Affordable Now, But How About In The Future?

Numismatics received a big boost from the state quarters. What are those collectors collecting now? What will they be collecting as their numismatic tastes mature? Will certain coins that are affordable today be out of reach for the normal person 10, 20, or 30 years down the road?

 

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I think Ike dollars are affordable and have the potential to appreciate. TC

 

hard to say. In the years I've been in coins different series come into and out of favor. Indian pennys seem to have done well over the last 40 years. Walkers were going up steady 10-12 yrs go and then fell off. then bust halves started making good gains. tastes just keep changing.

 

Since my crystal ball is broken, my guess would be rare coins. This is not as flippant as it seems. By "rare coin" I am talking about a coin that not millions exist of, or its not a "condition rarity" meaning its a common coin but slightly higher grade than the millions of others.

As a default, I simply assume a truly rare coin will appreciate more over time than a common coin. I think we have seen strength in 18th and 19th century coins the last few years. Personally I have seen strong gains in ancients, more than in US coins lately.

 

Will be the number One is a Legitimate Error Coins...Some is cheap today like 1995 Doubled Die that you can buy now under $ 75.00 depends on the grade..Because of the date and very POPULAR DATE 19.95, NINETEEN NINETY FIVE, NINETEEN NINETY FIVE. 19.95. There is One advertisng in the TV keep mentioning 19.95..Well, this what I see in my CRYSTAL BALL..

 

A couple months back I was at my coin shop putting some bids up on the auction board and checking my number. There were a couple kids in there, probably brothers, who were close to completing their state quarter book asking if the coin shop had some they were missing. Coin shop gave them a couple quarters for 25 cents a piece, haha. I think they said they were moving to wheat cents next, they wanted to move to silver coins but didn't have the money yet.

 

If you look through the NGC registry sets it seems that completed state quarter sets are followed by both business and proof sets of other modern issues: ATB quarters, Pres. dollars and Sac.'s, etc. I find that rather sad but many of these new collectors are just beginning to learn the complexity of our hobby. It's kinda' wait and see.....

 

I've been doing errors and varieties recently. I hoarded up on some recent Lincoln errors (2009's mostly), and have been picking up different DDR/DDO coins here and there, mostly moderns since they're budget-friendly. Some are rarer than others (like with the Lincolns I know there might be tens of thousands of the 2009 errors right now but over time they might be worth something), but I just like the "uniqeness" of the error coin, different from the rest of its brothers. Even if it's not a great potential to appreciate in cost, I like low-mintage stuff also. For me it's neat to be able to say there were only 30,000 minted of coin X, and I own one.

I've also jumped onto the Ike bandwagon lately. They just appeal to me, and also for the 1973 brown ike proof "low" mintages.

 

Please read Coin Fact Encyclopedia: Error

 

Nice attractive well made '82-P and '83-P quarters will be out of sight if and when people start collecting the currently circulating coinage. I'm just talking very ChBU and near Gem. Anything in these dates that is well made by good dies and not scratched up too badly were scarce in 1986 and are even scarcer now. I'd guess we're talking maybe a thousand of each exist today. This doesn't include worn die strikes and badly made coins that have been graded MS-65 because they are nice for the date and have very little marking.

I believe collectors will seek clads in two grades primarily and this is lightly circulated attractive coins and nicely made Uncs.

None of the regular issue clad is scarce except as nice attractive coins.

 

I got my first New Mexico CHACO CULTURE ATB (P) from the wild today. Starbucks (again) change. Love me some Starbucks change.

 

Come on, 1000 of each? Yes, they are scarcer since people didn't account for our reliance on mint sets of the period, but I personally saw a dealers stock who had about 6 rolls of each of them he put aside each year. This was back in the late 80's. He always got rolls of current coins, picked out the best and sent the rest back to the bank, so they were all great coins. I seriously doubt I was looking at a quarter of the world's supply. Another friend collects rolls of all circulation coins from each year, (has since the early 70's), so I imagine he has a roll of each too.

I think you are overstating their scarcity sir.

 

Most of the "collectors" created by the state quarters are not collectors at all and today they aren't collecting anything.

 

I have 12 completed Ike sets in NGC and PCGS and even one in ICG all are either MS 64/ ms62 for 1972 type 2's or proof 69.... I'm counting on Ike's to start the climb up the money wall !!!!

 

I agree with medoraman. I think coins with well known numbers that are rare, but affordable today, will be out of reach for the average collector in 20-30 years. This group may also include coins minted before roll collecting became popular (i.e. pre 1950 or so), especially with the increase in the price of silver over the past couple of years because many of these coins are being melted down for their bullion value and will be difficult to find in lower grades (affordable grades).

 

Many of these were kids, and of course, not all of them will continue collecting. However, I think it is hard to disagree that the number of those who actively collect coins increased dramatically because of the state quarters. I myself am a prime example. I collected when I was a kid, but then fell away. I started again in 1999 because of the state quarters. Now I actively collect Lincoln wheats, Draped Bust cents, and ancients. I even started participating in a coin talk forum.

 

See prior post above.

 

Yeah, but I am of the opinion that collectors will be collectors. Most collectors enter the field seriously around their late 20's early thirties. Some collected as a kid, many did not. While I like supporting YNs, and was one when I was younger, I find the "dearth of YN's" argument overplayed. The hobby has been bemoaning "not enough kids in the hobby" since the 70's at least.

I agree with Conder, and believe we would have just as mnay collectors today if there had never been a state quarter program. I am not saying I didn't like the series, but I don't think it was responsible for any more collectors than would have already had found their way to our hobby.

In fact, the state quarter program negatively affected our hobby at least to the extent of all of the HSN and mail order crap that was pawned off on suckers. When those people went to sell their "treasured collection of gold plated quarters" and found out they were worthless, like it our not our hobby got a black eye.

Just my opinion.

Chris

 

The state quarter program lasted 10 years. many of the kids that started there reached their early 20's when it was complete and many (more than if state quarters had never existed) were probably entrenched in the hobby by then and looking for a new series or type.

As to hsn, sure it was not numismatically friendly, but it catered to those looking to make an investment and not those looking to truly collect.

 

If I were a betting man, I would not bet against Redwin missing an opportunity.