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 Replies: 49 / Views: 6,255 |
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Valued Member
United States
77 Posts |
I think the coins being released in circulation these days are the most interesting this country has produced in decades. They're also the most diverse they've ever been in the history of this country: 5 different new cent reverses, 4 different nickel reverses, 2 different new nickel obverses, 95 DIFFERENT QUARTER REVERSES IN THE PAST 19 YEARS, 50 different dollar designs. Not to mention bullion and commemorative issues. The problem isn't that moderns have nothing to offer. The problem is with so much to offer where do you begin? The 21st century is in my mind a new renaissance for American coinage designs. A lot of "classic only" coin snobs would be quick to scoff at my sentiment, however. They'll say things such as: "That's common dreck." My response to that is: "First of all, something being common doesn't stop it from being collectible. Second of all 'dreck' is one of those words that pretentious snobs like to use to belittle the tastes of others. I refuse to take anyone like that seriously. You don't sound sophisticated. You sound like a jerk" Another thing they'll say is: "The designs are trash." My response to that is: "Oh really? You've looked at all 95 new quarter designs, all 4 new nickel reverse designs as well as the 2 new obverse nickel designs and all 5 new one cent reverse designs and came to the conclusion that there's nothing good in any of them? Did you really even take the time to look at them?" Another thing they'll say is: "It's everyday pocket change and will never be worth anything." My response: "First of all; I don't save any modern issues from pocket change. I like coins minted 1982 or later to be at least MS-67. At least that's my goal for when I start collecting modern coins. Not exactly a grade you're going to find in pocket change. Second of all; I couldn't care less that they may never be worth much. Making money isn't why I got into collecting. So please spare me your investment forecast doomsday warnings." Does the commonality of these coins causes people to take them for granted? Or am I really just defending the unworthy? What do you guys think?
By the way: I Realize that most coin collectors, even those who prefer the classic designs are not snobs. Edited by rbjr85
08/21/2018 01:18 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
73669 Posts |
Rbjr85, I agree with you. Good point! Same here, I didn't get into this hobby to make money etheir. I just collect for fun, even if the coins are only worth face value.  Errers and Varietys.
Edited by Errers and Varietys
08/21/2018 01:35 am
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
I agree with you and disagree at the same.
I completely agree with the observation of the collectors that think coins have to be silver, or that because they're modern they're common in all grades type things ect. Moderns are absolutely rarer in top grades than most people realize and who cares if a coin has 3 dollars of silver in it when it costs 100 dollars or more, those moderns are just as worthy of the price. I fully agree that moderns are as worthy of collecting as anything.
Where I disagree is the designs. My biggest complaint about the modern US mint for a long time has been the designs. Some are okay, most of the quarters are pretty generic nature picks and A LOT of the products had better more detailed designs not get picked because of the selection process. World mints are putting the US mint to shame with their designs overall but I won't ever bash someone for liking them as we all have different tastes.
You are right though that people focus on the mintage to much for moderns, yes 100s of millions may have been minted but the overwhelming majority were never top grades from the day they were struck and of the ones they are it takes some luck to get them in the right hands to not be spent and ruined.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12477 Posts |
@rbjr85 It seems your mind is completely made up, so there's no reason for others to give their opinions.  In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020
In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020
In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024
Edited by spru
08/21/2018 02:12 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
509 Posts |
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Valued Member
 United States
77 Posts |
I mean, try putting together a complete collection of 1968 to present MS-67 or higher grade business strike coins with problem free surfaces and full sharp striking. That's probably not as easy as people might think.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
587 Posts |
Today's moderns are tomorrow's classics.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Simply put that is what is so great about coin collecting. So many different types of collectors. Each with their opinions that vary as much as the product. The auto industry USED to do that same thing making their products vary so much people had to have a new one all the time. And it also made for auto collectors. Now they all look the same. Oddly enough other hobbies failed at that. Sports cards, Beanie Babies, Hot Wheel cars, US Postage stamps all failed mostly due to excessive variety quantities. With coins this same system has brought many new collectors into the hobby.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8715 Posts |
 with just carl. Each person can collect what they like. If you like moderns, collect them! If you like classic or colonial coins, collect them! There are no rules what to collect. Just pick anything you want. Personally, I collect a few modern coins here and there but mostly classic. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
I love that moderns can be had from circulation for face value; my collection of LMCs cost me as much as a soda from the gas station. I like all of the cent designs, the "classic" and Bison Jefferson nickels, the original Sac dollar, and about half to 2/3 of the ATB Quarters. I don't like the trend toward low relief circulation coins, gimmicky and uninspired commemoratives, or the modern trend of fetishizing a numerical grade--if I can't see the difference with the naked eye, I won't pay the difference. And while I agree that most modern coins have artistic merit, I personally think that modern coinage as a whole peaked in the 1910s-30s. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5029 Posts |
You had some good points about moderns. However, as spruett said Quote:
It seems your mind is completely made up, so there's no reason for others to give their opinions. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2023 Posts |
There are some great-looking pieces among the moderns. There are also some dogs. The same is true among the classics.
And spruett is right. If this were a more open debate, we could go into more detail. But with such a closed opening statement, there's nothing more to be said.
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
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It seems your mind is completely made up, so there's no reason for others to give their opinions. I reiterate this same point. "A mind convinced against it's will, is of the same opinion still" I disagree that the designs are so great, they have gone the way of the RCM, "make a bunch and hope we break even, no matter how silly, inane and ridiculous they look." Personally I stopped my sets of modern Proofs and Mint sets running from 1964 through 2009 because of the lack of quality design. The second reason being they began charging 2 times what they are worth and will be in the future. Just look at what the list for mint and proof sets is from the 70's, and what they actually sell for today. I've sold MANY sets ans surely don't get near what they charged for them in 1970's dollars! Somebody's taking that loss, and it isn't only the US MINT! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3402 Posts |
I too also like that I can CRH moderns, but IMHO, classic coins rock. Many bullion pieces bear classic designs.
KK
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Valued Member
United States
77 Posts |
I like both classic and modern coins. I'm definitely not bashing classic coins. I'm simply defending modern coins. Yes it's true that newly issued proof and mint sets are more expensive than they used to be. But I wouldn't buy coins from the mint. I'd wait a year or so, maybe longer and buy them in the aftermarket. I agree with Finn235 about the unnecessary obsession over numerical grade differences. Why should I pay multiples more for less than a 10th of 1% difference in quality? A difference in quality that most people wouldn't notice if you forced their eyes open and made them look at the coin through a 5x loupe for 6 hours straight. A difference in quality that's so statistically insignificant that it probably wouldn't even show up on a graph. I mean am I really a less of a collector because I choose to buy the $50 MS-69 instead of the $500 MS-70? In regards to criticisms of the designs? Well that's all a matter of opinion. Just remember that by the end of the Seated Liberty design's run, people were sick to death of the design. Now they're considered classics. When something is common and seen every day it's easy to be jaded about it or take it for granted. Or even become sick of it. Most coins that are now considered classics were not considered so when they were issued. They were just considered money. The large cents and Half Cents, the coins that basically sparked the birth of coin collecting in the U.S. in the 19th century, weren't appreciated as collectibles until after their discontinuance in 1857. Before that, not many if any people cared about them except as a unit of exchange. Going back to moderns: I see more people becoming interested in Eisenhower dollars than I did 10 years ago. People like to collect coins that are obsolete, and the longer a coin is obsolete the more people appreciate and collect it. Edited by rbjr85
08/21/2018 3:30 pm
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Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
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It seems your mind is completely made up, so there's no reason for others to give their opinions. There is nothing wrong with that all. We are not offering our opinions to the OP, but to the readers.  |
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Replies: 49 / Views: 6,255 |
Posted 08/21/2018 01:55 am
