Why are commemoratives so under-appreciated?

Been hearing that all my life but when a really cool coin comes on the market, folks are all over it. I really enjoy them. This one is probably my favorite. Same coin, different view.

 

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I think admiration for the older commens is diminished
by the mint's commem of the week program. In a similar
vein is anyone tire of listening to nightly news, (every night
it seems) praising some stoner as a hero because he
rescued some old lady's cat from a tree? If an actual
hero came along who would watch after enduring 10
years of the hero of the day.

 

Doug,

Could you expand upon that, please? Thanks.

 

Being on the other side of the glass, I enjoy commems more so than anything else because they're just like pattern coins. Without the pattern prices of course. It spoke to a time when the mint actually held design contests or hired independent artists to create some of the timeless pieces you see today. Nothing was computer rendered or laser cut onto clay molds like you see in today's coinage.

 

I agree. I love commemoratives. However, I can't afford them. It's so unfortunate.

 

"Why are commemoratives so under-appreciated? "

They are common coins with large extant populations whose supply has exceed demand for a long time, IMO.

 

The entire coin market goes in cycles. Old commemoratives were hot in the 80's. They will be again.

I have to say, (sorry Green as I know you collect modern ones as well), that Green's post #11 tells the story for me. His older commemorative had detail, relief, and is a beautiful coin. While his modern ones were ok in the design department, just think how beautiful they COULD have been had the mint actually struck them in normal relief versus the computer etchings they do today. I simply cannot fathom how the mint believes such ultra low relief pieces are acceptable for a COMMEMORATIVE coin for sale to collectors for high premiums.

Again, not trying to insult your collection Green. I might even be a buyer of some as well if they were struck like the earlier commemoratives in the 20's were.

Chris

 

That's kind of been the argument the last several years when it pertains to our designs and methods of die creation. I don't think the mint will put themselves in a position to do any extra work or pay more money to employees to hand sculpt dies to impress our desires for "normal reliefs". If I knew my tax money is going toward things like this, I would be all for it with a cherry on top. Of course it's a biased opinion because I'm a part of the hobby, 100 million other non-numismatist taxpayers would beg to differ...

 

But these are commemoratives. They already sell for a premium. I would think a dollar or two more to craft and strike more beautiful coins could either be added to the surcharge, or be made up for by larger mintages. Look how pitifully low the commemorative mintages are today. Someone at the mint should wake up and understand that their choices in how they produce these coins are killing the program. Why would a commemorative for the US Army have so few buyers? I am a proud Army war vet, and a coin collector, yet I didn't buy one do to its ugly look. The designs look like a committee designed it, pedestrian and uninspired, and the ultra low relief just accentuates this unattractiveness.

 

Nice pic there Joe. I haven't seen you around here in a while, but than again I'm not on like I use to be.

 

Here is one of my favorites, sorry about the pics.

 

And you absolutely right Chris, I think the problem is that these designs are voted in like we vote in a President or other govt official. It's a case of driving numbers for the mint, and less about quality. They're quantity driven methods clearly aren't working, because they don't sell out of their product like most other country's mints do. The phrase "they don't build them like they used to" seems appropriate for the commems, and the rest of the line of products the mint hammers out today.

 

Well that is true across the hobby sir, not just related to commemoratives.

Too many "wheeler dealers" and lovers of "the game", and too few loving the coins for what they are, not what they are worth.

 

I sure hope they stay that way.

 

I am with you. Of any series of US coins, early commemoratives would be the first that could potentially lure me back to US numismatics.

 

I collect coins. I really have little or no interest in "one time"
coins like commemoratives and tokens. Just the way it is.---John

 

Interesting discussion gentlemen.......