I went to coin shows in my upper teens and early 20s and I always felt looked upon somewhat suspiciously. Obviously not by everyone but certainly by some. I didn't get this feeling when I was with my dad, but I did when alone.
The point of shows is to see lots of coins up close. When people are suspicious of you browsing that takes away from it somewhat.
I'm older and more self-confident now, plus I have collecting friends, so I enjoy going to shows more.
Ive been collecting beautiful hand picked coins for over 40 years including high grade and gorgeously toned pieces, rare and early material, and used to wonder how to process and who to sell it all to, since most is raw and a decade or theee "fresh "
@OwenSeymour said:
I find it funny you mention cracking, I've learned from some of the best in the industry and have successfully cracked & upgraded hundreds of coins.
I wonder if your buyers know this. As I once said in another post, anyone who has collected/submitted high grade coins for more than 5 years knows the truth about the coin market.
They do! I'm pretty open with my business practices. Most dealers crack coins to some extent.
You don't pay for a shop, show booths, or even a web site. You don't pay for marketing to the thousands of followers (aka potential customers) who choose to see your inventory on their Instagram feed. You have hundreds of regular customers with want lists and disposable income. And you could potentially run your business from any town or city with a post office.
You don't pay for a shop, show booths, or even a web site. You don't pay for marketing to the thousands of followers (aka potential customers) who choose to see your inventory on their Instagram feed. You have hundreds of regular customers with want lists and disposable income. And you could potentially run your business from any town or city with a post office.
We probably shouldn't be surprised that the younger generation is doing things different than WE did. That's true in many, many different aspects of life. (Insurance without a local agent? Dating via online profiles? Paying bills without checks?!) Some of these, us old guys have also embraced. Some, we'll never feel comfortable with.
We often see complaints about the absence of young faces at coin shows. But, I think that we may need to accept that the "Coin Show circuit" is devoid of "the young" simply BECAUSE the they are geared to the older audience! Guys, (mainly guys), like us who plan our weekends for the local shows, and interact with older dealers/collectors. It shouldn't be surprising that a 20 year old might not feel comfortable being treated like a child by a 60 year old, (i.e., "the grumpy old dealer" story some of us don't like to acknowledge as true).....and the younger collectors have apparently found the alternative that works for them?
Along with that, maybe the dream of a "sight unseen" market is coming true? (If not true "sight unseen", at least one driven by photographs, and a healthy return policy). Most of us here tread lightly with photographed coins, and purchases without first-hand eyes-on. But the combination of TPG and CAC may be driving the younger market to a relatively safe sight-unseen market...much to our chagrin.
Finally....we need to accept that the CU message boards is NOT representative of the coin collecting community. It just isn't.
@OwenSeymour said:
Ebay is where I do the least of my business. Most of business is centered around fulfilling want lists for both dealers and collectors.
Glad to hear it. The fees on "Feebay" can cut deeply into profits for the lower valued items that were the majority of what I saw on your ebay sales.
So do you use instagram to network to collectors, comment on some of their coins, then ask them if there is anything they have been looking for but haven't found yet?
@OwenSeymour said:
(First thread I've made!)
I just wanted to voice this somewhere where people would care. You often hear from collectors & dealers that the collectors of US coins are quickly diminishing, and perhaps even that they will soon be an extinct breed. This is all but true. I am a 19 year old coin dealer, I operate strictly on the Internet (ebay & instagram) as well as fulfilling want lists. This is my career, and I can absolutely assure you coin collecting is THRIVING. Youth often have no interests in going to B&M coin shops/shows. As soon as they run into a grumpy dealer or employee they're turned off- and start using the Internet to acquire coins. On instagram I have a following of over 6,000 collectors, hundreds of which are consistent customers & friends. Almost all of these 6000 followers are 12-21. There is a massive web of young dealers, 25 and under, operating all over the US.
If you judge the health of coin collecting by the attendance of youth at coin shows or coin shops, it will appear to be dying, or even dead. But if you judge the health of coin collecting by the presence of numismatic related Internet facilities such as instagrams, Facebook pages, Web page coin stores, and ebay - it is as alive as ever.
There are tens of thousands of active young coin collectors, they just choose to engage with other numismatists on the Internet.
(I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors - this was posted via mobile so cut me some slack )
Thanks for the post.
I see a great deal of interest in young people in coins and it's been building for twenty years. It started even before the states quarters and it just builds and builds. You can see this in many many ways but I'm fortunate to have some young friends and acquaintances who have an interest. Millions and millions of kids took an interest in the states coins and now they're adults and have a little more time and money for hobbies.
Coin collecting is a great hobby and will never really die. When we no longer use money or have neat coins in change then it might contract but it won't die.
@OwenSeymour said:
Ebay is where I do the least of my business. Most of business is centered around fulfilling want lists for both dealers and collectors.
Glad to hear it. The fees on "Feebay" can cut deeply into profits for the lower valued items that were the majority of what I saw on your ebay sales.
So do you use instagram to network to collectors, comment on some of their coins, then ask them if there is anything they have been looking for but haven't found yet?
You pretty much nailed it with the last sentence. Instagram isn't so much exactly a direct market place (although I do make plenty of sales directly through a coin being uploaded with a price) but alot more about networking and pretty much finding out "who wants what"
@Cladking my pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed the read!
I agree that state quarters have had a huge impact in creating young collectors. There may be some ups and downs in the coin market just as there has been in the past, but like you said, it isn't going anywhere
I've never even given instagram a second thought, it always struck me as a place for hipsters and those who like to photograph their food. I'll have to check it out.
On a somewhat related note; at 32, one of the dealers at the Springfield show this last weekend greeted me as "kiddo".
Here's one thing I can't figure out: how are buyers paying? Especially those under 18, and new customers you don't have a relationship with. Have you had any problems with scammers?
Here's one thing I can't figure out: how are buyers paying? Especially those under 18, and new customers you don't have a relationship with. Have you had any problems with scammers?
I'll give you a shout out now
Thank you.
Virtually all payments are made through PayPal. In 3 years I've never been scammed, but I pay strictly with goods and services for buyer protection, I suggest the same to you.
@OwenSeymour
I'm not on Instagram, but I checked out your account using a web based Instagram viewer. (no need to create an account).
Let me say I'm impressed with the number of followers that you have.
Here are couple of links for anyone else to check out Owens account.
There appears to be many different web viewers so these may not be the best, but they both seem to work.
Cool that you post here too @OwenSeymour, we follow each other on Instagram! I also recognize some other posters here that are also on Instagram. I have the same handle out there as here and only display coins at this time, no buying or selling. However, I can see this as an alternative venue to Ebay or going to some shows, plus it does allow you to view coins from all over the world. It's pretty neat when a person who is a gardener in Brazil gets a kick out of your toned Morgans, while she posts cool nature and chili pepper pics! You do have to go thru and weed out the junk followers every now and then, but that's pretty easy to do
Instagram also lets you post short videos, so you can show off a coin's luster and characteristics. I'm not sure if I'll buy or sell out there anytime soon, but it is encouraging to see the younger crowd taking to this 'newer' platform. Old grouch dealers who poo-poo this new stuff risking being stuck with ever more stale inventory that will never move. Maybe that is what they want.
I think this thread is a great exercise--thanks OP--in recognizing the wide variety of channels that comprise the entire coin market. Our preferred area (due to age, geography, $$$ access, experience, technological affinity, etc.) ensures that there are always some other markets out there that we don't/aren't able to track or follow like we would like.
I've seen a few social media-based coin outlets like @OwenSeymour, and if they are successful with the younger crowd, then that's great! I like coin shows and seeing stuff in person, but I'll also buy online (trusted dealers only, at the moment). Keeps things exciting and gives us that coin fix any time, especially when there are no coin shows nearby, or decent B&M.
Thanks for the post and this great thread input from everyone. Cheers!
GSAs, OBW rolls, Seated, Walkers. Anything old and Colorado-focused, CO nationals.
@10000lakes said: @OwenSeymour
I'm not on Instagram, but I checked out your account using a web based Instagram viewer. (no need to create an account).
Let me say I'm impressed with the number of followers that you have.
Here are couple of links for anyone else to check out Owens account.
There appears to be many different web viewers so these may not be the best, but they both seem to work.
@ElmerFusterpuck said:
Cool to you post here @OwenSeymour, we follow each other on Instagram! I also recognize some other posters here that are also on Instagram. I have the same handle out there as here and only display coins at this time, no buying or selling. However, I can see this as an alternative venue to Ebay or going to some shows, plus it does allow you to view coins from all over the world. It's pretty neat when a person who is a gardener in Brazil gets a kick out of your toned Morgans, while she posts cool nature and chili pepper pics! You do have to go thru and weed out the junk followers every now and then, but that's pretty easy to do
Instagram also lets you post short videos, so you can show off a coin's luster and characteristics. I'm not sure if I'll buy or sell out there anytime soon, but it is encouraging to see the younger crowd taking to this 'newer' platform. Old grouch dealers who poo-poo this new stuff risking being stuck with ever more stale inventory that will never move. Maybe that is what they want.
Yep I'm familiar! I follow you. You're one of my favorite accounts. Your collection is superb in quality.
As soon as they run into a grumpy dealer or employee they're turned off-
THATS IT right there. I was a young collector in the 1970's when coin shops, magazines and shows were the only game. Of course, being a kid with just a few bucks most dealers were just grumpasaurus rex to those under 18. By 1979, it was on to other interests, college, etc because the elders were a bunch of cranks.
One day in the late '90s while checking out this new thing called Ebay I stumbled upon this wonderful selection of rare coins to browse. Without the grumpy, smelly folk breathing over me. I'M BACK in the game to stay.
This is the way it is now and its better. A very few good coin shops, estate auctions and major shows are probably all that will exist in the old school world going forward.
Well, this is an eye-opener. Never thought of CU forums as an echo chamber, but I guess it is. Much bigger world out there many of us don't know about!
@dpoole said:
Well, this is an eye-opener. Never thought of CU forums as an echo chamber, but I guess it is. Much bigger world out there many of us don't know about!
Yah, we still have members here who still think that the light bulb wasn't such a great idea. Not exactly a bunch of early adapters here at CU
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@dpoole said:
Well, this is an eye-opener. Never thought of CU forums as an echo chamber, but I guess it is. Much bigger world out there many of us don't know about!
Yah, we still have members here who still think that the light bulb wasn't such a great idea. Not exactly a bunch of early adapters here at CU
mark
Yeah, you see that in action when it comes to LED bulbs or even digital camera! New bulbs, bah! Candles, old school incandescent bulbs that will blister you, yah!
What struck me about your instagram @OwenSeymour is that you have more of my coin photos on there than I do on my instagram account! I just followed you myself (@phil_a_a).
Last summer we here at PCGS hired a young man who also sold coins via instagram, his name is Dylan and he said you two know each other. Dylan's really enthusiastic about the coin business and has helped me out in my department.
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@dpoole said:
Well, this is an eye-opener. Never thought of CU forums as an echo chamber, but I guess it is. Much bigger world out there many of us don't know about!
Eventually there will be enough of a void here to suck more new people in.
It's tough to predict how active it will be but it's a safe bet message boards for coins won't die out altogether.
I hope you are the exception to this, but I have noticed a lot of younger online "dealers" who burn white hot for about a year and then disappear
I have often wondered why this is....My cynical side thinks that a year is about how long it takes for them to find out that Paypal keeps track of all their transactions (over $20,000 cumulative annually) and many of these young "dealers" bought their inventory via cash from local sources with no record and no way to prove a cost basis for the IRS
@savoyspecial said:
I hope you are the exception to this, but I have noticed a lot of younger online "dealers" who burn white hot for about a year and then disappear
I have often wondered why this is....My cynical side thinks that a year is about how long it takes for them to find out that Paypal keeps track of all their transactions (over $20,000 cumulative annually) and many of these young "dealers" bought their inventory via cash from local sources with no record and no way to prove a cost basis for the IRS
I support the OP and I am much, much older than him. I tend to buy predominately and primarily on the Internet. I have no desire to spend the time, money or effort in visiting coin shows as I have much greater desire to spend my time outside, recreating.
I would hope the younger generation finds less inclination to be inside, sitting down for extended periods, in artificial lighting, eating fatty and overall unhealthy foods; thereby, finding their individual path of healthier lifestyles than their predecessors. If that includes Internet purchases of coins rather than flying distances to be around other collectors, then so be it. A person can learn to grade, if necessary, in a number of venues that don't include coin shows.
Now, as for foot traffic to a local B&M, Owen, go for it!!
I think one needs to take a look back before they can sometimes look forward. Before TPG's buying coins for the unintiated could be a suicide mission. Fresh meat. Many veteran collectors and dealers hated the idea of the TPG's as they leveled the playing field somewhat. Took a lot of the learning out of the curve. It's easy to feel animosity when you spent years learning the ins and outs of grading only to see it made easier for the new guys. Resentment. However, some of the same industry veterans to their credit adapted and worked around the new system. PQ was re-invented. Masquerading low end coins as PQ became a game onto itself. Once again an avenue to preying on the uninitiated.
Well then a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. CAC. Not only did it further level the playing field it created a whole new one. More resentment. More change. Less opportunity to use ones knowledge for artibitrage. I can see why many are anti-CAC but no one would admit for this reason. Instead you hear, " learn how to grade for yourself". Well that's are great but grading has changed over the years. It has not remained static. What's the new standard? I've literally forced myself to try to learn to grade like the PCGS graders within my series. What are they looking for? It has paid off.
A few weeks of go there were a couple of threads dedicated to the "olden days" or the " glory days". Remember when......they were popular threads. I got caught up in it as well. It's romantic. We tend to remember the good times at a premium and dismiss the bad times at a discount. It's harder for some of us guys with grey in our beards to adapt to new ways of doing business. It's hard to accept there is a coin world outside of the bourse or B& M. Many figure the faces seen there are the coin universe.
Social media and the internet has brought new players into the game and reached people then have never been to a show or a brick and mortar. It can reach more exponentially. We should be embracing this. This the what I was referring to in what should we be looking for in the race for ANA leadership.
FYI social media and ominchannel selling is not without its pitfalls. It can be abused. TPG's and CAC will become even more important in the next leg of numismatics.
So the next time you hear that the coin industry is dying look at the source. Some have not adapted and what they type is the truth as they know it. Many older folks have a genuine pebble in their shoe for 20 something young adults . I have actually had to get up to speed as well. What motivated me as a twenty year old doesn't resonate with the current crop. They match to a different drummer New world
Man I'm sure they're are a ton of typos.....
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
And this is just not happening in our hobby. Look at a few slides from a recent Etail Conference. Adapt or be prepared to be left behind.
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
And the most important slide of them all. Think about it.
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Technology allows you to do more business with less inventory. The OP has leaned this at a young age. Inventory can strangle and force you into bad decisions
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
i wasnt going to post here because ive only been reading this part of CU for the better part of a week. i know how it works around here ive been a "Graded Sports Card Guy" for the last 12 years (non graded since 1980ish) and im a regular on the sports part here at CU.
Not sure why, but this month i thought about coins for the first time, probably ever. Figured..... eh, read up on it, you know about slabs and such, give it a go. Well, what an awakening! SOOOOO much to learn, only 24hrs in a day! LOL
i still don't know how much i'll get into it, but as a hobby-ist, it's always good to learn new things.
won my first coin tonight on eBay, a 1964 JFK PCGS 63. Ran me $12.52/dlvd. Not the best of shape, but better looking (to these untrained eyes) then the raws that seem to sell for $9ish. at the very least i own a 90% silver coin, and i get to see what the slabs are like in-hand
i am not above saying that if it werent for TPGs, i'd not be here, and that goes for all hobby's TPGs.... PSA, PCGS, BGS, SGC, CGC, etc
like many others have mentioned, i dont have the access to B&Ms or shows, so online it is. TPGs may "cost more" when buying, and heaven knows they are not perfect, but they offer a certain peace of mind when buying, especially online.
anywho, sorry to intrude on your thread Owen. You keep on keeping on!
Big Fan of: HOF Post War RC, Graded RCs WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Comments
I went to coin shows in my upper teens and early 20s and I always felt looked upon somewhat suspiciously. Obviously not by everyone but certainly by some. I didn't get this feeling when I was with my dad, but I did when alone.
The point of shows is to see lots of coins up close. When people are suspicious of you browsing that takes away from it somewhat.
I'm older and more self-confident now, plus I have collecting friends, so I enjoy going to shows more.
All of this makes me very excited!
Ive been collecting beautiful hand picked coins for over 40 years including high grade and gorgeously toned pieces, rare and early material, and used to wonder how to process and who to sell it all to, since most is raw and a decade or theee "fresh "
Good to know the millennials are interested.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
They do! I'm pretty open with my business practices. Most dealers crack coins to some extent.
@OwenSeymour
Let me see if I have this right.
You don't pay for a shop, show booths, or even a web site. You don't pay for marketing to the thousands of followers (aka potential customers) who choose to see your inventory on their Instagram feed. You have hundreds of regular customers with want lists and disposable income. And you could potentially run your business from any town or city with a post office.
Can I get in on this?
@claritycoins on Instagram
ANA LM-6166
Clarity Numismatics: www.ClarityCoin.com
Instagram: @ClarityCoins
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DoughDeoBourse
Ebay: http://stores.ebay.com/claritynumismatics
You're starting to catch on.. I'll give you a shout out now
Enjoyed the OP and the banter....Some thoughts:
Glad to hear it. The fees on "Feebay" can cut deeply into profits for the lower valued items that were the majority of what I saw on your ebay sales.
So do you use instagram to network to collectors, comment on some of their coins, then ask them if there is anything they have been looking for but haven't found yet?
Thanks for the post.
I see a great deal of interest in young people in coins and it's been building for twenty years. It started even before the states quarters and it just builds and builds. You can see this in many many ways but I'm fortunate to have some young friends and acquaintances who have an interest. Millions and millions of kids took an interest in the states coins and now they're adults and have a little more time and money for hobbies.
Coin collecting is a great hobby and will never really die. When we no longer use money or have neat coins in change then it might contract but it won't die.
You pretty much nailed it with the last sentence. Instagram isn't so much exactly a direct market place (although I do make plenty of sales directly through a coin being uploaded with a price) but alot more about networking and pretty much finding out "who wants what"
@Cladking my pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed the read!
I agree that state quarters have had a huge impact in creating young collectors. There may be some ups and downs in the coin market just as there has been in the past, but like you said, it isn't going anywhere
I've never even given instagram a second thought, it always struck me as a place for hipsters and those who like to photograph their food. I'll have to check it out.
On a somewhat related note; at 32, one of the dealers at the Springfield show this last weekend greeted me as "kiddo".
Collector, occasional seller
Here's one thing I can't figure out: how are buyers paying? Especially those under 18, and new customers you don't have a relationship with. Have you had any problems with scammers?
Thank you.
ANA LM-6166
Clarity Numismatics: www.ClarityCoin.com
Instagram: @ClarityCoins
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DoughDeoBourse
Ebay: http://stores.ebay.com/claritynumismatics
Virtually all payments are made through PayPal. In 3 years I've never been scammed, but I pay strictly with goods and services for buyer protection, I suggest the same to you.
Whats u r seller rating in ebay? Do you have items for sale? How many coins do you sell in a month?
You said, you buy from B&M stores and flip them for profit in ebay, posting pics in instagram. Whats the spread? Is it even worth the time?
Numismatics & Photography
rv@ravenumismatics.com
Instagram.com/coin2photo
Cool story, bro.
8 Reales Madness Collection
@OwenSeymour
I'm not on Instagram, but I checked out your account using a web based Instagram viewer. (no need to create an account).
Let me say I'm impressed with the number of followers that you have.
Here are couple of links for anyone else to check out Owens account.
There appears to be many different web viewers so these may not be the best, but they both seem to work.
https://vibbi.com/pa_coins
https://instaliga.com/pa_coins
Cool that you post here too @OwenSeymour, we follow each other on Instagram! I also recognize some other posters here that are also on Instagram. I have the same handle out there as here and only display coins at this time, no buying or selling. However, I can see this as an alternative venue to Ebay or going to some shows, plus it does allow you to view coins from all over the world. It's pretty neat when a person who is a gardener in Brazil gets a kick out of your toned Morgans, while she posts cool nature and chili pepper pics! You do have to go thru and weed out the junk followers every now and then, but that's pretty easy to do
Instagram also lets you post short videos, so you can show off a coin's luster and characteristics. I'm not sure if I'll buy or sell out there anytime soon, but it is encouraging to see the younger crowd taking to this 'newer' platform. Old grouch dealers who poo-poo this new stuff risking being stuck with ever more stale inventory that will never move. Maybe that is what they want.
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
I think this thread is a great exercise--thanks OP--in recognizing the wide variety of channels that comprise the entire coin market. Our preferred area (due to age, geography, $$$ access, experience, technological affinity, etc.) ensures that there are always some other markets out there that we don't/aren't able to track or follow like we would like.
I've seen a few social media-based coin outlets like @OwenSeymour, and if they are successful with the younger crowd, then that's great! I like coin shows and seeing stuff in person, but I'll also buy online (trusted dealers only, at the moment). Keeps things exciting and gives us that coin fix any time, especially when there are no coin shows nearby, or decent B&M.
Thanks for the post and this great thread input from everyone. Cheers!
Gonna get me a $50 Octagonal someday. Some. Day.
I have a coin club officers meeting tomorrow and the word for the meeting will be "Instagram".
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
Findley Ridge Collection
About Findley Ridge
Thanks boiii
Thanks for the links!
Yep I'm familiar! I follow you. You're one of my favorite accounts. Your collection is superb in quality.
As soon as they run into a grumpy dealer or employee they're turned off-
THATS IT right there. I was a young collector in the 1970's when coin shops, magazines and shows were the only game. Of course, being a kid with just a few bucks most dealers were just grumpasaurus rex to those under 18. By 1979, it was on to other interests, college, etc because the elders were a bunch of cranks.
One day in the late '90s while checking out this new thing called Ebay I stumbled upon this wonderful selection of rare coins to browse. Without the grumpy, smelly folk breathing over me. I'M BACK in the game to stay.
This is the way it is now and its better. A very few good coin shops, estate auctions and major shows are probably all that will exist in the old school world going forward.
Well, this is an eye-opener. Never thought of CU forums as an echo chamber, but I guess it is. Much bigger world out there many of us don't know about!
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
Owen - it is very encouraging to see someone like yourself doing so well. Keep on keeping on!
@REALGATOR
I'm glad you can relate & understand!
@dpoole
Very happy that it helped you realize there's a bigger world of collectors out there.
@DIMEMAN
I really do appreciate the kind words, thank you!
Yah, we still have members here who still think that the light bulb wasn't such a great idea. Not exactly a bunch of early adapters here at CU
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
"Yah, we still have members here who still think that the light bulb wasn't such a great idea. "
I got a good laugh out of that
Yeah, you see that in action when it comes to LED bulbs or even digital camera! New bulbs, bah! Candles, old school incandescent bulbs that will blister you, yah!
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
What struck me about your instagram @OwenSeymour is that you have more of my coin photos on there than I do on my instagram account! I just followed you myself (@phil_a_a).
Last summer we here at PCGS hired a young man who also sold coins via instagram, his name is Dylan and he said you two know each other. Dylan's really enthusiastic about the coin business and has helped me out in my department.
Radiant Collection: Numismatics and Exonumia of the Atomic Age.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/3232
Where's the love button when you need it?
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Eventually there will be enough of a void here to suck more new people in.
It's tough to predict how active it will be but it's a safe bet message boards for coins won't die out altogether.
I hope you are the exception to this, but I have noticed a lot of younger online "dealers" who burn white hot for about a year and then disappear
I have often wondered why this is....My cynical side thinks that a year is about how long it takes for them to find out that Paypal keeps track of all their transactions (over $20,000 cumulative annually) and many of these young "dealers" bought their inventory via cash from local sources with no record and no way to prove a cost basis for the IRS
Hope you're keeping good records....
www.brunkauctions.com
Unfortunately I report income tax hahahah
Unfortunately I report income tax hahahah
If you do that for too long you will become an old grumpy dealer
www.brunkauctions.com
Haha I'll explain that one to uncle Sam I'm sure he'll give me a free pass
That made me laugh!
I support the OP and I am much, much older than him. I tend to buy predominately and primarily on the Internet. I have no desire to spend the time, money or effort in visiting coin shows as I have much greater desire to spend my time outside, recreating.
I would hope the younger generation finds less inclination to be inside, sitting down for extended periods, in artificial lighting, eating fatty and overall unhealthy foods; thereby, finding their individual path of healthier lifestyles than their predecessors. If that includes Internet purchases of coins rather than flying distances to be around other collectors, then so be it. A person can learn to grade, if necessary, in a number of venues that don't include coin shows.
Now, as for foot traffic to a local B&M, Owen, go for it!!
I think one needs to take a look back before they can sometimes look forward. Before TPG's buying coins for the unintiated could be a suicide mission. Fresh meat. Many veteran collectors and dealers hated the idea of the TPG's as they leveled the playing field somewhat. Took a lot of the learning out of the curve. It's easy to feel animosity when you spent years learning the ins and outs of grading only to see it made easier for the new guys. Resentment. However, some of the same industry veterans to their credit adapted and worked around the new system. PQ was re-invented. Masquerading low end coins as PQ became a game onto itself. Once again an avenue to preying on the uninitiated.
Well then a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. CAC. Not only did it further level the playing field it created a whole new one. More resentment. More change. Less opportunity to use ones knowledge for artibitrage. I can see why many are anti-CAC but no one would admit for this reason. Instead you hear, " learn how to grade for yourself". Well that's are great but grading has changed over the years. It has not remained static. What's the new standard? I've literally forced myself to try to learn to grade like the PCGS graders within my series. What are they looking for? It has paid off.
A few weeks of go there were a couple of threads dedicated to the "olden days" or the " glory days". Remember when......they were popular threads. I got caught up in it as well. It's romantic. We tend to remember the good times at a premium and dismiss the bad times at a discount. It's harder for some of us guys with grey in our beards to adapt to new ways of doing business. It's hard to accept there is a coin world outside of the bourse or B& M. Many figure the faces seen there are the coin universe.
Social media and the internet has brought new players into the game and reached people then have never been to a show or a brick and mortar. It can reach more exponentially. We should be embracing this. This the what I was referring to in what should we be looking for in the race for ANA leadership.
FYI social media and ominchannel selling is not without its pitfalls. It can be abused. TPG's and CAC will become even more important in the next leg of numismatics.
So the next time you hear that the coin industry is dying look at the source. Some have not adapted and what they type is the truth as they know it. Many older folks have a genuine pebble in their shoe for 20 something young adults . I have actually had to get up to speed as well. What motivated me as a twenty year old doesn't resonate with the current crop. They match to a different drummer New world
Man I'm sure they're are a ton of typos.....
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
And this is just not happening in our hobby. Look at a few slides from a recent Etail Conference. Adapt or be prepared to be left behind.
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@Justacommeman very well spoken!
And the most important slide of them all. Think about it.
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@MilesWaits I appreciate the words of encouragement!!
Nice post and use of current tech in the business. The old timers will have to get use to it.
You just gained another instagram follower as well.
Technology allows you to do more business with less inventory. The OP has leaned this at a young age. Inventory can strangle and force you into bad decisions
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
i wasnt going to post here because ive only been reading this part of CU for the better part of a week. i know how it works around here
ive been a "Graded Sports Card Guy" for the last 12 years (non graded since 1980ish) and im a regular on the sports part here at CU.
Not sure why, but this month i thought about coins for the first time, probably ever. Figured..... eh, read up on it, you know about slabs and such, give it a go. Well, what an awakening! SOOOOO much to learn, only 24hrs in a day! LOL
i still don't know how much i'll get into it, but as a hobby-ist, it's always good to learn new things.
won my first coin tonight on eBay, a 1964 JFK PCGS 63. Ran me $12.52/dlvd. Not the best of shape, but better looking (to these untrained eyes) then the raws that seem to sell for $9ish. at the very least i own a 90% silver coin, and i get to see what the slabs are like in-hand
i am not above saying that if it werent for TPGs, i'd not be here, and that goes for all hobby's TPGs.... PSA, PCGS, BGS, SGC, CGC, etc
like many others have mentioned, i dont have the access to B&Ms or shows, so online it is. TPGs may "cost more" when buying, and heaven knows they are not perfect, but they offer a certain peace of mind when buying, especially online.
anywho, sorry to intrude on your thread Owen. You keep on keeping on!
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
Miles is the best
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
100
That's old school.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress