Should I Pedigree?

kieferscoins

The thought has come through my mind a few times in the last few months and was wondering others opinions on it. I would do it for my CNS Type Set for several reasons:

1. Still in the top 5 with alot of competition - don't know how long I would last
2. Would make the set look uniform with blue labels and name.
3. An accomplisment for me with a set that still needs more coins and work. Kind of like a stepping stone.

Any thoughts if I should do it? I know we have discussed the issue before, but wanted input for my particular set.

Cameron Kiefer

LucyBop

Do it Baby!

MoneyLA

do it, it's a trip. and when you upgrade, you can reholder for five bucks (plus shipping) and it's worth the money. cheers, alan mendelson

Russ

Personally, I wouldn't pedigree an unfinished set.

Russ, NCNE

Dimetime

Definitely do it. It's an earned honor. Mine are all in for pedigreeing now.

Singapore

I can't think of any reason not do it - other than perhaps not wanting to spend the money to reslab them all.

I say go for it, YN, go for it.

Singapore (Appproximately mid-way between Bantar and Christmas Island)

Coin Finder

Hello,

Dont you need 90% complete set to pedigree?


Tbig

itsnotjustme

Sean,
Go for it! I did my CNS set about 6 months back. I was worried I wouldn't be able to maintain my top 5 slot. You've got me nipping at your heels, and a new set came in from the blue the other day.

Singapore, other than shipping this is free for those in the top 5.

Russ

<< <i>Dont you need 90% complete set to pedigree? >>



It doesn't say that in the section on pedigree. You might be confusing it with the requirement for the freebie grading.

Russ, NCNE

gmarguli

I wouldn't.

When you go to sell it, who will want a coin pedigreed by you? I'd factor in the reholder fee if I bought a coin pedigreed by 99.9% of the people out there. Nothing personal, but most of the pedigrees out there are nothing but a stroke. They're meaningless.

EVillageProwler

Cameron,

I am of like mind with Greg. (Scary, isn't it?!? ) I consider pedigrees on the insert to be a disincentive unless the pedigree information is of numismatic importance to me. And, I'd want the person to be deceased. Bass, Eliasberg, Vermuele, Hain (for the colonials), Bolender, Logan: these are some of the folks that are of significant numismatic importance, and having coins whose provenance includes them is a good way to honor their outstanding achievement.

There are many greats who still live. Whitney, Matthews (ED's), Queller: these are some of whose coins have been (or will be) pedigreed to them. Yet, because they are still with us, I would wish to hold off on applying the honorific until history has a complete picture of their accomplishments.

I have no doubt that Kiefer is a good name and honorable. But, you should not feel slighted to know that most numismatists do not rank you in the neighborhood of those whom I mentioned.

EVP

gmarguli

And, I'd want the person to be deceased. Bass, Eliasberg, Vermuele, Hain (for the colonials), Bolender, Logan: these are some of the folks that are of significant numismatic importance, and having coins whose provenance includes them is a good way to honor their outstanding achievement.

EVP, don't forget Binion.

Wasn't Bass the guy with a ton of junky coins? Stuff like common date Morgans in MS60?

goose3

Don't do it.

I have mine back and frankly, I wish I would have left them alone. If you recall my 5 FE slabs have 3 different variations on them.

I'd like to get mine reholdered but don't want to waste the s/h both ways!

TomB

If it makes you happy then I think you may want to seriously consider it, however, I agree with Greg and EVP in that I wouldn't want someone's name on a slab if I were to buy a coin. I realize the new phrase is to buy the coin, not the slab, but, you will likely not be having a pedigree put onto an ultra-rarity and that would mean that I could easily pass up your coin in your labeled slab and buy another coin in the future.

supercoin

As always, I recommend you pedigree them as "MS70" and hope for a labelling mistake.

BowAxe

This entire notion of "having a set pedigreed" is just plain silly. Where is the "honor" in it? You are not being recognized for an accomplishment in the way that a person is chosen to receive the Gold Medal from his or her professional society or is elected for the Nobel or Pulitzer Prizes or the Hall of Fame. You are simply nominating yourself for what you consider to be your own accomplishment, which is a form of self-aggrandizement, similar to nominating yourself for one of the "Who's Who" books. As far as I'm concerned it is a meaningless conceit.

I'm not singling out Kiefer for this criticism. I have always considered the idea of pedigreed sets to be pointless. Personally, I would not pay one dime more for a coin because it had belonged in a famous collection--if it's a desirable coin it's because of the coin's own merit, not because of who used to own it. I know that others feel differently and will pay more for such coins, but I think it's mostly hype employed by dealers and auctioneers in an effort to wring a few more bucks out of the buyer.

Don't get me wrong--history certainly is important and the provenance of a rare coin may be of considerable interest to its new owner, but the mystique is lost on me. The adage "buy the coin, not the holder" can be translated "buy the coin, not the previous owner."

Dell

EVillageProwler

Don't get me wrong--history certainly is important and the provenance of a rare coin may be of considerable interest to its new owner, but the mystique is lost on me. The adage "buy the coin, not the holder" can be translated "buy the coin, not the previous owner."

I guess I like certain coins pedigreed because I like its history documented. I should have made this point clear before, but I also think it's important that the coin is special, pedigree aside. I own a coin from the Byron Reed collection. It's a junk coin -- an 1862, I think, proof quarter in 63. The insert happens to have the pedigree on it, but in this case I think it's a mistake because the Reed silver coins are known to have deep, unappealing toning. (My coin is lighter than the typical Reed silvers.)

I recently put together a type set of Capped Bust silvers, all pedigreed to the late Russ Logan. This was important to me because he was careful to note the history of his coins, and I wanted to continue that record. Moreover, Mr. Logan was a serious numismatist who impacted a great many other collectors and numismatists.

I am also in the hunt for a specific coin that once was in the collection of the late John J. Haugh. When I get that coin, I will likely NOT get that coin pedigreed. While Mr. Haugh may have been quite meaningful to me, I would not rank him amongst the greats of the numismatic community. I will, however, take care to continue the record for that semi-famous coin. (As an aside, I was the underbidder when Mr. Haugh won it a few years ago!)

EVP

RGL

Cameron: There is only one answer here and only you know it. It it will please you and make you happy, by all means, do it. A nice coin is a nice coin, I will buy it regardless of a name on the holder. And, even if it does eventually bother me, it's only $5 for a reholder. Make yourself happy, do not worry about anyone else.

Whitewashqtr

I would wait until I had a complete set and then decide. But I agree with Greg and EVP, until you make your mark in this hobby, who would want a coin with your name on it? If you look at the pops in your set, many are far from the top, so the expense pedigreeing (Sp?) lower grade coins, just isnt that appealing to me. An, everytime you obtain a new coin to fill up your set, you will feel obligated to send it in to put your name on it.

Take the cost of pedigreeing and buy a super coin!! But .. in the end... whatever makes you happy.

I think you are doing a great job in the hobby.. Have patience grasshopper, you have a whole lifetime ahead of you!

RegistryCoin

RGL said it perfectly.

leothelyon

Personally, I wouldn't want to do so for fear that the utilty man, they give the job to do the reholdering,
may fingerprint your coins. But I feel a pedigree of a coin may prove to be important and may provide great history to the new owner down the road. As told to me recently, 30, 40 years ago and beyond collectors of any particular series would join clubs and take part in roll bid auctions to find their coins for their collections. The series I'm relating to are the FS Jefferson nickels but as I was told, the original collectors who carefully went through the rolls, located and preserved some of the coins we have with us today were basically laugh at back then by other collectors for what they collected. (does that ring a bell?) The original collectors who have searched many bags and rolls of nickels, great FS nickels that have once been apart of 2-3 other collections over the course of 25 to 40 years I have their names written with their coins I now have in my collection; names like Adolf Weiss, Jim Ragsdale, Steve Kent, Bern Nagengast, Bill Fivas, Ken chylinski, Charlie Adkins and many others. The same may be said about the other series. I bought a 1938-D ANACS 67 full stepper for $200 from Ray Overby, his name is with that coin and to me, it's a real beaut. Of course, I have a few that I can take credit for but until the time comes when I come across another collector who gives a damn, my coins will stay with me for a long time.

Perhaps a self adhesive monogramed label may prove sufficient and place it on the back.

Leo

kieferscoins

Thanks everyone. I wasn't going to do it because I think I am up there with the big collectors. My set is nothing even compared to the #2 set and to think of all the unregistered coins. I think I will hold off and wait. A complete set for a pedigree would be nice and waiting and saving money can help. Thanks again for everyones thoughts.

Cameron Kiefer

dpoole

Cameron,

Just one more thought before you go.

I've asked this question here a couple of times, in more general terms (why would one pedigree one's Registry Set?). Now I'm thinking it was the wrong question to ask. Probably, the right question is "why the heck SHOULDN'T I."

When the Registries first came out, I put my Washington and Franklin collections up there. Early on my sets were in the top five. I heard about the pedigreeing, and as a hoot, I sent in those sets, and got them pedigreed.

Now actually, I've got other sets (Lincolns, 3CN proofs) that are better than those on several levels. Moreover, both the Washingtons and Franklins have dropped in the ranks, as better sets have come on board. Finally, I've upgraded quite a few of the Washingtons and some of the Franks, have sold or given away some of the dates that were upgraded, and have not pedigreed the new ones. So I've wondered why I did the pedigreeing.

As many have pointed out here, it probably makes no financial sense. Nobody cares particularly that they have a Kiefer or a Poole coin. Heck, there're over 4500 Registry Sets by now. It's obviously not going to add a premium if you ever sell, unless you have a particularly good reputation for having an eye for coins and only gathering quality pieces (I did buy a Walser Washington off of Heritage the other day, secure in the knowledge that Bill accumulated a quality set. I got it and looked at it, and was correct).

I think doing it for fun and as a hoot, though, are laudible and worthy reasons for pedigreeing your set. Do it because you can, it's fun, it's cheap, it makes your set uniform for the time being and looks cool, and well, why not?

Over time, the buying-and-selling world will be awash with pedigreed slabs left over from this set or that. It will just be part of the fabric of the hobby, and of passing incidental interest from time to time ("Hey! This used to be in Cameron's set! He runs PCGS now! I wonder if he'd remember me...?"). Over time, people will still look at the coin on it's own merits. And in the future, I seriously doubt if it will be a big distraction to anybody, if there's a pedigree on the slab.

So go for it, Cameron! Why the heck not?

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

prooflike

I just voted yes, since you posed the question, you want to do it and since you have the opportunity, do it.