Details Coins - Do You Have Them In Your Collection?

Shane6596

Have you bought them? Would you buy them? Key date, would you go lower grade straight or higher "grade" details cleaned?

I'm just curious what the majority here think of this. Guessing dealers vs collectors view it differently because of resale?

Thoughts?

One that i purchased because it was cheap and wanted to look closely at a coin to see why they graded it as such.

coastaljerseyguy

Bot a few raw by mistake on EBAY from poor photos and not sufficient knowledge/experience yet attained. All key/semi-key dates. Would not knowingly buy unless the issue was so minuscule, such as minor rim bump, hard to find date/grade and the right price. Would be going into my album anyway. Would never buy to keep in a details slab.

Catbert

No. I avoid “but for” coins generally, whether straight or details certified.

Mr_Spud

The only details coin I ever bought on purpose is this Bechtler Gold dollar. I bought it because I wanted a Bechtler gold coin that was affordable. In this case the historical value was more important to me than the grade. Also, there is no real artistry on the coin, just great historical importance to me.

ctf_error_coins

No.

ShaunBC5

Only raw and either unintentionally or before I had a clue about “details.”
I could surprise myself one day and buy a key date at the right price knowing it was details but so far so have resisted and expect that to continue.

johnny010

I have seen a few I really liked but members here advised to stay away / bad call. Essentially I’ve been told you’re buying someone else’s problem.

The coins I feel have gotten a bad wrap and inconsistently graded are the old large cents. I’ve seen coins that were for sure environmentally damaged but graded clean and coins that looked excellent given environmental grades. I’ve been told over the years our host goes back and forth on how they view these coins…Not to mention the methods of maintaining them (cleaning with horse hair etc).

matt_dac

Not for me either.

PeakRarities

Nope.

Jzyskowski1

Absolutely. I buy the coin not the holder. I’m the odd guy out but I personally don’t see a difference between AT or NT. My favorite dime is in a details questionable color. Love it Many repeat the phrase but not so many follow it. “ buy the coin “.
Ofcourse, I’m a collector and have never sold anything coin related. Others opinion of my choice of how to collect coins isn’t really important to me. Thanks 🙏

coinkat

I bought this 1716 George I Crown raw- looks better in hand- PCGS graded AU details cleaning. Considering what other surviving examples look like combined with the fact our host has graded a total of 17 in all grades, I can l live with this one.

I have very few but I have kept submissions that did not quite go as planned. It is part of what makes us better numismatists

drddm

I have never bought a details coin until a few months ago as I couldn’t pass this one up.

It has unbelievable luster and gorgeous toning. If it wasn’t scratched it would certainly have gone into a box of 20.

oldabeintx

I have some details coins in my Colonial type set as well as in "foreign types that circulated in the colonies". I view these sets as educational with little thought regarding resale. I don't have any details coins in my US Federal sets for the usual reasons. As far as details, I'm okay with some light environmental damage, some scratches, countermarks, saltwater damage. These are things that are common occurrences to coins that have been around for 225+ years. To me these problems are related to usage and wear and tear. Further, in some instances such as saltwater damage and countermarks, the "damages" add interest and historical context. I do draw the line at coins that have obviously been messed with to "improve" their appearance. I don't own any cleaned, AT, or tooled coins.

TurtleCat

I don’t have any slabbed details coins and I don’t expect I’ll ever own one, either. For the areas I’m interested in I can easily obtain a problem free coin unless the discount was such that I could afford something in details that I couldn’t get anywhere else. But it would have to be very nice and the problems subtle.

alaura22

nope

oldabeintx

An example- of the above - a 1794 Mexican doubloon AU details, damaged. This is a beautiful coin, the only "damage" being a very small triangle-shaped countermark on the reverse, as yet unidentified.

Tramp

I currently own only one but may have others that might not straight grade. The one I do have that's certified details, I bought it raw. Came back from our host as cleaned, I hoped for a straight grade, but it has great eye appeal and very nice details. It's still worth way more than I purchased it for. I didn't want to spend x2 as much for a coin with equal sharpness and details. I took a hell of a gamble, the only thing I lost was a straight grade.

Everyone that holds this Merc 16-D in-hand would like to take it home. It's a feel good moment to see their response and expression holding the coin.

124Spider

I avoid coins with problems. I wish the TPGs didn't treat all "problems" the same (with the dreaded "details" grade), since they are not all the same.; but they do, so I avoid them.

I find many "details" coins quite attractive, but I won't buy one because of the unknown resale value (I'm not rich enough to spend real money on a coin without feeling confident that I could get most of that money back if/when I had to, and the only reason I can think to buy a "details" coin is because you cannot afford a problem-free example in the same grade, so it would be expensive).

Smudge

No.

braddick

Only if they're super rare and price prohibitive otherwise.
Here is an example I recently removed from my safety deposit box for viewing:

lkenefic

For me, it depends on the set. I did buy a details graded Classic Head large cent for my 7070. Other VF30 pieces were going for moon money and I got the one for my Type set for 1/3 the price guide at the time. I'll likely "upgrade" this piece to a straight graded VF20 at some point, but a lot of those aren't without issues either... thus my decision to buy the details coin.

For my Large Cents, I'll go lower grades before I buy a details piece. There are just way too many corroded, damaged, cleaned, tooled, or otherwise messed with LCs so having this metric streamlines the decision making process. That said, I do have one details LC that I intentionally bought... a corroded 1796 Liberty Cap with a strong date and clipped planchet for about $100.

For my Box of 20, there's one that I intentionally bought... this 1796 8-Reales because I wanted one from the same era as early US coinage and I wanted it Chop Marked.

lkeigwin

Yes, I have bought several raw and details bust halves. Three were borderline and later straight graded. One is a lovely R5 with some gentle hairlines that I know won’t grade. But it’s a wonderful coin.

Wanna hear about the straight graded ones I cracked and are now in details holders?
Lance.

Shane6596

@Tramp said:
I currently own only one but

I have looked at a few 16D's, they are pricey, at least to me, in higher grades. If i found a cleaned one like yours at a comfortable price, i would probably buy it.

Yours is a beautiful example.

Shane6596

@lkeigwin said:

Wanna hear about the straight graded ones I cracked and are now in details holders?
Lance.

I didn't think of that twist. Ugggh that would be painful

Bolo

I have these two - bought raw over 20 year ago and I sent them in for slabbing...which did not go as expected.

fluffy155

I have a limit I'm willing to spend, and there are a few coins I'd like to own that I just can't get for under that limit with a straight grade. I haven't actually pulled the trigger on one, but I'm not opposed in principle if the opportunity arises.

Walkerguy21D

I’m with the other large cent guys, yes I have some details graded coins. Some were raw and graded that way, to my chagrin, as there are worse examples in straight grade holders. I also have some that were details and are now straight graded.
Walkers nope, I can afford to be picky and there are enough of them in straight grade holders that I don’t need to compromise.

Jzyskowski1

@124Spider said:
I avoid coins with problems. I wish the TPGs didn't treat all "problems" the same (with the dreaded "details" grade), since they are not all the same.; but they do, so I avoid them.

I find many "details" coins quite attractive, but I won't buy one because of the unknown resale value (I'm not rich enough to spend real money on a coin without feeling confident that I could get most of that money back if/when I had to, and the only reason I can think to buy a "details" coin is because you cannot afford a problem-free example in the same grade, so it would be expensive).

Or. In my case absolutely beautiful colors. Eye appeal is another reason as is “one of a kind “ look.

Tonedeaf

I own a few details coins. I bought them before I knew any better except for 1, a key date that I got an exceptional deal on. My dad started me out a long time ago with Whitman folders for indian head cents and early lincoln wheat cents. He had given me quite a few wheat cents and a handful of indian head cents, all of them came from change he had received when he was young. He had never paid more than face value for a coin in his collection. When we went to the big city he would take me to a coin shop where I could look through some coins and buy what I could afford. That's a great memory for me. I always had my sights set on popping that cardboard slug out of the folder and filling it with an 1877 cent. I was recently able to do just that with a coin that I can't damage any more by doing so. It made that little kid from long ago happy. No apology for that.

lermish

My main series (chopmarked trade dollars) has several very scarce/rare coins. They may come up for public sale every 10+ years. Both of these coins are Details-Cleaned and each has a small patch of hairlines. However there are 17 total straight graded examples of the 74 and 18 of the 76. The 73 (of which I have a dubious authenticity, ugly polished coin) and 75 are even tougher to find. So they're place holders for now, potentially for a long time, but the only other option is an empty spot. I would happily spend a lot of money on straight graded examples but they are simply not available.

I have another box or so of world chopmarked coins that are details by design.

The only coin that I could buy that is straight graded but is not is the below Hawaii $1. I paid VF money - I would have happily bought a straight graded VF but they come up rarely and are often dipped. Since this coin is not for a registry, just a neat custom set I am putting together myself, it looks nice and pretty wholesome with great details, I bought it despite knowing it would not straight grade. I just didn't want to spend $2500 on a coin with similar details but missing hairlines.

erscolo

I do not own any details coins. I have 363 graded coins, all proof or mint state in condition. All were purchased that way, I have never sent in a coin for grading.

fastfreddie

This just sold here....first year type plus a survival estimate of 80 pieces known and the scratch doesn't look that bad does it? It sold for melt plus about $175.

coinbuf

A couple of early buying mistakes, my tuition as it were. But those are all bought as raw coins and are still raw, here is one bust half that is clearly cleaned and has a rim ding. I knew this was a problem coin but I paid $85(ish) for the coin in the mid 20-teens so not really a big deal and I like the way it looks.

As a general rule I always avoid a problem coin now.

JJM

Nope, no detail coins

WCC

I own numerous "details" coins. In my current primary interest, it's due to the difficulty or inability to find a better or any decent example.

If I collected any US coinage, I can't think of any I'd intentionally buy. The vast majority aren't difficult to buy, so see no reason for it.

OAKSTAR

Cougar1978

No. Nothing against them. But I knew a problem coin dealer who had a showcase full of them.

savitale

I have gone back and forth on Details coins. I've bought them for two reasons:

1. I really wanted an example of the type but I couldn't afford a straight-graded example in a grade I would be happy with. I tend not to do this anymore as the coins are still expensive so there's still a big financial risk.

2. I want the coins raw. The slab/sticker game grows tiring for me at times and then I want to go back to Dansco albums to just collect for fun again. Cracking straight-graded coins is too much financial risk. Cracking a Details coin is relatively low risk. Plus, I'm not as worried about handling a Details coin raw.

dunkleosteus430

I have one slabbed details grade coin, and it came in an auction lot on eBay. I honestly can't see evidence of cleaning, but I'm not that good at grading, so that's no surprise.

keyman64

No, just say no to problems.
When going to sell, others will also only see or focus on the problems. You can go to shows and be offered 50% back of bid for problem free coins. Why introduce more problems into your life? Unless it is some ultra rarity where only a couple exist and there is no other option, I just don’t see the point.

OKbustchaser

I got a couple...
1809 O-110 prime ( no segments on reverse) cleaned and scratched but a solid R-6 (somewhere between 13 and 20 known examples)

1810 O-101 prime (no die crack at date) cleaned but estimated as R-7 (4-7 known examples)

PerryHall

There are problem coins in straight graded slabs. The most famous is the 1870-S gold $3 which is unique and is cleaned with obvious graffiti.

AdamL

None so far.

PeakRarities

@PerryHall said:
There are problem coins in straight graded slabs. The most famous is the 1870-S gold $3 which is unique and is cleaned with obvious graffiti.

Agree, and I try not to buy those either

steve_richardson

I don’t have any, but I do want to get a chopmarked trade dollar one day. Since it would just be for my collection, I don’t care if was marked Details.

jesbroken

I have never purchased(knowingly) a silver details coin. But when I first got into Large Cents and then Half Cents, funds only allowed me to buy the FR02 and AG03 and maybe a G04 coin, some you could barely make out the date. Then I found a coin that was struck so nice and so unaffordable in that grade, BUT had damage and was details grade. It was still so attractive to me that the details grade did not bother me. So I bought a few others and I have probably 8 or so in details grade holders. I still like them. If I found an affordable 1802 Draped Bust Half Cent details grade with viewable parameters that I could afford, I would jump on it. As I would an 1806 Small 6 W/Stems. JMO Here are some of my Half Cent Collection.
Jim

MonsterCoinz

Yes.

TheGoonies1985

@WCC said:
I own numerous "details" coins. In my current primary interest, it's due to the difficulty or inability to find a better or any decent example.

If I collected any US coinage, I can't think of any I'd intentionally buy. The vast majority aren't difficult to buy, so see no reason for it.

Agreed most US coins are not rare enough to warrant buying a detail grade. Sure there are some but not the majority. I would if the US coin was very rare and that is all I could afford and I wanted to at minimum own such a coin for my collection.

World coins are different in most cases. Many times you just buy what you can find otherwise you may simply never get another chance or it could take years and years for another to pop up for sale.

When I collected Canadian coins & US coins I would never buy any detailed coins just to many coins available (in almost every grade possible) in most cases to warrant buying such a grade.

mtn_scout

Depending on how the coin looks and price, absolutely. I got a 1934-35 Australia Melbourne Florin that was labeled 'harshly cleaned' when in reality it was only cleaned on one side (and not harshly cleaned in my opinion) for under $100. I happily broke it out of the plastic tomb and put it in my Australia Dansco album.

NickelMike

None yet for me. I would consider for a coin outside of my normal price range.

Connecticoin

I usually sell off my details coins, but I like this one so kept it (env damage)