Please Talk To Me About Registry Or Conditional Rarity Coins

Not sure exactly what your looking for but if it's just high graded coins, just buy the ones in slabs. Usually by PCGS or NGC. Usually available at most coin stores or coin shows. Get your self a copy of the Red Book by Whitman Publishing for examples of what coins have what grades. As to what is worth what, that all depends on what you think of what your shown. By that I mean you really just have to know what you want. Remember all coins are worth what is stamped on them and all other prices are basically price and demand.

We are here to help!

As Spruett pointed out:


The registry set idea was a genius marketing ploy (that is not a negative term) by TPGs to make a new and higher priced market for their products.

The reality of current slabbing techniques is that if a coin is broken out, it is never guaranteed the same grade again. Be aware of this. Current systems are this subjective in nature.

To people with registry sets, the subjectivity seems not to be much of an issue b/c they are enjoying having the fun of the competition as well as enjoying the coins, slabs, and TPG opinions of their coin. Fun is what a hobby is all about.

While there would be some to vehemently argue my next point will never happen, history tells us never to say never if we are wise.
When I was a kid the idea that someone could sell bottled water in the US, where most tap water is actually safe anyway, was looked upon as being even more insane than people buying a pet rock.

Some day numismatists *might* get onto another collecting idea (go marketing department!) and the subjectivity of current slabs will be brought into focus as inferior to a "New and Improved" system.

A hypothetical concept could be if a TPG would introduce a totally scientific grading system. The technology has been there for a long time.

To the delight of the TPGs, everything would "need" to be regraded just like some people already have an opinion that all good coins "need" to be slabbed. Nowadays "New And Improved!" sells almost every time.

The old system's registry sets would be (programmed to by the marketers) pushed as the "old" and "Inaccurate" way to bring in company profits form the same items once again. This is how a business works.

Hobby trends come and go.

And to make sure...my post is NOT comparing the hobby of making a registry set to pet rocks. It is just to help a self proclaimed noob member to see both sides of the facts behind TPGs.

Again, people enjoy putting together these sets, and enjoyment is what a hobby is all about. This from a guy who collects insulators and date nails!

Of course it does. This is why it was so brilliant an idea for the TPG companies to implement. Competition is promoted and it also brings more attention to their product. Businesses exist to make money.

And a reality check is that after they figure they have made enough money off of one idea, if they have another which will topple the previous one, or boost it even more, then they will implement it.

Life has taught just how deep this concept goes. I was once naive enough to believe companies bring out their best for the marketplace. Not even close.

Back when the 286 processor was being touted to the public as the most advanced computer chip in existence, my fried who worked for Smith Meter in Erie, PA handed me a 486 chip! I asked him if it was a joke or how in the world he got something that had not yet been invented. He told me part of his job was to salvage usable components off of, "obsolete circuit boards and equipment." Yes, an obsolete circuit board used in industrial applications was outdated because it used a CPU two steps ahead of what was being offered to the general public as cutting edge! Why put out the best when they could milk the masses for every cent they could over the 286 chip, and then spend years doing the same with the 386 chip?



Since there are collectors out there who have no interest in the slabbing system, there likely are some unrecognized gems to be found. So keep an eye out, it takes diligence and a lot of time normally.

I think your speculation in regards to the value on certain modern day coins is correct, it is overly value and am sure there's going to be some price corrections to come.

Only for some. Most use them to share their sets others use them as a tracking tool for their collection. Even at the highest end very few of those guys will buy something just to be number one. The digital albums that the PCGS sets now have is a big draw to a lot of people too.




To be honest I think the idea was more to get crossovers to happen since you need to have your set in one company to use the registry set. There's not a lot of evidence supporting higher prices even for the top pops as a lot of the guys with top sets want top quality and will only upgrade if they truly feel it is an upgrade. Several of them such as the #1 Seated dollar set that was sold would pass on numerical upgrades because they felt the quality was superior on what they had already. Several other top sets don't use the registry at all

For things like 70s where it could have played a role, there really just aren't enough registry participants to really move the needle to much.




That's not unique to TPGs, that's just grading in general. If you had a dealer grade their whole inventory then brought it back 6 months later and had them grade it again not everything would match exactly. Same with a collector, if you graded 500 coins then a different 500 and got the first 500 again a while later not every grade would match. Some of it can be from increased knowledge, seeing new versions that changed your perception of eye appeal ect. There's nothing wrong with it it's just something that applies to grading in general where once you take away the original graders knowledge of their grade it may change if they graded it again in the future.




They're aware that far more collectors would just call it quits or switch to collecting pocket change then would go along with turning the system on its head. PCGS has even gone so far as to publicly state recently that they aren't switching to a 100 point scale when the rumors of that started.




There currently are a group of wealthy collectors that want the best and are willing to pay up for it as long as they actually do believe it is the best. If they feel the pop 1/0 isn't worth it most of them will pass. Very few of the top registry guys will buy an "upgrade" just because it is grader higher. The majority of those guys when you see them talk about their sets want the best quality, that may be the pop 1/0 coin or it may be a lower graded one.

I know people like to attribute a lot of the top prices to registry sets, but really those guys are building those sets out of love of the series not because of the registry. It's really much more simple in the sense that those top prices and record prices can be attributed to just simply there are some wealthy collectors that will pay up for what they believe to be the best.

The two main things the registry did in terms of pricing and business in my opinion is one it gets people to cross over coins from the other company so they can be included and the other is they may buy a couple coins they wouldn't have other wise. What I mean by that is a type set registry may not have bought a series or too because they didn't care for it, but if they want to finish the registry they'd have to get the extra coin or two to do it.

I definitely agree with this. My point about competition was general. Each person uses it for their own specific purpose that is unknown to me. It is basically founded on competition (at least from the TPG's perspective) for the simple fact that Set Registries are ranked.

You said it better than I did

@baseball


Is there some sort of poll I am unaware of that has been done to know why people make registry sets? It would be interesting to know. Or are you you just guessing most people use it in this manner?