Commemoratives

How many of you collectors feel as I do that commemorative coins not put in
circulation are just junk?

Is this a troll post?

I certainly don't feel that uncirculated commems are "junk".

What makes you think so?

If you have any MS65+ Lafayette dollars or Spanish Trail type
commemorative junk that you aren't interested in, feel free to pass them
my way....i'll pay the postage.

Ian

Ted Allison wrote:
How many of you collectors feel as I do that commemorative coins not put in
circulation are just junk?

In article , Ian spoke
thusly...
If you have any MS65+ Lafayette dollars or Spanish Trail type
commemorative junk that you aren't interested in, feel free to pass them
my way....i'll pay the postage.

Don't listen to Ian. It would be cheaper to send your junk to
me...and I will give you face value plus postage.

--
Stu Miller
Visit the Virtual Coin Museum (over 100 displays):
http://www.thestujoecollection.com/museum.htm

Ted Allison wrote: How many of you collectors feel as I do that
commemorative coins not put in circulation are just junk? Ted, I don't
see commems as junk but I bet non collectors of coins probably view it
as junk. I got my proof first flight gold commem and I'm still waiting
for my BU gold commem. Well ted if you feel commems are junk you are
talking to a junk collector : ) Damn US mint is real slow on filling
orders this year, what's taking so long??? Ed Impatient in NJ.

On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 21:34:56 +0100, Ian
wrote:

If you have any MS65+ Lafayette dollars or Spanish Trail type
commemorative junk that you aren't interested in, feel free to pass them
my way....i'll pay the postage.

In some ways, the Spanish Trail Commemorative is a good example of the
abuses of commemorative coin programs. Hoffecker created a historical
fiction to fund a pork barrel project with a vanity coin, and managed
to get the project pushed through Congress.

"Junk" is a little harsh, but objectively I see little difference in
the process that produced many of the 1930's classic commemoratives to
the crass commercialism which gave us the overblown 1995-6 Olympic
issues, or Vatican City Euros, or the Pobjoy Mint issues for Liberia
and the Isle of Man.

Fortunately, to some extent the process is self correcting. When
governments issue too many commemoratives with stale designs, people
lose interest and the coins don't get sold.

That being said, I still collect commemoratives, either because I like
the designs produced by the admittingly flawed process, or I enjoy the
"pocket history" they represent. For example, I own a Connecticut
Commemorative for its beauty, and a Bridgeport commemorative for the
amusement factor of having P.T. Barnum on a U.S. coin.

--
Michael Benveniste --
Spam and UCE professionally evaluated for $250. Use this email
address only to submit mail for evaluation.

I love it when governments issue too many commemoratives with stale designs
as these tend to be the ones that command the premium due to low
mintages..ie...the 1986 Olympic Dollars and Gold...The 1997 Jackie Robinson
and a few more I'm certain you are all familiar with.

"Michael Benveniste" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 21:34:56 +0100, Ian
wrote:

If you have any MS65+ Lafayette dollars or Spanish Trail type
commemorative junk that you aren't interested in, feel free to pass them
my way....i'll pay the postage.

In some ways, the Spanish Trail Commemorative is a good example of the
abuses of commemorative coin programs. Hoffecker created a historical
fiction to fund a pork barrel project with a vanity coin, and managed
to get the project pushed through Congress.

"Junk" is a little harsh, but objectively I see little difference in
the process that produced many of the 1930's classic commemoratives to
the crass commercialism which gave us the overblown 1995-6 Olympic
issues, or Vatican City Euros, or the Pobjoy Mint issues for Liberia
and the Isle of Man.

Fortunately, to some extent the process is self correcting. When
governments issue too many commemoratives with stale designs, people
lose interest and the coins don't get sold.

That being said, I still collect commemoratives, either because I like
the designs produced by the admittingly flawed process, or I enjoy the
"pocket history" they represent. For example, I own a Connecticut
Commemorative for its beauty, and a Bridgeport commemorative for the
amusement factor of having P.T. Barnum on a U.S. coin.

--
Michael Benveniste --
Spam and UCE professionally evaluated for $250. Use this email
address only to submit mail for evaluation.

Ted Allison wrote:
How many of you collectors feel as I do that commemorative coins not put in
circulation are just junk?

It seems strange to me that if a country makes an object that isn't
paper-thin and without a denomination it gets called a "medal", but add
a denomination and it gets called a coin and listed in coin catalogs.

If the US government makes something they claim ia a half-dollar they
should make a substantial number of them available for face value. If
they don't sell the design for "face value" then it isn't a legitimate
coin of that value -- it's a medal.

I have no problem with "proof" issues of coins -- those are exemplars of
the coin design. They aren't coins, but they are closely enough related
to coins to be placed in a coin catalog.

What is a coin? I mostly agree with the first defition from
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=67&q=coin :

A small piece of metal, usually flat and circular,
authorized by a government for use as money.

[There is a flaw in the definition -- it shouldn't require coins to be
made of metal.]

While I disagree with the desination of non-circulating commemoratives
and "American Eagles" as "coins", I don't argue that they are "junk" or
shouldn't be collected -- you could probably find one or two in my house.

B.J.

In article ,
says...
How many of you collectors feel as I do that commemorative coins not put in
circulation are just junk?




Boo HISS......

No harm intended and I ask you to excuse my rudeness above but
I strongly disagree with you. Commemorative coins express the
history of the country in a way that circulated coins can
never hope to do. The US celebrates its accomplishments, its
art, its famous people and its culture via the commems as it
can no other way.


--
I hope we can all be good neighbors online!

"C. Urch" wrote:

I love it when governments issue too many commemoratives with stale designs
as these tend to be the ones that command the premium due to low
mintages..ie...the 1986 Olympic Dollars and Gold...The 1997 Jackie Robinson
and a few more I'm certain you are all familiar with.

Where exactly were those Olympics held in 1986? ;-)


++++++++++
Phil DeMayo - always here for my fellow Stooge
When bidding online always sit on your helmet
Just say NO to counterfeits