Community Voice Responses (February 21, 2017)

From the Jan. 27 Numismatic News E-Newsletter:

Do celebrity coin collectors encourage others to take up numismatics?

Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers to Editor Dave Harper.

A celebrity who collects occasionally makes a headline but, in fact, it is the other way around.

The hobby is so great and stand-alone established that it attracts all sorts, even celebrities.

That they are also proud of their collections – and can afford the good investment stuff – is a bonus to them and a source of a little envy from we, the great hoi polloi of common gatherers.

Graeme E. Petterwood
Australia

Maybe. Probably may encourage other celebrities to look towards numismatic investment, but probably does very little in terms of promotion of the hobby to regular folks who might surmise that coin collecting is only for the wealthy, which would be a misnomer.

Wasn’t it rumored that the first gold Kennedy sold at the 2014 ANA convention sold for $100,000? I believe that rumor had it that it sold to a celebrity investor or sports star in California. That certainly did little for the current price of that coin (which is selling at melt) or for the hobby in general. In fact, I think that whole fiasco did more harm in the short and long term than good.

Robert Matitia
Address withheld

Not in my case, as I’ve been collecting for 64 years. An uncle got me interested at an early age and I rarely spent any change I had, instead saving it and later using that money to obtain any coins needed for my books, which I would have had to pay to obtain.

I’ve introduced four youngsters to collecting coins recently, injecting history along with the “just plain fun and challenge” of keeping an eye out for pocket change.

An example: “What if Teddy Roosevelt handled a silver dollar in your possession?”

I do point them to anything written by Q. David Bowers, Heritage and you, Mr. Harper, via your publications. Also, I encourage them to other reference magazines, books and of course coin shows. Hopefully, these youngsters will take their interest much farther.

Ken Kassen
Shawnee, Kan.

More Collecting Resources

• Keep up to date on prices for Canada, United States and Mexico coinage with the 2017 North American Coins & Prices guide.

• The Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000 is your guide to images, prices and information on coinage of the 1900s.