How picky are you as a collector?
Panda4456
Posts: 362 ✭✭✭
How picky are you?
Me for, if I am collecting modern bullion I want to have either pcgs or ngc holders ms69 or ms70.
I started collecting Morgan’s and I have them all in ngc holders. I only want to collect Morgan dollars in uncirculated quality.
If I have a silver panda or silver Eagle with white spots, I sell it and buy another coin.
I started collecting philippines pesos and started selling me au quality coins in exchange for ms quality. Tell me your picky stories!
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I try to be realistic in my expectations. For example, I hate bag marks but I learn to live with them when buying classic US gold coins and Morgan dollars.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I'm a mid-high grade Circ collector. Originality baby...the well kept type...not the ugly mottled improperly stored type.
I think I'm rather picky. Anyone can just go by the coins to build a set on eBay. Most coins aren't rare. But if you want to get a quality coin, sometimes that can take time. And for some coins it can take months or a year to find the right one.
Successful transactions with: wondercoin, Tetromibi, PerryHall, PlatinumDuck, JohnMaben/Pegasus Coin & Jewelry, CoinFlip, and coinlieutenant.
I was never picky when I got into collecting but when I got back into collecting in 2007 I found myself to be a bit pickier.
As the years have gone by I have gotten much pickier but yet I have no trouble adding a cleaned, lightly scratched, or holed coin if the price is right.
In some ways I’m very picky, in other ways not. I’m more picky about what I avoid: dark toning, fingerprints, splotches, fly specks, and washed out looks.
I get pickier as I go. Want to get a good price, nice coin and not getting stuck with a problem coin no one wants.
Collector
87 Positive BST transactions buying and selling with 53 members and counting!
instagram.com/klnumismatics
I am picky about coin purchases. I like the clarity of knowing that. Peace Roy
Confucius said:
You can pick your friends
You can pick your nose
But you can't pick your friends nose.
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
I am probably the worse when it comes to being picky (in other words, I am not!).
I seek coins that are interesting and intrigue me. Many times those coins have a negative eye appeal
to most collectors.
What I don't like are fingerprints or specks of foreign matter. Heavily corroded coins are also a bummer. Otherwise, the more bizarre and whacky the coins look, the more I am personally attracted to them.
peacockcoins
not very whatever gets my notice gets got and put into my collection
wbbjts
I am picky. I like coins that have natural toning and pleasing appearance. I prefer circulated coins that have honest wear with no rim dings, scratches or other obvious defects. I only want coins made of silver or gold. Common circulated coins can be raw. Better date coins and nice uncirculated coins are preferred slabbed.
However, I must add, I have many coins collected over a lifetime that do not meet my criteria listed above.
No details coins. Buying one makes somebody else’s problem my problem.
Picky is relative. Sometimes you have to take what is available because you might never get a shot at another one.
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Thanks to Namvet69 I had this vision of Peter Sellers in his character in the 1976 film Murder By Death saying those words.
Great film... great cast... great screen writer. Murder By Death may be the most underrated comedy of the 1970's decade
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
No details coins. Buying one makes somebody else’s problem my problem.
I agree with this. And I've found coins in TPG holders that received clean grade but should have received details grade. I pay premium prices for almost all my coins. I expect premium quality for the grade.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
I think pickyness develops with time, if things are progressing correctly
I am very picky and getting worse.
No problem coins, no fingerprints, no fugly toning, no second tier grading, etc.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
In general, this forum has made me a much pickier buyer, (and I thank you all for this!), especially if there’s a chance I’m going to resell.
That said, my pickiness is on a sliding scale. What’s acceptable to me on early copper I wouldn’t even consider on later date coinage.
I'm not as picky as I probably should be.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
The older i get the more picky i get. But some poor guys like me will still buy a cull of a keydate that we couldn't afford otherwise.
Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value. Zero. Voltaire. Ebay coinbowlllc
Okay...so not to take this further off topic.
Pickiness is a moving target that depends largely on the surviving population of a specific coin. Simply stated...
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
US bust silver coins, only three things matter to me. Surfaces, surfaces and, of course, surfaces.
Compromises made only for high rarities and then begrudgingly.
A: The year they spend more on their library than their coin collection.
A numismatist is judged more on the content of their library than the content of their cabinet.
Very!!!
PCGS or NGC only.
Unless ULTRA Rare; I prefer MS 63 or higher.
No spots, fingerprints or poor strikes.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
You can pick your friends
And you can pick your nose
But you can't roll your friends up in little balls and throw them under your bed.
@thefinn Touche!
BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW
I prefer a common coin in top condition (beautiful luster, clean, smooth, virtually mark free surface) that I can afford (ex. 1904 $20 ms65+) over a better date coin in lower condition (ex. 1857s $20 xf45, au50, or ugly ms61) .
I believe once a person owns an ms67 Morgan dollar, he/she will desire nothing less.
Extremely picky. Getting harder to find stuff to buy that I can live with.
The more material in my series I see the pickier I get. I’ve been trying to finish my $2.5 gold Indian set in PCGS 58 holders(I’ve been putting this set together for 2 years and only need a couple of dates) A few years are actually tough to find right now 09 and 15 in particular. Amazingly there are TONS of 1911d SD available. Well The other day I was about to pull the trigger for an 09 on Great Collections when I decided to give the coin a really good second look before bidding my absolute maximum. I ended up not liking the look of the coin, and the final price it went for.
The only thing I am picky about is rim dings/bumps/hits.
I'm 1 for 3 on last 3 orders. One came with a long light staple scratch on reverse and it's in a PCGS holder. Another, same date, came in a NGC holder. A rare deed on my part but turned out to be a very nice coin. But made a huge mis-stake taking the Slab Renew to it. Now I have all these feather-like circles on the obverse side of the holder. Nothing on the bottle itself, located box and instructions, last line, 'oh, by the way, NGC plastic is harder so...you might not be as satisfied with results....something to that effect.
Last coin came with a card from 1982, stating the Jeff, a 1968-D, has 3 complete steps, 4 1/2 steps total. And 4 1/2 steps equals 18 quarter steps for those who remember the way the old PAK club counted steps. There's probably no-one here who remembers. There's like a 6333 maybe 6334 QSC but that's only 15 or 16 quarter steps, not 18. Should have been closer to a 6545 count so I can't really blame the seller. Sorry, no pics and I probably won't bother. But someone 29 years ago didn't know how to count those quarter steps.
I may try buffing out those tiny circles with a clean dry fiber cloth without the Slab-Renew.
Leo
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
The only times I was not picky enough, I regretted buying the coin. Fortunately, this has not happened too often.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
I collect beauty. I love attractive toning but at the same time the strike and luster must be there too.
Good question and one every collector should ask themselves sooner rather than later.
I like original skin not to much ugly toning and a dealer who has honest inventory
Pickiness is a developmental process. What is important to me now wasn’t so 10 years ago. I also think that what is of interest can change as well. A board like this serves as an influencer.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
I suppose, after reading all these posts, I am picky. Initially I thought, "No, not picky." I am no longer building sets or seeking upgrades. Really not seeking any special coins. That being said, if I see a coin that I find attractive in design and quality, I may acquire it. (Shows were best for this) So, I then considered 'what defines attractive', to me. As I thought about that criteria (no tarnish, finger prints, damage, etc.), and the frequency of my purchases (very low anymore), it became apparent I am very picky. If I only buy what I like - no exceptions - then yes, I am picky.
Cheers, RickO
How picky are you as a collector??
picky enough so that I haven't bought anything for about 8-9 months. I have turned into a net seller as the "purchase boredom" has turned me inward to search out what the long term has decided is sub-par. best to get out while I can.
Fully agree, that was part of my point earlier. I find myself now thinking "what would the forum say, if I posted this coin?", if I'm contemplating a coin that I'm on the fence about. Comments I've seen that have influenced me like "that spot/scratch/ding/etc will only grow larger over time" or "it will become the first thing you notice every time you look at it", are very true. Another lesson from an honest dealer was "if you have to talk yourself into buying it, it probably isn't for you".
Other things that have enhanced my pickiness are buying and using a high quality Eisenbach magnifier when examining coins. It's amazing how previously hidden issues become much more evident with a good glass.
One last point - the internet has allowed many of us to become pickier. Back in the 80's, my only sources were from shows and the few Coin World advertisers you could trust. If you were building a set and seeking a tough coin like a '19D walker in XF back then, and saw one, I'd buy it unless it had MAJOR problems, thinking it may be years before I see another one. With the proliferation of the internet marketplace, it's more a matter of weeks before another pops up, for all but the rarest coins.
Very picky. I need to get the right coin at the right price. Lately though it's been: "The right coin at any price". And I sometimes give in to "I gotta have it NOW!".
Just returned a slabbed Barber coin to a seller. The coin had gotten a clean VF 35 grade. 10x glass revealed two light staple scratches on the obverse in front of Ms. Liberty. Scratches not visible to the naked eye and did not show up in magnified images.
Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
I am picky to a point when viewed on the true availability / value ratio. I’ll often buy a nice coin for the right price and use it when the perfect or better comes along. It helps me assess the true value of the perfect examples when I compare to B or C examples. Sometimes people pay silly multiples for insignificant differentiations or overpay for negative acceptability (a very marginal xf45 can be true valued like VF details and pitched at ask). Those are the scenarios I am picky to avoid, I can see value and merit in any coin for the right price.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
I have spent years looking for the right example of multiple coins that, by grade, I could buy at least half a dozen of on any given day. I'd say that makes me rather picky.
What may seem insignificant to you may not be to someone else.
So picky I haven’t bought a coin in OVER one whole day.
I'm waiting for my MS70 2021 Morgan Dollar. I have no idea what's going to happen after!
Here's an PR68DCAM 1892 from @DLHansen and previously @Windycity that I just can't get enough of.
As I am a beginner, this one statement came to mind.
Only because my approach is to get familiar with what I'm dealing with.
Lol.
" I am a beginner, so I don't have the luxury of being picky". ( " )
Yup.
I don’t put MS coins in my Lowball Registry sets🥵
Lafayette Grading Set
truth, but I have gotten good at figuring out the 2 way price of most coins and the retail 1 way price for most coins. When the coin is near its true two way value most of them are good buys. The nicest coin that is being sold for 2x what it would bring in open auction isn't a very good buy.
My Point was I am picky about only buying coins on the correct value spectrum and limiting my "got to have it @ any price" moments. Or buying the coin priced like it was at a different quality level.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
"I am a beginner, so I don't have the luxury of being picky"
this is silly nonsense, you should ignore it and try to learn from the mistakes of others.
Very picky. I don't have tons and tons of money to spend on my coin collection so my pickiness takes the form of trying to find out what's the very best I can hope for in the target coin or type within my chosen budget and then pursuing that.
There are times this leads me to coins others might not like very much, because there are some issues I wanted to have, but didn't want to spend much on. When the mission is something like, for instance, "best Classic Head cent $150 will buy" then you can see the limitations. Still, there are 10,000 of them for $150 or less that I WOULDN'T buy.