“Have We Reached the Limit? 2-Euro Collectors Are Giving Up In the Face of a Myriad of Varieties” and more from CoinsWeekly

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Stay informed with this week's CoinsWeekly articles, providing the latest updates and news from the numismatic world. Feel free to reply in this thread to comment, ask questions, or discuss the articles.

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  Have We Reached the Limit? 2-Euro Collectors Are Giving Up In the Face of a Myriad of Varieties
  Collecting coins is a hobby that is not only educational but, at its best, should provide lasting pleasure. However, if you look at the relevant online forums, Facebook groups and Discord servers, you get the impression that more and more 2-euro collectors are no longer enjoying their hobby.

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  A-Mark Precious Metals Acquires Stack’s Bowers Galleries
  One of the largest auctioneers in the numismatic world has a new owner. Stack’s Bowers Galleries, including its parent company, entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by A-Mark Precious Metals.

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  Prize to Manfred Dunker, the Innovator of the Modern Commemorative Coin Market
  Manfred Dunker played a decisive role in the creation of MDM and is probably the most influential person in the history of modern commemorative coins. At the World Money Fair 2025, Samlerhuset Group paid tribute to its most important employee.

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  69th ANS Summer Seminar 2025 – Open for Applications
  The American Numismatic Society has announced the dates of its Summer Seminar 2025. With the support of this year's visiting scholar, Professor John Ma, the eight-week program will offer lectures and workshops on numismatic methods, theories, and history.

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  Stack’s Bowers Announces 2025 Professional Numismatist Program
  If you have ever considered making your hobby your profession, the Stack’s Bowers Professional Numismatist Program offers an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to be successful in this field.

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Hopefully. I have had more than enough of varieties of absolutely everything produced these days from both Government and Private mints. 

Best said in the article:

In short, as "hunters and collectors", we follow our instincts. And these instincts often cannot be explained rationally and are difficult to control. But especially when it comes to our hobby of collecting coins, we should not lose common sense -otherwise we will one day lose our passion for this hobby. And that wouldn't benefit anyone - neither us nor the mints, whose business is becoming increasingly challenging anyway.

It's disheartening to see people being turned away from any hobby, but especially a one with such a long & remarkable history such as coins.

And I completely agree with the article, it's becoming completely unrealistic to have “complete” collections any more.

When I started collecting the UK decimal coins, I needed ~150 coins to complete my set (excluding year variants) in the late 90s. It's now about ~250 circulating coins (heavily propped up by the 2012 Olympics 50p & 2018-19 Alphabet 10p series), which is still quite manageable.

According to Numista, there are currently 138 x 50p coins since 2009 & 36 x £2 since 2017 issued only as “collectable” non-circulating.

For comparison, there's only 84 circulating 50p since 1969 & 39 x £2 since 1997 (technically 1998 for release). How do these numbers make sense?

And they're going crazy with the £5 coins too which started as irregular issues, then one (rarely two) per year - all available at face value until 2008, though rarely spent as coins. Now there's like a billion. Okay, “only” 166…, but when you think they only had 20 between 1990-2008 [19 years] then started really going crazy in 2017 with 124(!) in just 9 years, well 8 and 2 months.

You just can't do it without deep pockets, and it's so crazy to me. I know mints have to expand their remit to make themselves profitable, but why make coins? It would be just as easy to make coin-like medals.

All it does is make the idea of coin completion unaffordable & unrealistic. And nobody wants an incomplete collection. Plus when you can just buy it, takes all the joy out of the hunt.

And I think medals would sell better. Take the Star Wars 50p from Royal Mint. Why not replace Charles with a “king-like portrait” of a character. You could have the official-looking portrait of Luke Skywalker on one side & then a dramatic pose on the other. Heck, you might even get “double-dippers” so they can have both sides on display simultaneously.

Call it 50 units or credits or whatever the Star Wars universe currency is.

Surely the fans buying them would love that much more than a picture of Charles (no disrespect to him intended).

(Sorry, rant over! 🤬. It just really gets to me, and I can see exactly why the €2 collectors are getting pissed off, because I'm going through a similar phase. )

No kidding, and not limited to Europe.  The USA has issued 128 circulating commemorative quarters since 1999, and more than 50 dollar coins of circulating and non-circulating types since 2007.

2009 alone had 36 coins in the yearly mint set!

I hear our Canadian friends have it worse.

Please. It's out of control everywhere. U.S. , Europe, UK,  Australia,  Canada, China,  Niue, etc, etc, etc.

Sadly, if we just stop buying them, they'll stop making them, but then they'll be that much rarer, so that much more desirable, so people will buy them, so they'll keep making them.

Some companies like the kon club and Westminster are ruining the hobby with their plethora of junk issues (Pitcairn islands sterling coins spring to mind) and the sets for the crown dependencies such as jersey, guernsey and the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man landmarks 10p set is a prime example of a company ripping off collectors, I have a comprehensive collection of Isle of Man coins dating back to 1709 and now I select only those actually minted for circulation on the island, with these junk issues I’ve never seen as much shrapnel in my life and I’ve fought in a war. 

I only have euros, which can be “found” in circulation, but even there I have a price limit of 10 euro per coin.