What Type Of Eye Appeal Are You OK With For Your Collection?

I always appreciate a good looking circulation cameo on earlier American coins. I am a variety collector and I always want to find a higher grade example as the higher they go the rarer they get but if you're talking just American coins in general, sometimes I think circulated looks even better than an UNC coin.

As long as I own an example of a variety for my collection, I'm happy with it. Especially some pretty rare varieties would be extremely tough to afford or find in high grade so I'm always happy to settle for a low grade example.

-CH27

I like both MS and circulated coins. Each has certain appeal, on paper money I like a minimum of VF.

Morgan silver dollars in higher grade MS-63 or MS-64 with no cleaning scratches and never a polished one.Preferably bought slabbed.Some Morgan's can be MS-64 and the face looks like it was stuck on the bottom of a shoe with bubble gum and walked across the street.I cherry pick only beautiful ones.I don't want expensive ugly coins I have to look at for years.
Also clean white blast with no toning.
The only toned coins I like are high grade rainbow tone on a awesome Buffalo nickel.Ha!Ha! Well that's what I like.

With coinage after 1932, I prefer bright and shiny. Before, I let the coin "speak" to me, to some degree toning attracts my attention since it adds character. Not necessarily rainbowed, more towards an antique look. In some cases, cleaned are okay if not overly done and scrubbed to death.

Most "knowledgeable" collectors in our wonderful hobby prefer older silver coins with toning, as it demonstrates "originality". However, that concept is used a bit too often by some dealers to push coins with low eye appeal.

For me, even though "I swim in the middle to slightly deeper end of the pool", I prefer my silver coins to have only slight toning, if any at all. My preference is for coins that are super lustrous, blast white, like they were made yesterday. Even though there's absolutely no doubt these silver coins of mine that are over 100 years old have been dipped at some point, apparently they've been dipped gently enough to still merit CAC stickers! These coins have the eye appeal to look the way how the designers envisioned their coins would look.

There is a large (but silent) group of collectors whose preference is like mine. I know this because when I bid at any of the auctions of the five major firms (David Lawrence, Great Collections, Heritage, Legends, and StacksBowers), very often there is frenzied bidding on the coins I want.

I encourage you to look at the coins in my digital Registry Dansco 7070 set via the hotlink in my signature below.

Steve

Carbon spots are a deal breaker for me. Be aware they can grow and multiply over time, even if slabbed. Using Intercept Shield storage products can help, but they say those only last about 10 years, so they have to be replaced at that time. Humidity is NOT good for your coins. I use Eva-Dry desiccant, available from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Improved-Eva...34585&sr=8-3

However, do as I say, not as I do. There is a coin or two in my collection that I bought, despite the advice above. Look at my 1835 Half Cent in my collection. I call it my "Ash Wednesday" Half Cent, lol.

Steve

For me I like all coins to look like bran new.

I find this half reale very appealing to the eye. Full date of 1765.



On the other side, a full Carlos III monogram.



What's not to like? This is a very choice late Potosi cob and came out of a major collection. The same is true of many of the coins I own. It's what they are that's important, not their physical condition.