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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
if all you collect are MS-70 coins you will be missing out on allot of coins because I don't know of any classics that are MS-70's and most grade no where near that. Most Modern proofs can grade 70 but only commems or coins aimed at collectors are graded MS-70 because the coins the regular circulating coinage are handled differently and perfection isn't a priority. There was one Lincoln Cent that did make MS-70 by PCGS (we aren't' speaking of satin finish coins because they are aimed at collectors) and even that one I have heard has been regraded as 69 so if you collect modern commems then yes a 70 is available but if you are wanting to collect anything else you will be out of luck because they just do not exist in MS-70 grades |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
There's nothing wrong with buying only graded coins. However, you'll pay a premium in most cases. Your goal should be to pick a series and then study the heck out of it. Learn how to grade your series pick by studying graded coins, ha.com is a great place to do that. I like buying raw, nothing like finding a coin that a dealer has under-graded. It's my passion to seek those coins out. My last one was a 1909-S that the dealer called AU. I bought it at about AU-55 CDN price, sent it NGC and it came back MS-62.  Bottomline: When you get good at this, you don't need to buy graded coins. You'll be the guy getting them graded. Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
Here's the 09-S.   Edited by BadThad
01/17/2010 9:36 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10982 Posts |
Quote:
I thought I would begin by collecting PCGS coins That's fine if you want to do that. Many people prefer PCGS & NGC for their expertise and marketability and they are the top TPG. Don't overlook ANACS and ICG though. They are good TPG that do fine work and coins in these slabs often trade for little more money than raw coins. Certainly buy some reference books and don't worry about coins costing under $10 or $20 being slabbed. There are many very nice coins available for under $20 that will rarely be in a slab due to the certification cost. Buy a few of them and have some fun without spending a lot of money. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
i have to agree and disagree with the ICG comment. ICG is fine when it comes to classics but if you are looking for Moderns I would stick with the other 3 (PCGS,NGC,ANACS)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1534 Posts |
Quote:
There's nothing wrong with buying only graded coins. However, you'll pay a premium in most cases. Your goal should be to pick a series and then study the heck out of it. Learn how to grade your series pick by studying graded coins, ha.com is a great place to do that.
I like buying raw, nothing like finding a coin that a dealer has under-graded. It's my passion to seek those coins out. My last one was a 1909-S that the dealer called AU. I bought it at about AU-55 CDN price, sent it NGC and it came back MS-62.
Bottomline: When you get good at this, you don't need to buy graded coins. You'll be the guy getting them graded. That's good advice. If you're buying normal coins that don't have very high value, most of the time raw is fine, especially if you stick to dealers you know. Like BadThad said, study one series, and eventually you'll be good enough at grading so that you can feel comfortable buying raw. Not that I'm saying don't buy slabs, certified coins are good if you're buying a coin from a heavily counterfeited series or something that has high value. Edited by wheatguy
01/17/2010 10:29 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2541 Posts |
BadThad - you have a very honest coin dealer there. He's pretty conservative to grade that AU from what I can see.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1450 Posts |
To me,the fun of collecting is"finding" the coins myself. It really depends on WHY you are collecting. For investment,graded coins make sense,for fun, their cost is too high in my opinion. My entire collection has come from roll searching and several of my coins are worth in excess of $100 but I acquired them at face by taking the time and effort to find them. I guess what I am trying to say is,many people new to this hobby think you can only get great coins through dealers and shows but there are many roll searchers in this forum that have extensive, high quality collections almost entirely from roll searching. You may want to try some buying and some treasure hunting(roll searching) and see what you enjoy the most and which gives you the greater satisfaction when you look at the collection you have compiled. I wish you the best of luck whatever you choose,most of all ,enjoy the journey!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
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I bought it at about AU-55 CDN price, sent it NGC and it came back MS-62. Nice coin. Looks like an AU to me. Of course I won't grade anything higher than AU based on a photo so it could be better. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
Quote:
BadThad - you have a very honest coin dealer there. He's pretty conservative to grade that AU from what I can see. I absolutely LOVE the dealer I bought this from. He's the source of most of my finest Lincolns. He's always more than fair and sells to me below CDN ask. Not sure if you saw the 1918-S I've posted on the forum. On that coin it was a toss-up between AU and MS....which is why I bought it. He sold it to me for an MS-60 price, I sent to NGC and they gave it AU-58. At the next coin show I told him about it and he sold me a $150 coin for $35. How can you not love a dealer like that!?  Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
Quote:
Nice coin. Looks like an AU to me. Of course I won't grade anything higher than AU based on a photo so it could be better. It looked AU to a LOT of people. I was even on the fence. However, the 09-S is a special case for Lincoln grading. Lots of them look worn on the obverse portrait, but it's actually die wear. It's easy to mistake for physical wear. It's coins like this that we need TGP's for grading. They require an expert eye! |
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Valued Member
United States
220 Posts |
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Kabiye_Lady: Worst thing would be to jump in, buy a few overpriced PCGS Morgans and then get bored with the hobby. It would be a costly experiment. That was exactly what I did in 2002.  I received a gift of 2002 American silver eagle and started to collect coins then. I bought several coin collecting books and thought that I had enough background information to make an informed decision. I came out with a goal to collect PCGS MS64 Morgan & Peace dollars. I tried not to buy any other coins based on the investment purpose. (I totally forgot it's a hobby and not an investment.) Soon I just got bored about what I had being doing. Last year I found out this forum and spent some time browsing different threads. I finally found out a fact - collecting what you want most and not what people/books tell you to collect. (The CCF consists of coin collector with diverse interests.) Now I am working on several projects to collect coins I am really interested. I enjoy spending time with my precious ones (coins). It's a hobby that makes me happy.  |
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Moderator
 United States
15472 Posts |
It's difficult to find any fault with all the advise given above ...... the experts here are the greatest value out there! I will add the following ...... IMHO .... TPG add a 'safety factor' to those new to collecting or even those experienced collectors new to a series ..... Here is my own personal take on it ..... I have been absolutely smitten with the Love-Bug for Classic US Commemorative ..... and will acquire the entire 50-coin type set in MS grade even if it takes me 20 years (Lord Willing me that time). These are very expensive coins ....... can't even touch the low-end at MS65 below $100 .... and many (most) push over $1000! Sooooo ... for me ..... this is a tough set to research and know 'for sure' the grade of raw coins ...... especially un-certified coins on electronic auctions (read ... E-Bay). I am doing my homework ..... reading and learning all I can ..... but for now I am relying on PCGS certified coins to start my humble collection ...... which now numbers 5 coins. You can find me at the PCGS Registry Set #142. This quest of mine is ... IMHO .... a valid reason to use TPG ...... filling the gap between knowledge gain and experience ..... for sure in this series the potential cost of a bad mistake will eventually outweigh the premium to buy/certify. HTH David |
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Valued Member
United States
245 Posts |
It depends on your goal for the the set that you are collecting. All the advice given in this thread is right on and worth applying. Most (85%) of my stuff is raw coins and in Dansco albums but I do have 5 registery sets and on my Farnklin set my goal was the best grade I could afford for each coin with the lowest being MS64 FBL. On my American Eagle MS set they are all graded by NGC at MS69. On my raw coin sets I do the grading and I try to buy the best coin that matches up well with the coins around it in the album. I say this because on my Lincoln Cent set the coins from 1935 to present are all full red and at least MS60. Prior to 1935 they start to drift down with the lowest being a VF in the very early coins. I still need the 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, and the 1922 without mint mark and they are all pricey coins. Have fun and learn because it's a great hobby. |
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Valued Member
 United States
487 Posts |
Came back from work and found so many replies. I've read each and everyone one. I'm learning so much! I'm so glad I signed up for this forum, it has really heighten my interest in collecting! Thanks!
Rastatodd
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Replies: 21 / Views: 2,734 |
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Posted 01/17/2010 9:32 pm
