I've been wondering lately how much of a coins popularity is driven by marketing. I think a lot (in most cases) but that's as close as I've come to an exact figure. When I think of recent popular silver coins in the world, I think of American Eagles, Chinese Pandas, Perth Mint Lunar series coins and Koala's (Kooks as well), Taku's, Philharmonics, and Maple Leafs. I get very regular promotional emails from the Perth Mint, RCM, and the New Zealand Mint. These emails continually promote their coins...is it any wonder then that quite a number of coins produced by these mints are quite popular? The US mint doesn't have it's own PR going too well but I don't think they need to since so many businesses and investors and collectors promote their coins in all sorts of ways anyway. I know nothing about how the Shenzhen, Shanghai, or Shenyang Mints promotion of the Panda's works. The mint that seems to be very lackadaisical about it's promotion of its products and even its public image to some degree is the Banco de Mxico. From what I've been told, the only really well known coins produced by the Banco de Mxico are of course the Libertads. These are well made (high quality) coins in both the bullion and collector versions. I've been told recently that Libertad's are mostly popular only in the US and Germany. I don't know how true this is but it might be. I'm thinking that if the Banco de Mxico get their act together and started to really promote their products, Libertad's would be a much more popular coin worldwide. SilverStackers may be one of the only places that you will see lots of excitement about Libertad's. With such meager promotion by the mint for Libertad's, is it any wonder that they aren't more popular than they are. It's a shame I think. Anyway, what are your thoughts on popularity of coins and promotion by mints, dealers, and others...how much of that popularity comes from promotion and marketing? .
To be honest the only coins I heard from Bank of Mexico are the Libertads bullion gold, bullion silver, proof, and Aztech. This is actually something good for collectors as their low mintages drive high demand. Royal Canadian Mint and Perth Mint (and probably I have to include NZ Mint) have been promoting their products very aggressively, with new coins being launched almost every month. They have a huge range of products and eventually I kindda stop looking at them because they are just too many to choose from and my interest died down.
I don't think marketing ever affected my choices. I don't ignore it, I just read it like anything else, and I search around, for any product that may be out there, so those that don't advertise alot, I still find. I have files here where I add mints (actually coin producers) and dealers around the world, upon finding them. Now and then, I sweep them to see if anything new and if so, anything that I would buy. And I mark with >>> those with the lowest prices of that interesting stuff, at the moment of the sweep. And when I then have some crapmoney to swap for silver, I already have a good idea on what to buy, and where, and its then just a matter of waiting for a price when things suggest it's a bottom one. Promotion, thus makes little difference for me. And I like huge ranges of products, if they're *really* ranges. Meaning, different designs different themes. For ex, the most recent coins I bought, the place I bought them, had alot specialties - the Cook Islands seem to be a specialties story as long as the NZ mint. I dwelled through all the coins, and despite the maybe hundred and more, only a very few I would consider. Having complete series like all Lunar years, all gods of olympus or what was it, all star systems, all disney figures (just random thought here), doesn't interest me. I purely go after design, and that's it. If all gods of olympus were ugly but one looked good, I would buy the 1 and dig the rest. I like a few Lunar specific animals and that's it. I don't want a 2010 2011 2012 2013 etc range. Things that excite, sell themselves. Promoted or not promoted.
