Raw Coins..

Hello Neweden, don't feel shy about loving business strikes, just an official term for coins that have been around! Normally you will find the shiny / proof coins are collected by newbie's to the Hobby or the Grandma that want's to give her new Grandson a keepsake from the R.C.M.
However, the more advanced you become and the more serious you get about collecting, everytime you look at a newly minted proof/prooflike coin from the R.C.M., it will make you want to vomit. As the years go by, you will appreciate the Victorian, Edwardian/ King George V/VI series all the more. This Canadian coinage is the heart of Numismatics and there is nothing else finer to collect when it comes to Canadian business strikes. (coins meant to be in circulation)

Glenn

How serious and advanced do you consider yourself to be?

wow now there is a topic and comments to inflame any collector....I consider myself a serious collector and darn look I have an almost complete set of PL sets in orginal envolpes with no marks from coin dealers on the envelopes...at current missing 1953, the two 1954 and the 1955 arn. and these are considered mint products.

just making a point that a collection is what someone choses to make it.

My main point of intrest at this time is Canadian silver dollars and after 1967 I have to settle for "giftware" in order to continue with silver dollars though I am also continuing with loonies to keep with the business strike theme.

Good point coinman. The Mint is a business too.

But the way I see NCLT is purely art. There is no point in trying to convince serious collectors that these are just what they are: collectible items. No more, no less. They can co-exist with circulation coins as much as stamps can co-exist with silver spoons and Picasso.

Much has been said on the RCM giftware topic. I reiterate that this forum would benefit by having a separate section dealing with NCLT.

I mean, constant vomiting can lead to serious health issues...

guppie, some of the PL sets you mention probably fall within respectable territory
for even business strike snobs. A lot of people also draw the line at or about
1967, the demise of "real" money - silver. I don't consider myself a "noob", but I
do from time to time buy mint product. I've posted pictures before my twoonie set,
have almost all mules from mint sets, and a large quantity of 1960's coins from
PL sets. I also bought the Nunavut sterling $2 for no other reason than I love
the design, and I'm still going to pick up the $3 tyee after the depreciation period.

Which brings us to my legitimate beef about mint product, which is coins that are
marked as "low mintage" etc. which one would be lead to believe are sure to appreciate
in years to come...particularly to those that may not have a great deal of knowledge on
the subject, and that rubs me the wrong way.

When I buy mint product, it's almost always "previously enjoyed", at a price that I
can justify for collector enjoyment, keeping in mind years from now it'll likely be
worth the same or possibly even less than I paid for it.

I have just signed on and feel that we must keep an open mind. People sometimes specialize, and if they specialize, then they can become more experts in their specialization. I have been collecting since, well, 1960's, and have seen many changes. If we do not keep an open mind, then we loose what collecting is all about. That is, keeping up with change. Sometimes good, and sometimes not so good.

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder. In this particular case most NCLT commentators think the design (and the quality) is pretty good. But again, here isn't the best arena to debate and already unpopular topic...