Do you prefer high, mid or lower graded coins?

TheGoonies1985

For some reason I always liked coins in the G-04 to VF-20 range. Find them to be the best looking. I do own higher grades and they are OK to own for obvious reasons but they just don't click with me the same way. Give me a nice looking circulated coin over mint state and I will be content.

coinbuf

Mint state MS67 and higher all the way. I enjoy viewing the coin as it was designed to look, I do not enjoy electrical box punchouts or plow disks. I understand why some collectors like a circ coin better, just not for me.

jmlanzaf

I like them scrubbed with baking soda.

lermish

Depends on the series but I seem to tend to cluster in the XF-AU range.

BillJones

I buy the best coins I can afford which interest me. My low grade comes in at Find -12 or 15. If I can’t afford a decent example of something, I pass. The lowest graded coin in my collection is a 1796 over 5 half dime in VG-8. I wish I could find one better. The coin is only a filler.

winesteven

I prefer “high” grades at a level that I’m comfortable affording for that particular coin. While the majority of my coins are four figures, with a few coins in the low five figure areas, I love my Lincoln Wheat DATE Set, where every coin has an RD suffix and is graded no less than MS65RD, and my Silver Classic Commem Type set. In each of those two high ranked sets, the majority of the coins are three figure coins. I have no desire to upgrade!

Steve

Mr_Spud

I like AU58s a lot.

alaura22

@Mr_Spud said:
I like AU58s a lot.

No really???
I consider you the KING of AU58s

Barberian

I like coins.

alaura22

I prefer higher graded coins, the more detail the better. My wallet,not so much

humanssuck

I like coins which show the design elements as intended. There are some coin designs that wear well, and are attractive in even low grades, and others that below AU i find horribly unattractive.

johnny9434

I'm mid range on coins, they tell a different story 🙂

Cranium_Basher73

@jmlanzaf said:
I like them scrubbed with baking soda.

Pffft.....amateur. I use Ajax powder.

PerryHall

It depends on the series. For pre-Civil War gold, I like XF-45 and AU graded coins that show most of the design detail and represent good value. For later date classic US gold coins, attractive AU to mid-range MS represent a good value. I try to find the grade before the big jump in price at the next higher grade.

jfriedm56

Majority of my collection consisted of eye appealing 63/64 graded and ungraded coins. I always felt that the in between grade of MS-64 fit my budget at the time. The Morgan and Peace dollars were more affordable than the next step up to 65. Now that I’m able to, eye appealing CAC coins in 65-67 are my passion.

jmlanzaf

@Cranium_Basher73 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I like them scrubbed with baking soda.

Pffft.....amateur. I use Ajax powder.

And a wire brush

may

I like VF-AU in seated coins, though if it's a Morgan I like them MS.

yspsales

Varieties.... just about any grade.

Metal... Working on a circulated IHC set that I appreciate. Silver needs to be mint state

I flirt with making high grade modern... that is my cheap fun.

silverpop

doesn't matter to me i have one rule if the coin gets my notice and is within budget it's bought the grade doesn't factor into buying or not

Manifest_Destiny

I want my seated quarter set to ultimately be VF20-XF40. Uncirculated coins are cool but but seem sterile. There's something about knowing your coin was used in commerce during the era minted that makes them more interesting.

lobo54

I dunno, do you prefer good health, fair health or poor health?

Manifest_Destiny

@lobo54 said:
I dunno, do you prefer good health, fair health or poor health?

I think you meant good health, extra fine health, or uncirculated health.

Cougar1978

Classic: MS64-66 for slabs
Mods: MS65-70 for slabs.
Raw Collector Coins - G04 and up.

Crepidodera

VF- AU

PeakRarities

I prefer XF or better, heavily worn gold has never appealed to me.

jmlanzaf

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@lobo54 said:
I dunno, do you prefer good health, fair health or poor health?

I think you meant good health, extra fine health, or uncirculated health.

Does no one like low-ball health????

Glen2022

@jmlanzaf said:

@Cranium_Basher73 said:

@jmlanzaf said:
I like them scrubbed with baking soda.

Pffft.....amateur. I use Ajax powder.

And a wire brush

Steel wool is better.

bagofnickels

Not much for very low grades most everything I own is very fine to gem. Occasionally I find a lower grade coin that I like the look of but I also really like to be able to see all the design elements.

semikeycollector

It depends on the coin.
I collect better date $5 gold. So far they are all AU-50 to 55.
My Seated Dime collection ranged from G-4 for the 1874-cc to AU for some semi-keys.
If I every bought a 1796 Quarter it would likely be an AG.

My grades are all over the place. I buy what I can afford to feed the dragon!

Dropdaflag

The higher the better! Keeping budget restraints (wife) in mind.

Extremeengineer

I tend to buy more to a budget, and let that determine the grade. As a result the grade range varies immensely in my collection. But I enjoy both the high and low grades equally. I will say I do find the circulated qualities of say the 18th century coins appealing and just "correct", while the same cannot be said for say my Morgans that mostly fall MS65 to 67. I'm very financially happy with that current mindset.

TheGoonies1985

@jmlanzaf said:
I like them scrubbed with baking soda.

Hahaha!!! I picked up acetone yesterday will use that moving forward. The baking soda was just a test coin wanted to see how it would turn out did not know it could possibly scratch the coin. The coin anyway would have graded authentic no matter what it has a hole in it.

Steven59

I like high grade coins - unfortunatley my wallet likes lower graded coins.

124Spider

Almost always, I like the grade to be as high as I can afford.

The only exception is when a coin is historic (e.g., my 1794 large cent), I like the romance of knowing that it circulated for a number of years.

FlyingAl

Proof Gem or near gem all the way for me.

alaura22

@124Spider said:
Almost always, I like the grade to be as high as I can afford.

The only exception is when a coin is historic (e.g., my 1794 large cent), I like the romance of knowing that it circulated for a number of years.

Gotta bring that 1794 up again don't ya............. The one I let slip through my hands

OKbustchaser

18th Century F to VF
19th Century XF to AU (some MS)
20th Century AU to mid MS

ShaunBC5

Budget guides me. Preference is for higher grade but I’ll definitely buy a lower grade semi-key over a nicer common if the price/look/etc are right.

SPalladino

Generally, the highest grade that I can afford. That means that for some older, rare or somewhat rare survival coins, like some of the CC mint Seated Liberty dollar and Trade dollar coins in my collection, XF-Details or AU-details might be all I can afford, And, frankly, I do not mind an old details CC coin. In some ways, the older the coin, the more I actually want a circulated grade for the imagined historical use in commerce.

TwoSides2aCoin

This is sort of like asking a kid if he wants sauerkraut , liver or cookies. Most prefer the highest graded affordable coin …until something better comes. But to satisfy a craving or hunger even bottom feeding satisfies the coin geek in me.

TheGoonies1985

@TwoSides2aCoin said:
This is sort of like asking a kid if he wants sauerkraut , liver or cookies. Most prefer the highest graded affordable coin …until something better comes. But to satisfy a craving or hunger even bottom feeding satisfies the coin geek in me.

Not really all my life even as a teenager I preferred the look of circulated coins. For some of us we truly like those coins better than mint state coins. Hard to understand I guess but it is true. For sports cards yes always preferred the highest grades possible same for when I collected comic books but with coins it is different.

oih82w8

My collection:
18th Century - Low grade (whatever I can afford)
19th Century - Mid Grade (AU58)
20th Century - High Grade (MS)

hfjacinto

I'm grade agnostic, I look for the best coin in a price I feel comfortable paying.

Sometimes its a 70.

Sometimes its an AU Grade

Other times its lower

asheland

I like all grades mostly…
F12: about the lowest I currently have

VF25:

AU53:

MS65:

All the way to MS70:

seatedlib3991

I am a circulated coin guy. However. The first "Coin Collection" I ever built was when I was seven years old. I used my new 2x2 holders to build a run of Lincoln cents from poor-1 to red uncirculated. I can still see the mystified look in my father's eyes as he looked at that first road kill penny.
Fifty five years later I am still doing the same thing. You can't teach some dogs a new trick even if you beat them. james

pursuitofliberty

What do I prefer, or what do I collect?

I would prefer to collect fantastic Uncirculated examples of early Federal coinage. My wallet thinks otherwise!

We settled on ChAU as a compromise up through the early 20th Century, and ChUnc and higher thereafter (for the most part).

I appreciate almost all grades of almost all series of US coins, with VF and better usually being the point I really appreciate them more.

gumby1234

For post 1933 coins I prefer MS67 or better.

For older coins its whatever has nice eye appeal. Could be F or AU it just depends.

Walkerfan

MS 64 is my favorite grade.

I’ll buy a higher grade, when I can afford it and, if it seems economically feasible.

I won’t go below XF 45.

fathom

I prefer higher graded coins with regard to buying, selling, trading, collecting, photographing, displaying, viewing....there are probably a few more reasons.

Cougar1978

Slabbed Classic Coins - Prefer investment Grade MS64 or higher.

Slabbed Mods - MS69-70

Raw Collector Coins -G4 or higher.

divecchia

I will always prefer the highest grade that I can afford or am comfortable paying for. If I had unlimited funds everything would be high grade uncirculated or high grade proof.

My collection ranges from F15 for my Chain Cent to PR70DCAM for my post-1964 coins.

Donato