Coin World Podcast

(yes, I borrowed their logo!)

In this on-demand world, it is natural for podcasts to have grown. With commercial platforms like Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and iHeartRadio all growing podcast directories, podcasting has become the new frontier for content. Podcasts are also a way to pass the time.

Currently, there are three numismatic-related podcasts. Today’s review will only look at the newest entry, the Coin World Podcast.

The Coin World Podcast is one-year old. It started on March 28, 2019, and features hosts Jeff Starck and Chris Bulfinch, both writers for Coin World. After one-year, Jeff and Chris have hit on a rhythm that makes it worth listening.

If you binge listen from the beginning, you will find that it takes Jeff and Chris a while to fix a number of their technical issues. As a listener of those early shows, I can tell you that the sound quality was not right and sometimes was grating. It took almost two months for them to work out those issues.

Even with the lousy sound quality, it is worth going back and listening, especially for the interviews. After the banter at the beginning, each episode features a conversation with someone in the numismatic industry.

Doing a “live” interview, as opposed to an interview for print, is that a broadcast interview has to flow in a way that makes sense. Aside from being able to flow, the interviewer has to anticipate what the listener wants to hear. They ask compelling questions and add logical followup. It makes for a great listen.

As with a lot of podcasts, Jeff and Chris open with the news. While they do report the news, they do let some of their opinions show through. The way they add their opinion is not overt but enough to get their point across in a way that does not alienate a listener who might disagree.

A recent feature is a discussion of this period in numismatic history. Jeff and Chris would reference something that happened and read a contemporary account. They will also read letters that appeared in Coin World from years ago to prove the axiom, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Combining history with contemporary accounts gives the feature a more exciting feel than just reciting facts. They should do this more with other discussions, especially with the library they have access to at Coin World.

After a year together, Jeff and Chris have developed a pleasant on-air rapport and a rhythm that makes the podcast worth the time to listen. However, whenever listening to the podcast, it feels as if something is missing before the interview. I know the P.T. Barnum once said, “Always leave them wanting more.” But there should be something else to add that one extra punch.

Having been a listener since Episode 1, the improvements have made a difference, and the interviews are enough to keep listeners coming back for more. I grade the podcast and MS-65, noting that there is a little room to add that one thing that can give it a grade boost.

Congratulations to Jeff Stark and Chris Bullfinch for making it to the first anniversary of the Coin World Podcast!

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