I think there are some great answers here, but I interpret your question to be what coin(S)
are you ACTUALLY looking for and what is stopping you from buying them. I collect Seated coins and currently have 34 coins on my list. (NOTE: I had 35 up until a week ago. I got my 1860-O Seated Quarter in PCGS 45 last Monday. That only took a modest 6 years) I will NOT tell you my 34 coin list. I will explain my problem.
Let us say you are looking for a coin that has a combined PCGS/NGC population of 400 coins.
Let us say you want a coin in XF or better. However the combined slabbed population in those grades is 12. See how quickly the odds turn against you?
Next. The coin is listed for $150 in VF. You want Ch. EF or even better. But the coin jumps to $500 in EF and $800 in AU. I don't have that much money for a single coin. So, I have to be very patient and settle for what falls in my budget. James
If we're talking about things that might actually ever be in my budget, then we're talking about a high grade well struck FH Type 1 SLQ with nice luster and sprinkles of various colors around the periphery of the coin. Or a Peace Dollar with the same criteria. A high relief would be better, but I can't see that ever being possible
@lsica said:
If we're talking about things that might actually ever be in my budget, then we're talking about a high grade well struck FH Type 1 SLQ with nice luster and sprinkles of various colors around the periphery of the coin. Or a Peace Dollar with the same criteria. A high relief would be better, but I can't see that ever being possible
I was talking about coins that are well within your budget yet you simply don't purchase as the price is too high compared to recent memory.
@seatedlib3991 said:
I think there are some great answers here, but I interpret your question to be what coin(S)
are you ACTUALLY looking for and what is stopping you from buying them. I collect Seated coins and currently have 34 coins on my list. (NOTE: I had 35 up until a week ago. I got my 1860-O Seated Quarter in PCGS 45 last Monday. That only took a modest 6 years) I will NOT tell you my 34 coin list. I will explain my problem.
Let us say you are looking for a coin that has a combined PCGS/NGC population of 400 coins.
Let us say you want a coin in XF or better. However the combined slabbed population in those grades is 12. See how quickly the odds turn against you?
Next. The coin is listed for $150 in VF. You want Ch. EF or even better. But the coin jumps to $500 in EF and $800 in AU. I don't have that much money for a single coin. So, I have to be very patient and settle for what falls in my budget. James
I'd buy the VF unless a better VG10 or AU50 comes along. I started out wanting a set of EF coins but I couldn't pass up choice coins in lower grades. I'll grab a nice common date coin in choice VG10 and be done with it. The problem I have now is they're raw and not valuable enough to justify TP grading for scoring registry points.
I've built several sets through the years, but I was never able to complete them because I could not afford the 1913.
Thanksgiving National Battlefield Coin Show is November 29-30, 2024 at the Eisenhower Allstar Sportsplex, Gettysburg, PA. Tables are available. WWW.AmericasCoinShows.com
@lsica said:
If we're talking about things that might actually ever be in my budget, then we're talking about a high grade well struck FH Type 1 SLQ with nice luster and sprinkles of various colors around the periphery of the coin. Or a Peace Dollar with the same criteria. A high relief would be better, but I can't see that ever being possible
I was talking about coins that are well within your budget yet you simply don't purchase as the price is too high compared to recent memory.
I can't justify the price of a 1913-S Barber dime. It has been heavily promoted because of its low mintage and it's Barber quarter sibling. With 510,000 pieces, the 1913-S Dime has the second smallest mintage of the MS series, only the 1895-O Dime has a smaller mintage.
There are 31+1 in PCGS MS64 and the PCGS price guide put it at $2,350. Yet, there are 19 scarcer Barber dimes in M64 that can be bought with less money.
Let us say you are looking for a coin that has a combined PCGS/NGC population of 400 coins.
Let us say you want a coin in XF or better. However the combined slabbed population in those grades is 12. See how quickly the odds turn against you?
Next. The coin is listed for $150 in VF. You want Ch. EF or even better. But the coin jumps to $500 in EF and $800 in AU. I don't have that much money for a single coin. So, I have to be very patient and settle for what falls in my budget.
The question in my mind is. "Can you justify the current price of the coin based on its relative PCGS/NGC population?" If it's overvalued - wait - the price may come down, someday.... If it's undervalued, pay the price!
I started out wanting a set of EF coins but I couldn't pass up choice coins in lower grades. I'll grab a nice common date coin in choice VG10 and be done with it. The problem I have now is they're raw and not valuable enough to justify TP grading for scoring registry points.
There is nothing wrong with having common date coins in the AU/MS range to show off the details. It can also narrow the value range of your coins.
@Bif said:
1916 SLQ with a clear date, pre 1800 $20 Gold, 1856 FE cent, a flashy 1889 CC Morgan. That’s not asking too much is it?
There are no pre 1800 $20 gold coins. I think you meant pre 1800 $10 gold coin.
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
To answer you Disneyfan. I think almost all of the coins I am pursuing are under priced in any collector grade from VF-35 to Choice AU. I am just loathe to spend more than 300 to 500 for any particular coin because it takes me out of the market for too long. james
@seatedlib3991 said:
To answer you Disneyfan. I think almost all of the coins I am pursuing are under priced in any collector grade from VF-35 to Choice AU. I am just loathe to spend more than 300 to 500 for any particular coin because it takes me out of the market for too long. james
The question becomes are they underpriced relative to other Seated coins or are Seated coins in general underpriced. If the former, buy them when you can, they are not going to appear that often.
I think for me the classic example is a solid, low grade but attractive 1901-S quarter. When it comes to AG/G there are a LOT of them in that range, I'd like one, but not at the price. Were I in the market for an 01-S in VG, F, VF etc I'd better understand the painful premium, as there are pretty slim pickings at that level.
@seatedlib3991 said:
To answer you Disneyfan. I think almost all of the coins I am pursuing are under priced in any collector grade from VF-35 to Choice AU. I am just loathe to spend more than 300 to 500 for any particular coin because it takes me out of the market for too long. james
The question becomes are they underpriced relative to other Seated coins or are Seated coins in general underpriced. If the former, buy them when you can, they are not going to appear that often.
I don't think the Seated series are underpriced the way most people think of the term. It's a long one with a far above average number of scarcer dates for a design with an average preference, especially outside the Seated dollar. In "collector" grades, the series is either too expensive for most of the prospective buyers or they would rather own a smaller number of higher quality coins from a shorter set or more variety. For bigger budget buyers, similar but with the additional limitation that many of the dates don't have that many higher quality examples. There also aren't that many collectors who prioritize key or semi-key dates from a series like these.
Though it's not a US series, this applies even more to my primary interest. The difficulty in buying anything above dreck quality discourages practically everyone who might be interested from even trying.
So yes, a claim can be made that all Seated series and my interest are relatively underpriced based upon the relative collectible merits, but generally not otherwise.
I break the Seated coin market in general into 5 strata.
There is an abundance of low grade coins if someone just wants to fill holes or work on a raw set or sub set.
Then there are several dates in every series that can be found in just about any grade desired and these attract the type collectors.
Followed by my level. Collectors who are seeking attractive problem free coins that are sometimes conditional rare, sometimes slabbed population rare, sometimes just plain rare.
The next step up is if someone decides to build complete sets. With perhaps the exception of Half dimes, which can get spendy too, this requires serious money.
The last reach is what I don't even consider collector coins. If you need an accountant, 2 or 3 sets of professional graders, a money manager and a coin broker to consider a purchase; you probably don't care what you spend. just so you get a great ROI. James
I started out wanting a set of EF coins but I couldn't pass up choice coins in lower grades. I'll grab a nice common date coin in choice VG10 and be done with it. The problem I have now is they're raw and not valuable enough to justify TP grading for scoring registry points.
There is nothing wrong with having common date coins in the AU/MS range to show off the details. It can also narrow the value range of your coins.
When I started my SLH collection, I wanted raw, toned coins that should straight-grade that I could put into a Dansco. I was not interested in AU or MS coins, collecting coins in slabs, or registry sets. The emphasis for me was just nice-looking circulated coins, and not in any particular grade range, though I like VF35-EF45 coins. If I saw a nice-looking common coin in VG, I'd buy it.
17 years later, things have changed. I'm older, and it's time to start preparing to sell the collection. I have three boxes of graded SLH now, mostly taken from my Dansco collection. I started sets in the registry to display my growing number of graded coins. Looking at the remaining coins in my Dansco, I have many that are not worth enough to send it for grading. If I want to have fun with the registry, I should send the better ones ($150-$200 coins) anyway for grading or purchase already graded coins.
I hope there's nothing wrong with having rare coins in high grades to show the detail. The 1839 WD (AU58), 1852 (AU58 CAC),1850 (AU55), and an 1888 (raw PR58-60) are the only coins I have in AU. Frankly, they seem out of place in my collection.
@seatedlib3991 said:
I break the Seated coin market in general into 5 strata.
my level. Collectors who are seeking attractive problem free coins that are sometimes conditional rare, sometimes slabbed population rare, sometimes just plain rare.
That's where I would rank the populations of the grades you are interested in and compare their price guide values. I previously said a 1913-S Barber dime is an overvalued coin to me and perhaps I will never own one. On the other hand, there are Barber Dimes significantly undervalued in certain grades.
I completely agree with you Disneyfan. I don't know of a single other coin series in American Numismatics that has the extreme conditional options Barber coins offer. There seems to be an endless supply of low grade coins. Then for many dates there is a desert where the collector grade coins are suppose to be. However their is a surprising number of very high grade MS and proof coins for certain dates. I have an old book called The Complete Guide to Certified Barber Coinage by David & John Feigenbaum. Much of their information about which coins are undervalued/overvalued still seems to hold true. James
Your problem Barbarian sounds like my goal. I try very hard to build sets that show the coin in as many different grades as possible. The adage I always use is: If you had your choice of two art galleries to choose from. One is showing a hundred pictures of a bridge, each taken one second apart. The other is showing the same bridge in every sort of weather, busy, slow, opening day, old and rusted etc. Which one would you prefer to spend an afternoon in? James
Comments
1817/14 Capped Bust Half Dollar…….
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.
I think there are some great answers here, but I interpret your question to be what coin(S)
are you ACTUALLY looking for and what is stopping you from buying them. I collect Seated coins and currently have 34 coins on my list. (NOTE: I had 35 up until a week ago. I got my 1860-O Seated Quarter in PCGS 45 last Monday. That only took a modest 6 years) I will NOT tell you my 34 coin list. I will explain my problem.
Let us say you are looking for a coin that has a combined PCGS/NGC population of 400 coins.
Let us say you want a coin in XF or better. However the combined slabbed population in those grades is 12. See how quickly the odds turn against you?
Next. The coin is listed for $150 in VF. You want Ch. EF or even better. But the coin jumps to $500 in EF and $800 in AU. I don't have that much money for a single coin. So, I have to be very patient and settle for what falls in my budget. James
If we're talking about things that might actually ever be in my budget, then we're talking about a high grade well struck FH Type 1 SLQ with nice luster and sprinkles of various colors around the periphery of the coin. Or a Peace Dollar with the same criteria. A high relief would be better, but I can't see that ever being possible
I was talking about coins that are well within your budget yet you simply don't purchase as the price is too high compared to recent memory.
peacockcoins
1916 standing Liberty quarter in at least XF45 and/or the 1893-S Morgan dollar, in at least XF45. Heck, either one in almost any grade!
That's mine too!
Kellogg $50, the same answer as the 500k thread. They are not wildly out of reach for me but I would need to sell it all, and then some.
Founder- Peak Rarities
Website
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1873-CC Trade $ in Pcgs XF-45 or better
I'd buy the VF unless a better VG10 or AU50 comes along. I started out wanting a set of EF coins but I couldn't pass up choice coins in lower grades. I'll grab a nice common date coin in choice VG10 and be done with it. The problem I have now is they're raw and not valuable enough to justify TP grading for scoring registry points.
1907 $20 High Relief, Flat Edge.
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore...
I love seated liberty coins so an 1873-s seated dollar, then a mint state 1853-o no arrows half or a mint state 1873-cc no arrows seated quarter.
I've built several sets through the years, but I was never able to complete them because I could not afford the 1913.
Thanksgiving National Battlefield Coin Show is November 29-30, 2024 at the Eisenhower Allstar Sportsplex, Gettysburg, PA. Tables are available. WWW.AmericasCoinShows.com
For me, it was the 1839 ND half dollar.
1969 S Doubled Die Cent
WS
I need a 1796 $2 -1/2 Gold coin for my Type set.
A gem MS 65 1921 S Walker.
A 64 Gobrecht dollar.
An 1804 draped bust dollar.
A high AU lo low MS 1794 flowing hair dollar.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I can't justify the price of a 1913-S Barber dime. It has been heavily promoted because of its low mintage and it's Barber quarter sibling. With 510,000 pieces, the 1913-S Dime has the second smallest mintage of the MS series, only the 1895-O Dime has a smaller mintage.
There are 31+1 in PCGS MS64 and the PCGS price guide put it at $2,350. Yet, there are 19 scarcer Barber dimes in M64 that can be bought with less money.
1964 PR69 DCAM
Wayne
Kennedys are my quest...
There are too many for me to list. Right now it is the 1942-S nickel nickel.
The question in my mind is. "Can you justify the current price of the coin based on its relative PCGS/NGC population?" If it's overvalued - wait - the price may come down, someday.... If it's undervalued, pay the price!
I started out wanting a set of EF coins but I couldn't pass up choice coins in lower grades. I'll grab a nice common date coin in choice VG10 and be done with it. The problem I have now is they're raw and not valuable enough to justify TP grading for scoring registry points.
There is nothing wrong with having common date coins in the AU/MS range to show off the details. It can also narrow the value range of your coins.
1916 SLQ with a clear date, pre 1800 $20 Gold, 1856 FE cent, a flashy 1889 CC Morgan. That’s not asking too much is it?
There are no pre 1800 $20 gold coins. I think you meant pre 1800 $10 gold coin.
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
To answer you Disneyfan. I think almost all of the coins I am pursuing are under priced in any collector grade from VF-35 to Choice AU. I am just loathe to spend more than 300 to 500 for any particular coin because it takes me out of the market for too long. james
The question becomes are they underpriced relative to other Seated coins or are Seated coins in general underpriced. If the former, buy them when you can, they are not going to appear that often.
I think for me the classic example is a solid, low grade but attractive 1901-S quarter. When it comes to AG/G there are a LOT of them in that range, I'd like one, but not at the price. Were I in the market for an 01-S in VG, F, VF etc I'd better understand the painful premium, as there are pretty slim pickings at that level.
I don't think the Seated series are underpriced the way most people think of the term. It's a long one with a far above average number of scarcer dates for a design with an average preference, especially outside the Seated dollar. In "collector" grades, the series is either too expensive for most of the prospective buyers or they would rather own a smaller number of higher quality coins from a shorter set or more variety. For bigger budget buyers, similar but with the additional limitation that many of the dates don't have that many higher quality examples. There also aren't that many collectors who prioritize key or semi-key dates from a series like these.
Though it's not a US series, this applies even more to my primary interest. The difficulty in buying anything above dreck quality discourages practically everyone who might be interested from even trying.
So yes, a claim can be made that all Seated series and my interest are relatively underpriced based upon the relative collectible merits, but generally not otherwise.
I break the Seated coin market in general into 5 strata.
There is an abundance of low grade coins if someone just wants to fill holes or work on a raw set or sub set.
Then there are several dates in every series that can be found in just about any grade desired and these attract the type collectors.
Followed by my level. Collectors who are seeking attractive problem free coins that are sometimes conditional rare, sometimes slabbed population rare, sometimes just plain rare.
The next step up is if someone decides to build complete sets. With perhaps the exception of Half dimes, which can get spendy too, this requires serious money.
The last reach is what I don't even consider collector coins. If you need an accountant, 2 or 3 sets of professional graders, a money manager and a coin broker to consider a purchase; you probably don't care what you spend. just so you get a great ROI. James
When I started my SLH collection, I wanted raw, toned coins that should straight-grade that I could put into a Dansco. I was not interested in AU or MS coins, collecting coins in slabs, or registry sets. The emphasis for me was just nice-looking circulated coins, and not in any particular grade range, though I like VF35-EF45 coins. If I saw a nice-looking common coin in VG, I'd buy it.
17 years later, things have changed. I'm older, and it's time to start preparing to sell the collection. I have three boxes of graded SLH now, mostly taken from my Dansco collection. I started sets in the registry to display my growing number of graded coins. Looking at the remaining coins in my Dansco, I have many that are not worth enough to send it for grading. If I want to have fun with the registry, I should send the better ones ($150-$200 coins) anyway for grading or purchase already graded coins.
I hope there's nothing wrong with having rare coins in high grades to show the detail. The 1839 WD (AU58), 1852 (AU58 CAC),1850 (AU55), and an 1888 (raw PR58-60) are the only coins I have in AU. Frankly, they seem out of place in my collection.
It is...because the first $20 wasn't minted until 1849.
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US & World Gold Showcase --- World Chopmark Showcase
Either an Ameri. Chain cent or a CAL quarter eagle.
A no stars set would also be cool but that would be several coins.
It’s fun to dream!!
That's where I would rank the populations of the grades you are interested in and compare their price guide values. I previously said a 1913-S Barber dime is an overvalued coin to me and perhaps I will never own one. On the other hand, there are Barber Dimes significantly undervalued in certain grades.
Holed pre 1800 gold
Holed 1805 Half Dime
Holed 1822 Dime
I completely agree with you Disneyfan. I don't know of a single other coin series in American Numismatics that has the extreme conditional options Barber coins offer. There seems to be an endless supply of low grade coins. Then for many dates there is a desert where the collector grade coins are suppose to be. However their is a surprising number of very high grade MS and proof coins for certain dates. I have an old book called The Complete Guide to Certified Barber Coinage by David & John Feigenbaum. Much of their information about which coins are undervalued/overvalued still seems to hold true. James
Your problem Barbarian sounds like my goal. I try very hard to build sets that show the coin in as many different grades as possible. The adage I always use is: If you had your choice of two art galleries to choose from. One is showing a hundred pictures of a bridge, each taken one second apart. The other is showing the same bridge in every sort of weather, busy, slow, opening day, old and rusted etc. Which one would you prefer to spend an afternoon in? James
1921 Proof peace, matte or satin finish - would love one of both
A close second is the
1922 high relief peace dollar
Someone actually won one of these in a poker game and sold it at a pawn shop (!!) but you can find the transaction on YouTube - pawn stars