Mainstream Media Coverage Bolsters Hobby
Mainstream media is fueling interest in coin collecting through increased coverage and engaging articles.
The old saying about never looking a gift horse in the mouth is as true for the coin collecting hobby as it is for anything else. Occasionally, the hobby gets free publicity courtesy of the news media that addresses the general public, even if some of the news may look at the dark side of our physical money.
One particular recent example is the New York Times newspaper story of Sept. 1 titled, “America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny”. Within the attack on the lowly cent is the line, “For 43 years, Artazn has held contracts with the Treasury Department to manufacture the zinc ‘blanks’ that the mint stamps into 1-cent coins. These contracts have earned it more than $1 billion in revenue since 2008 alone.” A negative for the cent – yes. A plus for collecting cents – also a yes.
On the brighter side, the Sept. 3 New York Post newspaper ran a story about a recently discovered pewter composition 1776 Continental dollar “found in a bin of knickknacks, such as jewelry, carved stone and fossils” in England. The coin has reportedly been certified as being genuine. That discovery might send non-collectors scrambling to dig for treasures in Mom’s old jewelry box.
Vibus News has been working overtime on promoting coins with such headlines as “Over $2,530 is what this rare quarter dollar coin is worth, check if you have one!” and “Delivered $61,000 to the lucky owner of this one-dollar bill!” The stories are respectively about a 2004-D Wisconsin Extra Leaf High quarter and an otherwise ordinary and common dollar bill but with special serial numbers. Most collectors likely understand what these are and what they are really worth, but if these headlines can draw more interest in coin collecting, that’s a plus for the hobby.
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