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 Replies: 45 / Views: 5,285 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4233 Posts |
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I feel insulted that you don't think my coins are crappy enough. :) They seem rather picky about what kind of crappy qualifies for the crappiest. This area of collecting fascinates me. |
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
Edited by Pauldog
03/04/2019 7:29 pm
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
I listed the Morgan - and the three coins in my last set of pictures - on ebay. We'll see what happens. I already got an offer of $5 for the Morgan! Whoopee! I think the Morgan is a little bit too nice. For one thing, part of the word "Liberty" is visible. The photo might make it look more valuable than it really is in the Lowball world. Something just popped into my head - I wonder if there's a lowball thing going on in the world of comic books. My understanding from my small exposure to both worlds is that comic book grading makes coin grading look pretty laid-back. Edited by Pauldog
03/04/2019 8:50 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:I listed the Morgan - and the three coins in my last set of pictures - on ebay. We'll see what happens. The dime isn't a lowball it's a details coin |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
To be a true "lowball" a coin must have a date and mintmark recognizable (with a few exceptions -- no cents V nickels, 1916 SLQ's come to mind) -- and be able to "straight grade", i.e. no problems which would result in a Details grade such as cleaning, damage, holes, scratches, environmental damage, etc. The reasons some true lowball issues command premiums include: - Scarcity of certain series in heavily circulated condition, or by date (Kennedy halves, Ike dollars, some Morgan and Peace dollars, later gold issues) - Difficulty in finding heavily circulated, extremely worn coins that do not have issues which would result in a Details grade - Wear patterns on some coins (Lib Seated, Bust, Barber, SLQ, Buffalo nickels) that often result in one feature being clear (date or MM) while the other is completely worn off - Demand from collectors who enjoy seeing what coins look like at the end of their journeys, and the associated history and stories those coins may tell - Some lowball Registry sets award prizes for lowest graded collections; some can be substantial, including "winner dinners", free reholders/custom pedigrees, award plaques and certificates, and exposure to other collectors via publications (free advertising) That's just a few. Given the relatively fewer number of people collecting coins these days, anything that encourages people to stay in and participate in our hobby should be encouraged, whether it's lowballs or 1938-D Buffalo nickels or anything in between. It's up to them to choose how they spend their money; I see people shame lowball collectors and the money they spend, while paying $25k for modern coins with >1 billion minted because they are in a holder that says MS68 instead of MS67. Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
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@westernsky, I completely agree. We collectors have to be collecting something all the time or we get squirrelly.
I've been on a kick lately with 1909 IHC's . As of now I have 29 pieces VG-8 to EF-45 . Why ? Maybe it's just the sleeper prices of the last of the Indians with a mintage of 14,368,470 .  |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote: Given the relatively fewer number of people collecting coins these days, anything that encourages people to stay in and participate in our hobby should be encouraged, whether it's lowballs or 1938-D Buffalo nickels or anything in between. It's up to them to choose how they spend their money; I see people shame lowball collectors and the money they spend, while paying $25k for modern coins with >1 billion minted because they are in a holder that says MS68 instead of MS67. I was in full agreement right up until here. Collectors aren't less, they just have changed their habits and how they buy. But really though my issue was mostly with the last sentence where you took a shot at modern collectors. That can be a very very very long thread on it's own, but as I have said before the best moderns are no where close to common and focusing on mintage is just a way to demean them. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
It's not taking a shot at anyone, merely pointing out that there are a wide range of interests within our hobby, and the hypocrisy inherent in people getting bent out of shape because someone spends big bucks on a lowball classic coin while they spend big bucks on something or another that other collectors might not see the value in. This is equally true for lowball collectors who wonder why people write five-figure checks for modern coins -- they're just as much hypocrites as the former.
I have moderns and I have lowballs and I don't hold a grudge against collectors of either.
Collect what you like, and don't let other people tell you how to spend your money, or what to spend it on, whether that's lowballs, moderns or anything in between.
Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
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It's not taking a shot at anyone, merely pointing out that there are a wide range of interests within our hobby, and the hypocrisy inherent in people getting bent out of shape because someone spends big bucks on a lowball classic coin while they spend big bucks on something or another that other collectors might not see the value in. This is equally true for lowball collectors who wonder why people write five-figure checks for modern coins -- they're just as much hypocrites as the former. I definitely agree with that. There are far to many people who say someone "overpaid" whether it be a modern or a low ball or a toner and some of the people making that claim are ones that readily engage in other areas. It's unfortunate and sad that it happens but it probably always will happen. Quote:
Collect what you like, and don't let other people tell you how to spend your money, or what to spend it on, whether that's lowballs, moderns or anything in between. This right here is the best advice that anyone collecting should always remember. Do you love it and are you happy you have it is the best way to look at it. |
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
"The dime isn't a lowball it's a details coin." Yes, after taking another look and knowing more, I realize that you're almost certainly right, but that, combined with my new Standing Liberty quarter, is giving me an idea for a new area of collecting, which appeals to my sense of getting a good deal/fair price/bargain - "scratch 'n' dent collecting." That SL quarter is also ungradeable, because the mint mark area is worn down, but it's a nice coin to my eyes, and good enough to collect. Getting it in a bunch of junk silver quarters (the only non-George) made it an especially good deal. It cost me spot, and I can always sell it for spot. So that's my contribution to collecting, though I doubt that I'm the first. I think most kids start out collecting this way. Along those lines, I'm trying to see how many different dimes and nickels I can get in pocket change, with occasional visits to the bank to get a roll or two. We could call this "making coin collecting safe for low-budget amateurs again." We could have our own version of lowballs, without the help of the TPG's. We could even display the results of different kinds of cleaning and polishing, without turning a $500 collectible into a $5 disc of gold or silver, because the coin was only worth $6 to begin with. My three main sources of supply are banks, pocket change, and junk silver coins. I had a misadventure recently with silver dollar culls (they charge too much above spot for crappy discs of silver because of a "silver dollar mystique"), but otherwise I've had fun with junk silver. I'm also thinking of having a fairly minimalist collection - only one or two examples of a coin design, rather than every year/mint mark/error, etc. So maybe only one George, skipping all the states and national parks (unless there are some I like, and then I might try to get a silver version for close to spot), but maybe that one George would be the oldest one, in pretty good shape. Or maybe it would be the last one before all the variations. (I was going to add, "And maybe Bicentennial George, too, since it's easy to get," but that starts the slippery slope...) Just yesterday I handled an Indian Head cent for what I think is the first time in my life. I still remember the quarter eagle my mom once showed me when I was a kid. Edited by Pauldog
03/05/2019 4:05 pm
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
I just thought of something - a blank metal disc encased in a counterfeit slab. Would this be the Chinese Version 1.0 of a counterfeit lowball?
Is anyone out there trying to turn lower-end coins into lowballs? I wouldn't be surprised. I wonder if it's easier than other kinds of counterfeiting. Maybe there's a way to simulate normal wear and tear a lot faster than carrying a coin around in your pocket for 5 years.
p.s. Is anyone else surprised at how rich a topic lowballs have been? I'd never even heard about it until this thread, and I'm obviously not alone there.
Edited by Pauldog
03/05/2019 4:08 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
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I feel insulted that you don't think my coins are crappy enough. :)
I went back to the well and figured out my best candidates...
The 1908 D quarter might make it if the ignore what appears to be a edge dent to the right of TRUST. I don't think the 1912 D dime would make it due to damage. I think you've got a shot with the 1907 quarter. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1613 Posts |
Wow...was not ripping on the low grade collectors. Only the price at what they'll go with so many of the one referenced out there. To be fair, and in agreement with an earlier post, it is not easy completing this type of set when the same eye appeal is factored in as those collectors of the higher end.
Thanks for the many laughs!
ANA member - PAN Member - BCCS Member There are no problems only solutions - the late, great John Lennon
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
Quote:
The 1908 D quarter might make it if the ignore what appears to be a edge dent to the right of TRUST.
I don't think the 1912 D dime would make it due to damage.
I think you've got a shot with the 1907 quarter. There's just the tiniest bit of damage to the edge on the 1908 D quarter. The dime looks not so likely. My hopes are with the 1907 quarter. Maybe it's even worth getting it graded? It would be funny if my first grading was for a lowball. In my first photos, of other low-grade coins, even the Morgan had a bit of damage, on the edge. Edited by Pauldog
03/05/2019 11:25 pm
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
I also got this 1922 Peace dollar in the set of culls, and assumed that it was too worn down to show the mint mark. But I took another look tonight, and - voila!    |
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Posted 03/04/2019 6:55 pm
