Which would you purchase?

csdot

Let's say you have $4,000 budgeted for 2020, and since your usual shows have been cancelled, you have narrowed it down to these four online choices that can all be obtained in your price range. Which would you purchase, and why? **This is suppose to be a fun exercise, so don't overthink it. 😁👍

OPTION A.

OPTION B.

OPTION C.

OPTION D.

chesterb

Definitely not B. So that leave A,C and D but since you said to have fun and not overthink it then I'd go with option D, the $1,000 note. I've always wanted one and it just screams "I made it!"

BTW, you should have some money left over...I think...with that choice.

ifthevamzarockin

1909 S VDB in 65 red

Not into paper much and I just like it.

csdot

@chesterb said:
Definitely not B. So that leave A,C and D but since you said to have fun and not overthink it then I'd go with option D, the $1,000 note. I've always wanted one and it just screams "I made it!"

Funny thing is A, C and D are on my ebay watch list. I added B because I figure all coin collectors at one point wanted a 1909-S VDB for their collection. 😁

koynekwest

Gotta go with Option A.

CoinJunkie

A, C, D, B, in that order for me.

I've always liked "Technicolor" notes and that one faces up very nicely for a 25. I wouldn't kick any of 'em out of bed, as they say.

mannie gray

A

TommyType

C. Fits best into my collection.

(Then again, I've been thinking about divesting from my (limited) gold coins to take advantage of the price run-up).

Second choice is B. I don't "do" currency.

COINS MAKE CENTS

B looks like a nice coin

cameonut2011

I'll go with the one that stickered. It is probably the most liquid of the group if you change your mind or upgrade in the near future.

Yorkshireman

C, then A
The others aren’t even close.

ShaunBC5

B. I have no gold or paper, so if it was between just those 4, I’ll take the nice Lincoln that I don’t already have.

coinpalice

i would go with c. but in reality, i would not spend 4 k on a $20 liberty, just not into paper

Walkerfan

C....Got to go with the gold.

B....The key date Lincoln would be my second choice.

Azurescens

@cameonut2011 said:
I'll go with the one that stickered. It is probably the most liquid of the group if you change your mind or upgrade in the near future.

^ My man

johnny9434

I'll vote with a

Jimnight

A

keets

if you have to ask for help you should pass on all and keep looking.

jesbroken

B, no question. Not a paper nor gold collector.
Jim

Kliao

I will go B. Although A looks really cool I’m not that much into paper.

Catbert

No paper in my collection but A just jumps out and catches my interest. 😊

Edit to add: would like more in a little higher grade 🤔

csdot

@Catbert said:
No paper in my collection but A just jumps out and catches my interest. 😊

Edit to add: would like more in a little higher grade 🤔

Here is a 40 I am watching, but at this sort of $, I am probably getting a 1907 High Relief $20.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FR1179-20-1905-GOLD-CERT-PMG-40-XF-FRIEDBERG-CV-19-500-WL7106-KEY/191327936877

291fifth

I wouldn't pay $4000 for any of them.

A. Pretty but too expensive.
B. Popular but common. Looks RB not RED. No sticker.
C. An attractive type coin but in the end just another common date, common type. I would only want a type coin like that if it were priced near melt.
D. Impressive denomination but not really rare. If you have the money they are always available. How many do you want?

I have viewed US numismatic collectibles as being poor values for the money for some time. I'm glad I am no longer buying.

TurtleCat

I lean towards A because I’ve taken an interest in notes lately and that’s one I’ve looked at as well. But I’d go with C because I understand coins better and there’s nothing like big gold.

jdimmick

The $20 Gold note, everything else i have owned in the past.

csdot

@jdimmick said:
The $20 Gold note, everything else i have owned in the past.

I picked up the 1922 versions of the $10 and $20 gold notes a decade or so ago. It is nice, the $20 has the same reverse and all, but the obverse is bland compared to the Technicolor $20. Maybe the 1905 version was too much trouble to recreate in 1922, but it, along with the chief, buffalo, battleship, educational notes, and others were truly the high points of what the USBPE, or whatever it was called at the time, put out.

Catbert

@csdot said:

@Catbert said:
No paper in my collection but A just jumps out and catches my interest. 😊

Edit to add: would like more in a little higher grade 🤔

Here is a 40 I am watching, but at this sort of $, I am probably getting a 1907 High Relief $20.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/FR1179-20-1905-GOLD-CERT-PMG-40-XF-FRIEDBERG-CV-19-500-WL7106-KEY/191327936877

Ah, I can see now why that would be unrealistic! Still like A!

SimpleCollector

I would purchase D. I think large denomination bills are just cool to own, they are fun to show people and a conversation piece. My limited experience is that the large denomination are fairly liquid and in demand, by both collectors and sometimes just wealthy people.

B doesn’t interest me, and unless I was a registry collector or it was top pop, wouldn’t excite me.

C is my second choice, as I love old gold and the coin looks great, however the date isn’t that rare, and the difference between that and a nice 63, is a lot in $, but may not be that different in eye appeal and the amount of time you will look at it.

A is intriguing. I dabbled in large/old notes for a bit, and never saw that. While it looks awesome, it is not an interesting novelty like the 1000, it’s not a coin for your collection, so if you bought it, how does it fit in....are you committed to go down a currency path...

I have a $500 note and want to get a $1000 note someday...it’s the only currency I still have and it still makes me smile when I look at it or think about it...,it’s just cool to own.

So for me ...it’s D.

ricko

For me, it would be C - no contest. Beautiful gold coin.... gold... yep.... Cheers, RickO

ksammut

Gotta be A for me. Although I'm not too knowledgeable about currency, that design is too beautiful to pass up.

BryceM

C > D > A > B

If you gave me A or B I’d just sell it. The others are interesting.

BillJones

Although none of them would be on my list, among the four, I'd take option A. That is a really cool looking note. I don't collect very much paper money so that one is a new one to me.

To me the 1909-S-VDB and the 1907-D double eagle are "so what" coins. They are always around for a price. The double eagle might be currently over priced because of all the gold speculation that is going on. The $1,000 bill is nice, but not really exciting.

Smudge

C.

SiriusBlack

I’d go with A, it’s the coolest looking of the bunch. The others are nice, but nothing special. There’s lots of shiny gold out there, the Lincoln is nice, but other than a key date, nothing special to look at, take the mint mark away and it’s a normal old penny, the $1000 note again is ok, but nothing too fancy or special other than it’s a high denomination with an almost interesting serial number, but not quite.

I could look at A for hours though, that’s pretty, and I don’t even collect banknotes.

Downtown1974

I’d go with Charlie! Love the gold.

Crusty

I’m going with A

U1chicago

I like A. It sticks out from the rest to me even though I don't collect paper money.

pointfivezero

No currency or gold in my collection. Got to go with my favorite President - B

csdot

A lot of great > @BillJones said:

Although none of them would be on my list, among the four, I'd take option A. That is a really cool looking note. I don't collect very much paper money so that one is a new one to me.

To me the 1909-S-VDB and the 1907-D double eagle are "so what" coins. They are always around for a price. The double eagle might be currently over priced because of all the gold speculation that is going on. The $1,000 bill is nice, but not really exciting.

I have perused your registry sets over the years (very impressive), and I can only dream of the wonders that must be on your list. 😁👍🥂💰

JBN

D.
It is evocative of Jay's Money Machine on Let's Make A Deal.
A is second.
Neither coin would pry the $4K loose.
Great contest @csdot!

privatecoin

C or B.

csdot

Since so many have expressed an interest in OPTION A, and since my knowledge of currency is very limited (I am a Type Coin and Gold Coin collector), I did some googling and found this nice writeup. No affiliation, but credit to the author in the link.

Series of 1905 $20 Gold Certificate – Technicolor

History: Twenty dollar gold certificates were first printed in The United States in 1863. They were redesigned in 1882. However, it wasn’t until 1905 that we saw the gold certificates that ended up being common place in circulation in the early 1900s. The series of 1905 $20 gold certificate features a portrait of George Washington. Washington was also featured on similarly designed twenty dollar gold certificates from 1906 and 1922. The 1905 example we are discussing here is many times rarer than the later issues. It is a one year, one design type note that only has two signature combinations. It is not necessarily historically important, but it is a favorite among collectors.

Nickname: The 1905 $20 gold certificate is nicknamed the “Technicolor” note. Occasionally U.S. money had a color tint to its paper like the 1869 rainbow series. Serial numbers and seals have been all different colors as well. However, the 1905 $20 gold certificate is pretty much the only bank note that has extra color added just for the sake of the design. This was very unusual and it was discontinued when the 1906 $20 gold certificates were made. Technicolor notes are striking compared to similar issues. Even the red seal and serial numbers seem brighter than normal.

Other Facts: There are a few interesting things about the 1905 $20 gold certificate. First of all, it is one of only a few pieces of United States currency that actually has a dollar sign on it. Paper money often lags far behind coins in terms of historical significance in the opinion of the general public. Many famous politicians kept coin collections, but not many kept currency collections. There is a small exception though. Theodore Roosevelt was the president in office when the 1905 $20 gold notes were issued. He was a huge fan of them. They marked a significant change in color from what paper money had looked like for generations. The serial number #1 note was presented to Theodore Roosevelt. The #2 note was given to Leslie Mortier Shaw (the secretary of the treasury). The #3 note was given to Gilbert G Thorne. Other low serial number notes are also known to exist. So this isn’t an issue that just happened to become popular years after it was originally printed. It has been important since day one.

http://www.antiquemoney.com/value-of-1905-20-gold-certificate-technicolor-note/

Catbert

Good to read and know. Thank you.

The author would say the 4K price level is too high for the grade?

csdot

@Catbert said:
Good to read and know. Thank you.

The author would say the 4K price level is too high for the grade?

I noticed that too. Might be an old post, or maybe he is in the market to purchase.🤔🤣

I am looking at the HA completed auctions right now, and the prices are all over the place. Seems (rightfully) that the grade on the holder is not nearly as important at eye appeal.

csdot

Quick question for those who have purchased through HA. When this says: "Sold for: $3,960.00 includes Buyer's Premium (BP)" do we think that means the 20% is already in the $3,960 as the clear read of "includes" implies, or did the buyer pay $3,960 + $792 (20%) = $4,752 as "will be added" implies? Thanks!! 😊

CoinJunkie

The listed price for completed auctions at Heritage includes the Buyer's Premium, as stated explicitly. That is the total amount the buyer actually paid (plus shipping and tax).

csdot

@CoinJunkie said:
The listed price for completed auctions at Heritage includes the Buyer's Premium, as stated explicitly. That is the total amount the buyer actually paid (plus shipping and tax).

Perfect! I was about 98% certain, but that dropdown that mentioned the 20% BP being added to the bid had me questioning myself.

Thanks 😊

CoinJunkie

@Catbert said:
Good to read and know. Thank you.

The author would say the 4K price level is too high for the grade?

Just as in coins, the grade on the holder is merely a starting point for arriving at a fair price. The vibrancy of the reverse of a gold certificate is considered one of the more important factors in assessing its desirability. Also note that in currency grading, minor defects are frequently noted as comments on the back of the holder, but the note usually still receives a (non-netted) grade. Notes with comments are almost always discounted to some degree. Conversely, notes which receive the Exceptional Paper Quality (EPQ) or Premium Paper Quality (PPQ) almost always fetch a premium price for the grade.

For a high end VF25 note, $4k is probably not out of line.

winesteven

C - Large Gold, CAC, decent grade (better than a 63).

Steve

BustDMs

The $20 note for me. The others would be easier to find again in the future.

Dscoin

C
It’s the last year of issue, and it looks super clean. If you don’t like it after some time, it’s going to sell, easy........

Numismatic value is there and I personally think gold is a great investment as well.