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 Replies: 17 / Views: 5,656 |
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Moderator
 Canada
10459 Posts |
This post is directed to the RCM representative, I have a couple of questions for you: 1. With respect to the various questions from collectors and coin dealers fielded from this site, are you compiling these into a weekly/monthly report for anyone at the RCM? Will these questions and constructive criticism be addressed at all within meetings at the RCM? I guess what I am saying is that are you doing this in any form of official capacity, beyond advertisement? If so, will we, the collectors, ever get to see the results of our inquires? 2. This is rather unorthodox, reaching out to a coin collecting forum directly to the collector. If this is the new way of connecting with the numismatic community in Canada (and beyond), have you thought about visiting the Canadian coin clubs in person, to hear what collectors have to say (who may not be aware of this site)? I assume you are from Ottawa, and you might get a good first dose of a collector's perspective by coming out to the Ottawa Coin Club meetings. Lastly, a comment: you have to be aware of the fact that most collectors of Canadian coins, focus on a particular series. Most of those, deal with coins that have already been minted, and I would even fathom a guess that most collections deal with business/circulation strikes that stop at 1967. You have to acquire a thick skin, because not everyone is a collector or a fan of modern mint products, and they often express or vent those opinions here. Just be prepared for that... "Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert OppenheimerContent of this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses...0/deed.en_USMy eBay store
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Valued Member
Canada
272 Posts |
I wholeheartedly agree with you SPP-Ottawa, I for one am not a very big fan of the RCM, I disagree with there coin production and distribution to me it is nothing but bling,. I feel sorry for the unwary newby coin collecter who gobbles up and pays unrealistic prices for the stuff. But that is just my opinion, mybe I am just bias.......... |
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Moderator
United States
23540 Posts |
If you follow the RCM Reps posts, you will see there is only one person answering these questions. Remember the forum is not their employer and they have daily responsibilities. So PLEASE try and be patient for answers rggoodie
aka Richard
"catch em doing something right"
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4227 Posts |
Good questions. I know when I used to put on coin shows here (Atlantic) we used to have the regional representative show for the shows, usually with a few giveaways and such, and he'd be available to the public, often with a display. I don't recall seeing anyone representing the mint in recent years at shows in this region.
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RCM Representative
158 Posts |
Thank you to all for sharing questions and concerns about how we will be interacting on this forum... 1. With regards to how questions/comments will be fielded, the goal is to direct them to the right people here at the Mint as required. We also commit to being transparent about answering questions. So yes, everyone in the forum will see the results of member inquiries. Sharing insight and answers are our top priorities -- and hopefully these don't blur into advertising because that is not our intent. Customer feedback and experience are taken very seriously at the Mint which is why we encourage regular feedback and input via things like product reviews, online surveys at mint.ca, customer focus groups and so on. Forum feedback will be treated with equal seriousness. 2. With respect to Canadian Coin Clubs, you bring up another great point! I am not sure how much we participate with these clubs, but as you say, it makes a lot of sense -- especially in Ottawa and Winnipeg where we have our two manufacturing facilities (and staff). Since it sounds like Ottawa isn't seeing much of us (if anything), I can certainly look into that right away and hopefully influence a visit! We've also got some remote employees so they might be able to fulfill occasional visits to some of the other coin clubs (like Atlantic Canada as mentioned by chequer). Regarding why we're getting involved on this forum, the Mint understands that more and more people are spending time online. Since we know many of them are coin collectors talking about our coins, we want to be a part of the conversation. It's the same thinking we had when we got involved on Twitter and Facebook back in the spring of 2009. 3. As for types of collectors, we agree there are many kinds. So once again, you bring up an excellent point. Perhaps we should speak to the admin people here to create some more specific topic subsets under the Canadian coin topic category -- i.e. Modern, Classic, Commemorative. That is such a great idea! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! We've just arrived here at this forum so we're still "setting up". That said, we really appreciate everyone's patience and understanding. PS - Yes, my skin is getting thicker by the minute ;) |
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Moderator
 Canada
10459 Posts |
Quote:
It's the same thinking we had when we got involved on Twitter and Facebook back in the spring of 2009. I think those online forums like you mention work well for the RCM's customers who buy year sets and other coins as gifts. But, here, you are dealing with serious coin collectors. This place is different, much different, and your presence is welcome, as long as legitimate questions are dealt with professionally. Do serious coin collectors here represent the bulk of RCM sales? I highly doubt it. This group tends to be well educated in numismatics, and generally, people spend their money wisely. They know what they like and don't hesitate to be critical. As for other online venues, I purposely avoid anything numismatically-related on Facebook/Twitter. I don't mind my fellow collectors knowing what I collect - because they wear the same shoes as I. But for many reasons, security and safety of my family being the main one, I (and I don't think I am alone here) will never, ever display publicly on an online forum like Twitter/Facebook the fact that I have an interest in numismatics. Not even my friends and neighbours know, and I prefer to keep it that way. If you approach this site with an open mind, you will learn more here in a few months than any online survey or customer feedback could possibly give you... Welcome. "Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert OppenheimerContent of this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses...0/deed.en_USMy eBay store
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2301 Posts |
I agree that the RCM posts should be placed in the NCLT section of Canadian coins, the rest in the advertising section. The only 2 places that fit by the rules of the forum. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
9164 Posts |
Quote:
As for other online venues, I purposely avoid anything numismatically-related on Facebook/Twitter. I don't mind my fellow collectors knowing what I collect - because they wear the same shoes as I. But for many reasons, security and safety of my family being the main one, I (and I don't think I am alone here) will never, ever display publicly on an online forum like Twitter/Facebook the fact that I have an interest in numismatics. Not even my friends and neighbours know, and I prefer to keep it that way.
I totaly agree with this statement. But I do have a few friends that know. |
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RCM Representative
158 Posts |
Once again, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like our best plan moving forward would be around simply keeping an eye on this forum - i.e. watching for questions, misunderstandings etc and then being able to respond in a timely manner. Do you think this would be our best approach?
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RCM Representative
158 Posts |
Also - I've chatted to a few people here at the Mint and we like the idea of the Mint being more involved with the coin clubs. We have so many amazing and passionate people on our team - engravers, researchers, product managers, QA people, engineers and so on. It might be interesting to see if some of these people could get to the coin clubs and share their stories. No promises...in the early stages of planting the seed... but do you think this would be embraced by coin clubs? I noticed the next Ottawa Coin Club meeting is this Mon, Oct 24. SPP-Ottawa, do you go to the Ottawa meetings and if so, how many people normally attend?
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Valued Member
Canada
278 Posts |
RCM - Do you have any staff in Western Canada?
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RCM Representative
158 Posts |
motoryoda - we have a boutique with employees in Vancouver. And I'm not entirely sure if we have any remote people between Winnipeg and Vancouver. But that aside, it's not uncommon for us to be in various cities throughout the country for coin launches etc. We are quite involved with the RCNA and I see they have a listing of all the coin clubs in Canada - http://www.canadian-numismatic.org/societies.php |
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Valued Member
Canada
247 Posts |
Having a rep from the Mint on this forum is great , as I stated previously. I have a question about the Masters Club, why is it that the mint offers special treatment and discounts to those that can obviously afford more than others, and does very little for the average Joe ( the ones that could use a break) . Maybe discounts, special notices, free postage could be set up for coin club members, forum members,(make alist). Any thoughts .  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1002 Posts |
I agree with nickel nubbers comments above. The average collector may buy several smaller items during the year and not reach the $1,000 minimum, however a one-time purchase of a high dollar item, gets you in.
If you are spending $1K plus on coins a year, free shipping probably isn't your biggest concern.
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Moderator
Canada
10459 Posts |
Quote:
Also - I've chatted to a few people here at the Mint and we like the idea of the Mint being more involved with the coin clubs. We have so many amazing and passionate people on our team - engravers, researchers, product managers, QA people, engineers and so on. It might be interesting to see if some of these people could get to the coin clubs and share their stories. No promises...in the early stages of planting the seed... but do you think this would be embraced by coin clubs? I noticed the next Ottawa Coin Club meeting is this Mon, Oct 24. SPP-Ottawa, do you go to the Ottawa meetings and if so, how many people normally attend? Yes, I regularly attend the Ottawa Coin Club meetings. Attendance can vary from 20 to up to almost 50 people per month. I cannot speak for the entire club, but a presence by the RCM would be embraced if the focus was on the numismatics - that is, the technical side of making coins from the design elements, the artistry, the engraving, smelting, production of the hubs and dies, etc... Just like this forum, the coin club is comprised of members that collect anything from world polymer paper money to ancient Roman coins to world coins with animals on them - everyone has their own thing. Being in Ottawa, most members are already aware of the products of the RCM, so it would not necessarily be a place to advertise mint products. Shame you could not have gone to last month's meeting - I was the speaker and my topic was "The Geology of Canadian Coins"...  FYI, this month's speaker will be talking about coin photography. Will we see you or a mint representative there Monday? "Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert OppenheimerContent of this post is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses...0/deed.en_USMy eBay store
Edited by SPP-Ottawa
10/20/2011 3:29 pm
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Valued Member
Canada
124 Posts |
I'm one of those average collectors. I place several small orders per year and those shipping costs add up. I did manage to get into the Masters Club last year and the free shipping persuaded me to buy a few more coins than I normally would but that ended a few months ago after I pre-ordered the niobium set. I've since cancelled that order since I figure I'm now adding $60 in shipping for the set.
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Replies: 17 / Views: 5,656 |
Posted 10/19/2011 3:15 pm
