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 Replies: 21 / Views: 2,826 |
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Valued Member
United States
127 Posts |
The following is an article excerpt from CoinweekI had an interesting email exchange with collector M.N. who asked me, in a nutshell, if his technique was "wrong" because the set which he was building had a broad range of grades. After I gave him my answer (which was basically "there is no wrong way to build your specific set since the coins you are searching for are all rare to very rare") it got me thinking about the consistency of a set of coins when it comes to grade and appearance. Read the Entire Article
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Moderator
 United States
188105 Posts |
Look at my 7070. There is nothing consistent about the grades there.  |
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Moderator
United States
14463 Posts |
 my type set ranges from G4 to MS/PR |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1358 Posts |
I'm the kind of collector who buys coins of different dates and mintmarks, checks them off a list, puts them in a box and never looks or thinks about them again. Okay, that's a stretch, but grades really don't concern me. From Fr/AG/G for old coins to the VF/EF of modern circulation pulls to the Proof grades.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3486 Posts |
"Consistency" is a goal subject to change. What began as a complete set of all 74 Barber dimes ( NO 94-S! ) evolved over the years to a set of high circulated grades: VF to XF. Then the goal of strike came into consideration. With so many New Orleans years and with their notorious weak strikes I added that consideration into the mix. More upgrading. Today I have all 74. In AT LEAST fine. Only the 1895 Philadelphia is in need of upgrading. YET! My great Aunt pulled a 'no-question' fine-12 from her pocketbook. If I DO find an upgrade I doubt that I will trade it in as I have done with others That single dime provided the 'juice' to focus on the goal which I maintain today: a complete set, while not worthy of any special status offered by the TPG mob, nevertheless gives pause to those dealers to whom I have shown it. And as I face the end of my active collecting years, I intend to show it at whatever shows the Barber Coin Collectors' Society has an educational table. There is something quite special about defining one's own criteria for collecting. Consistency? Sure. Aesthetics? No doubt. Realistic Goal(s)? Money may not be an object (HA! Always is!) but availability - Most Assuredly. Satisfaction - every coin collector must decide this for him/herself. I am satisfied. EXCEPT, maybe just one ( or two or three...more coins ) |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
From where I live you can't even see the border of the place where "consistent" resides.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Different collectors = different collections.
It's a personal thing. The strategy you adopt should be your own.
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
I try to put together a set by first date & mint, then by grade. I have a very limited budget and the higher grades
of some coins are out of my reach. so it's a personal thing
about consistency. however I will always try to upgrade when
the opportunity comes about.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2805 Posts |
I think it's interesting that they even presume that you need to be working on a set in the first place.
I am a type collector and I'll take whatever I can find.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
Hm I have a complete set of silver Rosie's. My rule was I could only get them out of dealer junk boxes. I got everything from highly toned XF coins to proofs. I absolutely love how it looks and each coin tells its own story.
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Moderator
United States
188105 Posts |
I agree. Each coin with its own history can stand on its own, no matter how it looks compared to those adjacent to it.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1118 Posts |
For my Newf coin set (date, not type) I try to go no lower then 20 and try to stay in the 40-50 range.
I don't like 60s for any coins made before 1920. With 50s you know they seen some action.
I find sets that range from 12 to 65 hard on the eyes. I like consistency
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Pillar of the Community
Russian Federation
5172 Posts |
I'm actually surprisingly consistent in my own set attempts - I try to find all the types as cheaply as I can, with grades only coming into play if it's ridiculously cheap already. (Where applicable, it basically comes down to "highest grade I can find for a dollar" - with the "dollar" part going up to 2-3 dollars for types that don't seem to come up in any grade for only a dollar.)
In practice, for the Russian "set" in particular, this means that most of the coins are pretty consistently in the FR-2 to G-4 range - not below because then they get hard to identify (in particular, I prefer examples with readable dates even though they usually don't matter in distinguishing the type), and not above because they get significantly more expensive in higher grades (often all the way to two or *gasp* even three dollars per coin... I'm using the recent exchange rates here, by the way, so I'm talking about prices of 150-200 rubles).
That said, even then, if I can pay $1 for a coin in G (or even VG) or $2 for the same type in nice XF, I often choose the latter, which significantly reduces what little I still have of the consistency.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9792 Posts |
I think any collection you build is fine as long as you are happy with it's contents and you enjoy building it. That said, Doug Winter is a "GGCD" (Good Guy Coin Dealer), I agree with his statement of most people underbuy the key coins and overbuy the common ones. When it comes time to liquidate your collection, most sealers (or auction houses) will only look at the key dates anyways, A dealer rarely makes money buy selling complete sets, they break them up to sell in piece meal. Most collectors need those key and semi key dates, and those that have been hunting for a certain piece for a long time, will realize they will need to pay a premium price to fill those holes on less offered pieces. So buying the best you can afford in the hardest to find coins in your set - you will realize the best potential for a good profit. Now most true collectors don't start out collecting to make money, but let's be honest, when it comes time to sell, you certainly don't want to take a loss on your years of hard work. I was just thinking about this a few days ago. There were two instances in my past I can remember, both times a rare uncommon coin was offered to me at what was at the time a very fair price. One was an AU Gobrecht dollar (no stars obverse name on base) the other was a VF+ with very light porosity - 1793 Chain Cent, both times I passed, as I could get a lot more coins for my collection, and since I was becoming a coin dealer then, lots more coins for inventory. So I passed on both coins, instead buying lots of $50-$200 coins. It sure didn't help I was at my first really big coin show either, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the offerings ( ANA Show with around 750 tables). Today most of those coins I ended up buying aren't worth all that much more than I paid then, sure they've mostly at least doubled or more in value, but the two coins I passed on would have been much better buys, even as a dealer I could have flipped them within a month or so for a nice profit, or held them for 5-10 years and made 1000% profit or more. So in the long run, as I've learned the coins that make you happiest owning are still the best ones to go after, but make sure you know what you are buying, and buy the best you can possibly afford at the time, don't settle for whatever you find first, there are a lot of coins out there just waiting for you to see them. Don't be afraid to step up when there is a great deal under your nose. "Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
937 Posts |
` This is one of the most difficult questions to answer about any collection. When it comes right down to the dirty, gritty truth of it coin collecting is no different than collecting carnival glass, beer cans, or antique kitchen aprons. It is a hobby that fills your time, empties your wallet, and brings pleasure to you.
The collector's only true aim is to build a collection that pleases, and fulfills their desires and vision of the collection. All other concerns and issues are secondary. We, as humans (especially here in the USA) often say that we are all free to do what we want when we really mean you are free to do what you want as long as I agree to it. I see this attitude in many of the posts in this thread. If your first thought is along the line of will you make money on this coin when it is sold then you are stepping into a realm other than collecting. This is not a bad thing or wrong. It is correct for you. Is it correct for someone else? Not necessarily.
As many of you have said much more eloquently than I there is no wrong way to collect. Consistency is in the eye of the beholder. SsuperDdave states that he lives a long way from consistent. I will tell him he is wrong. His collection consistently pleases him and brings him joy. That, my brothers and sisters is the only consistency needed in any collection.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
CONSISTENCY. If that is supposed to mean all the coins in a collection are all similar in metal and shape, yep, my collection is consistent. All my coins are round and almost all are metal, I think, maybe, not sure.
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Replies: 21 / Views: 2,826 |
Posted 03/03/2015 2:08 pm
