As We Move To A Cashless Society

This absolutely plays a role in my collecting. The thought that I can own a nice piece of medieval or Renaissance craftmanship for the the price of a restaurant meal is part of the allure (OK, sometimes more). But this only happened as an adult, after I already had been bitten by the bug as a kid.

I agree.

I think it is to track people using "burner" phones.

I hope you're right. The death of coin collecting would truly be a sad thing.

Basically true. However, remember that people also collect oil paintings, as an example, and as the amount of those from the old days vanishes, so do the collectors depart knowing most will never get any. Same with old cars. However, with the auto, some companies make new old ones again which is sort of like our counterfeiters of coins today. As coins become less and less needed, Mints everywhere will slow down production and in some instances stop all together. As people realize they could never complete a set of something or other they will just stop that and possibly stop all. Already many realize they could never finish some sets due to availability now and this could be one more reason it is difficult to acquire newer collectors of coins.

Only the boomers have throw away income.

I am a 'baby boomer'.
As a kid, I remember when Bill Hayley's "Rock Around the Clock" was first released.

Some reasons why I am financially secure:
1. From age 12, worked for my father in a factory during my school years, an up until the age of 30. Father never charge me board.
2. Saved all of what I ever earned during those years with the job for my father, but spent it all on coins. Built a gold type set of Australian coins and about 80 ancient coins, which included two Roman gold coins.
3. Sold the whole collection at auction at age 30 which, by itself, paid the whole deposit on our house, when we married.
4. Have never paid a cent in rent in my life.
5. Always happily married, never divorced.
6. All of my adult education was free, paid by the Government. College degree level - civil engineering.
7. Never had a credit card in my life. Have always used cash budgeting.
8. Paid the mortgage out in 7 years, on a single family income.
9. My superannuation was calculated at 50% of my highest average salary, and is inflation adjusted for life. When I die, 66% of this calculation goes to my wife, until she dies - also inflation adjusted for her life.

These types of financial opportunities are simply unavailable to young adults today. For this overall reason, I consider myself to be very fortunate in being in the cusp of a series of very advantageous financial conditions during my life, which simply do not exist any more.

As a result, I consider myself to have a financial responsibility to my children to be a financial security backstop for them. That's what my parents did for me, although I never needed their assistance.

@sel, I just read your post and can only conclude you have led a charmed life, and made the most of many gifts and talents.
I have likewise been blessed in similar ways, if not in the details.

As for collecting ... my elder son was exposed to coins, but got involved in online gaming as a hobby, and now "moonlights" as a dealer in the playing cards for one of those games (his daytime profession is far more mainstream). I'm not sure how many in post-boomer generations are involved in this hobby, but I'm sure it is a very large number. That doesn't necessarily preclude coins (or other hobbies ike baseball cards), but I suspect between the mental space and share of wallet, it has an impact.