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 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,563 |
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
What do you guys look for in a coin?
I like for eye appeal. If it does not look good in your collection, why get it? Next I look at toning. I detest dark brown and orange toning. I think it looks bad. Last I look at details. I want to make sure the details are all there before I buy it.
So want do you look for?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4883 Posts |
Authenticity, originality, and condition. In that order.
Colligo ergo sum
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
I look for stuff I like. The same as everyone else, and chances are that's the most specific common denominator you'll hear in answers to your questions.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Eye appeal. Some coins, regardless of the shared grade, are unique. They're mass-produced, yes, but each one gets handled differently, and others are from fresh news dies. Also my coins now (since maybe 2012) must be problem-free, and not "junk". There's nothing I hate more than looking at coins because I thought they would be valuable - my hoarding days are long over. So now I look at overall design, history, and craftsmanship.
Edited by Libertad
06/28/2014 1:36 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
You know, the general coin-y aspects.  But seriously, my 4 key factors are (In no specific order): 1) Eye-Appeal (Basically a good looking coin; design, size, weight and composition can play a part in this too) 2) Grade (Again, I want the coin to be of good enough grade to be appealing but not so much that it's super expensive, so I wouldn't pay those few thousands extra to upgrade from a MS-66 to an MS-67/MS-68 Morgan) 3) Originality (Means problem-free if possible but not always, here's where the eye-appeal factors in; and real not counterfeit) 4) History (The Era in which the coin was made, the history behind it, it's issuing authority meaning country or state) Edited by zxcccxz
06/28/2014 1:34 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
856 Posts |
Quote:
What do you guys look for in a coin?
I like for eye appeal. If it does not look good in your collection, why get it? Next I look at toning. I detest dark brown and orange toning. I think it looks bad. Last I look at details. I want to make sure the details are all there before I buy it.
So want do you look for? Similar Franklin. I've been collecting for over 10 years and have come to realise I enjoy 'nicer looking' coins better than ones that aren't. I hope by now I have a reasonable eye for a good coin and knowledge of which ones can be found in collectable condition easily and which ones can't. OK, 'nicer' is subjective, but a good clear example is a priority. The coins I collect are all hand made, so they tend to vary a lot and 'eye appeal' is a combination of factors. I try to get ones where the design is centrally struck (yeah, I know some people like off-centre and other 'errors' but the coins I collect are mostly like that, so it's the more 'regular' ones that are the rarities!) Because the flans (blanks) are also hand made (and people used to shave bits of silver off to make a bit of money!) finding full examples where the design is complete is also a challenge. After that, toning comes in. I prefer a bit of original accumulated 'tarnish' as my coins are all over 350 years old so I'm less fond of them looking like they were struck yesterday. But if all other factors are there I will accept 'museum cleaned' coins (coins discovered in hoards or dug up are quite often 'conserved' by museum staff before being returned to the finder or sold on. I try not to buy anything that has had any abrasive treatment). If coins have demonstrable provenance (evidence of being part of an earlier collection, publication in an auction catalogue or numismatic journal) that's a real bonus. makes them more historically interesting plus of course shows they are genuine. Though there aren't so may fakes (yet!), and contacts and I try to keep a track of any fakes we see and their characteristics. Last of all, a decent weight is nice. But if the coin is otherwise full, some variation is acceptable. Oh. And within budget of course! I have pushed the boat out a couple of times for rarities, but try not to go crazy these days!  Edited by Tom Goodheart
06/28/2014 1:51 pm
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Pillar of the Community
1325 Posts |
Date and mintmark that I can read. or an interesting design if foreign or older. then just pray they are all real.
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Bedrock of the Community
Canada
11922 Posts |
If I like it, I buy it |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
1, do I need it?
2, can I afford it?
3, how likely am I to find a better piece that I can still afford?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Heh, Conder, way to think outside the box. Good answer!
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New Member
Italy
26 Posts |
US coins are not really my area, however the same I suspect applies. For me eye appeal and grade are conjoined. The aesthetics, design plays a significant part in what I collect â€" German State Thalers. The variety available adds an amazing dimension to the above mentioned. The coins originality is a little tricky with what I collect. Typically I find European crowns to be more man-handled than US mintage of the same period â€" I might be wrong. The originality aspect is dependent on whether the damage impacts visibly to the coin's overall presentation. Another thing for me is the interplay between the age of the coin (the period in which it was minted) and the condition I expect to find it in, changes my attraction to that coin considerably. A parallel to seeing a 1980s Ferrari 328 or seeing a 1950s Ferrari 553 - each was a part of an epoch with its own aesthetic and historical limitations and the way we see this retrospectively affects our relationship to that particular item â€" coins in our case. Thanks for reading
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New Member
United States
33 Posts |
I want my coins to be the best looking in my showcase. No matter the value. I want someone to pick it up and say "that is best looking coin I've seen today". I usually only even look at the ones I see in the first 30 seconds of looking no matter grade or date.
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Valued Member
United States
374 Posts |
I like to match the coins in a set. So maybe similar grades, similar look, for one part of the series. For example several years of fine, then the last several years in XF or something like that. I'm talking about classic US coins where mint ones are out of my price range for the most part. I also like to try to see that the most expensive year/coin does not 'stick out' because it is in the worst condition. So basically: that it fits into the set I'm trying to put together. It has the same overall look. And a similar grade. I want to at avoid the corroded, discolored damaged ones. |
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Valued Member
United States
199 Posts |
My favorite thing to look for in a coin is a new place that I don't have a coin from yet. Bonus if I haven't even heard of the place (just picked up a coin from Essequibo & Demerary- an old colony that was fun to research.)
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Replies: 13 / Views: 1,563 |
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Posted 06/28/2014 12:42 pm
