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From Top Pop to Details - Do you collect them all?
Zoins
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I'm a big fan of US Mint So-Called Dollars.
One of my first was the fairly common US Mint Columbian Expo medal, HK-154. I picked up a MS66 pop 308/12/1 and then dutifully upgraded my set when the MS67 pop 320/1/0 became available.
However, since then I've added 2 details coins, first a coin from Eric Newman's collection to get the pedigree and then a off center error. I still don't store the top pop and environmentally damaged pieces next to each other 
What about you? Do you collect them all?
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I generally do not collect "details" coins. I have some raw tokens that would be "details grades" if they were certified, but I don't have any "details grade" holders.
With my West Virginia CWTs, I have to take what I can get smoetimes.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with collecting coins, where condition is not the primary factor.
Any "details" piece is a education piece I can study.
WS
I collect coins based on what I like.... and if it is a 'details' coin, so be it. My collection will never have 'provenance', nor sell for record prices.... It is, however, MY collection, and I like it. Cheers, RickO
I've had details coins in the past and they always bothered me. I only buy straight graded coins at this point...
My YouTube Channel
Right now just this one
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/publishedset/209923
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/album/209923
I have a few details coins but hey, some Morgan VAMs are impossible to find straight grade.
Yes, but 97+% are "grade-able." Any die variety collector who does not have some details coins does not have a complete or comprehensive collection, some varieties only exist with issues.
I try to avoid detail coins for the most part unless the price is unreal. just saying
Details coins bother me. I only buy straight graded coins in the highest grade I can afford.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Normally, I agree to avoid details grades and buy the best you can afford philosophy. I have two of the top graded pieces here. A pop 1/0 and a pop 12/1.
The reason for one of the pieces here is to get an off center error. I have a raw piece that is more off center and may straight grade but errors are rare enough I was okay picking up another here.
The other one was for the pedigree. The pop 1/0 will only have my pedigree when it’s in there so I thought it was nice to get the Newman piece when it came available too.
Of course, I couldn’t control the fact the error and Newman piece were details pieces but they were rare enough I was ok.
I've got just about every grade coin there is, and an example of all the kinds of problems found.
Very educational.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
I would love to have more “details” pieces in my collection, but I am happy with whatever I can find.. I think it’s a personal choice at the end of the day... Cheers!
Like some others I’ll pickup a Details CWT based on rarity. To date I have one, and it’s a rarity 10.
"A penny hit by lightning is worth six cents". Opie Taylor
Have had some very old coins come back details and have kept them, as a 300 or 400 year old coin has had a lot of opportunities to be messed with or damaged by the environment. Having said that I don't seek them out if there are reasonable alternatives. The one holdered coin I bought details was a St. Patrick's farthing with light corrosion. I've seen many colonials with worse porosity straight-graded. Might crack it out and try my luck, but will probably keep it as is.
The so called environmental damage piece I would have bought too. It seems pretty mild to just a figment of the graders imagination. I would not worry about storing it next to anything as it's quarantined and not contagious.
P.S. No interest whatever in the other end of the spectrum (top pops). Collecting was a contest for me when I was 8 and my best friend and I competed to see who could fill their Whitman cent album (doable in the 50's). He actually found an SVDB in circulation. I've not collected competitively since.
Hey Zoins! I'm back.
I have 2 top pops in my collection but my most prized medal is an ungraded, XF, 1909 AYPE HK-368a / SH 16-21 Die Error, w/ "Manufactures" misspelled 'Manufacturfs.' If a graded medal is scarce enough and fits in my collection's parameters I'll gladly purchase it. Besides, my pockets aren't deep enough to "Soar with the Eagles" so I make-do.
Zero details coins for me, can't stand them.
My coins are "damaged" enough so I don't want any extra damage on them
Interesting concept.
Has anyone ever collect straight graded coins from a particular year and MM from say, P-01 to MS?
I do Genuine and MS but not that much in the middle. Genuine coins can have interesting looks to them.
I've never seen one of the "Fab-5" saints in a details grade or a 1921 but I'd be happy to have one at the right price
My Saint Set
I don't collect top pops, I think they are probably some of the most over-valued coins there are, especially common date top pops. I'd rather have 15 nice coins I can be happy owning over 1 top pop. I don't play the grade inflation game and if you are going to collect top pops, if you don't play the game you could lose your shirt.
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Nodetails; don't like big losses when trying to sell/upgrade. I have some top pops on foreign, but only because I submitted them myself and the services agreed with my taste.
I don't attempt to buy my coins in a specific grade or even quality because most of the date/MM/denominations combinations I am actively looking to buy don't exist in decent quality. I'd never pay US level premiums for a non-US coin in the highest (eligible grade either if it is "material", except maybe to "flip" it. I occasionally see one for sale at what I would describe at an inflated or "stupid money" price. The market for these coins outside the US is virtually non-existent.
In my primary interest, a low number are available in better AU or MS and I own a noticeable proportion of those listed in the combined population reports. The availability of decent looking coins in low circulated grades is also very low. Some of it might be due to the low value but the few (mostly) complete collections (now distributed) still had mostly "problem" coins. A noticeable proportion (as in noticeable minority) are either holed or otherwise damaged. I will buy "details" coins if it is otherwise decent, I don't expect to find a better one and the price is "right".
As one example, I own the same coin in XF "details", AU-58 and MS-61 representing all three coins in the NGC census. I purchased in this order and only seen one other example (not graded) that is comparable, back in 2006. The "details" coin is noted as "surface harilines" with gold and blue toning and there is nothing wrong with it. NGC just declined to assign it a numerical grade. PCGS lists a single MS-63. A few others might exist. I haven't sold my duplicates because the money I'd receive won't make any difference.
There are other coins listed in the combined population data or illustrated in prior catalogs I would like to buy. I patiently await until it appears. One in September listed now.
I purchased the bulk of what I would consider my "core collection" raw prior to TPG. In fact I only had one slabbed coin prior to the time I stopped "filling holes" around 1992 or so. Between 2013 and 2016 I submitted them all to PCGS or NGC and about 30% came back in details slabs, mostly because of cleaning. I'd be willing to bet than several of them would straight grade if cracked out and resubmitted but not a priority for me. The main reason for getting them authenticated and graded was for the benefit of my heirs if I don't sell them before it becomes an issue.
All the remaining holes are tough dates with low survival rates so if I can find a coin I need and like for what I consider a fair price a details coin will fill that hole just fine.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
I collect both top pop and details....
top pop: 1874-P trade dollar chopmarked.
details: 1875-S Type 1/2, Micro s chopmarked. (havent found one that exists with a straight grade yet for sale)
Minor Variety Trade dollar's with chop marks set:
More Than It's Chopped Up To Be
I wonder how many COIN COLLECTORS read and responded to this blog. I see many respondents refer to coins, and this
I only collect So-Called Dollars. SCD's are not minted in the same quantity as are coins. SCD's rarity scale begins R-1 = 5000+ minted, known... R-3 = 501-2000... R-5 = 76-200 known... R-8 = 5-10 known, R-9 = 2-4 known, R-10 = 1 known.
A successful So-Called Dollar Collector cannot afford to be picky when dealing with such low populations. When I deal with such rare medals I will gladly add a "DET" to my collection as it MAY be the only such specimen I'll ever encounter. When I collected coins I always went for the best quality - times and circumstances have changed.
Straight grades only for me, but all grades are cool if the originality and eye appeal is there...
My YouTube Channel
I have a few details coins, but I believe only one that's in a details holders.
I try not to buy any coins with big enough problems to warrant a details holder, but there are always exceptions.
Here's one:
It's in an old ANACS VG-8 details slab, and I'm convinced it will eventually live in a PCGS problem-free slab.
Or at least that's the story I tell myself when I look at the details slab. lol
Live and learn, but collect what you want.....Mike
I have a lot of coins....mostly Dimes. My highest grade is PCGS67+FB and PCGSag03 is the lowest and yes, I have some details coins in PCGS holders....sometimes that's all you can find for a certain coin.
I find it ABSOLUTELY SAD that COIN COLLECTORS are commenting about their COINs in a SO-CALLED DOLLAR FORUM!!!!!
Sorry
It's okay. Coins, So-Called Dollars, it's all good.
Some coins are only available in low grades as well.
U mad bro?
My YouTube Channel
I have many more RAW then in plastic. That being said many I’m sure wouldn’t straight grade due to a abundance of factors. So I wouldn’t mind getting a “Details” if it was not a outlandish price and would have a home in my mixed collection. Interesting thread though!
Interesting. I thought this was the "U.S. Coin Forum" forum.
Minor Variety Trade dollar's with chop marks set:
More Than It's Chopped Up To Be
This is the only Details graded So-Called dollar that I have ever bought. There are none of this type graded by ngc with a full number grade. I have some others that i have sent in to be graded and they came back Details, but I actually purchased this one as is.
I've never bought a coin in a details holder as all of the ones I've had were purchased raw and submitted by me. I would however buy a coin in a details holder if it was a coin that is very rare in any condition or if I disagree with the details problem and think I can get the coin into a straight graded holder.
As much as I play pokemon.
This is a very nice and rare piece! The US Centennial So-Called Dollars can be very challenging. I'm glad you picked it up and posted it here!
To your original question, I don't collect them all.
Maybe later. My collection is so eclectic lol.
But I did excitedly collect this earlier this year...
Coins are Neato!
"If it's a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, then someone...somewhere...is making a penny." - Steven Wright
Awesome! Jeff Shevlin is a great asset to the hobby!
Hope you're able to attend some Fellowship gatherings in the future!
The AYPE piece is very interesting and seems to be a new variety. Read more on this here:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987131/new-so-called-dollar-variety-discovery-alaska-yukon-pacific-exposition
I never buy details coins. But I do buy RAW coins and consequently have a number of details coins in my inventory. Most all of the are .91 Questionable Color. QC is a very subjective call and I will resubmit them as time goes on.
I don’t have problem / details material in my inventory but many top pop or single digit pop both coins and currency.
For my Type Set I typically avoid "details" coins but I also collect Early Copper and I'm not a millionaire so of course I collect details coins!
1796 Liberty Cap with a clipped planchet/Environmental damage... cracked for my raw Large Cent collection...
The exception to my "rule" in the 7070... I'll probably have to upgrade to a non-corroded piece at some point...
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Very pleasing Large Cent, love the color!
I try for top pops and single pops but don’t buy them already graded. I’ve only received two single pop before. One was 1 of 3 AU58+ memorial cents. The other was a PF68BN 92 South Africa.
Many people have collected "grading sets" just like you describe.
I have a set of PCGS slabbed 1922 Philly Peace dollars that contains:
PO-01
FR-02
AG-03
G-4
G-6
VG-8
VG-10
F-12
F-15
VF-20
XF-45
AU-50
AU-53
AU-55
AU-58
MS-60
MS-61
MS-62
MS-62
MS-63
MS-64
MS-65
I think.... I might be missing a coin or two in the VG/F range. Obviously, I need to complete the VF-XF coins, and I need really nice MS66 and MS67 examples. It seems slightly silly to go looking for them and then spend the money to get them in the "correct" holders. Perhaps it could be a fun project for a few rainy days and a bulk submission.