What area of coins will appreciate most?
Question: I used to be an avid collector. Before I get back in, I wanted to get some advice as to where the best opportunities were. I know that I should collect what I like. I also want to collect where there seems to be the most appreciation potential.
Answer: If I knew the definitive answer to that question, I could make millions :)
I don’t know what area has the most appreciation potential. It depends on too many unknowns and I’m not going to even venture a guess as to what might happen in the coin market in the next 30, 40 or 50 years. No one can accurately predict that.
There are four possible outcomes when you decide to collect coins and want to make money while doing it.
- You collect coins you like and are interested in and make lots of money.
- You collect coins you like and are interested in and don’t make much money.
- You collect coins you don’t like and aren’t interested in and make lots of money.
- You collect coins you don’t like and aren’t interested in and don’t make money.
Out of those possibilities, I think we’d all agree that #1 is the outcome we want. Then, depending on your priorities between making money and enjoying what you do, #2 and #3 are next, then #4 brings up the tail. If you talked to all the coin collectors out there, I would bet there is a very small percentage who have really made it big from coin collecting. However, out of that same group, there are lots and lots of them who are collecting what they like and enjoying the hobby. Given that you can control what you collect and not how much you end up making in the long run, my recommendation continues to be to collect what you like, regardless of its potential for appreciation. You’ll be much happier in the long run, regardless of how much the value of your coins appreciate.