1/ demand is 1000X higher then supply. Too MANY collectors vs avaliable material. 2/ Fees charged by auction houses. In the 1980s fees were 5% on average, today 22-25% 3/ precious metal prices 4/ High demand esp. from China/ India/ Japan 5/ Cultural Property and all that nonsense 6/ Prices are bonkers, hammer results keep breaking records, again demand exceeds supply. 7/ Since coins are worlds best investment, speculators are ruining it for collectors. Many collect just for making fast buck. 8/ Modern coins are bland, awfull, thus everyone wants the classical material 670BC -1969. The "colored superman kitch doesn't arouse my interest or others. 9/ The VAT and other customs fees are a killer. 10/ Average collectors like me and most others cannot compete with the deep pocketed "elite" What are your thoughts?
Everybody wants that coin with proof that it is better than yours. Collecting has become too competitive. I'm satisfied with uniform eye appeal across a set or series.
I think 3rd party grading has been bad for hobby. People go gaga over a coin graded MS-63 Ch. UNC. Yet, that same coin would end up in EU/ UK/ Swiss auction raw graded Vorz./ Stempelglanz (EF-MS) and hammer for much less $$$. The US slabbers are very liberal in grading, I have seen a CNG graded "EF" coin, reappear in Heritage event, now graded MS-65! And of course hammer for double. So, overgrading can be listed too
I've seen the same arguments from the sports card niche, and I'm just not convinced. People do get a buzz from seeing their collections rise in value, and third-party graders (TPGs) are bound to spring up as hobbies become popular. For example, I have heard that greed has destroyed the baseball card hobby, but I remember how popular the Beckett price guide magazine was back in the late '80s and early '90s. People turn these hobbies into purity tests when they always were largely about value. This very same debate springs up in many hobbies. * Actually, the sports card hobby has issues with trimming and allegations of shill bidding, so actual law-breaking is a threat in any hobby.
