Glasgow named the collecting capital of vinyl records, rare books by The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint has named Glasgow as the collecting capital of vinyl records and rare books as it celebrates the Royal Mint Collect 2022 Week this Autumn.

The Royal Mint - the Britain’s maker of UK coins - said up to 32% collectors of vinyl records are from Glasgow while 24% collectors of rare books are mostly found in the city.

There are many reasons as to why one collects these unique finds, said The Royal Mint. While many people get into collecting as a hobby, some turn their passion into a business potential.

According to the study, those over the age of 55 were more likely to be collectors of stamps (33%), whilst those between the age of 16 and 24 were most likely to collect video games (42%).

Meanwhile, the top motivations for collecting were revealed to be investment (20%), the desire to find unique pieces (31%), and the joy of finding pieces that hold nostalgia (39%).

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said: “At The Royal Mint, we often find people who get hooked on collecting as a hobby, but some also turn their passion into an investment opportunity.

“We’re always looking for ways to help people get into the joy of coin collecting, which is why we are making our hugely popular Collect Week even bigger and better this year.”

What are the most popular collector’s items in the UK?

According to The Royal Mint, Southampton has the largest collection of coins in the UK with a population of 46%.

Below is the full list of other items and their hotspots.

1. Coins - Southampton (46%).

2. Stamps - Leeds (36%) 

3. Trading cards - Cardiff (28%)

4. Vinyl records - Glasgow (32%)

5. Vinyl records - North East (25%)

6. Rare books - Glasgow (24%)

7. Trainers - London (22%)

8. Wine - West Midlands (20%)

Other collections include ceramic elephants, thimbles, egg cups, China dolls and doves in various forms.

Below is the hotspots for coin collectors in the UK

1. Southampton (46%)

2. Cardiff (40%)

3. Plymouth (38%)

4. Newcastle (37%)

5. Nottingham and Sheffield (36%)

When is The Royal Mint Collect Week 2022?

The Royal Mint Collect Week 2022 kicks off on September 26 with a day dedicated to the services available to coin collectors from The Royal Mint.

And as part of the event, The Royal Mint is also holding the Collect Week Awards 2022 to find the best collections.

There are five different categories to enter with the winners chosen by a panel of judges that include, The Best Collection, Best Collecting Story, The Largest Royal Mint Collection, Largest Date Running Coin Collection and The Best Circulating Coin Collection.

The winner from each category will be entered into a public vote to find the Ultimate Collector of Collect Week 2022, which will be announced at 12pm on Sunday, October 2 on the Collect Week Hub.