| Author |
 Replies: 24 / Views: 2,437 |
Page 2 of 2
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1450 Posts |
I tried to collect all my Buffalo nickels in at least VF condition which makes even the more scarce ones affordable. You can get the later ones that are common in much higher grades but 21-S, 24-S, 26-S and all the coins from the teens that are scarce will cost you a lot if you want coins in better than VF condition. If you have a good strong date on the coin that is the biggest factor to me. A good date and visible horn and you are in business unless you are an investor. Investors only want the rarest coins in mint condition. I can't do that do I don't even try. |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Patrick , you would have to pick Buffalo nickels of all other coins to start an album . WOW ,these are tuff my friend ,but if you insist , I don't know your financial state so I'm just going to assume your an average Joe like most of us . You want to try to have all 4 digits of the date as clear as possible ,MM's should be clear . The word Liberty on obverse should be clear not mushy . The horn on the buffalo should be AT LEAST 3/4 full . All lettering on reverse fairly sharp . The Buffalo itself should have plenty of detail . So this is a nice set of Buff's if you can afford all the keys ! Good luck .  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4809 Posts |
I have three sets going at the moment: First set: Mix of roll finds, LCS auction board items, and purchased coins. This will be an XF or better set, but it's a mix of VF through BU coins. 26/65 at present, but I chip away at this set (basically, if a nice coin presents itself on the bid board, I will try to snag it for a reduced price). I've gotten coins from just a few dollars and into the hundreds. Second set: This is a circulation set with a mix of G to AU specimens. 31/65 coins at present and only grows when I find a new date/mm. Each nickel acquired for face value. Third set: This is a circulation set of 'pickled nickels'. 50/50 solution of white vinegar to etch the worn, dateless nickels to reveal the date/MM. 38/65 coins at present and only grows when I find another dateless Buffalo to pickle. Each nickel acquired for face value. Some CRH highlights: - Although rare, you can find AU specimens in circulation (likely liberated specimens from a collection). I think I've found 3 like this, mainly from the late 30s. - I've hit 3 times where I found a number of Buffalo in a box of nickels. Twice I found better than 2 dozen Buffalo in a single CRH event (most were circulated specimens) - Regarding dateless Buffalo: most of my 'pickled' specimens are from the teens and early twenties. Only 2 of the dateless are from the 30s (34, 35D). Of the 46 nickels representing 1913 through 1928S, I have 35 holes filled including many early teen D and S mint specimens. It amazes me that many of the more sought Buffalo are still in circulation, albeit the dates are worn off. So far, CRH specimens from 1929 forward still have dates, thus no pickling required to reveal identity. Good luck on the challenge you establish for yourself!  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1963 Posts |
I would just do readable dates, XF for the common ones. No acid dates.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1963 Posts |
Or redated I should say...
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1499 Posts |
When I was a young collector in the 1960s working on a collection of Indian cents, my minimum condition was Fine. I looked for better coins for the common dates, but tried to keep the expensive coins at the Fine level. That met that each coin had a full "LIBERTY" on the Indians headband. The letters were not strong, but they were there. A couple of things have changed. First grading for the circulated grades got more lax when slabbing became common. That may should odd, but it's true. While grading for Mint State and Proof coins became more strict with slabbing, it got less strict for grades like Fine, Very Fine and Extremely Fine. The grading services single handedly lowered the standards. Second, while there was a fair amount of over grading by dealers "in the good old days," there were a number of dealers who had strict standards. Therefore "Fine" described a better coin that what you get today for the most part. My advice with Buffalo nickels is to buy pieces that have fully readable dates. Stay away from partial dates if you can afford it. And definitely stay away from pieces with "acid dates" that have had the date restored with nitric acid. Those are "temporary coins" with little real value. Stay away from coins with big scratches, rim nicks and corrosion spots which are usually black, but sometimes green on copper-nickel coins. Buy the best grades you can afford. It is best to buy the "right" coin first and not have to upgrade later. Finally just have fun. Don't worry about competing with someone else. Build the collection that makes you happy. Today I'm old collector that some people might view as "well to do." Generally I don't buy coins, tokens or medals that grade less than AU, but there can be exceptions. Most of the time I buy Mint State and Proof coins, but I have a bigger budget than most. Edited by billjones
01/17/2017 11:17 am
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Bill ,nice advice for OP . BTW are you a relative of Donald Trump ?  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1499 Posts |
No, if I were ralated to Donald Trump, I'd be one of his "poor relations," and he would have fired me the first week on his TV show. I'm too much of an independent cuss to take orders these days.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1119 Posts |
this guy posted a chart with some budgeting in mind a while ago. not a bad place to get some ideas. http://goccf.com/t/244129 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4809 Posts |
Nice link Steele. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
 I suggest doing what I do. I start an Album with whatever I an afford or find. If and when I find a coin for that Album in better shape than the one in there now, I put the better one in the Album. The replaced coin goes into a 2x2, then into a 2x2 box. Slowly as set #1 gets better and better and the amount of 2x2's of that type grows to what could be another set, I acquire another Album and use all the extra's in the 2x2's for that set. Then I start again doing the same thing for sets now 1 and 2. Eventually I end up with many, many sets of the same type. For example I now have 10 Albums of Lincoln Cents, 12 sets of Mercury dimes, 7 Albums of Indian Head (Buffalo) Nickels and on and on and on. Now have well over 100 Albums and most full. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1119 Posts |
you need to change your name to CrazyCarl. because you're nutz  |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
11898 Posts |
I wouldn't say nutz but maybe better at starting projects than finishing them. That's ok, life is a process, not a destination. And you can collect the way that makes you most happy -- we live in a free country after all.  IN NECESSARIIS UNITAS - IN DUBIIS LIBERTAS - IN OMNIBUS CARITAS THE MAN IN THE ARENA, Theodore Roosevelt at the Sorbonne Paris on April 23, 1910: " It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." My coin website: https://fairfaxcoins.com |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3479 Posts |
Another member has a saying in his signature line. 'Free your mind from the tyranny of holes'. I tend to agree. I buy coins that I love and don't have to worry about the pressure of filling a hole. I think hole filling can lead to some dumb purchases. Just my 2 cents.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1499 Posts |
Make it "a hole to fill" only if it is something you really want to collect. Don't make a hole to fill simply because it's there.
|
|
Page 2 of 2
|
Replies: 24 / Views: 2,437 |
Page 2 of 2
|
First Page
Posted 01/16/2017 9:33 pm
