Q&A: It seems to me that this hobby of coin collecting is based entirely on dollars and cents. Is this correct?

The following is excerpted from Clifford Mishler’s Coins: Questions & Answers

Q: It seems to me that this hobby of coin collecting is based entirely on dollars and cents. Is this correct?

A: If your premise were correct, there would be little collector interest in Conder tokens, which have appreciated but slightly, relatively speaking, over the past 200 years, nor an expanding interest in transportation tokens, minor mint errors, wooden nickels, and literally dozens of other specialized categories within the numismatic realm. The hobby collector — one who is motivated to build a collection chiefly for the pleasure, relaxation, and increased knowledge that it affords him—is the kingpin of the hobby community. Without him, the dealers, coin press, and numismatic speculators would not exist for an hour. The collector came first; the others followed to serve his need. It is collector demand that underpins the market; absent that factor and the value ingredient would not exist.

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