I can only keep one. What would you do?
KindaNewish
Posts: 827 ✭✭✭✭✭
Hey everyone, Happy New Year!
So I've been working on two sets of coins for a few years now, neither is complete yet.
Both are turning out to be more expensive as I move towards completion, and I just cannot afford to keep both sets. One of them has to go and I need help deciding.
Set 1: the rattler proof set (1936-1964) about 90% complete so far. Lots of common coins in difficult plastic.
Set 2: 20 cent pieces by die variety. about 75% complete with a bunch of R-5 & R-6 (or scarcer) coins.
I am pretty sure that whichever set goes now, I'll never be able to duplicate it, so this is a tough one for me.
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From this point on, which one, if kept, do you think would give you the most enjoyment to keep/keep working on? If you know the answer, choose that one.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I'm leaning towards keeping the double dimes.
I'd rather have scarce coins versus scarce plastic. JMHO.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I would think that the proof coins would be a better market for resale, whether you do it now or in the future is up to you.
If there's a will there's a way. Keep and complete both. It's the roaring twenties for crying out loud, take out a second mortgage if you have too.
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
NO Brainer. If you are who I think you are, you got into the 20c series at the right time. While collecting old slabs will continue to become more popular - the slabs will eventually be more valuable than the coins. Not so for the 20c coins. There are probably a few more interesting die varieties and possibly even some new die combos to be discovered. So one set demonstrates numismatists at its finest. The other is just a collection.
I think you already knew the answer. In the end, you can still keep both sets.
I'd lean towards the twenty cent pieces. Is it a matter of " you need the money " or just can't afford to finish both ? If I had a choice, I'd keep both and plan on a slower completion date. either will be hard to replace once their gone.
Just the opposite IMHO. Unless the coins are CAM/DCAM (1936-1953) or monster toners, the market for early 20th century brilliant proof coinage has taken hits in recent years and continues to do so.
And that is what makes this so tough.
I have found a small but dedicated group of fellows who collect rattlers and have helped me (and vice versa) and another small but dedicated 20 cent collectors. I really like being part of both groups.
But I'm a single dad. My big girl wants to go to graduate school in Europe, my little one is eyeballing colleges now, and she likes the expensive ones.
It's just too much money for me to let sit idle.
+1
Exactly.
Do you need the funds from one set to fund the other or for other reasons? If not freeze one and build the other while keeping what you have so far intact.
Since the question posed is what I would do, the answer is simple. I've never really liked rattler holders; furthermore, the coin trumps the holder every time in my book. (I might make an exception for extremely rare holders such as NGC black inserts.)
Sorry to say you'll need to sell BOTH SETS and continue to research the 20c Series - you already know the scarce/rare ones. Turnover is your friend until the weddings are done.
College is a waste of money! Keep both.
If serious, such an overly broad statement is preposterous.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
They both sound like very nice sets, but I think I’d have a harder time parting with the 20C die marriage set. So my vote would be to keep the 20C’s.
I'm going to disagree. University was one of the best and most valuable experiences of my life. I was fortunate to go in an era where it was dirt cheap for CA residents to attend a UC school, and I graduated with no debt. Those days are gone, but it's not necessary to spend insane sums to get a great education. A lot of what you need to know for success in life and career will be learned after you graduate anyway.
I'm of the opinion that you can be an excellent dad and help your kid get a fantastic education from a public school. There is zero, ZERO chance that spending 4 times more at a big private school will yield enough (or any!) future benefit to justify it. Any difference in job opportunities or networking is much smaller than it used to be. And for heaven's sake, don't borrow money to do it. College can be either a tremendous investment or an absolute waste of money. Don't strap yourself to 20 or 30 years of student loan debt...... it will end up being a curse.
What she gets out of college will depend 90% on her and 10% on the college. If having fun is the goal, she can get that without paying tuition anywhere. I worked part time and full-time in the summers, kept my grades high enough for a scholarship, and still had tons of fun. I also started out at a little inexpensive community college, transferred to a state school, and ended up doing post-doctoral training at an Ivy-league. A little real-world work experience will more than make up for whatever bump she'd get from a big-name school.
I'd keep the double dimes. They're cool, and a bunch of modernish proofs do absolutely nothing for me.
My parents made me pay for my own education, even though they have a lot of money....Just Sayin'.
If she works and saves, for a couple of years, and then goes, she will have a lot saved up and will be eligible for numerous grants and loans, just as long as her credit history is good.
Sorry to rain on your parade but that's what I had to do....
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Hi Ray,
Man, I feel your pain. I look at the stuff I have collected and though I realize I really need to focus and downsize, the decision to focus gets difficult. I guess you (and I in thinking about it) need to figure what you are most passionate about. No decision like that is easy IMHO.
Good luck in which ever direction you decide to go.
My War Nickels https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/nickels/jefferson-nickels-specialty-sets/jefferson-nickels-fs-basic-war-set-circulation-strikes-1942-1945/publishedset/94452
If circumstances change in 5-10 years. which set would be easiest to resume or replace?
I would keep and work on the classics. I really never acquired the "proof" coin taste.
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Don't be shell shocked by sticker price. Most elite colleges have lucrative financial aid programs and student loans are pretty much guaranteed to be available by Uncle Same. For undergraduate studies the rates are fairly low. They are a bit higher for graduate/professional school (but I'm still unsure about how the Europe thing plays into this). In summary, low interest loans could buy you some time if you don't want to cannibalize your sets.
>
Add up the "face value" of the coins you decided to sell. Then on April 1st, tell your daughters that's how much you have to contribute towards their collage educations.
Keep pictures for memories, of both the coins and their reaction.
The admissions and financial aid landscape has changed tremendously in the last 10-15 years. Many (thinking Ivy League or comparable level schools) have programs that bring down the costs significantly for lower income families. In some cases an Ivy League school may very well end up cheaper (after grants, tuition waivers, etc.) than a state school. The former have vast financial resources and can afford to give more aid. This doesn't necessarily entail loans, but it can.
Sometimes, yes, but I'd do my homework and make darn sure that aid was really going to be there. Like everything else in life, shop around and make sure you're actually getting value for your money.
More than anything, what has really changed in the last 10-15 years is the rate of students graduating with huge ($50k+) student-loan debts.
This.
Thanks for the advice. I don't want them to have much or any debt if possible when they start their way in the world.
Both sets will not be possible to reconstruct later, but consensus seems like keeping the 20c coins.
Anybody want to buy a few boxes of rattlers?
Easy choice for me. Keep the 20 centers!
You should consider sending them to Great Collections. They're currently featuring a large ("the Ultimate") collection in rattlers and other old holders, although the coins are significantly more rare and valuable than modern proofs. You might inquire whether they'd give you any free promotion if submitted as a group.
The rattler set has more potential IMHO.
I didn't go to college. What does "preposterous" mean?
And .....just for fun.... how long since you used the word before today?
It depends on what your field of study is and what the student makes of it. Sadly most today use it as an excuse not to work and to party. To boot there are many flaky schools/courses/majors that are of questionable intellectual value and that have no real world value. STEM, medicine, business, pre-grad school tracks, and law are exceptions.
Au contraire, it has been demonstrated time and time again that getting a degree from the elite schools pays for itself even with crazy tuition costs, and opens doors that otherwise stay shut. Why do you think folks pay out to go to them schools in Beantown?
But more on the point, from a numismatic perspective, the 20 cent collection will be the one to keep IMO.
Best, SH
Agreed, it depends. And it doesn’t change the nature of the comment with which i took issue.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Expensive tuition can work out financially and it has done so many times, but there may be even more cases when it doesn't work out financially. When making any large investment, and this is one, it's worth discussing the value of what is being attained, what is the expected result and the likelihood of achieving a positive result. This is an important discussion to have and one that many recent gradudates I talk to appreciate, some expressing that they never had similar conversations before. In business school, one of the first exercises we had was to do a ROI analysis on the tuition we were paying
As for the collections, I agree with Mark. Collecting is about having fun for me and if you must sell one, I would keep the one you'll get more pleasure from continuing to build. My personal preference is the 20 cent collection. I have started a slab collection but I'm more of a type set collector now, I just need one of each type of slab
This!!
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Actually, this isn't obviously true:
https://theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/12/does-it-matter-where-you-go-college/577816/
https://inc.com/dorcas-cheng-tozun/prestigious-colleges-dont-lead-to-happiness-success.html
My parents paid tuition and cheap dorm costs. The rest was on me. I worked and studied and made it in 4 years. Work was easy after that. Not the fond memories of college some have, but I appreciated the help. I guess high school was party time.
USMC paid my tuition, no bone spurs up in here. Semper Fi!
PS I still say keep both collections.
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
These fields - STEM, buisness, economics, are the ones that mostly that matter with respect to higher salaries. HST, the article you list has no hard stats and does not make much of the differences in quality opportunities one has with a degree from the right university. Would you rather get your med degree from John Hopkins or Small State U? The opportunities you would have would be totally different and your chance for earning power as well. Even though JH would be much higher in cost, it would pay off greatly. But what do I know as I see this in action every day and advise dozens of students on where to go for their education, then over the years, witness the outcomes............
I am sure there are many articles that would likely disagree with this findings in the linked article and evaluating outcomes is always a complex challenge.
But this is not the purpose of the thread so lets stick to 20 cents versus proofs in Rattlers......
Best, SH
Good to know you provide college advice to students. I'm sure the advice you provide is much appreciated. It certainly is when I provide it but I don't get to do enough of it these days.
And I agree that pairing an elite college with a financially desirable degree is a good combination for economic success. I think the challenges appear when the expensive college isn't an elite one and / or the degree isn't in one an area that is currently in demand by employers. And, of course, this isn't the only way to succeed and isn't necessarily for everyone.
Graduate school is a different story. There are numerous studies in recent years that show no correlation between student outcomes and undergraduate institution overall. There are some areas where it matters (business and Harvard, for example), but overall the student effort matters far more than the institution.
Oh, I would keep the 20 centers.
I agree with that, student effort matters just as much as where you do your work. And agree my experience is mostly graduate school placing and hence where I have seen the outcomes. HST, an undergraduate degree from Harvard or MIT, for example, will put you at the head of the game, then it is up to you to capitalize.
Best, SH
neither would be possible. There are unique pieces in each set.
Agreed.
I teach at a predominantly undergraduate private institution. And it just bothers me that students spend the extra money thinking that they are getting something for "free" that they wouldn't get from a state school. But so many of them end up with mountains of debt and disappointing earning potential. Wherever you go, your effort is the biggest factor.
Sorry that you have to make this difficult decision KindaNewish. I know if it was me, it would be easy for me, I would keep the 20 cent pieces as I believe these are some of the coolest and rare coins to collect, but that is just what I would do.
Good luck on your decision and sorry to hear that you have to sell any of your collections.
Joe
Keep both sets.
Have them take out a loan for college. My daughter gives me half her paycheck and I add to that every month. I wouldn’t pay my kids way even if I had the money. Nothing was handed to me, I work hard for what I have. My kids will learn the same lessons. But I will always help them and want the best for them.
Keep both sets!
If you have to keep one, keep the double dimes.
Wow - a lot of us work in academia. Who knew...
There are ‘truly’ elite schools like MIT and Harvard. Then there are 2-3 top tier schools like Yale, and then everyone else. If part of the everyone else, I would look very closely at the tuition and likely choose a state school considering cost/benefit.
Keep the set you enjoy the most.
If I had to choose I would keep the twenty-cent pieces, they are cool coins.
My oldest grandson (17) starts at a local State University campus next year.The youngest (15) says he can learn everything he needs to know on the internet and thinks college is unnecessary. Hopefully he will learn from his older brother.
Fortunately no one will have to sell anything to fund their education, both sets of grandparents started college 529 plans for them when they were born.
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