Proof 69-70 Question

It really depends on what you are after. If you have decided that you absolutely want to collect everything graded in PF70 then you should just go that route and buy the slabs. The more recent trend of buying super high grade slabbed coins has a lot to do with people putting together registry sets online for rankings etc. I personally think it is a lot of extra money to spend for not that big a difference in material. Pretty much all of the coins I have gotten in proof sets from the mint were close enough to pristine for my tastes and I like the look of the complete set packaged together as opposed to a bunch of individual slabs. Also consider that in high grades often the differences are almost imperceptable with the naked eye and to buy them graded adds the extra cost of getting them graded to what they are already worth at retail. Personally I would stick to the regular mint offerings to pick up recent issues.

Most of the proof stuff the US mint puts out will more than likely grade 69. I wouldn't waste my money buying 70's. My eyes don't see a difference looking at a 69 or a 70. Only difference is a huge price tag.

It depends on the specific coin whether 70's are common or tough. They tend to be more common for the commems but proofs now are usually very nice.

For the circulating coins 68 or 69 are typical with a smattering of '70's and a few 67's.

I usually figure about 2% of an issue will stand out enough to be noticeable but this can vary quite a bit.

The cheapest way to build a set is to wait a couple years and buy a PR-70 but sometimes the price will soar and you'll miss the rarities.

It's really personal preference but for someone cheap, just wait till you can cherry pick a nice specimen from a dealer. Pay them a premium so they'll let you keep looking. You might not always get a 70 but you'll get a nice coin for little cost.

Thank you for your great replies, especially the tip about PCGS slabs.

Of course, you guys are right, the price soars (and sores!) moving from PF69 top PF70. After spending a few hours today checking prices, I'm going to leave the certified PF70 stuff to the richer slice of humanity.

Instead, I ordered a George Washington presidential $1 in proof from the US Mint, and a set of the 2008 same. My thinking is that George will always be in demand as the first in the series, but as for me, I have to have proof over raw or even uncirculated coins. They're just prettier.

I think I'll pick up a few more 2007 and 2008 sets of the presidential $1 and keep up the series as it comes out. Along with that, I really really like proof silver commemoratives and American Eagles. So, I'll be bouncing back and forth between American Eagles (proof from the mint) and silver commems. I might even add some of that foreign silver proof stuff because it's so pretty.

Again, my thanks for the all the good info on the site and your responses!