Three grades that give the most bang for your buck. Here's mine. What are yours?
MWallace
Posts: 4,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have noticed three grades that "often" give the most bang for the bucks. That is, you can find nice eye appealing coins for much less that coins numerically graded higher. It goes without being said, but obviously it's not true 100% of the time, but they are grades well worth looking for in my opinion.
MS64+: Coins graded MS64+ often have more eye appeal than MS65 and even some MS66 coins.
AU58: Coins with the slightest of wear that often don't have the surface marks, spots, unappealing toning, etc. that is on the
lower Mint State coins.
XF45: Nicely circulated coins that still show much detail, i.e. LIBERTY, hair, denticles, etc.
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Comments
For circulated coins, 58 and 45 are definitely two of my favorite grades from a value standpoint. With uncirculated coins, it's highly dependent on the series. I agree that 64+ coins can often be as attractive as gems.
45 58 64
In my opinion some of it is series dependent.
I like:
MS66+ in Washington quarters.
PR64 in Indian Head cents.
And I agree with XF45 for type.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
My Washington Quarter Registry set...in progress
I’ve seen a number of posts in which posters talk about grades with “bang for the buck”. But even if their general observations are correct, I don’t think it matters.
What counts is how much “bang for the buck” you get out of the coin (of whatever grade) you purchase. And other than exceptions for considerations such as affordability or grade uniformity for a set, I don’t think collectors should limit their searches to coins of any particular grade. I believe it’s better to allow for grater flexibility and more, rather than fewer options.
As I like to say, “Let the coin come to you.”
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
IMO, you nailed the three I would have selected. The fourth might be a nice 62 example when the next grades up double or more in price.
No one can disagree with that.
Big fan of 200+ year old US coins in
G-7, VG-9, and VG-11
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
It’s the PCGS U.S. Coin Forum, so sure they can.😄
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
The only nits I might pick are:
1) In my main area of focus (colorfully toned silver Roosies), anything below MS66 generally won't have the luster to really make the toning sing. There are always exceptions, of course, but they're rare in my experience.
2) I prefer my graters to be stiff.
35
45
58
64+-65
More and more I'm starting to see it this way. The only difficulty here is for those "competing" in the registry. There, grades reign supreme, even when the coins in the #5 set are immensely more appealing than those in the #1 set. I've seen that plenty of times.
To answer the OP's question though, certain AU58s have significantly more eye appeal than many coins in 63 and 64 holders. This was even more true before market grading starting allowing these sorts of coins to end up in MS62 holders.
Finally, many coins have a huge jump in price at a particular price point. Take the 28-S Peace dollar for instance. Neither of these coins belongs to me. Both show as no-CAC in the CAC database. The first one is graded MS64+ with a CU value of $1450. The second is graded MS65 with a CU value of $18,500. That's almost 13 times more expensive for a coin that arguably isn't better.
We could argue the fine points of each coin..... which has a better strike, which is more lustrous, which has more eye appeal..... but I doubt anyone outside of the numismatic world could possibly comprehend a price difference of that magnitude. FWIW, I like both of them quite a bit.
Want to have an all-gem set of Peace dollars? You have to pay up to get MS65 examples of the 25-S and 28-S. They just don't come cheaply. Want to compete in the Peace registry? You got to have a 65 or 65+ in both of these coins.
Or, you could just collect a really dazzling set of Peace dollars a half-grade lower and spend the extra $30k something else.
Thank you for letting me know about my typo. I will leave it, so as not to make your catch moot.
Regarding colorfully toned Roosies graded MS66 or higher - if you rarely like examples graded lower than that, presumably, you’re still basing your choices on what the coins look like (and therefore the “bang for the buck” for the coin, not just the grade). So I see no nit picked there.😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Back in the day; I could cherry-pick some great coins in these grades.......
For Early Walkers:
63
64
For middle to late dates:
65
Today, it is NOT so easy.......
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
AU58
MS64
MS65
Given your number 2 point, wouldn't that by definition mean that you think highly of AU coins.
U.S. Type Set
I collectly main lincolns and I noticed that MS64 seems to be a common grade that is given out. Many of them being imo better than many 65s and a few 66s!
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I’d take nice AU55s over a 58. A nice 58 sometimes rivals a 61. A 55 usually has a significant price drop from a 58.
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
60
64
66
I do not focus on the grade..... well, years ago, I was more grade conscious.... but that changed... For me, the coin must have attractive qualities in the design and/or history...and, much like art or beauty, it must suit my tastes.... Cheers, RickO