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Posted 09/03/2005 6:40 pm
I would like to suggest that perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Look at the eras where coin collecting had the fastest amount of growth--in America: the 1850's or the lead up to the Civil War, the 1930's or the Great Depression, the so called "Nifty-Fifties" or atomic bombs and the not so nifty start of Mutually Assured Destruction, the mid 60's which had a host of issues along with in your face protesters.
IMO, to collect coins you have to be inclined towards introversion. There are alot of reason why people will accept introversion and even seek it but one of the major reasons, IMO, is because they see the external world going to hell in a hand basket and withdraw from it.
The conditions in the world today are such that there is going to be a steady stream of people withdrawing from it possibly for at least the next ten years. This is a major growth potential for coin collecting if we can *keep them.* ---it's already built, they will come. But will they stay?
We should tell new coin collectors from the get-go "that all is not what it seems" (Al Pacino--The Recruit). That market grading is not precise. That the standards can and have changed. And if they don't find that terribly appealing then there are ways to marginalize market grading and TPG's--such as with darkside coins. We should tell them that coinstreet is not wallstreet. Coins are more likely to do nothing for years and perhaps even decades and then *maybe* take a big jump. And then not do again for awhile.
They should be told that coin collecting can be whatever they want it be and not necessarily what "market makers" want it to be. People who have had a belly full of the external world don't need to hear more rules like: "only buy the highest grade coin that you can afford. Only buy it from this TPG because they suck the least. The next generation will be looking for purpose and direction. They won't be looking to pull the market grading rikshaw behind their backs. They should be told that they can collect whatever they want in whatever grade they want.
IMO, to collect coins you have to be inclined towards introversion. There are alot of reason why people will accept introversion and even seek it but one of the major reasons, IMO, is because they see the external world going to hell in a hand basket and withdraw from it.
The conditions in the world today are such that there is going to be a steady stream of people withdrawing from it possibly for at least the next ten years. This is a major growth potential for coin collecting if we can *keep them.* ---it's already built, they will come. But will they stay?
We should tell new coin collectors from the get-go "that all is not what it seems" (Al Pacino--The Recruit). That market grading is not precise. That the standards can and have changed. And if they don't find that terribly appealing then there are ways to marginalize market grading and TPG's--such as with darkside coins. We should tell them that coinstreet is not wallstreet. Coins are more likely to do nothing for years and perhaps even decades and then *maybe* take a big jump. And then not do again for awhile.
They should be told that coin collecting can be whatever they want it be and not necessarily what "market makers" want it to be. People who have had a belly full of the external world don't need to hear more rules like: "only buy the highest grade coin that you can afford. Only buy it from this TPG because they suck the least. The next generation will be looking for purpose and direction. They won't be looking to pull the market grading rikshaw behind their backs. They should be told that they can collect whatever they want in whatever grade they want.
