A Question For Long-Term Mc Members

I've almost 50 years of various RCM products in my collection, particularly proof sets. The vast majority have either lost money or not met the rate of inflation. I quit buying them in 2013 when the $230 price became totally unreasonable.

The marketing strategy whereby companies offer some type of "loyalty rewards" to customers has gotten to be as common as dirt. It's based on the principle that it's easier to generate more profit from existing and faithful clients than it is to attract new ones. It also considers the widely known concept that the soft sell appeal of "appreciation" or "you're special!" encourages some people to buy what they might not otherwise. (Sadly the same manner of lure of a limited special offer has also become a favourite by scammers "only you get this price but you must sign today!" )

Perhaps my pessimism is showing, but we all know that RCM is in the business of profit. Therefore it has no vested interest in issuing goods for the benefit of customers to later sell on a secondary market. I still buy from RCM what interests me, but I do so without absolutely any thought or hope of future value.

Edited for spelling.

The eligibility requirement for MC members requires the purchase of $999.99 within a 365 day period, so no, I am not a member. But in that you're interested in what the membership has to offer, yet you don't necessarily disagree with me...... I can't help but wonder what piques your curiosity? The RCM webpage describing its membership program is hardly worth a yawn, which I strongly suspect may be the reason why I notice the company is also presently seeking to hire a Program Manager, Masters Club.

Commems, I can't add anything much other than to say that those two items you mentioned are the only exclusives that I know of in many years of Masters Club membership. I did get a free standard BU SD when I got a rep a few years ago.

Edited to remove the rest of what I wrote since it wasn't really addressing the point of this topic.

@CC-Ottawa/kuh_85: Thanks for the info on your experience. It looks like the RCM stopped the "exclusive" coins for MC members quite some time ago. It seems doubtful that they'll revive the practice, but I suppose it's possible.

@wildflowerAB: I've been a MC member for three years. The primary benefit I derive from the membership is free shipping (which adds up considering I'm in the US). It's been nice having access to each release a bit ahead of the general public, but as I rarely buy the "hot" coin (if a given release has such a beast), this perk hasn't been a big deal for me.

My intent in starting this thread was simply to learn about past exclusive offers to MC members that were available before my MC time. I was/am curious about the "exclusive access to products" benefit mentioned in the other thread and wondered if the RCM might be considering the return of an earlier MC benefit. It appears, however, that the benefit was rather limited.

I agree the goal of the RCM is to turn a profit on its operations - I would expect nothing less. Regarding the RCM's interest in the secondary market for its products - I agree that it does not appear to be a primary concern, but I believe they are fully aware of the need for a secondary market in order to help maintain the sale of new/future issues. I believe this awareness is the driver behind the reduced maximum mintage figures it has set for many of its latest releases.

I also believe the biggest mistake the RCM has made with its coin products is its offering of far too many different coins - practically one per day this year. This high number of coin releases has split the pool of potential customers to the extent that little to no momentum builds behind any particular series. If a significant group of collectors do actively pursue a given series upon release, it is very likely that no serious secondary market will develop for it later on. IMO, this is the primary driver behind value reductions for RCM products in the secondary market. Of course, too high initial mintages and overly high release prices also play a role.

In which year did the Master Club start?

The silver dollar was just a previous unsold silver one oz. coin from old inventory, as for limited mintage for super members maybe a mintage of less than 100 to revive the collective interst

This sounds attractive and should be done on annual basis for Platinum (or any other MC)

I have to wonder how many of the RCM reps are coin collectors themselves and how many are just employed by the RCM to work as reps and also how many of these reps are part of the team or meetings that happen to determine and decide what new releases and designs will be undertaken by the mint . I would like to think that because the reps have direct communication and access to the actual coin collectors that they would be like on the front line of what the market is wanting , expecting or desires to collect so that the mint would produce product that is directly related to what is wanted by those who buy . Also how many non mint people ( such as Steven Bromberg ) are involved in coin desire planning as I think that with the new mint program they would invite the high level buyer/collector to partake in the design and mintage decisions of the new releases as well as the reps who communicate with them .