Take advantage of quiet to buy, or take vacation
The coin market remains relatively steady, which is often all that can be asked for during the summer. The normal seasonal pattern is a slowdown for collectors and dealers to…
The coin market remains relatively steady, which is often all that can be asked for during the summer. The normal seasonal pattern is a slowdown for collectors and dealers to slip away for vacations.
Let’s look at a larger developing pattern. We can’t at the moment call the numismatic business a growth “industry.” Ample coin supply is available, but likely more than half of demand in a bull market comes from investors and speculators. This is not a bull market we are now in.
A bull market typically begins with an increased interest among buyers of bullion-impacted coins. Igniting investor interest often are headlines about record gold and silver prices. Then, some investor activity migrates to the scarce to rare material.
At the moment, this is not materializing. Partially to blame are the recent declines in the prices of gold, silver and platinum.
Another way to evaluate the state of the market is a coincidence barometer. This is the attendance at the annual American Numismatic Association convention held in August. Granted, the ever-changing location of this show is a factor, but in recent years, attendance has remained constant between 8,000 and 9,000 people.
In comparison, ComicCon 2017, for collectors of comic book material, was 208,894. That number puts our niche into perspective, doesn’t it?
Don’t worry. Coin collecting has not lost its luster, but we remain in a relatively quiet market period.
This article was originally printed in Numismatic News Express. >> Subscribe today
More Collecting Resources
• More than 600 issuing locations are represented in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800 .
• The 1800s were a time of change for many, including in coin production. See how coin designs grew during the time period in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900 .
