A Question Regarding Collecting Classics

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Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 1,737
unholyroller Pillar of the Community United States 1903 Posts	Posted 10/27/2013 11:28 pm To preface my question...I have a very long history in the world of investment grade/collector firearms. Within that world there tends to be two main categories of items worth collecting...honest well used (honest meaning it isn't all abused/altered/modified) and top condition. In my experience it is the "middle condition" items that are the worst to invest in as they are usually too expensive for the begining collector and not nice enough for the well established collector. Does this translate well to coins? Are there significant collectors of all grades of classic coins? I see a lot of parallels in coin collecting and I just wonder if this collecting strategy also fits coins. ( when I say "collecting strategy" I mean to say this strategy includes the hopes of the ability to turn them back into cash quickly should you need to) Report this Post to the Staff

unholyroller Pillar of the Community United States 1903 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 09:13 am Wow. I am surprised this hasn't garnered any commentary yet. Hmmmm :( Report this Post to the Staff
tpg22 Pillar of the Community United States 919 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 09:32 am From my experience high grade coins are not easily turned back into cash. Some high end coins can take months if not years to find a buyer at the price you desire. If you are willing to take a 50% cut in price then yes they are easily sold. I have some MS67 Walkers that I know would take time to sell. I didn't buy them to flip them so I went with the best I could find (and paid a premium). My hope is 20 years from now somebody will want them. There are collectors for all grade coins. I also collect EF/AU Walking Liberty half dollars and it is tough to find good coins. Low grade silver coins follow the spot price of silver plus numismatic value so those are very popular. I don't collect non-silver so I can't comment on those. Report this Post to the Staff
unholyroller Pillar of the Community United States 1903 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 1:10 pm So...what would you say is the "sweet spot" in regards to coin condition where you see the fastest movement in sales (not including spot value coins)? I want to start collecting the classic era coins, but want a comfort zone knowing that if the need arises I can liquidate my collection without being punished too harshly. Report this Post to the Staff
dsfreeworld Pillar of the Community United States 4337 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 3:44 pm unholy - IMHO, its not the grade "sweet spot", its the series and type that determine liquidation ease or difficulty. If you want to collect something that liquidates with ease, collect classic "old gold" pre-1933 and especially 19th century. $2.5 and $5 Eagles always have a market that will see fast turnaround for cash on ebay with a simple 7-day auction. Any other silver series coin from 19th through 20th century are not just a condition factor but more specifics to the series, type and key/semi-key date within any series coupled with and driven by market need. For example, I can move a VG 1898-O Liberty Head 10c as quickly as I can move an MS 1918 Winged Liberty Head 10c or an AU 1883 Liberty Head Nickel. "Grade", per say, has nothing to do with it and quite frankly its the specifics of the conditions of the specimen(s) within the grade that will determine how quickly one can create liquidity out of a commodity such as a numismatic coin. I for one spend a majority of my time and money on Liberty Seated dimes right down to the variety level. I have many PCGS MS specimens and I would not be able to move those quickly without monetary sacrifice. All of my gold however will fetch market as determined by a popular site such as ebay in a matter of days. good luck on your quest Report this Post to the Staff
coffeecup57 Valued Member United States 146 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 5:01 pm dsfreeworld beat me to it and said it better. I see by your number of posts that you are not new to the community.So can I assume you are new to the classics?I am going to take alot of space and not really answer your question. I know nothing about the world of collector firearms so will not even attempt to go there. That said your question is not easily answered.It would depend on the series,your venue for selling,collector interest in the series and the market at time of sale. I currently have numerous key dates of several series,across many grades,current plans are to leave them in bank box and whatever the kids and grandkids get for them will be more than they paid.Will leave instructions on what they have and what I paid,which could be absolutly meaningless by the time they get ready to sell them. Quote: Are there significant collectors of all grades of classic coins? Probably so,but collecting habits are so varied and so many ways to collect within a series,I am not sure there is a middle ground or condition.There is low grade,mid grade and high end and people would have differing opinions about that.Then you get into Full Head(SLQ),split bands and full split bands( Mercury dime)and of course condition rarity,1928S( Peace dollar)MS65 and above and 1927S XF Standing Liberty quarter and above.That is just two that come to mind. I agree with tpg22 that high grade are not easily sold quickly at the price you may want.Then you just have to figure out what is left. regards coffeecup57 Edited by coffeecup57 10/28/2013 5:06 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16826 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 5:58 pm What you have with coin collectors, which I can only assume from your description you don't really have with gun collectors, is the concept of "upgrading" your collection as your experience and budget grow. A beginner collector might start out with bullion-grade coins roll-hunted or bought for spot, and buy better and better ones to replace the low-grade ones they already have. So there is a continuum of grades available and a continuum of collectors to match them at any given stage. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
unholyroller Pillar of the Community United States 1903 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 9:47 pm Thanks for the input...and yes I am new to the "classics". Over the last two years, through buying up parcels of spot silver coinage I have accumulated a nice bundle of some classics. Because of this I am slowly but surely catching the "bug". I just like knowing in the back of my head that what I am buying can be turned back to cash quickly should I need it without getting brutally punished financially (firearms are fantastically liquid). The idea of pre-33 gold has some allure for me, though expensive. For me the idea of liquidity ranks very high in my selection of what I collect, be it firearms, coins, or any other collectible. Edited by unholyroller 10/28/2013 9:49 pm Report this Post to the Staff
mailman28 Valued Member United States 416 Posts	Posted 10/28/2013 10:32 pm For liquidity, gold 's higher intrinsic value as well as old gold numismatic value beats any classic silver series. Sure there are plenty of key date/ varieties worth tons of money but then you possibly lose the quick turnaround. Report this Post to the Staff
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