The Interest factor is a term used to indicate how much demand a particular coin or variety might have. A variety with a very high interest factor would be in high demand, with several thousands of collectors desiring the variety. A medium interest factor may indicate that the variety is desired by hundreds or a few thousand people, and a low interest factor might indicate that the coin is sought by just a handful of collectors.
As a variety receives more publicity within the numismatic press, the interest factor may rise as demand increases. This may cause the price or value of certain varieties to increase without any change in the estimated quantity available. On the other hand, if a large quantity of a variety surfaces, the value of that variety may decrease as the supply outstrips the demand. As in other segments of the hobby, a combination of supply and demand almost always dictates the price or value of a particular variety.
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Famous quotes containing the words interest and/or factor:
“A man’s interest in the world is only the overflow from his interest in himself. When you are a child your vessel is not yet full; so you care for nothing but your own affairs. When you grow up, your vessel overflows; and you are a politician, a philosopher, or an explorer and adventurer. In old age the vessel dries up: there is no overflow: you are a child again.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“You factor in racism as a reality and you keep moving.”
—Jewell Jackson McCabe (b. 1945)