I have been active in ancient
numismatics since I was about 13 (which was when I joined the
FORVM in 2009) and remain involved now at age 23. As such I think I am more qualified than many to discuss the "younger" perspective.
I agree with the contention that younger people tend to refrain from coin
collection largely because of new modes of entertainment that were not available years ago. Kids can spend
money on video games instead of on coins.
I wonder, though, if younger generations will become more interested as they get older and more financially stable. I think it's not unusual for people to develop an interest in
history later in life. While perhaps these forces might not generate as many coin collectors as there are or have been in the past, I don't think this should be considered an extinction of the hobby.
Stamps and baseball cards are so often considered as the archetypical "dying" hobbies. Stamps and baseball cards are often expensive due to
rare types, small errors or variants. Someone who is not interested in such
types may not place much monetary value on these items. While ancient coin
rarity affects the
price, they are inherently special by being ancient and are among the most accessible pieces of ancient art. Due to this, I find that many of my friends
can understand the appeal of
ancient coins, where it may find it harder to feel a draw to stamps, for example. I have given coins of mine to friends who are interested in
history as presents, and it has always been appreciated.
The blog shows that
eBay ancient coins sale numbers and prices are remaining constant. At least now, ancient coin collecting has hardly disappeared. And if I'm right in predicting that future generations of numismatists will appear in force as they grow older, then I don't think there is much to worry about just yet.
Decreasing interest in ancient
numismatics would be unfortunate for the community. However, if the hobby of collecting coins does indeed wane, not all is lost either. Coin prices would decrease commensurately, which may at least increase the financial accessibility of the hobby to younger people or those intimidated by prices of nice pieces.
At this point, I think the conclusion of the blog is overly lugubrious. We will only for certain, however, with more time.