Haha is that so? That's weird because I LOVE going to shows and I LOVE interacting with fellow coins lovers whether as customers, dealers, veterans, or noobies.
The criticism seemed unfair to me as well. This place (and life) wouldn't be as much fun if we all agreed all the time.
There are signs everywhere that there are huge numbers of new collectors but we old timers don't care about newbies unless they are collecting Morgans or competing for the exact same coins.
It may be an issue of semantics...if what you love has dropped 50% and you expect it will keep dropping, it may be dead to you. Evolving is a better term.
This topic does seem to come up a bit, and I'm leaning towards evolving. The ones that are screaming that it's outright dying - maybe you need to take a better look around besides just coin shows and clubs. That's like looking at your swimming pool and then declaring there are no longer fish in the ocean. Most of the current generation just doesn't see the value in hanging around with people going off about the 'gubmint', the Fed and needing a gold-based currency.
If I were looking for the next and possibly final wave of coin collectors en masse, it would be when the kids who collected state quarters turn 50. They may not stick with quarters, but the seed will have been planted. Why 50? That group is late to the party in having a serious drive to have discretionary funds for this type of thing. They have to have "experiences" before all else.
What are dying are the attempts to palm off on collectors problem and over-graded material; the major auction houses led the way generally requiring coins and currency to be graded. Ebay now requires much of the material listed there over a certain value to be properly certified. A multi-millionaire businessman at a Vermont show said he had been fleeced on mis-graded currency, and appreciated that I had certified material. That seems to be the trend, rather than the irrational, subjective collecting of the past for many.
Comments
You realize, of course, that the coin dealer is there to swindle poor old Mr. Wilson? Really.
The criticism seemed unfair to me as well. This place (and life) wouldn't be as much fun if we all agreed all the time.
There are signs everywhere that there are huge numbers of new collectors but we old timers don't care about newbies unless they are collecting Morgans or competing for the exact same coins.
It may be an issue of semantics...if what you love has dropped 50% and you expect it will keep dropping, it may be dead to you. Evolving is a better term.
Hey, Mr. Wilson!!!, How much is this worth?, Mr. Wilson cringe is classic
Dennis and Tommy doing what I did in the '60s, after that, not so much -
we are going the way of stamps
Our collector base is aging, which if you look at the average age of ANA members, it is in the high 60s,
if you go to shows, you see the same.
The number of clubs in each state had dramatically decreased since 1980
The age of the club members has increased with few members joining.
I have seen some shows actively recruiting young members,
But IMO the majority do not
Kids now a days have their electronics and other interests
IMO, without an active effort to bring in kids to the hobby, we will go the way of stamps
Kevin
I have no idea. The coins I like the most remain the same. Out of my reach.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
Mr. Wilson makes a discovery:
Unfortunately no one knew what "MS-66" meant in 1960.
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
This topic does seem to come up a bit, and I'm leaning towards evolving. The ones that are screaming that it's outright dying - maybe you need to take a better look around besides just coin shows and clubs. That's like looking at your swimming pool and then declaring there are no longer fish in the ocean. Most of the current generation just doesn't see the value in hanging around with people going off about the 'gubmint', the Fed and needing a gold-based currency.
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
If I were looking for the next and possibly final wave of coin collectors en masse, it would be when the kids who collected state quarters turn 50. They may not stick with quarters, but the seed will have been planted. Why 50? That group is late to the party in having a serious drive to have discretionary funds for this type of thing. They have to have "experiences" before all else.
What are dying are the attempts to palm off on collectors problem and over-graded material; the major auction houses led the way generally requiring coins and currency to be graded. Ebay now requires much of the material listed there over a certain value to be properly certified. A multi-millionaire businessman at a Vermont show said he had been fleeced on mis-graded currency, and appreciated that I had certified material. That seems to be the trend, rather than the irrational, subjective collecting of the past for many.