Why are American coins so overated?

S-I-L-L-I-N-E-S-S is SILLY! ! !

Again, answer to original question by Jerome: The coin market IS WHAT IT IS.

This thread became much to silly long ago, but also much to enjoyable for me to stop posting either.

 

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No I think it is needling people who don't share his interests.

 

Well put clembo. I am ignorant about sooooo many things. Like how to fix a car or how baseball works.

As I see it, there are two dangers: being ignorant of the fact that one is ignorant, and being ignorant of things of which is dangerous to be ignorant.

Such dangerous areas of ignorance, in my opinion, are REAL history (as you so rightly put it) and what is REALLY happening in...any guesses: the outside world.

(Firefox spell-checker makes me appear so much less ignorant of English spelling than I actually am.)

 

Am I the only one left in this thread? Awww, evwybowdy ews went howm and weft me ol boi mwysewlf.

 

A thought: US coins aren't overpriced if you buy them at face value.

If you find them in the street or dig them up, they cost nothing!
(Which is almost as good as free.)

You are right GDJMSP, Jerome's original question was a valid one, but then he came back by questioning the rationality of people who would prefer one type of coin over another. Asking such questions is in a word: irrational. It was also abusive.

People felt abused and started abusing him. Then other people started abusing the people who were abusing him. Then other people started abusing other people. Then some people took a break to abuse themselves. Then some of those people came back (and some fell asleep.) While more people came and started giving the other people else a piece of their minds. It was grand!

 

IMHO, because American's have a lot of disposable income....Mike

 

I think you may be on to something

Is this thread even for real, or was Jerome just trying to bait us?

Colonial? As in under British rule?

Only North American coins produced under British rule are interesting.

Sounds like ingeniously designed bait to me.

 

Not sure about this statement - but then again I am lucky to have a little extra to spend on US coinage every month. Now - why do I collect US coinage - it is my country and I do like them.

 

I began collecting US coins because my step father introduced me to the hobby, and he collected US coins. I can remember the first time he showed me a Morgan dollar. I was only 11 years old, but I was awestruck. His Buffalo nickels and Mercury dimes were nice, but that fat, heavy cartwheel really got my attention.

World coinage is cool, no doubt. I've had the good fortune to have traveled some during the course of my life. I've collected coins from China, South Korea, Egypt, England, Guatemala, Mexico, and Canada. I'd certainly add to my hodgepodge if given the opportunity, but life sometimes gets in the way.

I'd have to say that I find Mexican coinage to be very attractive, much more so than most modern US coinage. Every year I take a fishing trip to the Yucatan and try to find something different to keep. My most beautiful foreign coin is a 1947 Mexican 50 Peso gold piece given to me by my grandfather about a year before he died. I hope to pass it along one day to my son.

I can't speak for collectors outside of the US because their frame of reference differs from mine. However, I do collect US coinage because it is something to which I can relate as an American. It is familiar. Not only is it more meaningful to me as a US citizen, it is certainly less "remote" than a Greek coin minted hundreds of years ago. Perhaps that, along with the number of collectors in the US, helps drive the prices up as high as they are. I'll leave it to others to debate whether or not my perception is jaundiced by red, white, and blue tinted lenses.

I'd also like to add that a collector who looks at his acquisitions as an investment rather than as something purely non-profit driven is no less of a collector than someone else who enjoys the hobby simply for pleasure. It is merely the motivation that differs.

I learned long ago that the saying "to each his own" has never been more applicable than in our hobby. Collect what makes you happy.

 

Why don't we just forget all this silly coin arguing and focus out hatred on the real enemy...

FOREIGNERS!

Seriously though, this thread is entirely ridiculous. It has been since it was created. I did not read every comment posted here (though quite a few), and I never will. Not when there are thousands of better things to do, anyway. This is just nationalistic bickering based on who collects what. I'm all for a discussion, but this is utter chaos. Like I said, collect what you want. Who cares who collects what? The person who started the thread obviously just wanted to cause controversy. If that was not the case, he wouldn't have asked such a frankly (I don't mean to cause offense) stupid question. Why does he collect hideous ancients? That's what he likes. I don't like foreign coins (except for interesting novelties and metal content), but this guy apparently does. So what? Ignore the thread that was created with obvious troll-like intent, and move on. Feeding the trolls in tantamount to worrying, taping your door up, hoarding food and water and other things because of the action of terrorists. That's exactly what they want, to cause inner turmoil and panic. Do not succumb to the trolls, just as you would not succumb to the terrorists.

To be politically correct, I will add that my comment at the begging of this post was an obvious joke. Please take it for what it is, at face value. It's meant to show the futility of what everyone is doing in this thread, which is essentially glorified country bashing.

Thanks for hearing my opinion, everyone. I apologize if anything I said is out of line at all, but I felt it was necessary to add.

 

I collect US coins because my dad collected US Coins and US Stamps. I grew up learning American History through these supercool hobbies. Now that I am older and have a baby of my own, I want the family tradition to continue and my coins (and stamps) to be passed down. So, they are not overrated to those who were initiated into US coins.

I actually collect a select few foreign gold coins and enjoy them. encil:

 

Stated above: to each his own...collect what makes you happy. Now that about sums it up.

 

The question is not why are American coins overated, but rather why are World coins underated?

Why, because most people don't want them. If they did then they would cost more. You should be thankful for all the American coin collectors there are and count your blessings because we are the ones keeping the price of your world coins low so you can afford to collect them!

You can thank me later

BTW the REAL question is actually why is there so much demand for American coins. The original poster asked why are they "overated" because that was his way of putting a negative bias towards American coins.

He could have just asked why are World coins underated.

 

I just like coins all kinds but american coins are me favorite.

Now for something lighter

Where is DAK!:goofer:

 

Beeredit

Lets just agree to like different coins. I wouldn't pay hundreds for a penny. But for the right half dollar, or the right anicent I might. mI'm just no into copper.

TO EACH HIS OWN!!!

This is like arguing over our favorite color, or favorite food. sheeeesh.

 

I am amazed a thread can get to page 6 in 24 hours. I think lots of good points have been made here..and I apologise for choosing the wire rimmed...I should have chosen something else....but I really don't know enough about americans to get one off the top of my head !

 

I don't feel this is quite correct. - JMO.

• The Internet has driven prices up due to the added availability and commercialization.
• Our expendable income is another factor.
• People collect what they know and are familiar with. How many times do we hear on this site learn about the coin before you buy it? People in the US generally know about US coins. It is generally where people start that live in the US (collecting US coins).
• The history of your country has certain symbolic meaning that will sway the general collector. We are a patriotic country.
• Given these factors it then becomes a matter of supply and demand.

As far as the plain 1909 versus the S VDB - it's no different than the CC Morgan versus the Plain Morgan - as a collector you want something that is viewed as special as a piece of your collection. Does that make you an investor versus a collector? - I think not... Labeling people based on their desire to collect specific items does not give them the proper consideration for what motivates them or why.


In the US the foreign coins will never do as well as they may deserve. For the pricier/older coins issues such as counterfeiting and lack of knowledge scare people away - market uncertainty. The same emotional attachment is not there or the overall desire to invest the time to learn about the coin before investing time and money in collecting the coin. That is sad - but it does keep the market value down for the rest of us!

As far as Doug's epiphany to learn - versus collect and learn - I really respect that and admire that he is able to get the same level if not more gratification out of the hobby. He even shares that wealth of knowledge with the rest of us. If all of you fellow collectors would follow suit - some day I might be able to afford that 1909 S VDB .

 

Huh...and all this time I thought I was collecting world coins. Since when did the US declare independence from the world? Must have been when I was on vacation.

US coins are just as significant as any other coin from any other era. They all were a part of a world history that is still in the making. As fascinating as a 2000 year old Greek or Roman coin may be, and yes, I do own a few only because they were given to me, they have very little historical validity to me as an individual. I'm not Greek or Roman, or Bisintine...I'm American. I appreciate ancient history, as you cannot begin to understand US history without a general understanding of the history of Europe and Asian.

So, if I were to find some Chinese coin forum and ask them why they don't collect US coins...why they only collect Chinese coins from the last 8000 years, it would be just as rediculous as coming to a US coin forum and belittling those that collect US coins. It's such simple logic.
Guy~

 

New Europe...

... reminding us why we left Old Europe.