actually understand(s) the true nature of "rarity" and "special" ... and what that implies...
I'm just sayin'
edited for clarity in the thread title... please excuse me, as I am a bit anal-retentive at times
It just seems to me that complaining about the lack of "rare" coins to be a bit... well, dare I say... silly... Of course they are hard to find... they are "RARE" ...
...and again, correct me if I'm wrong... but I have always thought that the word "special" was to be used for those things or experiences that are a "cut above" the norm... not something that will be encountered on a regular basis... Premium Quality, so to speak ... so that is what makes it stand out as "special" ... if every coin was "special", it seems to me that the allure might fade a little... that such coins would not be so "rare" afterall... and hence, not worthy of any "special" premium...
It just seems like a no-brainer to me... if I could find coins that are supposedly very rare or special at every show on a regular basis... well gee whiz... I would begin to think that such coins are really not all that rare or special...
To lament the lack of such coins ... over and over... as if something is wrong with the market because of such a lack... really makes me wonder if the complainer(s) actually understand(s) the true nature of "rarity" and "special" ... and what that implies...
I'm just sayin'
edited for clarity in the thread title... please excuse me, as I am a bit anal-retentive at times
Re: Slabbed coins - There are some coins that LIVE within clear plastic and wear their labels with pride... while there are others that HIDE behind scratched plastic and are simply dragged along by a label. Then there are those coins that simply hang out, naked and free
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My opinion is that if Helen Keller wasn't a whining complaining person, then I probably shouldn't be either.
Now, moving from the human condition to the 'rarity condition', rarity is always relative within a set and also when comparing sets. In the world of early rare herpetological books, something that has a population of 200 isn't rare but then there aren't 80,000 collectors of them like there are of coins.
Finally, when prices are weak, rare coins (as opposed to circulating coins.....coins you use to buy things with) are usually not offered for sale by the owners because if they are inclined to sell, they will be more inclined to wait until prices are not weak. You can figure out the rest of the thought on your own.
So, often the complaint about the situation of the current unavailability of certain rare coins is a comment impliedly that prices are weak AND a comment expressing dissatisfaction with being able to buy.....the time when you want coins readily available (when you're a buyer) is when coin prices are weak however that's the time when availability is usually lowest.
Here....watch this if you couldn't find anything to buy recently or if you've heard enough complaining......music is the great emotional manipulator........:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj7DPB2zGN0)
There is an interesting corollary to the "rare coins are rare" statement. That is, "collectors of rare coins are also rare." How many people collect $5 early gold by date? How about those assembling a complete date/mm set of Seated quarters? There are few of these coins around, the prices are high, and the number of collectors pursuing them is therefore tiny. On the other hand, we have the ever-popular and very appealing CC mint Morgan Dollars, which have survived in astounding numbers, are affordable in typical grades (relatively speaking), and also attract astounding numbers of collectors. Can you think of any other commodity where demand increases in proportion to supply? Coins are a strange market, indeed, whether "rare" or not.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
<< <i>Excellent point.. I have found however, that coin collectors tend to be (in general) a whining bunch of nit picky malcontents. There is always complaints (here, at shows etc) about this or that minor irritant or imagined slight. Basic immaturity for the most part. Cheers, RickO >>
Like complaining about tarnish?
But the coins didn't sell--no one I spoke with thought they were buys, no matter how seldom they could be found in the grades indicated.
But a whole slew of proof gold was available-- coins that were more expensive that the rarities above noted. And pricing was more in line.
Rarity is expensive, even at lower levels of grade.
<< <i>a buyer from heritage once told me most coins are not rare >>
Since all he did was buy for the largest coin dealer in the world (now primarily an auction house and I suspect within out lifetimes, to be the largest auction house in the world....), no wonder he said that.
It's like the guy who captains the Maid of the Mist giving his opinion about the rarity of water.
The Japanese are dumping their proof gold in anticipation of the decline of the Holy American Empire.
Sheesh. The market reports I read keep saying that all the good proof gold has been headed to Asian for years and not coming back.
roadrunner
By the way, you heard about the new Taco Liberty Bell, right?
Everyone knows this coin is highly desired and is one of the top coins in any Lincoln Collection. Dealers know this, and having an example in thier case at shows will attract those people searching for their own piece.
That could lead to a illusion that the 09-S VDB is not rare and can be found anywhere, simply because one may see a few available at shows. Dealers usually are not going to have coins such as the S VDB unseen behind thier tables.
<< <i>But a whole slew of proof gold was available-
The Japanese are dumping their proof gold in anticipation of the decline of the Holy American Empire. >>
This point is clearly a more important one than "the declining value of the dollar" in relation to the value of rare US coins, the decline of world power status would have a more striking effect on them------BigE