Market Direction Hard to Predict as the World Opens Up

We had been sure that this day would come, but we weren’t exactly sure when it would be. Suffice to say, the world is beginning to reopen as the COVID threat diminishes. In retrospect, the pandemic served as a perfect storm for the coin hobby. It started with the demographic of the average collector.  Most were older, many retired, generally well-heeled financially with little or no debt. In other words, coin collectors were largely unaffected by the financial impact of the pandemic. The one thing they had more of was time. We didn’t take pause on the front end to consider these factors. But, it became apparent quickly that collectors were using their extra time to concentrate on building their collections. Demand for coins shot through the roof. There was however a fly in the ointment. With coin shops essentially shut down, and coin shows nonexistent, sourcing new material to supply this newfound demand proved challenging. Fall of last year, this situation began to change. Smaller regional and club sponsored shows began to reopen. The pent-up needs of dealers became quickly apparent, as virtually all of these shows flourished. Now with larger national shows on the horizon, a sense of normalcy is beginning to return to the hobby. But something else is also happening, and it transcends just the numismatic arena. For those of us living in areas with four seasons (which is much of the U.S.), the weather is warming and the outside is beaconing. Vacations that were put on hold for over a year are now a reality. Reunions, get-togethers, outdoor sporting events and the like are all taking center stage again. It would not surprise us at all if this had a temporary effect on the coin market. Under ordinary circumstances and during ordinary times, the coin market, almost without fail, takes a pause during the summer. But, as we all are only too aware, there has been nothing ordinary about the times we are living in. There is also one other very important underlying factor that could continue to provide strength to the coin market, and that is precious metals. If the metals markets continue to respond to inflationary concerns, the numismatic sector should also remain active. Potentially, we have some opposing forces at work. It will be interesting to see where the dust settles. In the next month or so, we all will probably have a better idea of the answer. Times should continue to prove interesting, albeit for much different reasons. Until next time, happy collecting, and we hope to see many of you again at one of our upcoming coin shows.