Thoughts Of Future Of Numismatics.

Coin dealer job might be very hard, as the cost to traditional dealers have become almost obsolete. The large bullion dealers well that will depend on investors and whether people still want jewellery in the future and can place or assign a value on it. That's why I don't think coin collecting will go away in the future even with digital currency, it might not be the same as it was (i can't say whether it will go up or down), but such is life.

I mean did rock collecting go away? stone age people use to collect shiny things and store them around there necks or buried them.

the only thing that I can think of that has died or become non-existence in terms of collecting is SKULL COLLECTING

For us "regular folks" there are a few things that greatly affect the hobby:

#1 disposable income
(in short supply for the average person for the foreseeable future)

#2 dispersal of collections,
as older collectors liquidate their collections then supply could easily outweigh demand

#3 demand,
non interest by the up & coming generation, many of whom do not carry cash in any form. many have no "connection" to actual cash/coins, and let's face it... the world is disposable... why would you keep, let alone pay for, a little metal disc ?

in short, I see the hobby die-ing a slow death, somewhat accelerated with the world health issues at hand, and especially because every government on the planet is "printing" money.

the only good news is that the best material will always be sought after by those with money... however the average everyday stuff will likely fall to same fate as stamp collecting... and that wasn't pretty.

there are load of casual coin collectors that why commemorative coins get taken out of circulation even with millions minted just look at the Kennedy half dollars even the clad ones don't circulate, for Australia look at the 2014 MOB or five dollar coin (face value and no one want to use them)

@hfjacinto,.... beautiful camera gear, excellent shots.

& I think "hfjacinto" illustrates the point that people will always pick up hobbies that they enjoy & this should take different forms for a long while yet (that's just human nature).



I don't know about that. For one thing, the idea that physical cash won't exist is propagated by the Better than Cash Alliance (BTCA. Visa, Paypal, big banks & several billionaires (including Bill Gates & FB founder) support BTCA's "blackballing" cash. They're constantly feeding ideological crap on media hoping apps will replace cash used & we'll all switch to digital currency. Why? So they can make more money lending $ AND further track commerce to keep peddling our digital footprints. Authoritarian police-states such as China also prefer to keep tabs on what its citizens are doing (their digital footprints) so they're good with less cash (& omnipresent cameras operated by big-brother A-I servers).

The BTCA have set up several Lobby/media agencies which champion the demise of cash. They're currently advertising how dirty cash use is during this global pandemic (blaming rarely used currency for spreading COVID19). It's shameful. Yes, young people eat this up & affiliate cash use with "old people" & old unclean ways which need to change. Many people have (& haven't) made the connection between the use of digital currency & loss of privacy. Most of us still prefer our REWARD "points" from our Credit cards & the convenience of swiping/paying online but I don't think cash will ever die in a regular democracy which honours the freewill of its citizens. It certainly pays to have cash during emergencies (when power is out)! Most central banks realize that cash is fundamental as a back-up to digital currency during a crisis & an asset to have to keep economies healthy.

So yes the hobby will definitely take its hits & have its 'ups & downs,' hot & cold cycles but I don't suspect it will die (outright) any time soon. Collector Forums (like CCF) seem to be slow these days but that could simply be people's shift & preference for going mobile with everything these days. Collectors don't flock to shows like they used to since online auctions have become so mainstay. So I think its easy to confuse this shift on how people collect/acquire/catalogue & interpret the less social aspect as a bad omen for the hobby (when it's simply a major paradigm shift in the way we collect more evident online than at shows).

The one thing that is different between coins/paper money (compared to vinyl records, DVD's, comics & other art mediums) is that both (coins/currency) are artistic but also a conventional means to exchange wealth. In that way, they're a little more universal than the other tech hobbies which can be a bit more trendy or 'faddish.'

- I would never say/write that! (just trying to put some perspective on various hobbies is all). If anything- they're having a healthy resurgence in popularity.

Here's my thoughts: We are currently going through a digital payment revolution, cryptocurrencies like XRP are helping facilitate the international payment systems of world banks and bring it into the modern era. Instant settlement. We have been in the internet age for so long, but banking and transactions etc have not caught up. So this digital payment revolution will last another 5-10 years if you ask me. After 10 years, possibly 15 at maximum, the entire world will be cashless. No coins will be minted except commemoratives. The hobby of collecting coins will only grow in the future. I am currently buying as many Morgan dollars as I can, as I have a strong gut feeling that they are going to be one of the most collectable coins in the next decades to come. Numismatic interest in general is going to surge in the next few decades as coins get scarcer and scarcer and the world goes entirely digital...and as much as I love coins, the world going fully digital for payments is an overdue thing in my opinion, as controversial as that sounds. However, I feel that a digital society makes the hobby of collecting coins much better!

Agree with TobyJ, the more cash dwindles, the more collectible coins will become, especially the old historic stuff.

I think the existential threat is FAKES. The better they get, and the more numerous they get, the more this hobby is in peril, and I don't see any way to stop it.