95% Of The Population Is Undatable!
FranklinHalfAddict
Posts: 682 ✭✭✭✭✭
Any Seinfeld fans should recognize the thread title.
For those who don’t… in an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry asked Elaine what percentage of the population was good looking and she said 25%. Jerry said no way! It’s more like 4-6%.
So Jerry is saying 95% of the population is undatable!
What percentage of coins are NOT collect able TO YOU?
I’m not talking every coin in existence right now including every circulating coin in commerce. Only consider coins that are currently for sale by dealers and collectors and coins that are in some sort of a collection.
What percentage of coins would you not care to have in your collection due to negative eye appeal, poor design or any other reason.
DO NOT consider price as a determining factor. Consider all coins free in this scenario.
I think the 95% is accurate, maybe even a little low.
When browsing eBay, looking in dealers cases at shows or browsing an LCS, most coins I see I wouldn’t care to have in my collection regardless of price.
Comments
98%. I collect midgrade barber and seated half dollars. An overwhelming majority of them are unsuitable due to being: too low grade, damaged, or unoriginal.
I think you're about spot on.
Maybe..I just remembered that I would be fine with any and all pre 33 gold in my collection as well as just about all classic Latin American gold..
Similarly I would be happy with big bags full of 90% silver in any denomination, all of these super boring series are transform into satisfying pirate booty when shoveled into large canvas sacks..😜
IMO, the only reason coins past 1967 are bought and traded is for fillers for albums that must be BU and you can't find BU in change. Is there exceptions to the rule? What rule does not have exceptions? I would bet that the quantity of coins produced after 1964 would smoke the quantity produced before, thus, 95% might be just a little high. Were the producers of albums
to start making albums that start in 1965, they would allow a million new collectors into the hobby as most all of the non proof coins would be available in change. How many 70+ year old collectors here did not solely arrive at their collections through change hunting until the late 60's early 70's? We could easily convince a new collecting group to join the hobby.
Jim
Edited to add: Instead of encouraging collecting coins for their intrinsic values, we advertize find that Million$ coin that maybe only 3 exist and new blood goes crazy with parking lot finds and when they are told by all that the coins are PMD they get mad at us and quit.
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Interesting topic @FranklinHalfAddict ,
Thanks for posting it
.
I do not know the answer, I will think about it and get back later
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For me, maybe 1 of 1000 coins at the FUN show would be potential purchases and that’s a pretty fabulous show (the singles bar of the coin world)!
Even in my favorite series of Peace dollars, realistically maybe I’d be interested in 1 in 100. Even that’s a stretch considering how many thousands of circulated, cull, low-grade, over-graded, and unattractive coins are out there, even at a major show.
I’m currently looking for a particular gold type coin that really shouldn’t be that hard. There are several dates that would be acceptable. Right now I can locate something like 20-30 potential candidates on the internet. For this particular coin my target grade is in the AU58-MS62 range. I’d be fine with a gorgeous AU55 or I could possibly stretch for a stellar MS63.
Those criteria narrow it to 5-6 candidates. All of those but one are in NGC plastic, which makes them potential purchases, but less attractive (to me). All of the ones currently available lack original skin or seem generously graded. So, I’m still looking, and have been for over a year. I’ve been the underbidder on two or three stellar coins at auction. Those have been selling at 2X or 3X of the pedestrian, over-graded, over-processed examples I can otherwise find. Translation — demand for that sort of coin greatly exceeds supply right now. Other translation — I’m pretty picky these days.
I thought I was going to see a thread on SLQ's and Buffalo Nickels here.
I agree with BryceM, perhaps 1 of 1000 at a show might be of interest.
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For me it would be in excess of 99.999%. There are billions of coins out there, not many that I want. Cheers, RickO
So every coin currently on the internet is free and I can have them all, where do I sign up! Sure I may not like some of them but they are free, who does not like free money.
And since your scenario does not require me to keep all those coins I'll just spend the ones I don't like to buy other coins I do like, a win win if I ever saw one.
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I think it depends on the series... take midgrade VF to AU Middle Date Large Cents, for instance. 5% would mean that 1 out of 20 coins I look at would be "collectable". For this series, I've looked at literally 1000's to find a handful... more like 0.05%
Funny though... I started off more like Elaine and ended up more like Jerry...
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99.99 - The vast majority are really nothing but hole filers.
I'd say 99.9999% of coins are not within my collecting domain & will never touch these man hands.
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~Wayne
Only 95% is undateable? That sounds like a huge under estimate.
As related to certified U.S. coins, 90-95% sounds about right.
I wonder what percent of people believe they are dateable. Probably more than 5%.
It like my theory that everyone believes they have a higher than average pain tolerance.
95 per cent of coins are dreck but all of mine are above average.
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All of my coins have legible numbers, so 100% are datable. A much lower percentage are spongeworthy.
To me almost any coin is collectible so long as it is not a cull and doesn't have extreme wear for its type. Many bust half dollars are collectible even in AG but Lincolns have to be G. A 1975 nickel has to be Fine. Of all coins ever produced before the year 2000 I'd guess about 95% are "undatable" but this is because so many are gone, worn out, or cull. Of those in the hobby or still in circulation I'd guess about a quarter are in collectible condition by my standards. Of those in collections it's probably about 95% are datable.
I guess I'm undatable since I'm already married.
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
As a surgeon, I can tell you with high confidence that those people who do have a high tolerance for pain are generally unaware of the fact. It's simply incredible what some people will put up with. Over the years, dozens (hundreds?) of people have informed me that they had high pain tolerance. As far as I can tell, without exception, none of them did.