Constantine I... Budget Style

Thanks echizento,

I haven't attributed any of the group yet but it's time I got it done and give my friend the coins with some info along with them.

Wow thanks Doug

I'll look really smart when I give that info ...of course I'll give due credit to you and pass on your web address.

Nothing wrong with budget style and certainly nothing wrong with this coin

It might not have perfect surfaces but its centered well and the full legends and mintmark can be easily read. Its the kind of coin I tend to buy quality wise, fully attributable but 'imperfect' enough to bring the cost down to the price of a beer and a packet of chips, to be honest I like a bit of honest wear on a coin

Yes, but...
That is exactly what you are doing when you buy such coins from full service dealers. They deserve to be compensated for their expertise and beginners benefit from the experience since they don't know they can come here and get led down a path (right or wrong) by one of our resident experts.

Coin dealers all have what I call a nuisance price to cover the nuisance value or trouble of handling the coins they sell. For some this is several hundred dollars and they sell no coin below that price. I know dealers of equal expertise that have $3 pickout bins filled with coins worth $1 to $5 and they will generally not select a coin for you from these bins. If you want them to ID the coin fully, look in their $7 box where you will find coins hardly any better but with twice the service included.

We all hate to see a beginner buy a $5 coin for $25 under the opinion that what was bought was a $25 coin. It was a $5 coin with a $20 service charge. Try to sell it back to the dealer and see what I mean. I have bought $50 coins for $100 (called 'something I wanted') and $100 coins for $50 (called a 'difference of opinion') but after almost 50 years in the hobby I'm expected to take care of myself at least a lot of the time. Consider the $20 handling charges part of the cost of education and try, when possible, to pay them to people who deserve them because they actually did add something to your coin's value rather than just think they deserve to make a 100% markup on every coin they sell.