Low-carb diets are the rage of the land and coins from the Carson City Mint are accelerating in popularity. What do the two subjects have in common?
Low-Carb Diets vs. "CC" Coins
By Rusty Goe
May 4, 2004
A Short Course in America's National Diet
Try to find someone who has not heard of the low-carb diets sweeping the land. The phrase is certain to be listed in the next edition of Webster's Dictionary. You hear it everywhere: T.V. and radio ads, sitcoms, drama series, the news, comedian's monologues, on college campuses, church gatherings, and at the workplace.
If a person wants to lose weight quickly with as little deprivation as possible, a low-carb diet is today's magic formula. Initially, frenzied dieters paid high premiums for low-carb foodstuffs in short supply as they searched grocery markets and online websites for things to eat compatible to their strict regimens. A paradigm shift began from a nation that was primarily high-carb oriented to its low-carb counter-part.
Small independent versions of convenience-stores-on-wheels sprang up around the country hocking low-carb items. Then the big food chains began carrying low-carb foods and hundreds of websites recklessly and frantically competed by offering discounts on anything remotely related to the most popular diet plan in history.
Before long, low-carb foods became as plentiful as bags of potato chips and cans of soda pop displayed down supermarket aisles. Major food producers began manufacturing low-carb versions of their staple items and restaurant chains offered low-carb menus. Even the ice cream legend Ben and Jerry's scooped up a number of frozen treats to satisfy the sweet tooth of the swarm of dieters. All of these re-carbohydrated food favorites aided obese Americans in losing tons of their gross domestic fat. The continent will not be withstanding as much weight as it was a few years ago as all this dieting is definitely relieving the heavy load of humanity's excess poundage.
Relationship Between "CC" Coins and the Diet?
There are similarities with the low-carb dieting craze and the popularity of the Carson City coin market; but in the time it takes to gobble a piece of sugar-free Hershey's chocolate, the scenario turns down two contrasting paths.
One of the similarities is the practically overnight increase in demand for coins with a "CC" mintmark and food with a low carb count. Both have been popular for many years, but interest in each category has skyrocketed in the past year and a half.
However, unlike low-carb foods, there will not be new Carson City coins produced to feed the insatiable appetite of collectors craving mintmarked coins. Existing supplies of "CC" coinage get quickly absorbed when entering the market; and availability is subject to volatile recycling of such coins by current owners.
Evidence of this recycling is seen when "CC" coins are purchased on eBay or other auction venues and then quickly listed again by the new owners. Gradually, this recycling is slowing, however, as more collectors are choosing to hold their "CC" coins for the long term, realizing that supplies are rather short.
Just like temporarily out of stock low-carb foods cause starving dieters to camp overnight in front of their favorite stores awaiting the next delivery, collectors of the legendary "CC" coins eagerly await each new auction catalog or the next edition of the national coin newspapers. It is not uncommon for dealers to receive multiple calls for the same "CC" coin listed in their ads. Once sold, it becomes anyone's guess when a replacement will be found.
Is the current Carson City coin craze a temporary fad that will eventually run its course and fade in popularity? Though no one knows for sure, the hot market for "CC" coins is probably not akin to any hyped up diet fad. The levels of hysteria are comparable at times, but the interest in coins from the Carson City Mint appears to be something you can sink your teeth into that won't be washed down with a gulp of an artificially sweetened diet soda.
Fanning the Flames
There are reports that the Unique specimen of an 1873-CC Without Arrows dime is scheduled to hit the auction market during the summer of 2004. This will only heighten the fascination collectors have with "CC" coins as everyone waits with eager anticipation to see if another price record is broken. Along with the legendary dime once owned by famous collector Louis Eliasberg, other scarce coins from the Carson City Mint will be offered at the same time. The stingy supply of these coveted coins will trigger fierce competition among the growing number of Carson City devotees.
But once the coins are purchased, they will most likely be off the market for an extended period of time and no coin factories will be producing new ones as replacements. You can label this fanaticism with "CC" coins anything you would like, even comparing it to fad diets. However, in the end, those who specialize in these historically enchanting coins know their interest won't fade away, but will instead, intensify as time passes.
"CC" Collectors Faithful to the End
Dieters may or may not keep the weight off that they lose and they might even jump ship and land on the next diet fad that sails along, but those hooked on Carson City coins know they have a good thing going and will most likely stay loyal to the end.
Unlike new diet foods, no freshly produced "CC" coins will flood the market to satisfy increased demand. A growing collector base will compete for the virtually fixed supply of issues from the Carson City Mint. The thrill of the hunt may cause eager collectors to shed a pound or two as beads of sweat form on their foreheads when battling head to head in the public market for the precious few specimens surviving of some of the dates. To those bitten by the "CC" bug there is practically no greater pleasure on earth. If presented with the choice to be on a diet or assemble a set of coins from the Carson City Mint, what would you choose?
In the spirit of having your cake and eating it too, how about a diet pill that really does burn off all your fat (for good); saving you the cost and tedium of expensive diet plans, thus freeing up more money to add to your collection of Carson City coins? Where do I sign up?