Would You Rather...

I would rather buy a common coin in high condition. I don't see the point in paying a high premium for a less-beautiful coin in which the metal was pushed in a slightly different way. I don't mind cherrypicking varieties to flip for a profit, but I would rather get more bang for my buck for coins in my collection and buy coins that make me gawk at their beauty for years to come. In my mind, coin collecting is preserving history, so I want as nice of a representation of the past as possible. I'm sure there will be diffidents to my views, but this is my preference.

In that case above, I would prefer the MS-64+ 1838 CBH. However, in some situations such as:

XF-40 Common Date Seated dollar vs. 1910 MS66 Lincoln Cent - I'd pick Seated dollar
1875-CC 20 Cent VF-20 vs. Common Date MS-66 Morgan - I'd pick 20 cent

It's really based the coins.

I also collect by variety.I would likely go with the more scarce coin. Something about holding a coin that has a known population below 100.....makes me all shaky and gooey inside.....

In this case... the higher grade. In most cases, I would pick the higher grade. Not in all cases however. Clear as mud right?

Whatever is rarer.

Interesting question in that, had you asked me 8 or 5 years ago I'd probably have answered the rarity.

When I first started I wanted to collect an example of each main variety and was all for 'filling gaps'. However I have gradually come to realise that I just get more enjoyment from nicer condition coins.

OK, I do still keep an eye out for rarities. Such as my most recent purchase which, though not a US coin, is quite rare (and not in an ebay way; there are ten known examples and two of those are in the British Museum). But if someone offered me the right price for it I would not be sad to let it go if I could buy a coin I prefer the look of with the proceeds!

In the end (IMHO) a collection should be for enjoyment. And if you don't get pleasure from it, why bother, eh?

I'm a sucker for rarity so I would take the rare variety in low condition. Higher grade common coins are always available so whenever I want one I can get it, it's just a matter of money. But it doesn't matter if you have the money, that rare variety is exactly that, rare. You just have to hope you are in the right place at the right time with the money when one happens to become available. If you miss it it may be years before you ever have another chance.

Well, there are of course conditional rarities, which is more what I had in mind.

In other words, coins that you can find any day on ebay but that, for whatever reason (age, method of manufacture etc) are inevitably worn and knocked about and a true challenge to find in the better grades.

In some ways it's more difficult to gauge just how scarce these are than the rare varieties, just that after a while you start to realise that you've never seen a really nice one and a little light goes on!



Those are the ones I particularly look out for!