Christmas is over and it has now been a few days since my (almost) daily post run talking about each coin I got from the calendar ended. So I guess it is time to share my thoughts about the calendar itself and whether it was worth the money I paid for it.
I originally bought the calendar from The London Mint Office, which is a coin trader and dealer based not far from London. They are not the cheapest of dealers out there, but on occasion they do special promotions and offers which I have taken up more than once.
The calendar they have produced this year, was likewise, not cheap and substantially a lot more than the chocolate variety you can find in most supermarkets and corner shops. The calendar though is not cheaply made. The card stock used is of much finer quality than most store bought calendars and after receiving a fair number of knocks during the month has manged to retain much of it’s rigidity and shape. The coins were also held firmly in place, so if some accident would occur causing a door to be opened prior to it’s actual day, the likelihood of losing one would be slim.
Each door on the calendar also had a brief description of the coin revealed behind each door so there was no chance of not knowing the provenance or nominal value of the coin received each day.
The variety of the coins in terms of their origin was also uniquely varied. Despite a couple of them, most were coins I actually do not have in my collection even though they were of fairly low value coins of themselves. This is was a pleasant surprise for me, compounded more by the fact that I also got some coins from countries I actually don’t own any for. Furthermore, there were a few special strikes within the calendar, nominal commemorative coins similar to 50p and £2 coins here in the UK. The FAO coin from Paraguay (day 14) also opened up a new collection avenue for the future as I may try and attempt to collect more of them.
So was the calendar worth it to me. Yes and no. From a financial worth of the calendar it was definitely not worth the price I paid for it. Yes, the coins are in great condition with all of them ranging between Very Fine and Almost Uncirculated condition, but the numismatic value of the coins overall are not spectacular.
However, in terms of fun and enjoyment, yes it was worth it. Actually getting a Christmas calendar where the item behind the door each day was something I was genuinely interested in was a new and novel experience. Adding new coins to my collection which for the most part I actually don’t own or have very few examples of was also a nice experience. So the collector side of me was definitely thoroughly pleased.
Would I be getting another calendar like this next year if one is available? Most likely not. Despite having fun with it, from a personal financial viewpoint I really can’t persuade myself to pay for another. Would I recommend it? For the more established collector, or those looking for a financial investment, a very strong no. There would be little for you to gain from this product. But if you are fairly new to the hobby, looking for a novel experience, or having the money spare, then by all means get this calendar. I had fun with it, and discovering new coins and learning a little about each country along the way was certainly a better way to spend this December than what I normally would have.
Numismatic Exploits 