What makes a coin collectible

Cam40 · November 23, 2003 12:46PM

Age? Condition? Scarcity?

Whats the cutoff point on whether a coin is to be saved and what is really just pocket change.

Only when there becomes a price guide for them?

What reasoning do you employee that makes you decide that `this` is a coin to save, and `this` one isnt.

airplanenut · November 23, 2003 12:48PM

I think anything "unusual" is collectable... I don't really like anything that I can find in my change, but if it's silver, or DCAM, or bullion, or older than my change... or toned... it becomes collectable to me.

On the other hand, as long as someone likes it, it is collectable, just not to everyone. To each his own.

Jeremy

DHeath · November 23, 2003 12:50PM

For me, it must be unusual. It can be unusual because of it's condition, scarcity, strike/die variance, or toning. The whole enchilada is unusual.

Cam40 · November 23, 2003 12:58PM

I,m the same way. If its half way unusual its going in the hoard.

Why I was just looking at some BU Lincolns I had laying around and looking at them by the third side, the edge
I noticed a few were fatter so I plucked those. Then I looked at there strike of these and they did seem to have
better detail.

THEN a few had a lump of some kind in a certain area, above and right of the date, so I pulled those.

THEN!!!!! Which ever ones look PL, gotta snag those too.........a need a vaction.....

BAJJERFAN · November 23, 2003 1:06PM

The fact that it has a date and/or mint mark is the primary reason for its being collectible. How exciting would Morgans be without a date and mint mark. Probably not very. The VAM thing would be ok but without the date to help narrow things down even that would get frustrating real fast.

razorface1027 · November 23, 2003 1:09PM

EVERYTHING!...Especially if it's not in my collection...

Bikingnut · November 23, 2003 1:10PM

In my opinion any coin is collectable as long as there is someone out there that wants to collect it.

Placid · November 23, 2003 1:11PM

Plastic

braddick · November 23, 2003 1:34PM

Collectible= Desirable.

LUCKOFTHEIRISH · November 23, 2003 2:34PM

knowlege

lordmarcovan · November 23, 2003 4:40PM

Age, condition, and scarcity are certainly factors. Beauty of the design, historical tie-ins, whatever.

Supply and demand count, even in a pure collector-oriented realm, because if a coin is particularly rare and/or really hot and in demand, people will want it even more than they would have otherwise. Many of us subconsciously follow the herd. A certain amount of that is just human nature.

hamiltonjh · November 23, 2003 6:59PM

It's collectible if it's something someone likes.

Dont laugh, but I also collect teddy bears. I buy the ones that, TO ME, have "eye appeal" to relate to coin collecting. To use an another analogy to coins, they come in different sizes, color, styles and of course, price ranges.

I like coins, I like teddy bears, so I collect them for their own unique, but similar reasons (eye appeal, size, color, price etc). Coins are more of an investment, but the bears also trade at pretty high value if you can afford them.

So, depends on the person and what they like about what they collect. Here, it's coins and everyone has their own reason for collecting.

as some say, MHO. And, I'm happily married. :-) Just becuz I collect bears too....I'm still normal....I think....

sumnom · November 23, 2003 7:07PM

There are MANY "collectable" coins in the world without dates and mint marks.

hoardmonster · November 23, 2003 7:48PM

<< <i>It's collectible if it's something someone likes.

Dont laugh, but I also collect teddy bears. I buy the ones that, TO ME, have "eye appeal" to relate to coin collecting. To use an another analogy to coins, they come in different sizes, color, styles and of course, price ranges.

I like coins, I like teddy bears, so I collect them for their own unique, but similar reasons (eye appeal, size, color, price etc). Coins are more of an investment, but the bears also trade at pretty high value if you can afford them.

So, depends on the person and what they like about what they collect. Here, it's coins and everyone has their own reason for collecting.

as some say, MHO. And, I'm happily married. :-) Just becuz I collect bears too....I'm still normal....I think.... >>

Do you collect slabbed or raw ones?

1957joe · November 23, 2003 10:03PM

it all depends on WHO you are. In other words, some new collector might like dimes from circulation. Somebody might like state quarters. You have to start someplace.

hamiltonjh · November 23, 2003 10:12PM

Hoardmonster...what a concept THAT is. :-) I wonder if i should start my own "Teddy Bear Grading Company".

"TBGC - FINE TEDDY BEAR GRADING FOR THE DISCRIMINATING COLLECTOR"

But, how to hermetically seal a bear in a slab...and would that be desireable....

Or...were you talkin about the coins?? hehehe ;-)
slabbed and raw. At this point in my coin collecting career, mostly raw. Being just an NCO in the Air Force, I dont make alot of money to support my habit. ;-)

nwcs · November 23, 2003 10:17PM

Existence. Anything becomes a collectible once it exists. Coins are no different.

trozau · November 23, 2003 10:32PM

A collector. Once somebody sets a coin or any item aside as a keepsake then it becomes a collectible.

mdwoods · November 23, 2003 11:22PM

What makes a coin collectible

If there is someone who wants to keep it for reasons other than the monetary value, it is collectible.

jonesy · November 23, 2003 11:27PM

I concur with mdwoods!!

Baley · November 24, 2003 12:42AM

For me, it is not a black and white case of "is this coin 'collectible' or not" but a matter of degree.

And the degree is measured by a combination of supply and demand, with a "coolness factor" added in.

hoardmonster · November 24, 2003 1:33AM

<< <i>Hoardmonster...what a concept THAT is. :-) I wonder if i should start my own "Teddy Bear Grading Company".

"TBGC - FINE TEDDY BEAR GRADING FOR THE DISCRIMINATING COLLECTOR"

But, how to hermetically seal a bear in a slab...and would that be desireable....

Or...were you talkin about the coins?? hehehe ;-)
slabbed and raw. At this point in my coin collecting career, mostly raw. Being just an NCO in the Air Force, I dont make alot of money to support my habit. ;-) >>

hamiltonjh

No, I was definitely talking bears. TBGC sounds like a winner. You could be the HRH of the Teddy Bear world. As far as how to hermetically seal the slabs, "where there's a will..."

And as to the desireability of the slabs, that will of course depend on how you market the concept.

On a serious note, I completely understand what it's like not to have much money for a hobby like coins that is anything but cheap. All I can say is...the world will turn...keep the faith.

And btw, thanks for your service to our country!!!

cladking · November 24, 2003 5:57AM

The same things make coins collectible that make any object collectible:

Availability; It has to be something that people have access to. Things like moon rocks
and celebrity tooth brushes will tend not to be collected simply because they tend to not
be available. Yap stone money would usually be excluded also.

Identifiable; They have to be of known origin usually to both time and place. Clothes pins,
toothpicks, beads, and the like would typically be very difficult to identify and would limit
their collectibility. Maverick tokens usually sell for much less than other good fors because
they can not be identified.

Differentiation; There needs to be enough difference between similar items that it can be
seen. Limestone varies by depth and location but patterns would be difficult to discern and
the origination of a particular piece would be unknown in most cases. People rarely collect
circulated memorial Lincolns by all the different dies simply because they usually can't be told
apart once they wear a little.

Affordability; This speaks for itself. No one probably has enough money to assemble a gold
bar collection. A comprehensive collection of ingots and bars would weigh many tons.

Collectibles also need to be able to be stored and generally to be non-perishable.

This isn't to say that these rules can not be broken, merely that they apply to most coins and
collectibles. Most every object is collected by someone even if they are referred to as samples
or mementos.

dorkkarl · November 24, 2003 6:11AM

<< <i>What makes a coin collectible >>

that someone's stupid enough to pay over face value for it. that simple.

K S

Cam40 · November 24, 2003 6:15AM

My main deal with collecting whatever is is it alittle bit different from most of its kind.
A better condition coin no matter what date, i,ll save it. Older than usual item regardless of condition,
I,ll save it. Not the current alloy composition coin as in pre-1982 Lincolns, I have to save it.
I also like trying to locate all the different varieties of 1982 cents. I almost never find 1982 P or D small date copper cents in rolls or change. If its uncommon I gotta have it.

stujoe · November 24, 2003 10:13AM

For me, a coin becomes 'collectible' the moment I put it in a 2x2.

hamiltonjh · November 24, 2003 12:34PM

Hoardmonster, thanks for the kind words.

The problems with slabbing bears (a few anyway):
1. wouldnt they look kinda squished when vaccuum packed?
2. Collectors of bears like to feel them (whereas coins would get finger prints and all...)

but still a cool concept.

Ok..back to coins...hehe...I can talk bears on another board.

What makes a coin collectible

Comments

Leave a Comment