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$700 toned coin buying challenge - options?
U1chicago
Posts: 5,620 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm trying a challenge on the BST forum but know that many don't go there. So I thought I would get some opinions here as well.
With a max budget of $700 and a desire to find the best color for the money, what coins would you consider?
I tend to gravitate towards bigger denominations (half dollars and dollars) and modern or classic is fine.
Feel free to post photos and discuss what might be out there in that range (even if it is not actually for sale, it is still valuable to discuss what you think those funds could acquire).
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Best color for the money would be certified toned non-circulated bullion like silver eagles. IMO.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
This 5-ounce $10 silver large denomination from Niue is $699 at APMEX. Lots of color. No telling how it will tone. LOL
National Commemorative Medals of the U.S. Mint:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/medals-tokens/national-commemorative-medals-united-states-mint-1940-present/alltimeset/195526
I think the coin attached should start at about $700. It. in an MS65 NGC holder with FBL.
Wrong coin, can't seem to remove picture.
This one's maybe $200.
Silver Eagles do have some nice colors. They have really jumped in the last few years (but so has almost everything else).
Here is one I was able to pick up recently for what I thought was reasonable:
Tried to copy off coinfacts but didn't go so well. Here's an example I would select a 1936 Texas Commem in MS67:
Jim
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
>
A Texas commem is a great option. I used to own a toned one (MS 66; TrueView photo below) that had a nice area of color but it wasn't perfect. I sold it and upgraded to a blast white semi-pl example (67 star; photo below the PCGS photo). If the right toned example came up, I would certainly like to go for it.
Best color for the money? War nickels I think, and you'll save a lot of that $700.
Collector, occasional seller
I've only seen a handful that I like and a few have baffled me with the amount they brought.
I would buy one if it really spoke to me (and was preferably well under 700).
Probably any 1956 or 1958 mint set toning quarter or half should work as well. Lots of nice color but common enough to not command a ridiculous premium.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
This was under $700. Maybe a little small.
You can't go wrong with a nice, toned MS66 Morgan.
Gem grade and color make for timeless and highly desirable collector coins.
I owned this for a few years and paid less than $300 for it. A reverse toner is cheaper than an obverse toner and an obverse toner is cheaper than an obv & rev toner.
I can generally say that an attractively toned Mercury Dime will cost you more than $700 in many cases but if you go with a MS65 or MS66 they can be well within your $700 range....but I digress, you want a larger coin anyway.
I think you can stick with a Morgan since there are sooooooooo many of them. Others have posted some viable options, Silver Eagles are an easy go-to.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Those are two common years that offer good options (and I'm always checking for those in auctions or fixed price listings). However, even there the prices have tended to be strong. I picked up my 1958 Franklin years ago at what was a bit high then but well worth it (especially given the prices now). I also managed to get a less common (in terms of toning) year for quarters (1961) at a decent price last year (had a bad photo but I knew about the coin from a prior auction that I had lost). I did spend some money to get it a TrueView.
Did someone say toned War Nickel? I was $50 all in on this one. Purchased raw and Economy grading. Sold for $16 on Great Collections. I think I will stay with Large Cents!
@Smudge toned gold has been on the want list. It tends to be harder to find. I regret not stepping up for a proof 1/10 oz gold Eagle that was nice and priced at 350. By the time I was done debating, it had sold (I see it is for sale again on eBay but now at 3.5x the prior price).
@ColonelKlinck an MS 66 Morgan is a nice choice. That is a grade level where you often get super clean surfaces and strong luster. You do tend to sacrifice some color though at the $700 level (high end color in 66 often is a few thousand dollars).
@keyman64 I miss the days of old (well not that old, 2015-2019
) when a solid 63/64 reverse toner was under $300. Now you have to be lucky to catch one, pay quite a bit more, or sacrifice on the degree of toning.
Mercury Dimes are cool coins and I appreciate a nicely toned one but I personally have seen few that I wanted to spend $700+ on (I get why others would; I just have not found the right combo of price and color yet).
That one is certainly different. It has some character but is unfortunately too dark to garner a premium. Sorry to hear that the auction experience did not go well.
I like it.
Or, there is this one.
There are some interesting Classic Commemoratives that are regularly found nicely toned The Grant and Fort Vancouver come to mind.
In PCI holder that says 100% white.
Successful BST with ad4400, Kccoin, lablover, pointfivezero, koynekwest, jwitten, coin22lover, HalfDimeDude, erwindoc, jyzskowsi, COINS MAKE CENTS, AlanSki, BryceM
I still have my $700, plus more... Since I will not buy tarnish.... Now, honest dark or circam silver is acceptable. However, this fixation on 'color' drives up prices. When with minimal cost/effort, one can induce the same phenomena at home. Of course, like art, some want an original Van Gogh, while others are happy with a print.
Have fun, play nice... Cheers, RickO
Very nice coins all.
Hoard the keys.
This one is a bit green but won it in a poker game with friends about 3 months ago. When I told them what it was they were excited and wanted to know what it was worth.
When I told them that in its present condition it might be as much as $1.50 they kind of lost interest.
I would take $700 worth of ASE, take some stinky socks and put the ASE with the socks. Eventually a few will tone. And I still have $700 in ASE, it’s a win/win.
My current registry sets:
20th Century Type Set
Virtual DANSCO 7070
Slabbed IHC set - Missing the Anacs Slabbed coins
You could go with a few toned graded Roosies. They often tone up just like Morgan dollars, only smaller...
This is an interesting thread. Meaning no offense, it seems that money is burning a hole in your pocket OP. Money in search of a coin is unfocused when considering one's collection objectives. Obviously, we all have our collection philosophies yet might I suggest that you don't put a limit on your spend, wait until the right coin comes along that fits the collection, and meanwhile consider where your overall collection is heading?
I can't say that I haven't changed directions several times with my collection and that it isn't always laser focused. I do buy coins that I haven't predetermined when it just gives me an incredible emotional connection (for example, my crazy purchase of that wildly toned proof Washington quarter that is way outside what I typically collect). Yet, I hope that I can be disciplined enough to save some powder for that special coin that comes along.
I am being picky and definitely not jumping on the first coin that I see. I’ve had a fairly long period without adding a true “box of 20” coin. I know the people on these forums have some awesome coins tucked away; every so often I try posting one of these want to buy threads to see if anyone will be tempted to sell a nice piece given a high enough offer. After several tries, I have not been successful. That isn’t the biggest surprise but I still thought it was worth a try. I will just keep searching auctions and the occasional coin show for that next special piece.