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 Replies: 26 / Views: 4,603 |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
849 Posts |
How many Canadians collect Canadian coins? I don't mean on this forum but all of Canada. I doubt there is any way to know but I am looking for educated guesses. I will give you mine but may be way off (either high or low). I want your estimates and reasons why. Canada's population is $35 million.
First there are many definitions of a collector so I will divide into three groups and you can estimate each one.
Group one I will call very casual collectors. No organized system, usually finds stuff in change and almost never pays over face value. Maybe just sets aside the odd commemorative or interesting coin that strikes the fancy.
Group two collects with purpose and probably has some organized system for display/tracking and might collect several year sets or be looking for a range - say nickels 1922+. This person will likely pay a little money ($5 to $50) for some of those coins.
Group three is similar but collects more than just one or two denominations and maybe is interested in varieties and has spent over $100 each on quite a few of their coins. I would think many collectors on this forum are in this group.
But I am not polling you as individuals to see what group you are in. I am asking what you think the average Canadian is.
My estimate is that Group one is 20% of Canadians or one in five (seven million Canadians). Group two 4% or one in twenty-five (1.4 million). Group three is one-half of a percent or one in two hundred (175,000).
That would leave about 75% who don't collect at all.
What say you? Edited by punman
11/23/2014 01:07 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1118 Posts |
I think your group 1 figure is way to small. Group 1 would be in the 60s, especially if you count people who stached away a colored coin.
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Pillar of the Community
798 Posts |
There were 2000 people in my high school and not one person except me collected coins in any way but just one of the teachers actually did so 2 people in 2000 people, me and that teacher. My friend has 2000 friends and none of them collect coins so 2 people in 4000 people. Also nobody else in my family collects coins either.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1505 Posts |
u ere way OFFFFF on group 3 because many will not tell and stay anonymous.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
849 Posts |
I am not asking anybody to tell, I am not interviewing anyone. I just want your estimate. What percent of Canadians do you think fall into group three?
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
in group three, I would venture there are probably very few hard core collectors of early Canadian coins. Based on over forty years of dealing in coins and buying from hundreds of individuals in Canada, you very seldom buy much that is over face or silver value . Most Canadians just plucked stuff out of change or attempted to put together a small cent or nickel set. Others bought from the mint and most of the rest could honestly say they have never been in a coin shop. Based on a somewhat educated guess probably three to five thousand died in the wool hard core collectors. Most better Canadian coins go to the US, at least the ones we sell. I will put it out there that very few on the Canadian coin forum have ever spent more than five hundred dollars with a coin dealer, at a coin show, or a coin auction on a single coin . Indeed a LARGE coin show in Canada is forty to fifty dealers, the size of a club coin show in the USA.
Edited by Pacificoin
11/23/2014 12:11 am
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Forum Kid
Canada
1074 Posts |
Yes none in my high school Population (1090) either, that I know of...? but I think group 1 is the most common casual...
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1505 Posts |
around 10-15%
Pacific, you are trying to change the original subject by your reply on your experience with your specific clientele.
Do you count yourself into Group 3?
You may have experience with the stuff you sell. These buyers and sellers fall into group 1 and perhaps 2.
I have yet to see Group 3 grade and scarce stuff which would interest a group 3 buyer on your site.
the interesting and scarce coins are seldom bought online. A lot of that stuff goes via private deals or auctions or e someone knows someone- who knows someone who can be trusted.
The Op asked for Canadian collectors in relation to the Canadian population which has no relevance to "what is" in the US in any way.
Edited by 47P7
11/23/2014 01:09 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5394 Posts |
Punman asked for opinions and proferred mine based on actual observations,nothing wrong with that. This what the forum is supposed to be about,an exchange of ideas. As to 47P7 query as to considering myself in group three, no I do not consider myself in that group as I really do not collect coins as such , save for my Australian pre decimal coppers , my high grade GSA Carson City dollar set, and my low ball Canada Silver Dollar set. I am a coin dealer, and a highly regarded one at that. @ 47P7 your comments as to what I sell on line are really irrelevant as that is certainly not the only material we deal in. We have by the way sold lots of very nice material on ebay this year, you obviously just can't search the listings very well. You certainly do not have the experience or ability to critique my efforts of a numismatic professional in any way ,shape, or form. I will let my numismatic reputation stand on its own merits ,thank you very much. |
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Valued Member
Canada
299 Posts |
Interesting thread :)
I collect all decimals, including Maritime and it is mixed from MS-66 to G-4 (some of those Vicki halves and my disposable income doesn't seem to be enough). When I can I try to fill an empty hole or upgrade an existing one.
Group 3 probably needs to have a few subsets:
A) Broke all the time
B) Rich enough to buy it all
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1505 Posts |
Pacific
Please stop the semantics and diversions here and please stick to the facts on hand. at no time did I question or critique your ability as a dealer or person. I simply stated what I noticed during my visits to your site. however, YOU make reference to and advertise your shop, your experience and dealership at any opportunity you get on this forum.(simply see your last post). I do sometimes look at your coin listings, at some of them very carefully, whenever a search for certain coins brings up your site. My ability and experience to search and find for what I want, has been very good to me over the last 14 years.
Perhaps some day we should have that beer in Victoria we discussed on another post. I will be there late December for a few days. Would be very interesting to meet.
Trimble:
there is a way in between: BUY SMART
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Valued Member
Canada
299 Posts |
Wow! :)
I shall cherish your advice forever,lol.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1373 Posts |
First off, I find this a very interesting topic. I don't know if my opinion matters much, because I'm from the other edge of the lake, but I thought I'd just make a guess by using my opinion of collectors here in the US.
As long as you don't include the millions of people who actually don't 'collect' coins as a hobby, but just collect coins by just dropping all the change they get into buckets, cans, jars, and whatever and then just take them all to the bank when they need cash, they I thing the Group #1 total might be around .1% (1 in 1000).
I guess Group #2 might be as high as .07% (around 1 in 15,000), and finally Group #3 somewhere around .02% (1 in 50,000).
I'm making my guess from my feelings of the status here in the USA. Maybe the Canadian group has a much different attitude than what I experience here. I'm hoping to hear more from you Canadian collectors, and maybe I can learn a few things at the same time.
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Valued Member
Canada
180 Posts |
Like the thread!
Group 1 guess is 50 percent if not higher. I would say that many people set aside coins that stand out to them.
Group 2 guess is 1 percent.
Group 3 guess is 1/10th of one percent.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1747 Posts |
TO be quite honest I think everyone here is way off. I live in the Metro Vancouver area and I believe there is roughly 3-5million (north van to Langley) and we only have 2 coin clubs, in Surrey (almost 1 million pop) there are 0 coin stores.
For me I think the first category is more like 2% (600K) and the other 2 catagories might share 1%
However note that the OP did not include Hoarders, or collectors of NCLT, or bullion. People who start in these may switch to numismatics like I did.
also the numbers would be higher.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1505 Posts |
Punman
a well designed poll would most likely get better results than for members to elaborate the ifs and buts.
in a poll everyone stays anonymous.
Perhaps if you would define the 3 groups, or maybe make it into 4 for a poll, the results would be more indicative of the way it really is.
what most of you have totally forgotten, or purposely ignored, is that we have a very large oriental population who uses expensive items such as expensive and rare coins as a way of saving and protecting. They believe in that, but they never tell.
In your original post you wrote Canadians collect Canadian coins. However, some posters seem to have missed that little fact and are trying to include or reference it into the US. Americans, Orientals and Europeans have different attitudes, reasons and approaches about "collecting" coins.
if you do the poll, perhaps you want to incorporate a question WHY, someone collects? investment? just for fun and hobby without monetary consideration? or other reasons.
The results could be very interesting and more accurate.
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Replies: 26 / Views: 4,603 |
Posted 11/22/2014 8:30 pm
