Details Or Lower Grade For The Same Price?

A large portion of my remaining collection amounts to "details" coins; these, having been counterstamped. Interestingly, many of them, mostly at auction, fetch multiples of what a host coin in comaparble condition is worth. The value of these "details" coins lies largely in the history that can be attached to them.

One of the most extreme examples of this phenomenon are Bust Half Dollars, stamped by J. MARTINE, a Fayetteville, NC pewtersmith. He was active during the Hard Times era. Four of his counterstamped halves have have realized from $3,500 to $8,000 at auction. Not a bad return for damaged, common date Bust halves, eh what?

Depends on what the details is for. An old cleaning? Half the time I dont agree with that anyway, and if it looks good, that doesn't bother me. Holed, graffiti, bent etc etc, likely would go for the lower grade.

Hobbies are for personal enjoyment. Collect according to your own opinions to have the most enjoyment.

When it comes to my hobbies, I nicely say, "who CARES what other people think about what I like to collect?"

BTW - speaking from experience...proud collector of (mostly worthless) Railroad date nails!

I look at rarity (preferably PCGS R-8 or higher) as the primary criterion, followed by grade and cleaning. The best combination at a price I can afford.

I recently picked up a polished R-7.2 1843 Eagle for scrap gold price. It's an excellent pocket piece right now. If I need the money it goes back to scrap. And based on past experience, I'll get more than I paid for it.

In the 1990's I could buy coins like this for $200. Today they're worth $1000. While gold goes up and down, the dollar only goes down. Tomorrow I'll renew a CD at 0.1% interest rate. For the last 30 years gold has had a far better return than my CD's.

I find the rule in coin collecting that "cleaning=bad" to be artificially imposed. Most old dirty things, you want to get cleaned, why are coins any different? Of course a harsh cleaning that removes metal or makes the coin unnaturally shiny is different, but just a gentle old cleaning? I can envision an alternate universe where there is no such stigma. And in the OP example I'd probably take the F-details (though still waiting on pics :) )

If I were to crack several of my coins out of their slabs, they would lose their artificial "details" stigma. A coin is a coin is a coin IMO. The slabs are useful for authentication though. My VF details cleaned 1795 dollar will stay in its slab.

I inherited my grandpa's old partially completed Whitman books of Lincolns and Buffalos. When I was a kid, that was coin collecting. Condition wasn't as important as filling the hole with something you got in pocket change. As a county treasurer for 40 years, my grandpa got to see LOTS of change. But he didn't ever fill all the holes, and few of the coins in the holes would pass the "details" muster. The coins I collect today are ones he would NEVER have found, in any condition.

As a collector of many things(coins my most novice), there are always 2 types. The kind who like what they have,and the "one-uppers".
Anything with historic value seems like a fake to me when it's unused or too nice.
I like loose or details grade coins. But I am just a collector and not an investor. I feel they both have their place for someone. Although it is nice when you find out pieces you undervalued are desireable. A details flowing hair is on my hunt list.
Feed your passion,

I agree with all of the OP's comments.
Just make sure that when considering to buy a 'comments' coin be it cleaned, damaged or whatever, that the price is very advantageous to you, considering the price of such other coins with equivalent damage severity in the marketplace.

Most all very early American coins seem to have at least a minor and less damaging, or major, and more damaging cleaning at sometime or other.
Indeed, most ancient coins need to be cleaned after recovery, before they are sold.

Cleaning, just like all other sorts of damage, be it major or minor, can be seen very differently by the buyer and seller.

I have an interesting collection of U.S. minor silver, British Maundy, and Islamic silver coins, all holed, most probably for jewelry purposes. All were bought for very little money over their silver value.