Numbers (it is about the numbers!?)

[+tsunrisebey]

Over the months I've observed different vendors or individual sellers going about the sales of coins differently. There's not really any continuity (not saying there should be).

 

Some sellers really try hard to be pleasing to the buying public while others just mint and sell as they see fit. So here is my question to buyers:

 

Do you think it's important to know the amount of coins minted for any/every version of a coin produced?

 

Why do you want to know? Is it for the trade/ebay value (be honest!)?

 

Why do you feel that coins should be limited in numbers? Isn't it selfish to want limited quantities on one level?

 

Is it truly that important to know the amount of coins produced? Are you less likely to buy a coin if you don't know how many of that specific version is produced? Obviously LE's sell out way before the RE's.

 

**************************

 

Observations as a buyer: I personally like to know the numbers produced for a version of a coin because it helps me establish trade value or scarcity. I'm not a big ebayer but if I was, obvsiously the lower the mint the higher price I can get for my coin. However if a mint number isn't known, seems to me that the mystery surrounding them can hold high trade/ebay value also but that's not every coin. Yet, I've also seen coins with high mintings and they still trade/ebay well. So to me it seems to depend on the coin.

 

Is it truly important to know the mint number? I suppose not for my personal purposes overall. I just collect what I like but then sometimes a coin with a low mint number appeals to me because it's a challenge to get I can live either way but I prefer to know the mint and what versions are available. As a buyer I appreciate this information so I can collect and trade accordingly.

 

**************************

 

Observations as a seller: I've always posted the mint quantity and versions. I actually keep track of all the information regarding the inital mint and subsequent versions/mintings. As a seller I'm torn between listening to two groups of people; 1.) Don't mint a large number of a version because .... 2.) Mint enough for everyone.... which is funny because I've never told another person/vendor how to go about minting their coins and what numbers/how many versions should be done. I've come to accept the fact that you can not please everyone in the geocoin world I'll just keep it short from this perspective.

[+steel city babes]

Yes, at least to me, I think naming the total number of coins minted and NO REMINTS/or possible remints are important(previous topic-not intended to derail this one on coin #'s).

 

I do sale on ebay but not enough to sway my thoughts and opinions or fund my coin habit.....

 

I have missed quite a few coins...and would love to trade for them....trade value is different for certain coins and if it wasn't their wouldn't be htf, vhtf or arm, leg or both in peoples trade lists (geocoincollection dot com)

 

Example: would one give up a coin that has low mint numbers for a coin(sold out) for a coin that they could still purchase. Let's say would someone like to trade for a ET2008 for a New Year's 2007(still available for sale and have no idea how many were minted)

 

I personally like low mint numbers 250-300 (like that icon ) but I love the rarity of them and the chance to get a few and trade for something I may not have.

 

I am turned off by coins that have 6 or 7 metals or color schemes.

 

I don't like remints with different colors/metals(although I have purchased some because I missed the V1)...it is just trying to make a $, I don't care if you are trying to please the consumer....let's get back to the old timers feel the coin market is lacking...which from my perspective is geocaching related coins(although I like the fun coins too) and coins that are rare with good quality or a unique design or thought....

 

IMHO don't crucify me...

 

Steel City Babes

Edited May 6, 2008 by steel city babes

[+SeventhSon]

My coin collection is pretty small, but I never really got into the numbers. I go for coins that jump out at me. I have traded a low mint black nickel gear for a high mint coin because I wanted it. Actually, I did this more than once.

[+steel city babes]

Why do you feel that coins should be limited in numbers? Isn't it selfish to want limited quantities on one level?

 

Is it truly that important to know the amount of coins produced? Are you less likely to buy a coin if you don't know how many of that specific version is produced? Obviously LE's sell out way before the RE's.

 

 

I don't feel their is a need to limit the numbers, I do feel the information (numbers) should be made available to all.

 

No not selfish but as a collector...I would like to know maybe what value the coin is going to hold in the future....I typically buy 3- 4 coins of limited mint numbers. One to keep, activate-travel, trade, and sale) Yep that covers all 4 coins....As mentioned before...e-bay is not my market...though I do sale every now and then.

 

Most definately the amount I purchase is limited if the numbers aren't known....1 or 2 coins.

 

So as a vendor/seller if you are up front... I don't have a problem with it. Just don't expect me to buy 3 or 4 unless they are a good price and I can cut them loose-activate to travel. As a seller/vendor....don't present it as a coin that is going to be HTF (250-300-IMO with the market now) and sale out, if you are going to remint it or remint it with different colors or metals....Lets be honest.

 

I also dislike...this generic phrase..."coin may be reminted" Grrr....

 

Tsun...I personally like your designs a lot... the nature aspect of them is really nice. I have missed quite a few and had to hint (i.e. bug a blood relative for some - only reason they gave it up is because we are related) but I would love to see more of your coins minted at a certain mint number and tough cookies to the rest of us...(i.e. that was me in a bunch of cases) ...if people want to give you grief then so be it(let me handle your sells I will bite back--- ) (Could you mark me down for the presale/order...any tsun design in the futureI want hooked up now

 

TO ALL VENDORS limit purchase amount to one or two...per customer....(my additional stipulation would be with over 50 cache finds in the last year)...afterall they should be caching right not buying coins Right!!! that would give at least 175 of us a chance to obtain a neat coin/icon. Don't think that is going to happen it is a business...Or at least for at least the first day or two limit the number ....if they don't sell out let us come back in and get the numbers we want.

 

Steel City Babes

Edited May 6, 2008 by steel city babes

[+steel city babes]

Just a side note---had I not been in the geocoin forums...I would have thought i was in PA with people bickering about micros/urban caches and what not.....pumping up the numbers.....

 

GRR....now back to the regularly scheduled topic......NUMBERS!!!

[+ArtieD]

Well, I really don't care about the numbers at all...if I like the coin I'll buy it.

[+steel city babes]

Well, I really don't care about the numbers at all...if I like the coin I'll buy it.

 

I agree 100% ....but how many do you buy if you know it is a high number minted coin??????

(Please don't answer just food for thought)

 

I buy more if I think it will hold trade value.

 

Steel City babes

[+ArtieD]

Well, you must remember that not everyone trades. I really don't, so trade value means little to me.

[+Team FIREBOY]

I really don't pay attention to the number of coins minted. If I like it I buy two, one to keep and one to trade. Eventually someone will want the coin I bought to trade. If it stays in my trader collection too long, I'll raffle it off at my next event. I know that coins made by certain vendors will sale like hotcakes, if I want to get a really HTF coin, then I buy extra coins produced by these vendors. I have not been bitten by a bad buy yet. I do it differently than most people, but then again I am just a noob here. Jodi

[+the jesters]

I like to know the amount of coins minted, because I put the information into a spreadsheet. I have been collecting coins for a year and a half, I can't possibly remember the total minting of every coin.

 

I have never sold a geocoin on ebay. I don't even have a trade list. I like to take my coins to events and trade w/people.

 

I like to know the amount of coins minted. When I purchase a coin, I like to know if the coin will be reminted. I take that information and decide if I want to purchase the coin. Then it comes down to the fact if I don't like the coin, I really do not care how many were made, because I am not going to buy it.

[Hogwild Stuff]

This is an interesting question and one that coin vendors spend quite a bit of time thinking about it. A couple of recent examples HWS has dealt with:

 

Sword Coins

 

We knew they would be popular and so we minted a relatively large number of coins. 3 metals 1 of which was an LE. We announced how many were made of those metals but also left open the possibility to mint other finishes. They sold out in less than 10 minutes, so we opened a pre-order for the V2 coins. We did not disclose the numbers on the V2 coins, but the order period was open for 2 or 3 days.

 

If I had not reminted, those who managed to snag coins would have been ecstatic about it. Many other good loyal customers would have been angry, frustrated, disappointed. (As it was, you should have seen some of the unkind emails I received).

 

A couple observations with this coin: I don't have a real good feel for the trade value, because I just don't have enough time to do trading. I tend to just purchase the stuff I want. I do watch eBay sales of my coins and in spite of the fact that there are a relatively large number of coins; the prices have been pretty consistently high. This has been true of other relatively high minting HWS coins, such as the pirate map.

 

Phone Coin

Some of you have seen the phone coin samples that have posted in another thread http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...94&hl=phone

 

As in true in real life this phone can be made in an almost endless variety of metals, finishes and colors. Here are the considerations:

 

1. Do I presale the coins with a variety of colors / finishes? - I sit on my customer’s money for 4-6 weeks before they get the coin. Everyone gets what they want. The traders and eBay sellers are not happy because they perceive a reduced value. - This probably would also net the biggest profit.

 

2. Do I make my best guess on colors and finishes and quantities then limit it to those choices? This makes traders / eBay sellers happy (assuming the coin is successful). This makes customers who missed out unhappy. It also has the risk of ordering too many coins of a given finish.

 

3. Do I pick some color / finish combinations attach make a fixed number and then remint a different version. This could be as profitable as #1.

 

4. Do I just pick the colors / finish then make an unspecified number of coins with no commitment or comment on reminting? This makes the coin available to everyone, but again is not ideal for the eBayers and traders.

 

The other consideration I have is this: I know that not all coins I sell will be a big hit. Some may even just plain flop. I and all coin sellers depend on the hits to provide cushion for the less popular coins. I have never had any one who wants limited numbers come to me on a less popular coin and offer to take the rest off my hands. (Not waiting with baited breath for that to happen either )

 

So for HWS each one is approached a little differently based on how we view the market. I do think though that assuming, there is a direct correlation to the number of coins minted and their ebay / trade value is very simplistic. I can show you coins with low mintings, (our Pathfinder coin) that continues to do very poorly on eBay. or Prague 2006, Pirates Treasure Map and others, with high mintings that continue to do very well. Ultimately it is about the design.

 

My thoughts . . . .

[+GATOULIS]

Hello to all!

 

Well, I am one of the guys who are trying to find as much info they can for the coins they have!

 

Of course, I am only doing this for me! Not for the value, not for ebay, only for me! I do not care if the coin I have has a high mintage!!

Yes, when I learn that a coin is LE, I am happy, but for only one reason!

for example! If a coin has a mintage 20 pieces, I consider myself as a lucky one, one of the 19 who has this version! (one - at least will be kept from the maker!).

 

I am trying to collect info about who made it, what company minted it, the total mintage, the version mintage.... but this is only for me as I said! I am not planning to sell anything!!! Well..sell what! I only have 15 or 16 coins!

 

I do this probably because I am doing it for my coin collection (real coins) and in some banknotes!

 

In geocoins, if I like a coin, I do not care if it's mintage is 5 or 500, or even more!!!

 

In a cointest I won, the geocacher who made the cointest, leted me choose what to take, from 3 geocoins!

one was a LE of something like Greenland mafia? , the other was a slo trecker (it was a shoe), and a gold suncacher 2007!

 

If I wanted a LE I would had taken the mafia coin, but when I saw the suncatcher, I just loved it!!!! I have no idea of its mintage, complete and shiny gold version! I just loved it!!!

[+GATOULIS]

leted??? New word!!! Sorry!!!!

[+MustangJoni]

Speaking as a trader, I like to know how many of each coins are minted, and if there will be a re-mint. This gauges how many I will buy. It there are plenty for the entire community to buy, I really only need one for my collection.

 

At this point, most companies are making plenty of coin and doing re-mints, so I just generally buy one coin if I like it. The good thing is that I'm spending alot less on coins than I used to!

[+joranda]

As someone who has paid for a personal coin to be minted. The first batch is always the most expensive cause you have to pay for the die. After that first batch the price goes down alot. That's why I have different finishes of my coin. After awhile, I had enough coins minted that I could get my own icon. That's why I did it that way, I designed and bought all my coins so that I don't have to have a vendor get rid of them for me. I'm sure others do it that way. Each of my finishes are a low number amount too so that there isn't a high amount of them out there.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Do you think it's important to know the amount of coins minted for any/every version of a coin produced?...

 

Yes, for some scarcity is a reason to collect some things. Others just like dragons.

 

Scarcity will also set the value. Even if the number isn't known.

 

Minted numbers of a long gone edition also help set up set a fair trade.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Renegade Knight

[+Renegade Knight]

...Why do you feel that coins should be limited in numbers? Isn't it selfish to want limited quantities on one level?

 

Is it truly that important to know the amount of coins produced? Are you less likely to buy a coin if you don't know how many of that specific version is produced?...

 

To answer these two questions.

 

I don't care if a coin is limited in numbers or not. However I do care that whatever number someone has said they will make is how many they make. At least of the ones sold or traded because the number does matter. If they say that they will make as many as they want. That's good because it's known up front. Decisions get made based on numbers. Am I less likely to buy a coin if I don't know the number? Sometimes yes. If someone says "we are giving you first shot at our coin" and they are making 100 I may choose to buy a lot more than normal. It's great trading fodder. If they are making 10,000, then first shot doesn't mean as much.

[avroair]

Do you think it's important to know the amount of coins minted for any/every version of a coin produced?

Yep. Although I generally don't care which version or metal is he rarest.

 

Why do you want to know? Is it for the trade/ebay value (be honest!)?

Trade value, ebay value ~ but generally it's a gauge on whether I have to get the coin now or I can trade for it later. If it's a hot coin that is limited I will sit up the moment they go on sale to get a couple, otherwise, if it's a coin that's being reminted or has a large initial run, I know I will be able to trade for one. And since I have plenty of traders, I would rather go that route than fork out more cash.

 

Why do you feel that coins should be limited in numbers? Isn't it selfish to want limited quantities on one level?

This is now a collectibles market where people, buy, sell, trade and profit. It became that when vendors started wanting a larger share of the profits and coins were made just to sell rather than to trade. A limited edition is always going to make a coins desirability stronger.

 

Is it truly that important to know the amount of coins produced? Are you less likely to buy a coin if you don't know how many of that specific version is produced? Obviously LE's sell out way before the RE's.

Two thoughts:

(1) YES I like to know, because if I buy a coin I expect the coin to hold it's value. With a remint or a second version it doesn't.

(2) I don't like remints unless told upfront a remint is happening.

[+Droo]

Edit: I had compared geocoins to books and lithographs to see where on the creative scale coins lay and whether brand new products merited instant collectability or not. But the point sucked.

 

I have collected a fair number of coins to keep and to trade/giveaway. I don't re-sell. If I like a coin I buy it and after I realized I was spending almost as much on coins as on my mortgage I had to cut back on the extras for the trader box. So I'm not a preferred customer any more to the sellers.

 

I really don't care about the numbers. The numbers don't tell me whether a coin will be a hot issue or not or how much I like it. I wish there was another metric or qualifier by which one could rate the valuability or beauty of a coin. It sure doesn't matter if it's a limited mint since many larger mint runs continue to do better than limited ones. If a coin is well designed, well made and is relevant it will do well regardless of how many are available for the primary and secondary markets.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Droo

[+MustangJoni]

Do you buy a book based on how many copies have been printed? Does it make a difference?

 

Lithographs command high prices and the limited numbers make them exclusive even though they are printed copies of an original.

 

Are geocoins more like books or like lithographs?

 

A book collector looks at several things when buying a book. What printing it is, what condition, etc.

 

There are many items out there that we just buy, like books and CDs, LEGOs etc, that have a serious collectors also buying these items.

[+dark_onyx1982]

I personally could not care less how many or what metal or color are metal. I don't care about limited editions vs XLE vs RE. I buy a coin because I think its pretty, plain and simple. I do own some limited editions because i like them better then the regular editions, it has nothing to do with them being rarer. Like the Karma coin, all 3 versions are nice but I really like the glitter. I thought it was the prettiest, so I got one. I don't care about custom icons, and don't really care to much of they are trackable or not. I look at the design, color, and metal and how they all match together and buy the ones i like.

 

I get my personal collection for my enjoyment and to share when I attend events. One day if I get tired of my coins I will sell them off, but only to try to recoup what I paid for them. I have no grand delusions any coin I own will become the worlds best investment. {i.e. beanie babies}. Until that day comes I will continue to admire all my shiny coins.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

I like to know the numbers before I buy mostly because it tells me how much time left I might have to get one and/or whether there will be plenty to trade around in the months ahead. Personally, I LOVE to see coins reminted in different metals/enamels though. There are a lot of coins I passed on just because I wasn't crazy about the metal/color combos. I would actually catch myself saying "well if it had been blue on gold, well then that would have been worth buying a few" or something similar. We all have different tastes so it's a great option for me as a buyer.

 

I don't like not knowing how many might be minted in a particular metal/color variation though. I like to see an absolute number followed by "we might remint a different version" rather than just a vague hint.

[+dflye]

While I don't directly care about the numbers minted when purchasing coins, as I've yet to foray into the ebay space for selling, and have only purchased ONE of my 1K+ keepers from ebay (and sold none), so online resale value isn't really a factor in my coin purchasing decisions.

 

I do sometimes purchase extra coins in available finishes based upon hype that leads me to believe they have abnormally high trade potential. For coins where I'm reasonably sure I can unload them in an even trade in the next year or so, I'll pick up an extra of each finish, and if it doesn't unload soon enough, it either gets drilled to travel or donated to an event when I realize it is still hanging around in my trading binders.

 

For coins where I'm not sure which of several/many finishes I'll actually like, I'll buy one of each finish, keep one or more, and attempt to trade the remainder.

 

For coins that have a LOT of hype, knowing the minting ahead of time lets me know how seriously I need to stalk the web site for when the coins actually go on sale (as compared with the posted sale time! ) to pick up extras for trades. This has at times paid of for highly anticipated coins like the ROT13 dragon spinner, but when that coin was reminted in high volume for the RE, my untraded extras at that point sort of lost their legs. So knowing if a coin will be reminted in an existing finish is definitely a plus.

 

Coins that come out initially in more than 2 or 3 finishes are a pain, deciding whether to buy all flavors either to collect or to trade. Then when even MORE flavors come out in several batches over time, I get a bit irate and stop purchasing them at all (regardless of how nice they look), as it is obvious that someone is milking the collecting audience a bit more than other vendors.

 

A single remint with a pre-sale is fine with me, as the earlier versions of the coin aren't diluted in worth too much. It is the never ending remints in unending flavors that send me screaming to the exit.

[+Droo]

Do you buy a book based on how many copies have been printed? Does it make a difference?

 

Lithographs command high prices and the limited numbers make them exclusive even though they are printed copies of an original.

 

Are geocoins more like books or like lithographs?

 

A book collector looks at several things when buying a book. What printing it is, what condition, etc.

 

There are many items out there that we just buy, like books and CDs, LEGOs etc, that have a serious collectors also buying these items.

Ah yes, but you're talking about older stuff not brand new fresh from the factory.

[+JoenGPS]

If we have to sit at the CPU waiting for the drop dead hour for a coin we want only to find out it is now being minted in in 3 other different versions 1 month later 1 or 2 of which is labeled another new "LE" really is a turnoff. If a dealer states how many up front we may buy... if they leave it open ended for endless editions, AE:..ad infinitum ... I have learned to take them off my list no matter how good the coin may be.

 

We like great coins..maybe buy two and sell/trade one to defray the cost.....

 

This endless edition "BS" ...only available via certain channels..IE: 2008 compass coins....buy from two different dealers and then get crazy for the other two versions only on ebay..(yeah I know you may be able to trade only if your are insider)....really has turned us off...

 

Over the last few months, we have re-evaluated what we purchase and from who...the list is geting skinny and we are looking for older coins...when the true spirit of geocoins started...

 

OK..end of rant,,,,

[+dflye]

Do you buy a book based on how many copies have been printed? Does it make a difference?

 

Lithographs command high prices and the limited numbers make them exclusive even though they are printed copies of an original.

 

Are geocoins more like books or like lithographs?

 

A book collector looks at several things when buying a book. What printing it is, what condition, etc.

 

There are many items out there that we just buy, like books and CDs, LEGOs etc, that have a serious collectors also buying these items.

Ah yes, but you're talking about older stuff not brand new fresh from the factory.

No, I think MustangJoni is talking of the exact same phenomena, only on a compressed timeline between initial purchase and "collector" status of a given item.

 

The LEGO, CD or first printing hard-bound book you buy today for a relatively few bucks may well be worth a small fortune in the future if the movie the LEGO is based upon, band behind a CD or author behind a book reaches the stellar reaches in their field over the long term.

 

I think the difference here is that in geocoin land, going from unknown to top 10 artist takes all of about two months, compared with years or decades in other fields!

[+MustangJoni]

Do you buy a book based on how many copies have been printed? Does it make a difference?

 

Lithographs command high prices and the limited numbers make them exclusive even though they are printed copies of an original.

 

Are geocoins more like books or like lithographs?

 

A book collector looks at several things when buying a book. What printing it is, what condition, etc.

 

There are many items out there that we just buy, like books and CDs, LEGOs etc, that have a serious collectors also buying these items.

Ah yes, but you're talking about older stuff not brand new fresh from the factory.

No, I think MustangJoni is talking of the exact same phenomena, only on a compressed timeline between initial purchase and "collector" status of a given item.

 

The LEGO, CD or first printing hard-bound book you buy today for a relatively few bucks may well be worth a small fortune in the future if the movie the LEGO is based upon, band behind a CD or author behind a book reaches the stellar reaches in their field over the long term.

 

I think the difference here is that in geocoin land, going from unknown to top 10 artist takes all of about two months, compared with years or decades in other fields!

 

If you have a first edition of Stephen King's Carrie, you got some bucks sitting there! His first editions are so large now, they don't have the value that his older books have.

Edited May 7, 2008 by MustangJoni

[+dflye]

If you have a first edition of Stephen King's Carrie, you got some bucks sitting there! His first editions are so large now, they don't have the value that his older books have.

Ah, and here we hit a marked difference between the coin world and the real world!

 

While a King book 20 years ago may have had an initial run of 10K, his current books may have a run of 1M or more (numbers largely pulled out of the air, I'm not a true book collector, more like a book black hole...if I buy a book, I ain't ever going to let it go free! )

 

So his initial volume for new releases likely went up a hundred-fold or more over the last 20 years, I'm guessing, between the time of his first books that were mostly unknown versus his current pop culture popularity.

 

I doubt you can find ANY coin that has gone through a similar increase in popularity, given the compressed timeline. Even while the 100 or something of a Moun10Bike v1 coin is insanely hard to get, if there were 100 times that many in circulation of the upcoming v4 (i.e., 10,000 of the little buggers) there is absolutely no way that they'd ever sell out within a year.

 

The coin collecting side of geocaching is an extreme niche market to start with, and the visibility is next to nil, even within the geocaching community. Anything with an initial run of more than 1K coins isn't likely to sell out instantaneously without SERIOUS hype.

[+n8turgrl]

Do you think it's important to know the amount of coins minted for any/every version of a coin produced?

Yes, I think it is important to know although when I purchase a coin or trade for a coin, the amount minted doesn't really matter to me if I like the coin alot.

 

Why do you want to know? Is it for the trade/ebay value (be honest!)?

I haven't sold anything on ebay so for me it would be for the trade value. If a coin is minted in high numbers then I don't have to worry about buying it when it is first released. I can try to trade for it because there will be so many available.

 

Why do you feel that coins should be limited in numbers? Isn't it selfish to want limited quantities on one level?

I don't believe it is selfish to limit quantities. I think it makes the coins more desireable when there is a limited number available. I strongly dislike the "reminting" of a coin for several reasons.

 

Is it truly that important to know the amount of coins produced? Are you less likely to buy a coin if you don't know how many of that specific version is produced? Obviously LE's sell out way before the RE's.

Not knowing the amount of coins produced isn't necessarily going to stop me from buying a coin if I really like the coin. I do feel it is important to know the amount of coins produced because as others have said, if its a coin I think will be hot or highly wanted and a limited number will be produced, I will be one of those wearing down F5 to get in on the sale as soon as it is open. As for LE's and RE's I think its just another way for vendors/sellers to make a coin seem more desireable because its "special". There are some I think go overboard with listing coins as LE's. Sometimes I buy the LEs sometimes I don't. If I like the design or colors better then that will be the one I want. Otherwise, I am fine with the RE's.

[+uktim]

Well, I really don't care about the numbers at all...if I like the coin I'll buy it.

 

My observation as someone who is starting to produce and (shock, horror) sell coins.

 

Why do people perceive a difference between selling for money and the trade value of rarer coins?

 

There are collectors who will openly profess that they won't buy a coin because it's too expensive, they want to trade for it instead. Surely they have to trade for something of an equal value?

[+PJPeters]

Numbers? The only "rule" needs to be that I'm able to buy the coin if I like it (see Earth Turtle ).

I am a very casual collector of coins; in fact, if I buy three different coins in a month, it's a big month for me. My "keeper" set of coins is currently less than half a 1L Lock-n-lock - maybe twenty coins. My "willing to let go" set of coins is perhaps ten, and that's because I just released a pile of 'em. When I buy a coin, I usually buy one of each metal I like.

I don't trade much, and I don't Ebay. So limited numbers aren't really all that important; in fact, I dislike low number run coins. I can understand people trying to make some money by reselling, but it's not for me.

[+tokencollector]

Do you think it's important to know the amount of coins minted for any/every version of a coin produced? - It depends. If someone is calling a coin some sort of limited version, it’s nice to know the edition size; e.g., is it really limited, and how much so. But, it’s not that important to me to know the production number.

 

Why do you want to know? Is it for the trade/ebay value (be honest!)? - I want to have some idea of its scarcity. In my experience, value on ebay or for trade has as much to do with desirability as it does scarcity, though scarcity is a factor. Although I trade a little and have sold a handful of coins on ebay, I buy coins for myself or to release so I am more concerned about price and appeal to me. Scarcity does make me a bit nervous about releasing some coins – I would be less likely to release a desirable, low mintage coin.

 

Why do you feel that coins should be limited in numbers? Isn't it selfish to want limited quantities on one level? - I don’t think the coins should be limited in number. I have no illusions about funding my retirement with sales of my geocoins. The majority are a poor investment. As stated above, I buy them because I like the style or I would like to release them. Limiting coins makes it hard to accomplish getting them because I like them and increases the cost and/ or risk of releasing them to caches.

 

Is it truly that important to know the amount of coins produced? Are you less likely to buy a coin if you don't know how many of that specific version is produced? Obviously LE's sell out way before the RE's. – I don’t know how many were produced of most of the coins I own. Knowing the numbers helps me decide which coin to buy when (low number, highly desirable ignored or bought sooner; high numbers I may put of purchase a bit).

 

With the direct answers out of the way, I have a few musings on the subject. There are probably several types of coin purchasers out there, and there is probably considerable overlap between the groups. At the simplest level there are collectors and releasers. Those who release their coins are likely to want low prices and lots of coins in caches so that theirs have a good chance to travel – which are favored by “unlimited” numbers. Collectors may be driven by a variety of factors which could make them more, or less, inclined to care about the number of coins produced.

 

And then, there are some collectors that see coins as an investment. They want to buy low and sell high. Scarcity helps them in their pursuit of green (or of better, shinier baubles). These are the folks that seem to scream the loudest when coin editions are expanded. I’ve seen past threads where this type of collector complains that expanding an edition will diminish the value of their coins. I’m not particularly sympathetic to that view. I want to be able to purchase the coins that I’d like and see a nice variety in caches. Coins as an investment detract from what I like most about coins – placing and finding them in caches. Consequently I tend to shy away from “limited” edition coins and often ignore premium prices that some folks ask for them.

 

I applaud those that sell the nicest looking coin as the RE and mint it in sufficient quantities to satisfy demand – even it means re-minting the same coin again. And for those who make the coolest version the super XXXLE (or some other silly name) to maximize their return – Thanks, but no thanks – But hey, there are probably enough “investors” out there to keep both of you happy.