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Do American Coin Buyers Want Non-Traditional Coins?

The success
of last year’s Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins, which had a
convex/concave, or domed, shape, and were a big hit with collectors, has
prompted some people to wonder if U.S. collectors want more coins that are
non-traditional in their shape or appearance.
For example,
when the Pro Football Hall of Fame coin (which is still only a legislative
proposal pending in the U.S. Congress) was first proposed, there was some
discussion about whether it should be shaped like a football. But it would be very difficult to create a
coin of such a shape, and the fact is that the U.S. Mint has little experience
producing coins of unusual shapes. That
is why it had to consult with the French and Australian Mints to produce the
baseball coin, which was a very challenging project for the Mint, as was
detailed in the pages of Coin World
last year.
Besides,
from what I hear from collectors it would probably be accurate to say most of
them are not big fans of many of the unusual types of coins other world mints
are issuing. There does not appear to be
much desire for colored coins, for example, and the same applies to coins with
elements like crystals.
However, if
not overdone and if limited to coins whose subject matter lends itself to the
domed shape, I do think U.S. buyers would go for that shape again. In fact, the proposed 2019 50th
anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing commemorative coin series, which the
Citizens Coinage Advisory Commission endorsed at its recent meeting in
Portland, may be minted in that shape. That
makes sense since it would resemble the moon.
Another
innovation that American buyers might go for, if tastefully done, would be
selective gilding, or gold-plating. The
upcoming 30th anniversary of the American Silver Eagle program next
year might provide the occasion for a gilded American Silver Eagle. But I highly doubt buyers would want one
every year.
All things
considered, collectors of U.S. coins are probably more inclined towards
traditional coins than collectors of world coins, but there is still scope for
plenty of innovation within those parameters, especially in terms of bolder
designs.