Is Paper money collecting an essential male hobby?

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Is there a lot of women collecting paper money or women being CPMS members? I have count only two women on this forum and they are very very new members...

It does seem to be a male-dominated hobby but there are many women who collect, too.  I managed to get two interested a few years ago.

In numismatic collecting, both paper and coin, males outnumber the females about 30 to 1. There are some real expert woman collectors, but I am afraid not as many as males.

I would certainly like to see more. After doing the coin show circuit for many years, there are too few women and young collectors now than ever before.

Rick

And then there are young people like me and several other members of this forum. The demographics on this site would, I expect, differ significantly from the hobby as a whole.

I have found this topic to be of interest as I recently ran some numbers related to this for a book I am writing.

My numbers were 1 in every 110 new paper money clients are female. Including coins in a study will contaminate the paper money metrics, so I excluded all the gold coin related numbers I had. I believe the sample I took of about 550 buys is large enough to be representative of the online market, the Bricks and Mortar market may have different numbers.

Now what these numbers don't show is that many women are quite involed through their male partners and many will contend if "he collects" then "she collects" to.

I recently made a trip to rural Nova Scotia for a very large private deal where I was on the sell side and the father (main collector), wife (transactional gatekeeper) and daughter (I can sense is an emerging collector through her questions) were all present for several hours as tons of material was reviewed.

Prior to my arrival I assumed my male contact there was the collector and that my meeting was with him. It turns out there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. The wife is very involved, tracking notes, keeping the inventory organized and more.

I know several males who spend 4 and 5 figures monthly on their collection (I am no exception) and if they want to stay married they are likely getting a lot of support/interest from their significant other.

There can be no doubt however that no matter which way it is looked at that collecting paper money appeals more to men than to women and is populated by more men then women.

Troy

I agree, paper money collecting is more a male hobby since women seem to think this hobby is so alien in nature. I have only come across a handful of female collectors over the years and most of them aren't serious collectors. One thing I find odd is, a lot of tellers who work at banks are working paycheck to paycheck. So obviously they need the cash and some work at banks that don't demand they send older bills in for mutilation, so they would be up for grabs for them to keep and sell them for themselves to collectors or a coinshop. There is one bank employee who is crazy about $1 and 50 cent pieces, she buys most of them that come into the bank from customers.  

I can only speak for what happens in my house, and it is very clear that I like to collect paper money and my wife likes to spend it...which I must say she does far to well.  

All kidding aside, (?), I have my girls looking at all their notes for radar numbers...they seem to get a kick out of that. My wife's appreciation of my collection is limited and she only rolls her eyes when I purchase yet "another" note.

Friends seem to show somewhat of an interest, especially in the old notes from their childhood memories.

Now... would it be every paper money collectors dream to have a significant other collecting paper money too?  Just imagine... your significant other would be excited to go to the coin/paper money shows with you.  Having the same passion in discussing paper money, etc.  

I wonder what's the possibility of this happening?

It would be great to have a significant other as a collector. If they check all their bills for radars, and such.  . My wife thinks I'm crazy. :p

It's also great to have a son as a paper money collector. He has a lot of luck when going to banks asking for specific bundles of $5, $10 bills and finding radars. He's found quite a few BEK Inserts in circulation, he was the one who got a AU BET $10 in his change in Ottawa.......

Is there a lot of women collecting paper money or women being CPMS members? I have count only two women on this forum and they are very very new members...

I think we can now make that 3...a new member registered just this afternoon under user name MRS2JUICY.  Even if this member is not a woman, he/she lives in Maryland, so at least we're spicing up the demographics somehow.

I guess we could try to get more demographic details from our members - Zodiac sign, profession, type of degree you have, your age when you started collecting, what inspired you to start collecting...

I'll start with myself...I'm a male Virgo {an embarrasing sign for a male; you keep having to emphasize Virgo}.  I work for a bank and have a Bachelor of Admin. Studies degree (majored in marketing).  I got into my paper money hobby when I was 7 or 8, around the time they switched the 1972 $5 to the 1979, and the 1969 $20 to the 1979...I remember as a young kid thinking this was weird and wondering why there were two versions of each note.

I also found the asterisk notes fascinating.  I remember when I was 8 or 9 years old and asking a family friend - who was a bank teller in her mid-20's - why there was a little star in front of the serial number on a $1 bill I got.  She told me this was because the Queen's bra strap was missing in her picture ().  It didn't occur to me at the time to ask her why the Queen looked exactly the same on my asterisk note as she did on a regular note .

I shudder to think what her explanation would have been if I had instead asked her about a 1972 $5 asterisk note - what particular article of Wilfred Laurier's clothing would she have said was missing? [could have given a whole new meaning to the "Where's Willy" money tracking site ].

I am perhaps one of the very few females on the board.  I have been into collecting Canadian currency since 1993, and I am lovin' it!

During my entire time of collecting, I have been more focused on the new twenties and fifties.  I have two Birds $10's in my collection, as well as one Birds $5 and a multicoloured buck.  I will be holding on to them for many months, maybe years to come.

I am proud to be a member of the Canadian banknote collecting hobby, because "paper money is art!"

   - Cathy -

It is established that the largest group of banknote collectors are male. I am not sure of the percentage, but is seems that notes are male dominated. In the coin shows, one needs only count the people in attendance.

One of the age old questions is how do we attract more females?

Same problem in CAND, 63 men, 2 women (and one in honourary).

Rick

Hi, Just joined this forum as mew member and natually a male too, lol!

Honestly, I do agree with the fact this hobby paper money collecting isn't attaching many females the way I noticed for over 20 years.  Now I do think it may have gained a bit more than before.

You how I got into this hobby? My grandma! She was the one who put me in path of the hobby, my grandma had been collecting coins, stamps and paper money for about 40 years. I was given (by will) her paper money collection (now mine) and add up with my new dollars!

So, I'm sure there are likely more females hidden not known in families who collects money for hobby.  I've alway known and said that grandmas makes the best coin collectors! *Grin*  

It is difficult to ascertain the male/female ratio of collectors. Having attended shows for away too many years, the ratio appears to be the same as it has been.

The first 400 people through the doors at the recent TNS show in Hamilton was 390 males, 10 females. This is an actual count. Many times at shows, it is females who bring in items to sell the dealers.

On talk shows that I do on radio, the ratio of questions is about 10-1 male/female. Many males ask detailed questions, while many females ask the "whats it worth" type.

There may be a hunter/gatherer thing in collecting. I doubt if the ratio can be altered, but young collectors into the market is another factor all to gether.

Rick

Hello Boyz,  
I am new to the forum but not new to collecting MONEY! It all started with a few 1967's my mom gave me at 18. My husband thinks I'm crazy but he still shows intrest when I get a new piece for my collection. Donna70