Of Violins And "V" Nickels ...

... Is this the death of coin collecting as we know it?

I caught a program on TV the other day.
This British woman was on the hunt to find a Stradivarius
Violin that she might play and perhaps borrow.
A former student of a prestigious music academy, she once had the opportunity to do so. But now a graduate of the school she no longer had access to these instruments.
Her journey lead her to the US where she met with a private collector of violins. Having become very wealthy from his Internet days,
he turned his passion for music to the acquisition of violins costing several million dollars each.
His home in Seattle has a music room where musicians gather to play on the best instruments available.
The woman was allowed to choose one to play back in Britain. After all, this collector reasoned that a violin which is not played and enjoyed is equivalent
to owning the Mona Lisa and storing it in a closet!

What does this have to do with "V" nickels, you ask?
Well I chose the 1913 "V" Nickel as an example. But any other coin of sufficient rarity would work as well: that
1933 $20 Gold piece or some of the rare ancient coins would
serve the purpose.
You see, at the end of the program the collector lamented
that the days of private collectors would soon be over.
As the price of rare instruments continue to rise even a billionaire could not afford to do what he has accomplished
Also, as more investment groups pool their money to buy instruments simply as a vehicle for future appreciation in value, they will be stored in vaults and never played again.

When the last of the 1913 "V" Nickels held by private individuals is sold, will its fate be a bank vault?
The 1933 $20 gold piece?
A tetra drachma of extreme rarity?
(Sorry Ancients' collectors if I misspelled it!)

It is clear to me that those who share their precious coins with the general coin collecting public
deserve to be praised over and over again.

The ANA for displaying their holdings. YEAH ANA!

Private collectors such as John Frost of the Barber Coin Collectors' Society
and Gerry Fortin of the Liberty Seated Coin Collectors group.

From the July 2011 "kick-off" of the joint regional coin shows exhibitions:






"Traffic at the Club Tables was brisk on Friday and Saturday.
The general public and Manchester Coin Expo dealers took the time to review John Frost's "Condition Rarity" set of Barber quarters,
Gerry Fortin's Liberty Seated dime collection certified by PCGS, and the display of other Barber and Seated rarities.
"Wows" became common place at both display tables as visitors studied rare coinage items seldom seen at regional shows."

Our membership has increase 25 percent since then.
And more and more members of both groups are participating
in regional shows in their part of the country.
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And now, the CCF! At a national show no less!
(Insert trumpets here!)

Simply sharing pictures of nice coins on this forum
is an act of grace. And NEEDED if we are to maintain
coin collecting as we know it.

Visit :

barbercoins.org For the Barber people.
http://lsccweb.org/ For the Liberty Seated people.

As we are orgs, we offer lots of free info. Sure, we would like you to join, but check us out at no cost.

Thank you. Matthew