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 Replies: 47 / Views: 6,235 |
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Valued Member
United States
245 Posts |
I have a complete set of Lincoln cents missing only 1909 S VDB and if I really felt the need I could buy one at a very low grade but I'm not rushing out to get one. The same with the 16-D Mercury dime as I have the rest of that set. I think it happens to a lot of us and it all boils down to the priorities we set as I'm currently building a certified 20th century US type set and what I will spend on it would let my buy the low grade 1909 S VDB. |
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Rest in Peace
 United States
18456 Posts |
 fyimo , but that's my problem . If my Lincoln wheat set grades VF-20 TO choice bu, I just can't see putting a G-04 or lower S-VDB in my album. Criticism's welcomed !  |
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
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I was trying to bid on a 1909 s vdb when I could afford one. The bid was at $495.00. Then it went up, up, and up until it was at $579! I still regret not putting in a bid of $580. It was an PCGS F12 BN When that happens to me, I tell myself that I didn't lose by a dollar, but that the other person would have kept going as long as necessary. Sometimes you have to stop somewhere. Usually I think it's best to put in the highest price I'm willing to pay, and then just check back when it's over. That avoids auction fever. I've done that a couple of times and won by onc cent. That makes you feel like a smarty-pants. But back to the topic, as Coinfrog and some others said, the problem is built into the hobby. I got started on Lincolns as a kid, so that's the only set I'm determined to complete if possible. I halfway filled a Mercury set from circulation, and I look at it now and then as a possible next project, but I've decided it's too much. Buffalos, another set I partly filled from circulation long ago, are also distinguished by a few frustratingly costly keys. I saw an album of Buffs missing just two coins go for about $500 at auction, and was tempted, but I didn't feel connected to someone else's collection, and the semi-keys were ratty. Here's a question: if someone just had the urge to fill an album, what would be the least expensive one to do? I'm thinking Jeffersons, most of which can still be found in circulation, and none of which are horribly expensive to buy, exluding varieties. I have one of them as a relic of my youth. Edited by Centsei
10/23/2015 1:19 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1373 Posts |
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...if someone just had the urge to fill an album, what would be the least expensive one to do? Well, even though the question is almost the complete opposite of the post topic, it's still interesting. I think you are absolutely right about the Jefferson nickels being the 'cheapest' set to build. It was the first one that I completed (aside from having to get yearly updates). I ended up spending over $10 for only three of the Jeffersons: 1950-D/$12.93, 1938-D/$11.37, and the 1944-D silver/$10.49. Aside from the post 1967 proofs, almost all but a handful of the remaining coins were acquired at face value. Next in line, for me, where the Sac dollars, the Ike/SBA combo, the Kennedy halves, the Roosevelt dimes, the Washington quarters, and the Mercury dimes. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1200 Posts |
I'm with you on avoiding the low grade culls Tbop. I think I'd rather go without a key date than spend hundreds (or even thousands) on a low ball coin just to fill a spot in an album. That money can be put towards higher grade (but not as rare) coins.
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
^I think that's an interesting point of collecting philosophy and I suggest it's hard to claim objective high ground for either way. It's possible for the empty holes to be very annoying, particularly if there is only one. But yes, if you move into four figures, it seems silly to pay that for an unattractive coin.
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Valued Member
United States
467 Posts |
I can't go without and leave the empty hole...so there are just some things I don't collect.
I collect a circulated set of Mercury-- because even though it took years-- I got the 16 D.
I won't collect a set of uncirculated Mercury-- because the hole(s) would bother me too much. However, I will collect a set of uncirculated Franklins, because there isn't a whole at the end of the game.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
This is perhaps a cultural thing...and perhaps the reason why USA coins seem to be the all the money.
In the UK generally we don't buy a folder full of holes and try to fill each... I do have modern coins and have filled dates before but into my own folders which have no printed labels. It is up to me how complete my sets are.
That said the solution is simple... just start collecting ancient coins... a type collection rather than a date collection. Not only is it satisfying each coin being different but there are so many different ways to collect, in an organic way rather than a linear "fill the holes" approach.
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Moderator
 United States
189767 Posts |
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a type collection rather than a date collection. There is truth to this. The most expensive hole in my 7070 (US Type album) is less than half the price of every other "final hole" in all but one of my unfinished Dansco album date sets. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5863 Posts |
This is one of the main reasons I stuck with collecting type coins instead of sets of any one particular coin type. As time and budget permit, I have been slowly expanding my type collection beyond what is listed in the 7070 album, but none of the basic type coins in that album proved impossibly hard to afford (as long as I didn't try to get them all at once, of course). And, since the additional type coins I am now seeking aren't "officially" in the album, I don't feel any great distress about not being able to acquire them in the near future.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5863 Posts |
Heh. Just read DavidUK and jbuck's comments. Great minds think alike?
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Moderator
United States
189767 Posts |
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Great minds think alike?   |
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Valued Member
United States
245 Posts |
I started coining coin sets when I was 10 with the Lincoln cents and I still collect sets at 71. That said some of these sets like the Lincoln Cent set, Mercury dime set have one empty hole in them. I was asked once why I was a collector of sets instead of just buying individual coins and my answer was because I'm a collector and not an investor of coins. If I was an investor I would just buy one or two coins of each coin type but it would be the rarest ones because it would have a larger monetary growth than buying the whole set with that hole not filled. Maybe I'm wrong but that's my take on it. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
509 Posts |
I've accumulated a bunch of extra 90% silver in my search to fill mercury, Roosevelt and Washington silver from junk bins.. I've also accumulated at least $10 in wheats from CRH and buying random lots.. My thought is to hopefully ride silver up in price and then unload my extra stash or trade and buy some key dates in the future. I figure going the junk bin route will help blend in some low grade key dates.
I've also gotten to the point that I'm looking to fill some of my wheat holes and just can't pull the trigger on spending $10 on a cent. Coin collecting is an expensive hobby, I've boughten a few dansco albums, but haven't been able to justify spending $39 to transfer my lincolns from folders to dansco.
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Moderator
United States
189767 Posts |
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...and my answer was because I'm a collector and not an investor of coins. Good answer. |
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Replies: 47 / Views: 6,235 |
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Posted 10/20/2015 09:23 am
