Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;nicholasz219, post: 4668618, member: 75641&quot;]I tend to agree with [USER=44316]@Valentinian[/USER] and [USER=74282]@red_spork[/USER] here.&nbsp; Without demand, a coin can be unique but it may not have a buyer anywhere.&nbsp; I think the problem is that people automatically convert the word rare with or without any modifier into $$$ signs in their head whether that is warranted or not.&nbsp; And I’m pretty certain most dealers include that descriptor for that reason because they are in the business of, well, selling coins for as high of a price as they can achieve.&nbsp; “Extremely rare...but there is no market extant” certainly isn’t as sexy and doesn’t serve the needs of dealers whatsoever.&nbsp; </p><p>That being said, I think that everyone here is a serious collector in that we want to collect, we want to understand, we want to know more not just about the coin but the circumstances around it’s history and production, etc.&nbsp; With that seriousness of purpose in mind, I think that it’s okay to be a bit flummoxed by the disconnection between the use of the word rare as a descriptor and the reality of the demand in the market.&nbsp;&nbsp; We collect our coins because we like them and psychologically, I think it is a non sequitur that others don’t value our pretties as we do.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>All of that being said, I specialize in about three people and casually collect a lot more.&nbsp;&nbsp; The level of excitement that I have when I find a coin that is not common or rare (again like others here, I assign that minimum to coins I know I haven’t seen for x amount of time) is probably shared only by me and the few others interested in my small little corner of the world.&nbsp; I have a few coins that are the second or maybe first known and yet while I will dutifully label each holder “rare,” “second known,” “unique,” I know that these coins are not the ticket to early retirement.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, when I show these coins to the people I know share the same interest and <i>they</i> become excited, that is a thrill I wish every person on Earth could experience.&nbsp;&nbsp; Those specialists both living and dead who remark to me, “This coin is special or important because...” is really the gratification I am looking for.&nbsp; If it adds a piece to the puzzle that will always remain incomplete but is tremendously important to me for some odd reason then I feel like the coin and my efforts have value beyond my simple immediate enjoyment.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in