One thing I would change about the coin collecting hobby is the prevailing thought of there being only two TPGs, when in fact there are four. As a Morgan collector, I rely on both ANACS and ICG to accurately grade and attribute VAMs for my coins.
Personally, I love the hobby of numismatics and have very few criticisms, but what really bothers me is to see Trump, a living president, on a circulating coin.
If we didn’t put Washington, or Lincoln, or Teddy Roosevelt, or FDR on a circulating coin while they were alive, who all were great presidents, for what reason would we decide to put a president ever on a coin while he is alive? (Editor’s Note: This response was edited at the publisher’s discretion.)
One change I would make would be to set up a database where third-party grading services can list the coins that they grade and authenticate. If one service cracks out a coin from another service’s slab, they would indicate that on the database so that the original service would know to deduct that coin from the total number graded. This would avoid redundancy in counting coins graded and give a more accurate total of the number graded.
Set up a national chain of coin shops all around at least the lower 48 states where collectors could go to buy, sell, or trade coins, currency, and coin supplies at reasonable prices. There they could see everything in person instead of seeing photos of everything online.
Dave Burdis, Charleroi, Pa.
I think newcomers to the hobby should be encouraged to collect only those coins minted for circulation.
Nigel Reid, Enfield, Middlesex, United Kingdom
A broader age and gender spectrum of hobbyists.
Name and Address withheld
OUTLAW SLABBING OF INEXPENSIVE COINS (or all coins, but that won’t happen). Slabbing has ruined the hobby.
Name and Address withheld
I would like to see less of the pseudo-coins – superheroes, painted multicolor coins, and all the crap products. More classic coins. Also, artistic standards have slipped. Flat, cartoonish imaging of portraits is not up to the past.
Name and Address withheld
Would like the government not to penalize you when trying to sell your collection in retirement. Should not affect health insurance or the beloved taxes on the capital gain. I know it’s just a dream.
Name withheld, Mech, Pa.
I would really like to see people become much less invested in the worth of third-party grading services. They have their place, but have overextended their worth in their opinions of our coins. In my opinion, the only thing they’re worth is certifying that a coin is real and not a fake or counterfeit. Refusing to grade a coin that has been cleaned, has a slight planchet flaw, or minor damage is ridiculous. Give it a grade accordingly. Just because a coin has been cleaned doesn’t mean it isn’t gradable. Those are their rules, made up by them for us all to suffer. Give me a good raw coin and the heck with them.
Larry, Louisville
I would get coin pricing more accurate like they used to be. Today you can look at CDN for pricing like all dealers USED to and buy/sell based on the Greysheet prices. Today, virtually all dealers look up auction prices and other sources to get more accurate prices of coins. Today, the CDN has coins way underpriced, leaving collectors no idea of the value of coins. Many coin collectors use sources like Coin World or Numismatic News for trend prices, which is a fair market valuation of coins, but does not reflect any coins on the wholesale side of the market. I heard two dealers talking at the Denver Coin Show last week stating, “Nobody uses Greysheet” for the pricing of coins because they are not in line with the market.
Source: Numismatic News