What's the coin hobby like in your country.

Thought it would be fun to know what it's like for those not in the US. Is the hobby popular? Is it healthy? Are there as many shops as there are in the US? Are there many coin shows? Are there many that collect US coins by type or build sets by year and mint mark? Would love to learn more.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Do you like slabs like dem' crazy Americans? (jk!)

 

In Britain the general coin market is fairly strong, prices, especially for earlier and better quality coins are on the rise, and have been for some time, and as seems to be usual the older collectors are the ones with the money and time.

The British Empire heritage means world coins are a bigger part of collecting.

No one seems to be interested in third party graders, and there is minimal if any interest in trivial manufacturing errors in modern coins, although genuine varieties are sought after. The withdrawal of pre-decimal coinage means there are no old coins in circulation.

Modern material can usually be purchased after a few years at a substantial discount as it comes on the secondary market.

I'd say 18th C and earlier coins are relatively common compared with the US market. Worn but identifiable and dateable coppers average the equivalent of a couple or three dollars each. 1790 to 1815 Conder tokens are plentiful if well worn, nice examples, rather less so. Early US coins used to turn up rarely but be cheap if they did. The internet seems to have put an end to the cheap part.

 

Since I live in the US I cannot respond to this thread. Sorry Idhair

 

Ah, the good ol' days.

 

I am from Czech Republic (small country in Europe). The main differences are:

* Almost every coin in coin shop or auction is raw. It is really hard to find something graded.
* Coins (world) here are cheaper than in USA. (Average salary in my country is $1032, but most of the people have less. You can buy beer for $1, have lunch for $4 or rent a flat for $327 in bigger city)
* In a coin shop you can find coins up to $1000. More expensive coins are sold at auctions, but only richer people can buy them.
* US coin collecting is not so popular here, because mostly overpriced bargain you can buy here.
* There is only one coin show a year.
* There are a lot of people that collect old coins of Czech kings.

 

So you don't typically send them in for grading? If someone decides that they want it graded, who do they use? PCGS or someplace more local?

 

I have only raw coins. I would use grading service (PCGS or NGC) only if I want to sell coin to USA. There are no local grading companies.

 

PCGS has a Paris office. I don't know about NGC.

 

I be willing to bet that collectors in other countries place more trust in their own knowledge and experience then spending money on a TPG.
Another point I be willing to bet is that they are more about having the coin or date then the condition . Where most here in the states the status is the highest grade there it's just owning a specimen for their collection .

 

Not just any specimen, but everyone is capable of deciding what is good enough for them, and what they are willing to pay for it.

 

Things as they were when we were young, innocent, and just starting out. Just the chance to pick something you needed out of circulation.......God that was a rush when you found it. Old days, old times.........

 

NGC has branch offices in Munich, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland. Now guess where the rich and famous live LOL

I regularly submit coins to NGC but most dealers/collectors here think it's plain stupid to pay for such a service: "I don't need a grading company to tell me whether a coin is authentic or not. And who cares if it was cleaned anyway..." ...or "I don't need an American grader to tell me about old gold coins from Prussia" ;-)

 

I bet they don't even care that their Britannica just might have fully pointed points on the trident. Or Leopold might have a hogmouth drool diecrack.

 

Left out the drool cup..........

 

I think he wore a bib.

 

I think we both saw the same SNL clip........

 

Who's SNL?

 

Saturday Night Live? Trumps on tonite........what a circus.

 

I live in Florida. It's hard to tell which is which. It really gets confusing on Halloween