Newly Posted Material

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have added some new material to Green Valley Coins. The new posted items consist of: U.S. Certified coins, 1982 Cent 7 roll set, Military Medals, 18th & 19th Century silver Mexican 8 Reals, French silver 5 Francs, and coins from Peru and the Philippines. IN the near future we will be posting more U.S. Revenue stamped paper, U.S. and Canadian coins.

Please use link below to search my new material, hope you find something of interest, Bruce

http://greenvalleycoins.greatcoins.com/for_sale/?page=44&

Transportation Tokens

Vecturists and Token Collecting

As many public transportation systems throughout the world have adopted card-swiping systems for paying fares, the tokens that used to be a part of daily life have fallen into disuse.  In many cases, though, people have begun to appreciate these tokens as collector’s items, thus giving many antiquated tokens a second life.

Vecturists, an offshoot group of the numismatic community that collects these transportation tokens, have seen their numbers grow in recent years, particularly as tokens have been phased out in favor of other payment methods.  The vecturist name comes from the Latin “vectura,” which in Roman parlance referred to “passage money” for travel.

Limitless ways to collect

The varieties of token collecting that vecturists engage in are fairly astounding.  Commonly collected tokens include those for subway, bus, trolley, railway, or ferry fares.  There are coins used for road, bridge, and tunnel tolls.  Parking lot tokens are collected, as are those for car washes. 

Some vecturists limit their collection to U.S. tokens, or even just one region of the country, while others choose to expand their purview to tokens from international cities.  Since many tokens are only associated with a particular city, or for a very specific purpose, some tokens can be especially difficult to track down.  And because of the obscurity of some tokens, it is a hobby that encourages a lot of trading between fellow vecturists.

Guides to the hobby

The go-to guide for vecturists is the Atwood-Coffee Catalogue of United States and Canadian Transportation Tokens, which has a fairly comprehensive listing of North American transportation tokens and their estimated current values among collectors.  With new finds often unearthed, the Atwood-Coffee tome has been updated a number of times to keep up with the hobby.

The American Vecturist Association was founded in 1948.  The organization’s monthly newsletter, The Fare Box, keeps tabs on new token issues, publishes histories of notable tokens, and carries announcements regarding auctions, sales, and tokens offered for trade.  The AVA also holds an annual convention each year that rotates between different U.S. venues.

The appeal of collecting, and challenges for the vecturist

Transportation tokens are a particularly attractive area for an entry-level collector, as many tokens can be acquired cheaply (most tokens are minted from brass or other economical alloys). 

However, it can also be a daunting hobby for the completist collector, as there are so many types of tokens one can collect. 

But, just as many numismatists are attracted to their hobby because of a love of history, collecting transportation tokens has the same appeal of immersing oneself in local history.  It is unsurprising, then, that many coin collectors also cross over and collect tokens as well.  Token collections can give us a tangible connection to how people lived and traveled each day, and serve as a reminder of the truly revolutionary modes of transportation that changed local economies in the twentieth century, ushering in the modern age.

Recently Added More Coins

Just completed posting a small box of Morgan Dollars for your consideration.  Locate these by performing a search from my home page at: 

Search Morgan Dollar's on Green Valley Coins  

There are many VAM varieties among the coins as well. I also added many more medals and miscellaneous coins and coin sets. happy hunting!

Greatcoins.Com Reaches 1000 Listings

There are now over 1,000 listings of Numismatic items on Greatcoins.com.

The site growing and we are starting to see more traffic in dealer stores and sales are increasing.

We have had several repeat customers at Green Valley Coins, which is a good sign of success.  This is due to having a good selection of fresh material in the correct grade, and resonable prices.

The Effect Of The Economy On Coin Value

The Effect of the Economy on Coin Value

Not so long ago, the image of the typical coin collector in the popular imagination might have been the child pursuing a hobby enjoyed by young people over many generations, or, at the opposite end of the age spectrum, the elderly antiquarian obsessed with the prospect of finding error coins or other rare currency.  At the same time, people imagined that the average coin dealer probably occupied a little shop on some back street, waiting patiently for one of his regular clients to come by and make a small purchase. The interest in rare currency was placed alongside photography, angling and countless other hobbies pursued primarily for pleasure as opposed to financial gain. The idea of the coin collector as a cool, calculating businessperson, or the bullion dealer doing a roaring business in coin sales from their plush business premises, was not yet hot coin news.

A Hobby Become a High-earnings Business

Many of the traditional collector coin buyers of earlier times were drawn to make their purchases by the historical interest, the artistic quality or rarity appeal they found in gold and silver coins. Certainly they were aware of coin value issues, but the idea of buying coins for value alone did not seem to be the predominant motivation. Without doubt there are still many buyers today whose main motivation is the interest they find in completing a collection of all the coins of a particular year, or all the coins of a certain denomination. However, the dramatic rise in the prices of gold and silver on world markets has attracted many more people who view coin collecting in a different light. Although it is hard to believe that a good number of purchasers of gold bullion coins, or silver proof sets, are not attracted by the look of the coin, or the story behind it, the prime reason they want to buy gold bullion coins, platinum coins or any other rare currency is now because these investments have proved to be a rock of stability in a turbulent economy.

Collector Coins as Refuge in Hard Times

The collapse of so many well-established businesses, and in particular, the failure of many US banks, have led many people to search for safer options for preserving and hopefully increasing the value of their private or business funds. It is interesting to observe that with all the technological and communication advances of the past century, a collapse of confidence in the economy drives people back to traditional sources of personal financial security - gold and silver coins. Archaeologists of ancient sites across the world frequently come across a hoard of gold or silver coins buried by their owner fleeing from an invading army, or the anger of a local ruler. Probably there are not so many people in the twenty-first century who bury their savings in their back yards, but their interest in buying gold and silver bullion represents a search for security in precious metals comparable to the interest demonstrated by their ancient ancestors.

Many Coin Collectors but Few Brick Collectors

To understand how numismatic coins of so many different varieties have become “hot” financial propositions, several factors need to be taken into consideration. Gold coin dealers and silver coin dealers benefit from selling items whose value is determined by more than a single variable. Compare this with, for example, the case of a business dealing in building supplies. People do not normally collect building supplies, but buy them as needed for their construction projects. When the economy is in a downturn, and building slows down, demand for building supplies is seriously affected. So what are the multiple determinants of coin value that have been driving the prices of numismatic coins through the roof over the last few decades?

Coin Value Propellers

If you ask the proverbial “man in the street” what is the main determinant of coin value, error coins, or perhaps rare currency, are likely to be popular answers. Searching for mint errors, and very limited coin issues for particular years has been a foundation of coin collecting since its very beginnings. The chance of finding a valuable 1864 two cent piece, or some other rare US coins is still a hope of many browsers in coin dealers shops and markets. The chief source of these coins’ value to the collector lies in their rarity. Thus you can find that while the metal of the coin is still worth only a few cents, the fact that few examples exist, or the coin was not properly struck in the mint, inflates the worth of this coin far beyond its metal value.

While the search for sound investments has made the purchase of rare quarters and many other kinds of rare currency attractive to a wider of buyers, many are also now attracted by the rising value of bullion to buy even common and contemporary gold and silver coins from bullion dealers. The fact that an ounce of gold that would have cost about $300 in 2002 costs about $1,800 in 2011, provides irrefutable evidence that investments in gold bullion coins, platinum coins and even silver coins, have been earning higher returns with less risk than most other legitimate investment opportunities. Even if a major new gold mine would be discovered and opened tomorrow, it seems unlikely that coin values will take a significant plunge. Although a significant fall in the price of gold coins for sale could affect contemporary or relatively common coin values, the added value brought by error coins and other items of rare currency would maintain a healthy clientele for gold and silver coin dealers.

Fresh Material Added

Uploaded more coins this week.  Mostly Medals and tokens, but there were some U.S. Quarter dollars and Half Dollars as well as some foreign material posted.  A good mix of stuff I did not even know that I had!  I have begun to dig deeper into my inventory and am finding some neat material that I must have had for many, many years.  Help me find a new home for some of my coins or other collectable items.  I will be giving away free coins to customers that complete an order from my store, leave a want list, and mention this blog, while supplys last.  There are also coins priced below there metalic value, see if you can find them!  See there are advantages to reading these blogs. Bruce

Green Valley Coins Welcomes Collectors

I would like to welcome all visitors to the Greatcoins Marketplace and my web-store - Green Valley Coins.  I now have over 400 items listed in my store and I have been posting new listings several times a week.   The store is at the following link: https://greenvalleycoins.greatcoins.com

Use the search feature to narrow down and pinpoint your interests.  I have many different denominations on U.S. Coins as well as U.S. Paper money (Small size notes), some tokens and medals, error & varieties, and even some Canadian coins.  What is posted is just a fraction on my inventory.  So if you do not see what you are interested in, just send me an e-mail at: benwab@sbcglobal.net

and let me know what you are looking for, or send me your want list.  I would be glad to assist you in locating the right coins for your collection. My next box of goodies to be posted has good for tokens, medals, U.S. coins, including some key date quaters, and some world coins. In a week or so I will have a good selection of Morgan Dollars posted, so stop back often to see whats new.  Remember that the early bird gets the worm!

Bruce Benoit - Green Valley Coins