Do you think we need more younger collectors?

I'm 15 and collect,mostly just CRH because i can't afford to outright buy the coins i want.

 

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Im am a young collector, only 15 and i almost never see anyone my age at coin shows. And it is true that coins cost a lot for people my age to afford. I basically put every cent that i make into buying coins.

 

Older folks are more likely to have disposable income today and a far greater appreciation for value. Most, collect or purchase specifically as an inheritance for their children who, when inherited, may or may not continue with collecting.

Coin or money collecting has been occuring for literally hundreds of years and is not about to die off anytimg soon since at the very "minimum" what is colected ALWAYS has face value. This cannot be said for Beanie Babies.

You're fooling yourself. While "some" silver coins could satill be had in pocket change in the late 50's/early 60's, those very coins can still be found at silver melt. If you;re thinking rare die varieties, think again, just like today, when something was found it was published in national publications and folks actively searched for them or simply purchased them. In other words, nothing has really changed between then and now.

Personally, I think that the majority of collectors today get into the hobby for the same reason that folks build model airplanes, model railroads or model cars or even collect classic cars. They do it simply because they can.
Today's youth is more than welcome and more then able to collect coins from pocket change just like they did 40 or 100 years ago since finding nice high grade examples of coins will only fuel "future" collections. Those future collectors will look back and wonder why in the heck folks didn't save more of the current circulating coinage and why in the heck are the prices so darned high?

 

I don't think there is as great a difference with how many young collectors there are today as compared to say 50 years ago. It's never really been a young person's hobby because there have always been distractions that were more important for young people. Today it's computers and electronics. 50 years ago it was cars. Young people tend to spread their wings and go for the adrenaline rush. By the time they exhaust that they settle into family and career mode. Then later still they pick up a more cerebral hobby like coin collecting. It's been the same cycle for hundreds of years, or more.
Guy

 

I think we need less of the stinky, paunchy old flatulent types and a lot more hot 20 something females.:devil:

 

I'm sure there are plenty of YN's, but they don't want to be thought of as coinnerds hanging around with a bunch of old geezers examing their CBH's and Early Coppers, and the old geezers are probably thinking, "Oh no! Not another kid wanting to know if his post-58 Lincoln set from circulated rolls is worth anything." J/K!

Chris

 

The 'standard model' for creating a coin collector is to seed their interest at an early age, then they lose interest in the teenage years, only to return to the hobby in their thirties as discretionary income becomes available, and hopefully become advanced collectors in later decades.

I like to 'seed' collections for young people, giving away Buffalo Nickels and Indian cents -- along with the requisite candy, of course -- for Halloween. I've also left Kennedy Half Dollars and Ike Dollars as tip money for young waitresses, and a few have mentioned that their children have begun modest collections with these.

Local coin clubs need to have activities for young people, and coins need to be integrated into other activities for children. Going sailing with your nephews on the bay? Give them each a circulated Columbus Commemorative Half Dollar as a souvenier of the day, and perhaps you'll help create a new collector some day.

-thecointrader

 

In 2008, I had about three-fourths of a $250 bag of Sac dollars left after submitting the others for grading, so when Halloween rolled around, I decided to put a few dozen in flips, and when a group of kids came to the door, I gave them a choice between the Sac dollar and some candy. Most of the kids took the coin.............but I gave them some candy anyway.

Chris

 

I teach middle school, and here's my take:

1) Technology - if it can't be manipulated with a computer, they aren't into it. Not saying any of them are into programming or anything of that nature, but video games, facebook, texting, etc. rule. Coins are physical and have little to do with any of this.

2) stigma - old people are into it.

3) Grading, pricing. Grading and the upward swing of pricing killed sports cards and killed comics. I lived for these things when I was in middle school. Then it became less of a searching game and more of a ponying up cash to get what you wanted. Soured me on all of it.


I know of one single kid who is into comics that I've met in 7 years of teaching and none that are into sports cards or coins. They are into video games. They say they're into skateboarding and sports, but none of them actually participate in either! They just watch videos of others doing them.


Generations have their own interests. People from the 1850's were probably disturbed about the weak axe wielding skills of their children.

 

So was King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.........

 

I'm going to turn 12 in a couple of months. Dealers always look at me funny when I ask for undated buffalo nickels.

 

That's OK dear fellow. They do the same with me when I ask if they have any well worn commemorative half dollars.

 

Ask stamp collectors.

guy

 

I'm a young collector (younger then 18) and the only way that there could be other young collectors that I know is if I get them into the hobby.

 

It could always get worse. The young people could spend the
next 50 years paying off their student loans and then instead
being the old guys with fat corporate pensions they're just
the old guys.

 

They have that in an alternate universe. They fawn over
The old coin man who tells them:
"there was a time when we were not thought
of as cool...."

"show us your Busties coin man!"

 

We all like the older coins. Just think how much older the coins are to young collectors.

 

To me this is a marketing problem. Of course video games are a major distraction. They are mass marketing and give instant gratification... but collecting has always been in the soul of a youngster. Think about all of the good old days of collecting sports cards, trading them with the neighborhood kids, pogs, dragon ball z cards, and even coins (yes I had a friend who collected coins). The thing about it is I didn't know about coins until I stumpled into a store while at the grocery store with my mom. Never even knew the coin world existed.

I believe if numismatics was marketed correctly than it could be very good for the community. Parents need to know about coins as well. That it is a positive thing. Heck when I was in high school you should have seen all the goof balls out drinking or smoking marijuana. What a waste. They could be involved in something inspiring like coins.

 

Well, I did have a start at collecting, when I was around 10 but it went on hold for many years. From my teens to early thirties, there was no money for coins.
I spent almost all the money I had on drinking and women, and the rest of my money, well I just wasted that:devil:

Mike

 

Hey now, don't go blaming the video game industry. You have to give Nintendo a little bit of credit, in the game Mario brothers, you collected coins to get 1 ups. Same for Sega and Sonic the Hedgehog.. they tried to keep the interest in coin collecting but I think it's those 1st person shooter games that actually ruined it all. Kids fell in love with killing others instead collecting coins in the games. :yes: