What Constitutes, And Are You An Average/Ordinary Collector?

BLUEJAYWAY · February 12, 2023 11:13PM

The term average/ordinary is bandied about by many in the media in referring to a certain block of people. Got me wondering how this definition is deemed/applied to our collecting fraternity. Is it determined by how much we spend, what we collect,our station in life etc. I look upon all collectors as just this. Collectors. Not average or ordinary.

Zoins · February 12, 2023 11:23PM

Everyman used to mean AU58, but there's an MS64 Everyman now as well:

https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/239

Davideo · February 12, 2023 11:28PM

I would guess it is typically used in the context of market appeal. An MS64 Morgan would appeal to an "average collector" meaning that it is broadly popular. Some esoteric civil war token or $100K coin would not have a large market and not be of interest to an "average collector". I don't typically see any sort of negative connotation with the phrase average collector.

I'm not an average collector, because I don't spend very much and have unusual interests.

ShaunBC5 · February 13, 2023 12:07AM

I would say I’m within 2 standard deviations of the mean in pretty much every part of my collecting. Lately I’ve spent between 1 and 2 thousand dollars per year, spread out over 3-7 coins per year and gotten some very normal collectible US coins (along with some ancients and foreigns for the wife/kids that aren’t included in any of the other numbers).
I try to buy quality but my budget determines a lot. To me, all of this sounds really ordinary. For the record, I felt pretty ordinary as a teenager spending half of today’s budget on twice as many coins (and was probably still somewhere around the mean).

dsessom · February 13, 2023 6:33AM

We humans like to label everything, and I suppose "ordinary" would be defined differently by different folks. It's relative.
Do we define "average" by the amount of money they spend on rare coins per year? Or the $ cap on what they are willing to spend on a single coin? Does the definition come from what they collect? (For example, a person who collects graded Morgan dollars, vs. a person who collects raw Love tokens, Hobo nickels, and medals)

I don't have an answer, but I DO consider myself a pretty average collector. I don't have anything in my sets of real rarity, and my $ cap on a single coin to date is $2,000. There have been years where I didn't buy any coins at all, and other years where I spent thousands.

keyman64 · February 13, 2023 6:38AM

I only collect your average parking lot finds.
That’s what half the threads seem to be about these days.

[Deleted User] · February 13, 2023 7:18AM

I am not sure that there is a decisive answer to this question.
As far as coins go you would need to take a poll to determine what the average is.
We could speculate but that's all it would be.
I think the best response it that there would be different tiers of ordinary. What does someone want to spend?
If your worth millions and you spend $1000 a year collecting coins then would you be considered ordinary?

Or if your wealthy and can write a check in any amount to amass a huge collection in a short amount of time does that make you an exceptional coin collector or just ordinary in the relative sense of what percentage of wealth you choose to spend?
If Elon Musk or Bill Gates decided to collect coins they could write check after check without putting a dent in their fortune and surpass all of the great collectors to ever exist. Would that make them extraordinary collectors?
I think that would only make them rich people, who I have nothing against, doing ordinary things with their money.
It's a difficult question to answer.

Jzyskowski1 · February 13, 2023 7:21AM

Don’t I look average?

I certainly consider myself average if collecting coins with beavers on them or currency with a 3 as their denomination is average 🙀

jacrispies · February 13, 2023 10:39AM

Perhaps average collector doesn't mean money spent, but time involved? Would a person who had $1,000 annual budget for coins but spends everyday studying them considered an average collector? What about if a millionaire only looked at coins five times a year but has a budget of $20,000 per coin?

silverpop · February 13, 2023 10:48AM

average or not a collector is just that a collector

Shane6596 · February 13, 2023 11:17AM

Ive got a couple coin books, like certain coins, do research and goto coin shops occasionally. Budget is probably around 1-2k over a year. I might fit in the average collector cat.

We had this discussion on my astronomy forum recently. Very similar. What makes an amateur astronomer. How much gear you have, how much it cost, how detailed your logbooks were.

There was no conclusive answer. Someone with a pair of binoculars could be in the amateur astronomer category.

Catbert · February 13, 2023 11:19AM

Some baseline facts to share:

Average age of USA residents - 38
Average age of coin collectors per COINage publication - 60
Number of coin USA collectors (per US Mint) - 125 million
Median household income in USA:

silverpop · February 13, 2023 11:28AM

come on now people who cares there is no real solid answer as opinions will differ on what make a collector average or not

coinbuf · February 13, 2023 11:50AM

I am as average as it gets.

NeophyteNumismatist · February 13, 2023 12:10PM

Number of Coins = Below Average
Quality of Coins = Average
Level of Knowledge = Below Average
Level of Fun = Above Average

Average = Average

PeakRarities · February 13, 2023 12:19PM

@NeophyteNumismatist said:
Number of Coins = Below Average
Quality of Coins = Average
Level of Knowledge = Below Average
Level of Fun = Above Average

Average = Average

Your level of knowledge is not below average imo. I do the same thing comparing myself to other forum members who have been collecting for 50 years, but comparing against the collector base as a whole, on and off the forums, we probably rank higher than we would think.

leothelyon · February 13, 2023 12:26PM

Leo

Omegaraptor · February 13, 2023 12:55PM

@jacrispies said:
Perhaps average collector doesn't mean money spent, but time involved? Would a person who had $1,000 annual budget for coins but spends everyday studying them considered an average collector? What about if a millionaire only looked at coins five times a year but has a budget of $20,000 per coin?

I agree. Having deep pockets does not make you an advanced collector.

Case in point:

https://youtu.be/mk0F_sQY-kM

DollarAfterDollar · February 13, 2023 1:41PM

I think I have a few hundred $5 to $50 coins of all types. I also have a few PCGS and NGC boxes of slabbed and (mostly CAC'd) coins, also of all types. I think that's pretty typical.

NeophyteNumismatist · February 13, 2023 1:57PM

Thanks for your kind words @DeplorableDan. I am in awe of the guys that know every nuance to every series and the prices of any coin in any grade. Those collectors with such depth and breadth of knowledge never cease to fascinate me.

Catbert · February 13, 2023 2:31PM

I think the average collector doesn't own a slabbed coin.

Thus, those who post here are above average.

mirabela · February 13, 2023 5:19PM

I think what's average here is not the same as what's average "out there." You could reckon it in terms of time or knowledge or money or whatever metric you like, but in general those of us who hang out here are in a little deeper than most collectors will get.

lkenefic · February 13, 2023 5:24PM

https://youtu.be/mLNAkPsjAEk

keyman64 · February 13, 2023 5:30PM

@Omegaraptor said:

I agree. Having deep pockets does not make you an advanced collector.

Case in point:

https://youtu.be/mk0F_sQY-kM

OMG!

Cougar1978 · February 13, 2023 8:57PM

Just an ole poor boy.

BLUEJAYWAY · February 14, 2023 12:25AM

@Jzyskowski1 said:
Don’t I look average?

I certainly consider myself average if collecting coins with beavers on them or currency with a 3 as their denomination is average 🙀

Chewbaca The Cat

DNADave · February 14, 2023 4:11AM

Of all the collections I’ve purchased ( a couple of dozen over the last 10 years) only two key dates were present. One had an AU 1928 Peace dollar, and the other a 32S Washington in a Whitman folder.

Most of what I see included mint and proof sets, some silver dollars, and every kind of jar, sock, box, Crown Royal bag or can with 90% and wheat cents, tokens and world.

I buy from word-of-mouth, mostly from estates and could argue that these are more “accumulations” rather than collections. But that’s what I think is average.

Any organization or well put together collection by a knowledgeable person is above average IMO.

ricko · February 14, 2023 9:01AM

Frankly, I don't give a damn about categories.... I collect coins, I enjoy the hobby. I have great coins, I have nice coins, I have slabbed coins, I have raw coins..... I just have fun with coins. No labels, no claims.... Cheers, RickO

dsessom · February 14, 2023 9:03AM

Well, I just went by Larry Shapiro's website and couldn't afford a damned thing there, so maybe I am below average after all!

jwitten · February 14, 2023 11:56AM

Just the fact we are members on a coin board would put us above average I would say. Most coin “collectors” put away wheat cents, unique quarters they find, etc, but never own slabbed coins, gold, or anything really worth collecting. Once they die, their relatives contact people like us to ask what the collection is worth, only to find out it’s not much. So I would say almost everyone on here is above average.

NeophyteNumismatist · February 16, 2023 4:32PM

UPDATE: In another thread, I wrote about my experience with the Cub Scouts this Tuesday where I taught them about coins. It was a blast. I did not mention that a few of the parents were interested and brought their coin collections for me to check out.

Congratulations - if you are reading this, you are well above average.

What Constitutes, And Are You An Average/Ordinary Collector?

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The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

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