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 Replies: 17 / Views: 2,771 |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
 For being new to the hobby, you sure jumped right in! I've only been seriously collecting for a couple of years and I don't feel qualified to give you any answers....and I am only familiar with the Colombian half and the Franklin half. As for the others, I would have been too worried about getting a counterfeit coin to buy those...so for me, those coins are 'some day' acquisitions. As for the Colombian and Franklin halves....again, I would be nervous about buying those because the photos were poor. But I'm a nervous-Nellie about buying from on-line auctions and most people have had good experiences. I hope that you will post again after you receive your coins and let us know if you're pleased with them. |
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Valued Member
United States
309 Posts |
Diggin' the '49 Franklin.  |
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New Member
 United States
29 Posts |
"Diggin' the '49 Franklin. " For $15, I thought it was worth it. "For being new to the hobby, you sure jumped right in!" A little on the OCD side, but I didn't think that $30 apiece for a few coins was over doing it. Frankly, pennies nickles and dimes don't realloy do it for me. I like big, old US silver. I thought I would start my collection by getting every non-commemorative silver dollar and half, plus the old commemorative, and then just start upgrading. I know there are a few I'll have to pay hundreds for, like a flowing hair, and a sitting liberty, and a Trade dollar, but those are really the toughest. Everything else can be had for reasonable prices, albeit worn. That another weird thing. I like circulated coins. I like to look at the date and imagine who might had had that coin in their pocket. Someone had a blood splttered Morgan dollar earlier, and wondering about the history of the coin made me drool a little. in fact, I think if coins came with a history, they would be worth even more to me. But I guess you don't see that alot. Anyways, it's probably stupid. I should probably be looking for uncirculated only coins, or for vf+ at least. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2295 Posts |
The Columbian Commem isn't GEM BU, but you paid a fair price for it, since it is EF/AU. Before buying uncirculated coins, you need to learn how to grade, otherwise you'll end up losing a ton of money. Look at the high points and check for signs of wear. |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
"Before buying uncirculated coins, you need to learn how to grade, otherwise you'll end up losing a ton of money. Look at the high points and check for signs of wear."
Thanks for that. TBH, I'm really more into circulated coins, AU at most. But I thought that this coin in particular was well prices, even if it was only AU. I think most VFs are going for ~$25.
All that said, I should probably find a better source for my new hobbie than the bay, eh?
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
selectsplat, I really appreciate what you said about collecting circulated coins. I like those, too, and I also like to think about where they've been...how many pockets. purses, cash registers, etc. and what they were used to buy and who may have held them. When I got seriously interested in collecting, I went and started buying Morgan dollars and Buffalo nickels and then I heard about all the fake Morgans out there and I stopped. I don't think there is anything wrong with buying coins on the bay, but if you don't know a lot about coins, you could end up with a fake and not even realize it for years. I recall reading that the Morgan dollar, the Peace dollar and the Trade dollars are THE MOST counterfeited US coins. So go read the threads on fakes and see what the experts have to say. Anyway, the best advice I got when I started (almost 2 years ago) was to read about the coins, look at a lot of coins, learn about grading, and decide on a budget. Are you expecting your ebay purchases to arrive soon? I'm kind of excited for you...getting all those coins at once!! Wheeeeeeee!
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Thanks for the heads up on the fakes. I'm certainly more attracted to big silver than anything else, so I'll make sure to research up on what to look for. These aren't the only coins I've bought this week, lol. Like I said, I'm kinda OCD, and not at all a man of small passions. When I get into new hobbies, I go full bore. In all, I bought about 20 different coins ranging in price from $5-$35. These were just the most notable. I got a 44 merc today that should rate somewhere from au58 - ms62. Also got a really nice Indian cent, I forget the date. Looking at getting a silver 3 cent and a Two Cent in the near future. Also just got a 82 morgan that looks to be like vf, but I don't know. I got some on my coins in already. I was a little disappointed with the Peace dollar. It's got some weird discoloration on the 'L' that I don't like. Wouldn't mind a second eye on that one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/26101585080..._1772wt_1270I like the 99-0 barber alot. it just looks cool to me. The 47 franlin is a pretty cool coin. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1691 Posts |
DO NOT BUFF AND CLEAN YOUR COINS!
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
I'm new but I not *that* new. All my coins immediatly go in airtight containers on receipt.
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Valued Member
United States
227 Posts |
Quote:
selectsplat: Now that I'm starting to try to learn how the grading works, and am trying to put a value on them, I'm learning some of the mistakes I made, but that's ok becuase that's why I started with cheaper coins, and even the ones that are no good are still very old and good conversation pieces. Welcome, I am new as well... CCF is a good place to learn, especially this sub-forum of grading. Just realize you dont need to make mistakes to learn - if you want to figure out the grading process you can get pretty far by using the resources available online (this forum, photograding, etc). In addition to that I personally have been focusing on just one series of coins. It makes it easier on yourself because you have a lot less to study before you reach the point where you can really see where each grade is coming from. Also as someone already said, definitely check out counterfeiting tactics. Be careful about that. Fake Morgan dollars are EVERYWHERE. Some even in PCGS slabs... its frustrating... Quote:
selectsplat: That another weird thing. I like circulated coins. I like to look at the date and imagine who might had had that coin in their pocket. You're like a lot of people, if you're going after medium grade / circulated coins you have to realize that most will be uncertified. Which means they could very often be cleaned or messed with in some way, i.e. not original. And from my limited experience it seems like a heck of a lot of uncertified coins on ebay have obviously been cleaned. Some are so bad its pathetic... and they still ask for more than retail! Makes you want to drive over to their house and slap them in the face, lol. |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Thanks for the info.
I'd love to hear any comments about any of the coins I purchased so far. Do any of them look cleaned? Do any look fake? Anything else a beginner might not have noticed that would discount the value?
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Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
I see some black stuff on the Peace dollar and it's probably grease or a grease-stain. Is that the discoloration you mentioned? If you're going after circulated coins that are about a hundred years old...well, you're going to see that sort of thing. It's part of the coin's history, I guess. How do the other coins look? I hope you're happy with all of them. I always get excited about any additions I buy; it brings out the little kid in me. LOL |
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Valued Member
United States
100 Posts |
POst pics up next time, easier then links. Thanks |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Well, I got all these coins in, and I've bought about 20 more. Of these coins my favorite by far is the 1827 capped bust half. When I show that coin to people, their jaws hit the floor. And, although it's worn, it just looks really really cool.   Edited by selectsplat
05/19/2012 08:20 am
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Valued Member
United States
227 Posts |
20 more already, darn haha you're going all out. What else did you buy?
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Replies: 17 / Views: 2,771 |
Posted 05/15/2012 9:23 pm
