What Is Future Of Coin Collecting ?

I like to think that my collection is more history based and not gem specific. Currently in all my coins which are probably over 4000 of assorted, all denominations there are 4 graded ones. The oldest dated 1718. There are also early to mid 1800 tokens US coinage, a few 1700's copper tokens. When researching some of the coins I find the history involved is at times an exciting read, also it's amazing how some coins history can bring you off on so many historical tangents. Cheers.

I have thousands of coins that I collect ONLY for the history. I have, maybe, 3 graded coins that I have only because they wee part of lots I may have boughten. I think slabs are only for those who have very expensive, high-end stuff (for insurance) or those who have substantial collection with no realtives with any interest in them. Those folks with registry sets usually fir into one of the above 2 reasons. I, personally have absolutely no use for a TPG.

I am proud to think of myself as a "true" collector. In all of my time in the hobby I have only bought four slabbed coins and they were only bought that way either because they were cheap or because they provided a level of proof for certain types. I use folders to store most of my coins and albums for the rest. I also actually TOUCH my coins; I figure if they have been touched for over one hundred years already that one more time won't destroy them.

I have two close friends who have both been in the 'hobby' much longer than I, but I don't view either of them as collectors. One guy has been saving coins since the 1960's and has a fantastic collection, but he will sell ANY of his coins at the drop of a hat if he can make a profit out of it. The second guy is just into silver coins, and will buy anything and keep them in a bucket until the price goes up again for him to sell them. (He recently just bought a collection for over $5,000 but hasn't looked at it for years/conditions/mint marks/etc.).

As for me, I don't plan on ever selling any of my collection. I do have some extra coins that I acquired (by mistake, buying better quality coins, or by buying a bulk batch to get some I needed) and I'd like to try and get some of my expense back for them, but that's about it. Oh, I also have a friend in Canada I trade coins with at face value.

I am somewhat happy to NOT know 'true collectors', as I would never be able to obtain any coins for myself from them.

Bobby and/or mods, please cancel my membership here at CCF, for the last 50yrs I thought that I was a true "coin collector" , since I own multiple collections of slabbed coins, apparently not. Well it was a good run while it lasted

What is the future of coin collecting you ask? Just ask any stamp collector.



I'm going to keep right on doing it though....

The process of slabbing coins is not what defines a collector who sole interest is profit. People use TPG's for the resale of a coin because of market trends....it's also a very responsible thing to do as it will help with the conservation of the coin for many years to come..

Coins may have lost a bit of their lustre especially from the hay days in the 80's.... There are many collections that are just coming to market that haven't seen the light of dy on years..... But I have a feeling that really nice silver and gold will always have a spot in a collectors eye. As for TPG's I can't blame them! That is just a good business model

It's a lament that I hear all too frequently from the brick-and-mortar coin dealers I regularly visit: that I am in the minority, as far as their customer profile is concerned. Most of them come in just to make a buck playing the market buying and selling, mostly "scrap silver" coins for scrap silver prices. The dealers like those customers coming around because it helps keep the doors open, but they'd much rather sell to more actual collectors who take an interest in actual coins.


I still remember trying to talk to an old family friend about this. They've known me since I was a child and they've often gotten me some coins and coin-like gifts while they've been on holidays, but they still don't understand the mentality of a "true collector". They could not understand why I would not consider selling some of the coins that I own that happen to have gone up astonishingly in price since I bought them a decade or two ago. "But you could use the money to buy even more coins, couldn't you?"

I am 36...and I have to completely disagree with the "doom and gloom" assessment...

My inspiration comes from an interest in history, an interest in investing in physical assets (i.e. precious metals), and the thrill of a treasure hunt on the biggest flea market on earth ( ebay).

Although my peers dont collect coins, they are too busy keeping up with Canada's insane housing market and their mortgage payments, I do have the luxury of a nice size disposable income budget to pursue coin collecting...

Coins will keep increasing in value for several reasons...global inflation, limited and diminishing supply, increasing population...

Some of you talk like there will be an extinction event of the boomer generation which will overwhelm and crush the market...but this isn't happening, nor will it happen.
As old collectors die off slowly (and they dont die off all at once), their collections will trickle out bit by bit into the market and will be fully absorbed.

I see this happen all the time, especially with dealers in the US. I bought a junk lot of silver a few months back from a US dealer, who was clearly liquidating an old collection, which contained a raw unlabeled 1906 25c small crown in F12...after having the coin properly slabbed by PCGS, I can tell you that that coin will not see the market again for at least another generation, and by then the demand may well be multi-fold.

Sure we are in a bit of a "slump" compared to the crazy debt fueled 2006-2007 days but unless there is a historic deflation that will crush the values of all of our collections (and the central banks will never allow that to happen)...our collections will be just fine and so will the hobby :)....so cheer up, there is no doom on the horizon