State Quarters: Love or Hate Them

Hey guys,

I just had an idea a couple of hours ago. While I enjoy collecting the state quarters, I also realized that the designs are changing WAY too fast on these coins. While other US coins get a change every 60 years, there are 5 state quarters a year. Is this "diluting" the hobby?

 

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My honest opinion is i absolutely hate them. 3 reasons...

1) Diluting the hobby
2) Profit orientated
3) Low relief, clipart, no real imagination used in the designs, produced in huge quantities.

(alright that's half a dozen) What's there to like?

Just my opinion, and i've no doubts many many people disagree with me.

 

i agree with you 100%.

come on guys, tell us your opinion.

I want to make this thread as long as possible!!!1

 

maybe 'i hate them' wasn't well phrased

i view them with sheer abhorrence.

 

Some of the designs are really good. Some are really not. I'm glad that these coins actually circulate and aren't being horded. For that, I give the Mint a lot of credit.

As far as deluting I can't really say. I'm not really a hard core collector. My impressions is that quarters have introduce coin collecting to the general public more then any other mint release in recent memory.

 

Well let me add this to the foray.

The State Quarter program has brought in more collectors than any other coin program to date. The US Mint estimates 100 million collectors.

Now I am not a fan of the designs, nor the outrageous money these coins are bringing.

Overall, I am estatic over the program. A steady trickle of these new collectors are coming into mainstream series. This has such a positive effect on the hobby as a whole.

Our hobby needed this program. If it weren't for the new series, we wouldn't be seeing new Jeffersons. This is exactly what this hobby needed. Fresh new designs, no matter how lame or ugly is still a good thing. People love seeing new and fresh. I for one, hope that the mint will understand this, and continue to bring forth new series.

 

Hmm i can see where you're coming from, but i still get the feeling they are on a par with euros, modern/lacklustre and massive mintages...

cheapens the hobby somewhat, but maybe i'm just an elitist collector?

One good thing about them i suppose is they are actually circulating and serving a purpose, unlike commemoratives.

 

just getting my asbestos pants on now...

 

Well change in any form is good. It is easier to change something bad than to begin something new.

 

very true... so when are we gonna make our coins look like this then?

http://www.colincooke.com/graphic/images/gold_hammered/maryfinesovs2488vfgvf7950.jpg

(i can but dream, also one of my fave Queen!)

 

Absolutely beautiful.

 

you can pick em up for... $12,700 in that condition, nothing quite like a hammered gold sovereign.

If SQ's were along those lines (but less of the Royalty theme since it's the US, and obviously not gold) i might be more willing to praise their artistic merits.

 

I for one would love to see more artistic designs used. The prettiest design in my opinion is that of Mississippi. This is the only design to date that was not chosen by the state. It was designed by mint engravers.

 

I have to admit that while I don't like each and every design, I'm a fan of the series as a whole. I have a small collection of them even though otherwise I'm not very big on US coins.

In my opinion the idea of regularly circulating commemorative coins is most welcome, just like now in the eurozone and to a smaller extend here in Russia. The special coins I get as a change every now and then (mostly Yuri Gagarin 2 roubles and 60th anniversary of the WWII victory 10 roubles) really lighten up the rainy day and I wish they were more common, like the State Quarters are.

And, I've never understood how can a large mintage be bad for collectors? It makes the coins to be easily available and interesting to variety hunters like myself.

 

I absolutely hate EVERYTHING about them. I tried to get my nephews into coin collecting like my father did with me (starting with silver eagles, cheap, but still a worth while investment/ collectible item) and my sister ruined that by getting them into quarters, now they collect those stupid quarters that wont be worth anything any time, ever. Its quite hard to explain to an 8 year old that a 1964 REAL silver quarter is 100x better than a stupid new minted new jersey quarter but I sure am trying.... maybe one day they will thank me. On top of the insane mintage rates, putting out tons of new coins yearly, and diluting the coin collecting hobby I agree with who ever said the designs are crap too! looks like someone spent maybe 10-25 min in paint and clip art programs making the design. Even the proof quarters ive seen look like absolute crap, rather than smooth silky backgrounds like you would find on a silver eagle proof they are spotty and milky hazed. I am not impressed, not a fan, and think the mint needs to think about quality and collectors rather than making some more new money that little kids like.

 

Now that the series is complete it's becoming apparent what the strenghts and weaknesses were.

By biggest problem with the coins is that they didn't make a distinctly new obverse. It should have been something that all the states shared rather than any historical figure no matter how famous. The FED did a superb job of getting the coins into the hands of collectors and into commerce as well. They could be faulted for the quantity limits but they really aren't set up for this job and the mint is. The mint did have these available in quantity for a reasonable premium. One might fault the mint for suspending regular mint set coins in the middle program but here is an opportunity for those complaining about high mintages; find some regular issue gems from the last five years.

My biggest gripe is, was, and will be how poorly the hobby has embraced all these new collectors. It seems far more are being beaten away with a stick than encouraged. Warning people brand new coins are not usually a road to riches is much different than making light of the coins and the collectors. Of course the many states that resorted to "clip art" was a lost opportunity for them.

Of course, most of us have improved somewhat in the last few years but there's still opportunity to encourage those who still are interested.

Things have changed dramatically since this thread was new and it's ironic that it was started so shortly before the many scarcities of the series went into production.

 

Well, I think you're missing the whole point in coin collecting as a hobby and confusing it with being an investor. Those coins may be worth more to them forever because they're coins they found and built an album on. Monetary value is nothing compared to the value gained through experience and fun.
Guy~

 

I've collected the circs., mint states and proofs. I've traded em', sold em', and gave em' away, and have two albums(not with proofs) and an HSN setof BU's. Now I'm done with them, finally.. I just gave my grandson $20 of them for his laundry machines at college. I think that gave me the best feelings of all. But I did meet many really nice people from all over this USA who collect them. That's nice too!

 

Aaarrghh;

This is what I'm talking about. Coin collecting isn't about making money it's about learning and satisfying an itch to complete a collection. It's many things to many people but the surest losers are those looking to make a quick buck.

1964 quarters were made for nearly two years and were available in large quantities even after silver started disappearing from circulation. Tens of millions were set aside in new condition and almost the entire mintage of hundreds of millions are still around. After all these years they are worth about 12 times face value.

Most of the NJ quarters are in circulation and the ones that were saved are now worth about four times face. (of course gems are far higher). At this rate they'll catch the '64 quarters in just a few years.

But this is something the investor would be interested in maybe. Collectors might focus on cultivating a new generation of collectors so there will be someone there to buy their coins someday. I kind of like passing on my love of the hobby anyway even if we didn't actually need a new generation.