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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Volante, post: 2360043, member: 57279&quot;]The health of the hobby will ultimately depend on the influx of new collectors to the hobby.&nbsp; What I am curious about is how the collectors on this site got into the hobby originally.&nbsp; For every collector who was lucky enough to inherit a collection from a relative (myself included), I would hazard a guess that many more got into the hobby by building out collections of circulating coins - maybe filling out a folder of Lincoln cents or keeping a jar of state quarters.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I believe the hobby is in a good position for the next 50 years or so, due to the revitalizing impact of the internet (eBay, coin collecting forums, registry sites) and the Mint&#039;s vigorous marketing efforts.&nbsp; Those two factors have resulted in a huge increase in young collectors, who should help the hobby survive the retirement of the large Baby Boomer generation of collectors.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>However, I am not too optimistic about the strength of the hobby more than 50 years out.&nbsp; The problem is that, as others have stated, we are moving towards a cashless society.&nbsp; While cash will obviously still have a role in society, that role will only become more limited as young people grow to rely on various virtual payment methods.&nbsp; As the next generations lose exposure to coins in circulation, the probability of them entering the hobby on their own volition will only decrease. Coins will become obsolete antiques, collected by a small niche.&nbsp; The Mint will continue pumping out the same volume of material each year but unlike before, demand won&#039;t keep up with supply.&nbsp; Just as the USPS oversaturated the stamps market, the Mint will oversaturate the coins market.&nbsp; The bottom will drop out, and we&#039;ll be left with a small group of wealthy collector-investors maintaining the prices of rare coins at the top of the market.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Or...I just pulled all of the above out of my butt and I and everybody else has no idea what the future will bring.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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