<< <i>Did the mint make that decision or did Congress. >>
Bingo! Don't blame the mint for doing what congress makes them do.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
As someone who collects moderns, I am particularly interested in coins the mint did not intend for collectors. The SMS sets (65-67) were supposed to discourage hoarding. No proof sets were made during this time. The careless concern for quality evident in the production of 69-P Washington's make finding them in supergem a real challenge. The 82-83 Washington's are difficult because no mint sets were offered to collectors in these years. While every collector must decide for themselves what is collectible, lack of mint interest is a motivator for my own collecting habits.
Developing theory is what we are meant to do as academic researchers and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
The interest generated by modern mint products produced only for collectors is the wrong kind of interest. It's fleeting. It doesn't seem to build in young collectors any long-term interest in the hobby - in the classic, historical coins and the stories behind them that attracted me to the hobby as a kid and brought me back as an adult. Instead, the interest is in bullion values, flipping for a profit, obtaining a 70 slab grade, etc.
The Mint should only concern itself with producing circulating coinage for the country.
Once again the cry from the church of the holy numismatic against the heathen flipper who cares not for the hobby but only for filthy lucor. The way I see it the old way of classic collecting is still available for the young collector. If there is little interest in collecting by the young I think you should look at other distractions instead.
Gold and silver are valuable but wisdom is priceless.
<< <i>Once again the cry from the church of the holy numismatic against the heathen flipper who cares not for the hobby but only for filthy lucor. The way I see it the old way of classic collecting is still available for the young collector. If there is little interest in collecting by the young I think you should look at other distractions instead. >>
The Church of the Holy Numismatic...wow.
Those "other distractions" are the same distractions for young people that have been around for decades.
Why, then, does the number of new YNs in the hobby seem to be declining significantly? (Btw, I don't have numbers to back that up...it's just what I think.)
So, who is making you buy these coins that you don't want?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Those "other distractions" are the same distractions for young people that have been around for decades.
I think the level of distractions are much higher these days. Look at the hours that are consumed by video imputs. When I was young the closest to that may have been comic books and some of those may have had ads on the back for coin collecting. TV had cartoons and a few youth oriented shows but not wall to wall. When the game shows and "soaps" came on it was time to turn the tube off and find something else to do.
Gold and silver are valuable but wisdom is priceless.
Because of current laws, not 200 year old ones, the production of numismatic items is part of the Mint's mission statement.
There is a long history of the Mint making coins for collectors. Many of them went out the back door (1913 nickels, type II and II 1804 dollars, etc.). If you don't like some of the Mint's offerings, vote with your wallet. If no one bought them, they would not be produced.
I will agree that sometimes a good idea gets beaten to death and let's not forget the the classic commemoratives loved by many were dogs in their day.
Retired United States Mint guy, now working on an Everyman Type Set.
Commemorative coins usually make money for the government. Collectors that like them can buy them for their collections. Collectors that don't like them don't have to buy them.
I don't see any problem here.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>Commemorative coins usually make money for the government. Collectors that like them can buy them for their collections. Collectors that don't like them don't have to buy them.
I don't see any problem here. >>
Well, who knows in the future? Now that it's been established that citizens can be compelled to purchase something they do not want......
But your point is well taken. I see no problem with the US Mint producing collector coins.
There's just no going back to the old way. The idea , as a collector, is to score a few for the future which are currently offered.
We can look back over the past decade and find a handful of coins made that will be the "keys" in the future. The strong hands sit tight. The idea is to capitalize on the opportunities while they're available. And ... to collect what you like.
Practice makes perfect & nobody is perfect. So, practice being nobody.
<< <i>Did the mint make that decision or did Congress. >>
Congress has now given them the authority in at least a couple of places in the law. There is one place for numismatic items, and in another place they have them making the mint sets.
the whole proof coin thing goes way back. is that included or excluded? It seems like a good idea. And I like RYK's baseball card analogy. The stuff they make is fine right now except the birth year set (one quarter of 5???? and why can't a mint set be sold for that? Were collectors asking for a birth year set minus 4 quarters???)
Comments
<< <i>Did the mint make that decision or did Congress. >>
Bingo! Don't blame the mint for doing what congress makes them do.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
The Mint should only concern itself with producing circulating coinage for the country.
Once again the cry from the church of the holy numismatic against the heathen flipper who cares not for the hobby but only for filthy lucor. The way I see it the old way of classic collecting is still available for the young collector. If there is little interest in collecting by the young I think you should look at other distractions instead.
<< <i>
<< <i>Did the mint make that decision or did Congress. >>
Bingo! Don't blame the mint for doing what congress makes them do. >>
Regardless who made the decision, my point remains.
<< <i>Once again the cry from the church of the holy numismatic against the heathen flipper who cares not for the hobby but only for filthy lucor. The way I see it the old way of classic collecting is still available for the young collector. If there is little interest in collecting by the young I think you should look at other distractions instead. >>
The Church of the Holy Numismatic...wow.
Those "other distractions" are the same distractions for young people that have been around for decades.
Why, then, does the number of new YNs in the hobby seem to be declining significantly? (Btw, I don't have numbers to back that up...it's just what I think.)
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>So, who is making you buy these coins that you don't want? >>
Nobody is making collectors buy them.
But clever marketing and hype work pretty well on YNs and inexperienced older collectors...and certainly on the general public.
I think the level of distractions are much higher these days. Look at the hours that are consumed by video imputs. When I was young the closest to that may have been comic books and some of those may have had ads on the back for coin collecting. TV had cartoons and a few youth oriented shows but not wall to wall. When the game shows and "soaps" came on it was time to turn the tube off and find something else to do.
Historical interest and artistic value are two separate concepts. Either (or both) can be a valid motivation for collecting.
Get the point?
There is a long history of the Mint making coins for collectors. Many of them went out the back door (1913 nickels, type II and II 1804 dollars, etc.). If you don't like some of the Mint's offerings, vote with your wallet. If no one bought them, they would not be produced.
I will agree that sometimes a good idea gets beaten to death and let's not forget the the classic commemoratives loved by many were dogs in their day.
Collectors that like them can buy them for their collections.
Collectors that don't like them don't have to buy them.
I don't see any problem here.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>Commemorative coins usually make money for the government.
Collectors that like them can buy them for their collections.
Collectors that don't like them don't have to buy them.
I don't see any problem here. >>
Well, who knows in the future? Now that it's been established that citizens can be compelled to purchase something they do not want......
But your point is well taken. I see no problem with the US Mint producing collector coins.
We can look back over the past decade and find a handful of coins made that will be the "keys" in the future. The strong hands sit tight. The idea is to capitalize on the opportunities while they're available. And ... to collect what you like.
Practice makes perfect & nobody is perfect. So, practice being nobody.
<< <i>Did the mint make that decision or did Congress. >>
Congress has now given them the authority in at least a couple of places in the law. There is one place for numismatic items, and in another place they have them making the mint sets.
the whole proof coin thing goes way back. is that included or excluded? It seems like a good idea. And I like RYK's baseball card analogy. The stuff they make is fine right now except the birth year set (one quarter of 5???? and why can't a mint set be sold for that? Were collectors asking for a birth year set minus 4 quarters???)