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 Replies: 17 / Views: 2,185 |
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New Member
United States
2 Posts |
for two years I have gone to numerous shows and auctions looking for unc morgans that are really nice for the grade but I have had little success. it seems that when I get them home I discover spots or hairlines that I missed under the florescent lights of the average show or the combination of flourescent and incandescent lighting at most auction viewings.
i think that unc is just too hard for me and I need to try something easier to grade.
since most morgans are unc, it is probably time to find another coin series that has an abundance of circs and are fairly easy to grade. any suggestions?
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Valued Member
United States
364 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I know how you feel. And yes the lighting really does make a coin look different. This is smart marketing you know. Ever go to a auto dealer and notice the cars all look like they've been polished every day and night, all year long? Ever watch TV and notice the cars being advertised never get dirty? Even the tires ara always clean. Coin show dealers well know how lighting can make or break a sale so they try to use the right lighting to make their coins look better. All this is why so many customers carry all kinds of magnifying glasses with them. And due to the popularity of Morgan dollars, most are in slabs or in a glass case where the reflectants make it difficult to see all the wrong stuff. It's all just salesmanship and marketing. Your problem from what I see is you are involved in one of the most popular coins in this hobby. No where near as many minted as pennies, but close to the same amount always for sale it appears due to that popularity. My suggestion for you would be to switch to Jefferson nickels. With them all you do is count steps on the reverse.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1348 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1510 Posts |
Barbers-- they rock and there is alot out there
Retired USAF 1983-2003
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2448 Posts |
That's why I work on several type collections at a time. When I get discouraged about one,  I concentrate on one of the others for a while. It never ceases to amaze me how I'm always drawn back to a coin series when I catch a glimpse of a really good looking example of the coin I was exasperated with.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1418 Posts |
I collect anything, but right now am focusing on Presidential dollars. You might think, why? Well, the lettering positions and all the errors can make it fun to assemble a set. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:I collect anything, but right now am focusing on Presidential dollars. You might think, why? Well, the lettering positions and all the errors can make it fun to assemble a set. Your right. I did think WHY? I really don't know anyone that collects or even uses those things. Glad you answered your own question. Now coasty, there is a good suggestion. Collect those baby sized dollars. No real compition there.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1418 Posts |
Plus, you are here when the minting is happening, and a lot of thing are being discovered. It can be very exciting.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19935 Posts |
If I was starting over, the only thing I'd shoot for was an MS Lincoln set from 1909-1933. By far Lincolns are the most popular collecting series, they are easy to grade and plentiful enough you can find nice ones. Believe it or not, besides the 1914-D, the keys are easy to obtain, the challenge is the non-key, conditional rarities. In many non-key years, finding MS coins is very challenging and very rewarding when you do.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Believe it or not, besides the 1914-D, the keys are easy to obtain, the challenge is the non-key, conditional rarities. In many non-key years, finding MS coins is very challenging and very rewarding when you do.
That is so really, really true. I spent almost 2 years trying to get a 1920D Lincoln in a high MS grade. Went around asking coin dealers to look out for one for me. Same with a few coin stores. All I kept hearing at coin shows was OH, that is rather common. You will find lots of them at this show. YEAH, RIGHT. Took 2 years for that common coin. It is odd that you will always see the key dated coins in MS grades constantly but the so called common, everyday, no problem finding one coin in MS grades is just not really common. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
For the most part, you're not going to find exceptional coins at shows. Dealers have customers, both collectors and other dealers, who pay premium prices for getting the first shot at premium coins. Some pay hundreds of dollars to get into a show a few hours before it opens to the public, just so they can buy the good stuff.
Auctions are a mixed bag. Big ones connected to major shows will have nice material. Local ones, even estate auctions, are rife with grossly overgraded, even outright counterfeit coins, because in most states, auctions assume the auctioneer is not an expert on the products, and there are no return privileges. Great place to get rid of fakes, just put them in an estate auction.
I know a dealer who has a couple auctions a year. He has several suppliers who he buys lots of "slider" au dollars from, and suddenly they're ms in his next auction. Hey, don't knock it, he's been doing this since the 70s that I know of.
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
I had three svdbs before I got a 15s.
Want a challenge? Just a plain old Lincoln set. Pick a grade: f, vf or xf. Get all the coins in the same grade, the same color brown, no nicks, scratches, weak strikes, etc. Extremely difficult. You'll find yourself putting hours of searching into a dollar coin.
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New Member
 United States
2 Posts |
thank you all for the informative replys
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
For the most part, you're not going to find exceptional coins at shows. Dealers have customers, both collectors and other dealers, who pay premium prices for getting the first shot at premium coins. Some pay hundreds of dollars to get into a show a few hours before it opens to the public, just so they can buy the good stuff.
You just don't go to the right shows. At almost all of the ones I go to the tables are loaded with the most fantastic MS coins. Yes true dealers do have their favorite customers but none of the ones I know will save anything for anyone. If your there, fine, if not it's gone. And at almost every show around here there is no pay to get in early. That stuff is for those large, well advertised, expensive shows. Around me every show is supposed to start at about 9AM but there are people all over the place at 8 to 8:30 AM. Might not be the nicest thing to do but first come, first served is the way shows are around me. Quote:
I had three svdbs before I got a 15s.
Besides the 20D I really went nuts trying to find an MS 15D. And that is true of the 09S VDB's. They are all over the places. Really makes me wonder if there really were Billions made and no one knows that. Back to the original of Morgans. See, you could be spending your time with Lincolns and really go nutty. |
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Valued Member
United States
361 Posts |
I like Walkers as well. Lots of challenges.
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Replies: 17 / Views: 2,185 |
Posted 02/28/2011 12:16 pm
