Every year the RCM comes out with more and more coins, varieties, packaging options and the like. One would have to have a pretty substantial income to get one of each offering - and maybe be a bit dotty too! At any rate, I see the RCM going down the same road that the US Postal Service did many years ago. For the USPS, that lead to the almost complete collapse of stamp collecting as a hobby. And not just the newer stamps but the prices of classic old stamps tumbled also. I have a vested interest in seeing that the prices of classic Canadian coinage go up, not down and worry that the RCMs excesses will, in the long run, hurt the hobby. Just my 2¢ :hail:
Yes, they do have a lot of different sets and coins. It's tough to gauge where the appreciation is on a lot of them. There is such a thing as overkill in the hobby.
Baseball cards had the same problem. There were three or four main makers, each of which made one set a year. Then new companies came out and existing companies made more and more sets, charging a premium for everything, so that whereas you used to be able to get a pack of 15 for 40 cents, now you pay $1.99 for a pack of 8. So while there are more varieties than ever and they are beautiful, few people still collect, because it got too expensive and became impossible to get everything.
At one point I was very active in the sportscard hobby. The market is literally flooded with all different types of sets from the same old companies. And I don't know if anyone has checked lately, but there are single packs of cards that sell for $500+ ea. It's not a robust hobby anymore, it is expensive though. It's become a "lottery" hobby these days.
Used to collect baseball cards too. What killed it was all the new companies, the inserts and special sub sets. Way, way too much and it did ruin it. The market got too diluted for much to really excel. The RCM and the US mint may be going down the same path. I'd never try to or feel the need to collect everything they put out. I couldn't do it. It will get disappointing though if everything gets so watered down that nothing stands out anymore. A good example is the National park quarters. I thought the 50 state program was a bit much to digest. Then you've got the presidential dollars which ended up being so much (not being used) that they shut themselves down on that program. I don't know what will happen. There are older commemoratives I'd still like to get despite all the new stuff coming out.
i've said before the rcm is becoming as bad as somalia, niue and palau for issuing junk. and to think they gave us so many beautiful and classic coins over the years.
I used to collect too, but older than that. What ruined baseball cards was the start of too many of them ONLY for collectors. The older ones were for kids, which is why few survived. When they started selling bricks of the in the early 80's, it was the beginning of the end. I stopped collecting then, knowing it would never really be worth anything when the Dad's starting buying all of the stuff and keeping it perfect. I see the same with the US mint that people are complaining about the RCM. Look at the mintages nowadays, just serious collector fatigue. However, I would say pay attention at these times because just like in 1936, fatigue will lead to some rarities being sold, coins you will WISH you had bought at issue price in the future.
You don't have to buy EVERY non-circulating legal tender issue from the RCM. Buy what you truly like, pass by on everything else. Sooner or later, the RCM should get the message that nobody is demanding as much of the stuff they produce.
Even at the most basic level, Canada has quarters featuring individual Olympic athletes. I don't know if they are general circulation or just special order, but that is a bit much. What if the U.S. made Michael Phelps coins and Apollo Ohno and everyone else?
It's a road that the US Mint has been down before. They killed the commem market. But people forgot and new people came along and started buying them all again. Just a matter of time until they kill it again IMO.
I do think not having another round of Olympic coins is a great start, though. I think at this point they have regular commemoratives under control, its the "bullion" programs I believe will kill it this time. NN was talking about the possibility of RP, D, S, and W mints every year, etc. Between those, FS, and hockey pucks it will just be too much.
When people start collecting to make $$$ (speculating) and companies started catering to them, things never turn too well in the end.
the royal mint issue commem's every year for circulation but the maximum is 3 per year, the £5 coin is restricted to 2 max each year. the only exception is the olympic 50p coins which have 29 in the set, but all are in circulation. i live in hope that the R,M never start to issue nclt like confetti...........
I know it's been said before but it bears repeating......you don't have to buy everything the mints put out. Who the devil has room for it all? We, the collecting public, can send a message to the mints by not purchasing the so called junk. But, one mans junk is another mans treasure. Somebody's got to be buying 'cause otherwise the mints wouldn't be offerin'........
What a topic to be reading as an employee of one of the big mints... I will not be drawn into the discussion in detail, but it is interesting to hear what serious collectors feel is the right path to take. It's always tempting to broaden the range to appeal to more people...but if that lets down your core collectors you have a problem. We are commercial entities, so we want to make profit and to grow...that's a given. When it comes to pricing and 'value'...that's a tough one for me to comment on. I know we price at what the market can take, and we try and offer a competitive product to the market. We are looking at ways we can offer more value and a more complete experience when you buy from us. These are by and large not things that will appeal to the serious collector who just wants the coin, but to people who are new to the hobby.
I hear what you are saying sir, but in the case of ASE collectors what is happening is they started when there was but a couple coins a year to buy. Then silver skyrocketed, and not the number of coins in a "set" are increasing rapidly. Many who buy modern commems wish to complete the "set", and between metal prices and proliferation of offerings, I imagine tis becoming extremely hard to keep up. What will happen in my estimation is these actions will drive out a lot of collectors, discouraging them from even collecting the set anymore. This long term will actually decrease the mint's profits, at the cost of a short term gain. Just my opinion. The mints should worry about keeping thier customer list happy, not speculators or any others. Its their customer list which provides them long term steady profits. I am saying this with the disclosure that I do not collect modern coins. To me, "modern" is anything struck past 1453, with just a few occasional 18th and 19th century coins thrown in out of boredom.
I do understand what you're saying Chris, but the ASE collector in me is ecstatic that the mint is making more offerings on these available to the collecting public. When I first started collecting these in 2000 there were only two offerings available....a proof coin and a bullion coin, and the bullion you had to get in the outside market, not at the mint. For years I've heard (and read) that collectors would like more options on these and to the point of wishing they could purchase the bullion items directly from the mint. The mint is just fulfilling the public's wish for more products regarding these particular issues. The fact that a certain amount of the collecting public will be left out (so to speak) because they can't afford to collect the new issues is just collateral damage. Heck, I'd like to collect gold buffaloes and eagles but I can't afford 'em. I even picked up a buffalo (1 oz.) along with some 1/10 ounce coins a few years ago but I was pressed to the point where I couldn't afford to purchase them any longer because my other collecting interests were beginning to suffer. The gold buffalo program is still alive and well despite my absence. Oh...... apologies to the OP for tacking a little off course from the original topic.
I am someone who tries to collect sets, and I can say that as the size of the set increases, the likelihood of me pursuing it decreases. I was trying to buy a proof coin of each modern U.S. coin, and for the most part you can find them for a dollar or less each on eBay. But then when I get to 1999 to 2009, all of a sudden I'm facing the prospect of buying 56 additional quarters, instead of one per year. Then there's the six yearly national parks quarters. I was able to get from the late 60s to 1998 in under 50 coins, and I'm looking at buying more than that for one decade. It's a turnoff. The sets I am focusing on now have a determined starting point and ideally a determined ending point. Ireland started making coins in 1928 and went on the euro in 2000, so I know exactly how many coins I need to complete the set. Greece produced a limited number of modern coins and went on the euro. New Zealand didn't start making coins until the 1930s. These are manageable. The last thing I want is an ever-expanding set that just gets more and more expensive and exclusive.
