What Will Become Of The State Quarter Collectors?

The 50 State Quarters Program ends later this year. (The Territorial Quarters Programs runs next year but it is a separate program.)

The 50 State Quarters Program turned millions of people into coin collectors. While some of these new collectors expanded into other areas of coin collecting the vast majority are content with collecting only the State Quarters.

What will become of these State Quarter collectors when this program ends? Will they be satisfied with their complete folders and never collect another coin or will they branch out to collect other coins? Certainly some will collect the Territorial Quarters and some will collect the new Lincoln Cents but what becomes of them after 2009?

What are your thoughts? Will these nouveau collectors vanish as quickly as they appeared? Or will the spark of interest in collecting coins that was kindled by the 50 State Quarters Program burn on in a number of them?

 

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They will try to sell them for great profit, and will find out it was a complete waste of time.

And much laughter will be had by all.

 

Say in 20 years you decide to sell the whole state quarter collection, all MS, plus the territorial quarters. Do you think you could obtain a pretty nice profit?

 

Depends what the definition of profit is in 20 years. If you mean getting more than 25 cents each, yes. But in 20 years a loaf of bread could be $15 and a tank of gas could be $900.

 

Chuckle... "$.25 each x 50 equals $12.50 sir..." "But, but, but some of these are the rare colorfully painted and GOLD ones...?"

 

In 20 years the coins will probably sell for at least melt value if it is greater than face value by that time.

 

With the rate of inflation etc figured in to the equation. Best to spend them now. Remember the Bi-Centennial quarters? That was 30 years ago, what are they worth today...

 

I think most of these collectors want coins at face value and I think congress will continue to try to come up with ways to provide them something that is "collectible." But, by there nature the coins will never gain in significant value due to the mintage. These collectors end up buying additional products from the mint, I doubt congress wants to see them go away any time soon. JMO

 

Just think of the gazillions minted and hoarded!! I bet they will be worth .25 cents...
Except for the error coins!


RickieB

 

Many of those whom haven't found other series to collect will turn to the other quarters in circulation. Here they've been exposed to them for as long as a decade and they'll start wondering if it might be fun to put a set of them together. Remember when this program started there were lots of nice attractive unc '96 and '98 quarters in pocket change with a smattering of the '94, '95 and '97's in unc as well. Now even finding AU's is becoming quite a challenge. Nice VF's before 1978 are getting tough.

Dimes are another possibility for those not inclined or ready to buy coins. The current cents and nickels are likely to be a thing of the past but there may well be many different dollar coins for them to collect.

It's a safe bet most of these collectors will follow quarters at least through the end of the "territories" program.

 

The real truth

In the future SGS will ACTUALLY slab the collectors themselves!

Hot looking babes will actually get an MSHubbaHubba grade. Overgrading will still be rampant and many state quarter collector collectors will be burned and sorely disappointed when trying to sell them.

A vicious cycle will continue.

clembo

 

There will be "hoards" of disappointed "collectors". And if you are a dealer with a store front, i would bet you can expect to be barraged with “collectors” wanting to cash in on their “rare” collection. :rolling:

 

Some will move on and collect the 44+ Presidential Dollars set, which will be less popular.

Some have been bitten by "the bug" and are collectors of other series.

Some will be bitten by "the bug" later in life.

Many will stash those 25c collections away, forget about them, and will uncover them years from now. Of those, many will experience nostalgia and are at risk of "the bug".

 

I think that many of the state quarter collectors have already grown tired of them and moved on. Once it ends many of them will finish off their sets and then drop out Some will move on to the president dollars and some will actually expand into the older series. Overall I would expect 90% of the new collectors that came into the hobby because of the state quarters will leave the hobby.

 

I agree with 900fine and Condor.

Many people were brought into our hobby because of the State Quarter program. I've collected on and off for about 30 years, and even I am putting a set together. I'm betting they'll make me rich one day.

I believe the mint hoped that the Presidential dollar series would keep new folks interested in collecting as the quarter program wound down, but the initial excitement I first witnessed with the introduction of the new "gold" dollar has all but disappeared. I went to my bank to pick up a roll of James Monroes last week and was told I was the first customer to ask for them.

I too feel that many new collectors will probably leave the hobby once the State Quarter program ends. I do however believe the mint could generate some new interest if it does msomething unique with the cent in 2009. That remains to be seen.

 

The hobby did a miserable job of welcoming the newbies when the program first started and it was critical. We improved to poor in short order and have pretty much achieved nearly adequate now. I agree with 900Fine that some of these people will be back later even if they don't stick around now. Look how many collectors dropped the hobby as children and returned as young adults. The same thing will probably happen to this generation.

 

I agree (almost) completely.
Not all people will be laughing. (Guess who won't.)

The Bicentennial quarter example is excellent.

 

They'll come one over and convert to Lincoln's. :kewl:

Phoenix

 

And just in time to buy at the high point of the Lincoln market.

 

so will we see the gold and platinum plated quaters in circulation too? or maybe they'll turn into anual gifts from grandparents in 30-40 years.
"oh look grandma gave me a gold plated set of state quarters, againKiss"