Canada > US coins

Having collected both American coins and Canadian coins, I can't help but notice how much more collectible Canadian coins are. The US mint has simply turned me off with their runs of 100,000 on their proof silver dollars and other "collectible" issues. How in the heck is something with such volume ever going to be collectible. Meanwhile, I find Canadian special issue silver dollars like the Tulip Privy Maple Leaf with a mintage of 3,500. Not to mention that Canada, Australia, etc., have pushed the envelope with square coins, holograms, colorized, strange denominations among others. While not all of these designs appeal to me personally, I truly appreciate the effort and innovation. The US mint simply puts out a few silver dollar commemoratives and dresses up bullion. Then they combine coins you can buy singularly and call it a commemorative set. Well what's the incentive for buying the set when I can buy all 3 coins separate. Add that to mass produced state quarters, dollars, nickels...I mean what the heck. 100,000,000 of each state quarter???? Is the logic here to build collectible sets or to make money off of overhyped propaganda. None of these sets ( state quarters, westward nickels, presidential dolalrs) are ever going to be worth much. I apologize for the rant, but I'm getting sick and tired of the US mint.

 

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Er have you seen the RCM's site lately? If you're tired of all the "junk" the US produces, just look at the tons of colorized coins, selectively gold plated coins, holograms, and just sheer volume of NCLT junk Canada's pushing out... I can't beleive anyone would seriously brag about such junk that the majority of serious collectors think of as a joke (and not a particularly funny one at that.) Different is not always a good thing... if they come up with innovation AND artistry and produce something actually worthwhile, let me know...

Australia and New Zealand are famous for coins like "Motorcycles of the 1930's" and other "commemoratives" that commemorate misc. things with zero historical or cultural significance to anyone, much less themselves.

As for mintages as one member here has famously put out "Even a mintage of 2 is too high if only 1 person wants one." The Franklin Mint boasts low mintages on lots of its stuff but see what that ever means for their values.

Canada has produced many beuatiful coins in its history but it's modern stuff is like 98% junk as far as I'm concerned. I guarantee most of this junk will be considered worthless or nearly so to future generations of serious collectors.

 

Coinage on both sides of the border took a major hit to their interest after they removed the silver in the 1960s. I only find modern coins to be of interest when they sell below melt value, which means only a few gold and silver commemorative coins and the bullion coins hold any potential interest.

 

I bought a 2007 $30 Sterling Silver Niagra Falls hologram coin issued by the RCM. I like this coin and it is far from junk.

 

To each their own... I just have zero interest in the kind of junk that should rightly be considered a joke, the kind of stuff that they'd sell on the Home Shopping Channel... now being produced my a sovereign country's legitimate Mint!

At what point when you start plating, colorizing, hologramming, etc. coins do they stop becoming coins anymore? If you wouldn't buy this junk when it's done to coins after they're minted, why should they be any more desirable when a mint does it themselves?!

That coin IS junk, as far as I'm concerned... your money, buy and collect what you like of course... but don't be suprised when people like me laugh at the fact you spent money on that kind of "coin." (Coins like that definitely need quotes around the word coin as far as I'm considered. It may be a coin, technically, but not what I'd ever call a coin legitmately worth collecting.)

That "coin" is not totally worthless I guess, you could always melt it down and use the silver to mint a real coin out of it I suppose.

P.S. Don't take the fact I'm insulting your "coin" personally (I'm not trying to insult you)... the fact you like it is all the matters in the end; it's your money after all. It's just that by my own personal tastes, I wouldn't touch that kind of thing with a 10 foot pole.

P.P.S. I'd also like to go on record in saying the Canada has produced some nice coins, and I own quite a few of them. Loved their 1967 series they did. I just can't stand 98% of the junk they churn out and have been churning out in recent years.

 

converted to a PM

 

I dont like either one on the whole.

 

what is the difference between the NCLT stuff from the RCM, the US Mint, and the Franklin Mint?

-steve

 

I am surprised they haven't commemorated the Queens personal activities yet. And the US Mint is not a whole lot better. Stick to old coins, they were created for beauty, and to be used and not to look "pretty" and have undulating images on them.

 

It's all about personal preference. I don't particularly care for any of the "collectible" coins that are of recent vintage. As far as that goes I don't collect anything that is a "manufactured collectible". I much prefer objects that have become collectible due to their rarity or the passage of time. That doesn't mean I dislike modern collectible coins- it's just not what I choose to collect.
I do agree with Hulkster that the state quarters, westward nickels and presidential dollars minted in huge numbers have created a "collectible" with very little to interest a serious collector. On the other hand my kids love them. They can collect them because they are cheap. Through these series they are getting active in numismatics at a young age. I'm sure there are millions more kids doing the same thing and that's a good thing.
As far as the Canadian mint I don't know about there special issues but nothing Canadian gets through our roll searches without going into a collection. My kids don't see alot of them and really think they are rare. Guess it's all a matter of perspective.

Andy

 

I love collecting Canadian (1967 and older), but you can't deny that they are one of the worst offenders in terms of putting out sooo much NCLT. 99% of it doesn't appeal to me (though I'm sure plenty people out there collect this stuff), though I do like the fractional silver bullion issues they put out from time to time.

 

None, that's the problem lol...

Though at least the US doesn't put out colorized coins, holograms, gold plated, etc. junk, and their commemoratives always have some connection to the culture and/or history of the United States. None of this "Classic Cars" stuff by say, New Zealand (who as far as I'm concerned should be allowed to put cars on coins unless those cars were made in their country. At least the Lord of the Rings movies were actually filmed there, so they have some connection to the subject.)

The Franklin Mint at least doesn't assert that their stuff is legal tender coins (except for ocassinal conis and proof sets minted for other countries, under those countries' authorization). So they can be safely ignored.

My problem is that the RCM is putting out such junk under the authority of a legitimate mint. Doing so is an embarassment to their mint and their country. Come on Canada, you don't deserve to be embarassed by your own mint... you've managed to get your currency to a higher value than the US dollar... now how about following that up with some coins worth buying?

(US Mint, wouldn't hurt you to think along the same lines... you're not as guilty as Canada yet but you're heading that direction... at least you're changing your coins finally but make sure you change them to something worth collecting that refelcets well on themint and the country.)

 

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Well I'm just frustrated with the American mint. They overmint many of their new collectible issues making their potential value minimal, and the things they don't overmint are half ounce gold and platinum sets, far too expensive for most Americans. I do see the point that it has introduced many people to the hobby, and I agree that it is a good thing. However, it just seems as though the mint is trying too hard to turn a fast dollar by minting 250,000 @ 35 bucks a pop or something.

Canada, I do admit, goes a little too far with the post mint-stuff, but they understand that collectibles have to be limited runs. Why are the vast majority of baseball cards and beanie babies worth less than face value? Because they were overproduced by private companies maximizing profit. My family poured money into the stupid beanie baby crazy, and Ty just kept churning them out until the market was saturated and they were all worthless except for sentimental value. I think both of those hobbies have waned in recent years. So Canada at least grasps that point. And remember that most of these coins are still Silver, Gold, Platinum or even Palladium, so they'll never be "worthless junk." If someone wanted to sell me a 1 oz. Silver Maple for 10 dollars because it's "junk", then they've just been had, cuz i'd take every last one. For example, I've taken an interest in the Privy Mark set of Canada, and the Australian Lunar coins. These are not hologrammed, colored, weird shapes, quad-metallic, etc. They are silver dollar sets, and pretty darn nice ones. They're not even junk by your standards Troodon That being said, I understand how some people appreciate the beauty of a silver dollar without the razzle-dazzle. The RCM may be doing things that turn some people off, but it's their approach I admire, maybe moreso than the end product.

In conclusion, I simply feel the U.S. Mint is acting on the interests of itself by selling as many sets as possible, and disregarding the wants of established and experienced collectors. I just don't want them to kill the hobby by oversaturating it, like sports cards or beanie babies.

 

As a Canadian, I can say I agree that our mint puts out too much weirdness. (Coins with genuine fossils attached the them?!!)

Even with circulated coins there are so many modern commemoritives and the like that I find myself checking my pocket change more and more to make sure it's actually Canadain money I'm spending. Some of the quarter designs I've seen are quite attractive, but some are just not suitable for a coin (like kid's crayon drawings).

 

I completely disagree. As much as I dislike both the US and the Canadian mints' penchants for creating unnecessary commemorative coinage, I dislike the Canadian mint's policy of creating artificial rarities. Granted, the US mint is guilty of it too.

I guess I lie on the opposite end of the spectrum as hulkster. I just don't feel that mints should be making, oh, say 100,000 of this Nova Scotia quarter, 200 million of that breast cancer commemorative, and six $1 million gold hubcaps. :-D

 

Is it us that managed, or the states that made it that way????

 

Oil prices mainly... oil prices going way up weakens your currency if you're an oil importer and strengthens it if you're an oil exporter.

The US dollar's also been weakened partly because we let it go on purpose to encourage exports. (Main pro for allowing your currency to weaken is it encourages exports; main con is it causes inflation.)

 

You cant blame the mint. Blame the collectors. The 1999 proof set, in silver, is going for roughly $300 to $350 because the mint didnt issue enough of them. The demand was too high. So the next time you blame the mint for producing what the people want, thank yourself and your fellow members on here for having an intrest in coins.

 

For those who don't like what the respective Mints put out, there is a simple solution : Don't buy from them.

Plenty of people do like the products, and they buy them.

 

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900fine, the point of my comments were to hear some feedback from other members here, whether they agree with me or not. There is no need to squelch an open discussion.