I find it very interesting but of course you have to fully understand where NRI stands for. Too many members take the R in NRI to literally. I like to know how common/uncommon my coins are. I also don't post any coin with a NRI less than 25 in the "New additions" topic, so yes, for every new addition I check the NRI.
The rarity index is the result of Numista members entering their collection (whether 'public' for swapping or 'private' doesn't matter).
Numista is bilingual (EN/FR).
As a result: coins from the UK, US, Canada, France (and ...) are likely to be reported frequently, since many Numista members own them. The rarity index is likely to yield a low estimate.
Coins from countries where Numista is less popular are likely to be collected less often by Numista members. Their rarity index may therefore be overrated.
If you happen to buy a coin which has not been listed in Numista yet, you may provide a Numista catalogue contribution. The new coin will get a rarity index = 99 after your contribution is verified and accepted. Once you enter your coin, the rarity index drops.
Quote: "Gwyde"The new coin will get a rarity index = 99 after your contribution is verified and accepted. Once you enter your coin, the rarity index drops.
Numista rarity index 99 doesn't exist.
Nobody owns the coin: NRI = 100
1 member owns the coin: NRI = 97
Numista Rarity Index gives an idea of how rare the coin is owned by Numista users. We have a lot of different types of collectors here from around the world, so I would say it is an important part to look at.
For example, I bought a few lots of German Notgelds recently, some of the coins have NRI at 22, some at 45, some at 85. So, it gives me an idea that 85 is much rarer than 22, for example. Does it mean it costs a lot? Not really, maybe just a bit.
A lot of less collected coins, or especially tokens have very high NRI numbers, but it means only that nobody wants these coins/tokens, that is why nobody owns them.
So, NRI is important, but people just need to understand what it means.
Many people equate "rarity" with "value" particularly confused new members looking only to know what they can sell their coin or note for. If it were renamed to Numista Ownership Index (NOI) (where NOI = 100 - NRI) it would be less confusing and more obvious what it meant. A coin with a high NOI would imply it was a coin that was desirable to most collectors without a cogitation of low value. Just a thought....
Quote: "Sjoelund"I NEVER look at it, since it's not worth anything...
-I agree.
"Many people equate "rarity" with "value" particularly confused new members looking only to know what they can sell their coin or note for. If it were renamed to Numista Ownership Index (NOI) (where NOI = 100 - NRI) it would be less confusing and more obvious what it meant"
- this is true too. (& the NOI would be a much better acronym IMO since it would be far less misleading)
While the pricing panel for most catalogues factor in the coin/note's rarity it is only one of several factors that they consider when determining a Book Value (BV) for a particular coin/note. Several catalogues even have # of coins/notes issued but these numbers don't tell the whole story (some issues being fully or partly recalled/destroyed or melted).
TPG (Third Party Graders) population reports may factor in too (though they tell a minor part of the story). So the context (other mitigating factors) of the coin/note's issue are considered. Later series tend to be cheaper/more common & in less demand. Popularity of coin/note is pretty huge (& collectors lover earlier or shorter series). Short-lived Items which have design modifications are also popular. I would even say popularity is one of the most pressing factors since collector demand drives BV more than rarity. For example, over a 100,000,000 of the $1 Devil's Face banknotes (from 1954) were issued yet there seems to be no end in sight for its ever increasing BV. There are many other examples of common issues which are fairly pricey because of collector demand (rather than rarity).
I use the Numista Rarity Index to balance swaps of non valuable coins. If I am asked for 20 regular coins in a swap for example I would add up each NRI number for those coins. I would then ask for coins of a similar total in return. Not perfect but it works for me.
Quote: "rsirian1"Many people equate "rarity" with "value" particularly confused new members looking only to know what they can sell their coin or note for. If it were renamed to Numista Ownership Index (NOI) (where NOI = 100 - NRI) it would be less confusing and more obvious what it meant. A coin with a high NOI would imply it was a coin that was desirable to most collectors without a cogitation of low value. Just a thought....
Hahaha...just found this while searching for something else...
Ni, I only find that number valuable for seeing who else may have it on numista, has no real world application as a new token can rate 99 and a 1921 peace dollar a 7.
