is it just me or is the world of coin collecting closing??? We have here at CT plenty of collectors and yet few younger than 20 or is it just that there arent many young collectors on forums??? But shouldnt that be the other way around?
I'm sure there are a lot of young coin collectors out there thanks to the new quarter program. The younger collectors probably do not have the means to buy them like most of us older collectors with careers.
Until very recently the average age of a coin collector was 55. That may have dropped a bit with the popularity of the SQ program - but I doubt very much.
I know few younger collectors...I'm about the only "kid" at the show I go to... I don't think the world of coins is closing---its always been like this if I've read my history right.... Speedy
You have a good point Spider. I admit that there are few younger attendees at the local shows. Most that do arrive are usually there just to wait while dad and mom goes through the tables. Of course I also notice that most dealers around here don't really make their tables attractive or even accessible to the younger visitors, definately adult friendly. I DO notice that there seems to be an increase in women coming to the shows to browse and buy though. My son tells me that he doesn't need to collect coins, I'm doing it for him!
Younger Collectors I am a Newbie and have got my niece and nephew involved, they are a bit too young to post as they are currently in the first grade. I think the problem is the fact that there a few clubs in general that are setup in schools today, perhaps an after school program for stamps, coins, etc. may help, perhaps ran by a local shop. The trade-off would be good as the students would be involved in a healthy hobby and the trade shop would be building future cliental. Schools and Shops should try to connect. Take Care, Jay
The ANA has such a program. Part of the problem with young people & collecting is that they tend to lose interest - everything else seems to be more important. I started collecting at age 7 - but by 15 - everything changed. One word - girls ! I mean how do ya compete ? The thing of it is though, later in life most young collectors come back to the hobby. But during the early adult years, money is typically an issue. There's just so much to spend it on with kids, a house, two cars etc. But once the seed is planted - it will sprout. It just tends to take a while
I became a coin collector in high school, possibly even junior high. What I remember is that I was the only kid among my friends who had that interest. I worked at a drug store, and a couple of the pharmacists were really into coins. I spent my time talking coins, and trading, with them, and not people my age. So, perhaps things haven't changed very much. When I was young (1950's) most collectors that I knew were considerably older. It was a long time ago, but I can't recall a single person my own age who was into collecting coins.
GD, this sounds like my story. I collected for a while when I was younger. I didn't have too many coins: a few proof sets and some other cheep coins I bought at a mainly-baseball-card shop. I've just now gotten back into coins the past year or two and I'm 25 now. I've now gotten through college, have a wife, job, etc. You're right though. Money is a big issue. I only have money to buy coins every once in a while. I hope that changes in the future!
If he sees you as his “curator” for his future collection, maybe the solution is to give him a starter set of some sort (state quarters ? wheat cents ?) so that he has his “own” coin collection that he takes an interest in enhancing.
I think what happens is kids inherit coin collections from family memebers. Some won't care and some will become interested and start collecting at an older age. I know 2 of my friends who the exact same thing happened to with a little help from me. Ive also brought my dad into the world of coin collecting. Most people usually collect at some point even if they don't know it. I think its a matter of who is interested in what they have collected who become coin collectors.
Well I would appreciate it if everyone in the world would quit collecting for a few years as I would then be able to afford every thing my little heart desires! Demand is what keeps prices high and I don't see that ending any time soon so I will just keep plugging away and enjoying every minute of it! Oh, if any of you DO want to hang it up---there will always be FREE storage for your collections here at my house. Hey, what are friends for?
Im such a good friend for you Crystal that ill store your coins for u! NO CHARGE! BUT WAIT THERES MORE!!! Every 1 else could get in on this deal for free too!
Crystalk64 Are you really saying that....in the other thread you said we shouln't wish you the market to fall....if poeple stop collecting it will....so in other words...you are wishing the market would fall. Speedy
I've been thinking about this quite a bit with my own step-kids. None of them seem at all interested in collecting, although one is beginning to ask if he can go with me to shows. I think part of that result is my fault. When I was young, foreign coins and even silver change seemed like a rare thing to come across. As kids, often time, rare things are things that catch our interest the most - at least, that was how it was for me. I think the problem is that, with me being a collector, those pieces that I found 'rare' as a kid are common place to my own... common and boring. I've let them go through my box of bulk foreign coins - I've let them share whatever they want, from that box, with their friends and classmates. Now, that doesn't seem very interesting to them anymore. After one show, I brought home as silver gigliato that I had purchased - and everyone wanted to hold the coin that was over 600 years old. Eyes were wide as they looked at it in their hands... Maybe I should have given it to one of them to hang on to.
< Until very recently the average age of a coin collector was 55. > And has been pretty close to that for at least the last 35 years. They are right, most collectors do follow the pattern of early exposure then they discover girls, cars, college, career, family etc. Then usually in their forties or later when they are settled down some, something exposes them again and they come back in for life. Not all of them come back but enough do to keep the hobby healthy.
