By Mike Walsh
Offering collectors “some kind of rarity” would be a great opportunity for Mints around the world to further engage collectors.
That’s one of the key messages four worldwide dealers offered to the Mints during a panel discussion held at the 2023 Mint Directors Conference in Ottawa this fall.
“Here in Canada, we have a lot of circulation strike coins that are commemorative and engaging to people. This is also being done around the world,” said Canadian panellist Steven Bromberg. “It’s a great way of bringing in collectors, but you also need to offer them some kind of rarity.”
He added, “There’s a great opportunity to do a lot more to get them by offering products that are not easy to find.”
The prolific, longtime Canadian dealer was one of four who participated in the panel discussion on, “Rethinking Numismatics – Appealing to the New Collector.”
Bromberg, who owned Canadian Coin & Currency for 36 years before selling it late last year, urged the Mints to offer more value to collectors.
“To engage collectors and keep them, you need to offer coins that are going to sell out. Coins that are genuinely going to go up in value,” he suggested. “I think there should be a balance (of what Mints offer). We need a percentage of our coins as quick sell-outs. We also need coins that are available the whole year … and it’s not important whether they are rare.”
Bromberg is no stranger to collectors and their interests, especially in Canada. He is known countrywide as the host of Canada’s most popular consumer broadcast, The Coin Show, which began airing on the Shopping Channel (now called Today’s Shopping Choice) in 1992.
Bromberg urged the Mints to “keep the conversation open” with numismatic dealers.
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