If you had $100 to spend.....

Liberty

If you had $100 to spend on a single coin and you were debating between a high quality (for argument lets say MS66) but common year vs a lower quality (let's say MS60) but rare year, which would you choose and why? Is there a general rule one could/should follow here? I'm putting together a type set and I keep running into this dilemma.

LanLord

If I were building a type set what would be most important to me would be the quality of the coins, not the rarity.

But that's just my opinion, everyone has their own motivators.

hughesm1

I'd have to go with the rare date. The way things are/have been going with the grading services, more 66s will/are being made weekly (add a little help from the coin doctors/dippers.) A key/semi-key date in any series in my view has the greater upside potential and will not lose it's demand to collectors.

Steve27

I have a raw type set where I intentionally chose rarity vice quality.

relayer

A type collector can get higher quality coins by not chasing rare dates, which is the beauty of type.

Leave the key dates to the series collectors and get the highest quality you can afford for your type set.

MadMonk

A hundred dollars is a nice chunk to spend on a coin. My personality wants me to be able to at least get my investment back should I decide to sell. I'd also really be happy if I made money. So rarity and condition would be my approach.

wingedliberty

A Lexington Concord commem in 63.

Brian.

WACoinGuy

MS-60 usually doesn't have that much eye appeal, even if you do have a key date, while a common date is going to be common even if it is MS-66. I'd go with a semi-key date in a nice MS-63 or MS-64 and get the best of both worlds.

hookedoncoins

I agree with lanlord. I am doing a type set of sorts and I stick to high grade commons. The way I see it... a type set is to have a good example of each type of coin, so what does rarity have to do with anything.

-Jarrett Roberts

fishcooker

There's nothing pretty about the date or mintmark. I would rather have a coin that looks nice.

coinrookie

Yep. Go with a common date in a type set. That way you get a nicer coin for the money. I would just enjoy a type set that has great eye appeal more than one with rare dates and probably less eye appeal. If you were doing it with an eye towards greater appreciation, then rare dates would be the ticket.

ANACONDA

That's a great question.

First you should ascertain what you truly like. This is how you can do it. You have to play make believe.

Make believe your wife just found you in bed with her sister. She's not happy but you earn a good living and she's decided to keep you
but wants her pound of flesh, so to speak. (Assume that you want to keep your wife and that her sister now hates you for seducing her....in
other words, you can't trade your wife for her sister.)

So, your wife says, "I'm going to keep you but you have to take exactly half of your coin collection and sell it and give me the money."

So, take your coins out and start making those tough decisions.

Take a look at your keepers. Are they high grade and common or low grade and rare?

Typically, increases in demand cause prices to rise when supply is limited. If demand increases but supply is essentially sufficient enough to satisfy this increased demand level, then prices won't rise.

With regard to highly graded pieces that are common, the same thing applies, but with highly graded pieces, they are generally more eye appealing which gives you dividends of an additional kind in the form of joy.

(Hey...is Pushkin around?....Good. Ok....shhhhh....)

My keepers would be based on eye appeal so the keepers would probably look like this:



adrian

BushMan

Adrian-
You could have waited until Sunday for confessional. Whew.......Son!.....that would be a family crisis there! That sure is a beautiful coin. I guess you would spend your $100 on postage after you sell that coin, huh??

ANACONDA

Welcome, Bushman to the center of the world of coins.

So ......."bush".......which one?

adrian

MrEureka

I'd find a series to collect where rare gems are under $100. Civil War tokens? World coins? Look around. It can be done.

MadMonk

Adrian, wouldnt any coin YOU buy be based on eye appeal.

nwcs

Since it's only $100, I couldn't afford a key coin, so I'd go with the nicest specimen possible for $100.

ANACONDA

"Adrian, wouldn't any coin YOU buy be based on eye appeal?"

Yes, that is generally the number one criteria for me. I occasionally buy a pop one coin even if the eye appeal is slightly less than WOW.

For example, i do own the only PCGs mint state wreath cent with lettered edge....in mint state 63. But for a planchet void on Liberty's cheek, and a few scattered elsewhere, the coin would be mint state 65. While the planchet voids might keep most people from being interested in the coin, if you know early copper and the problems the mint had in getting good copper to make cents out of, you would probably find the voids less offensive and maybe even scars that evidence the difficulties that our forefathers had in the birthing of our new country.

Additionally, i ripped the coin, in my opinion.

adrian

stman

<< <i>(Hey...is Pushkin around?....Good. Ok....shhhhh....) >>



ROFLMAO

TheNumish

After hearing me talk about coins for 20 years my brother-in-law decided last year started to collect coins. His budget is only $100 a month and at first he like modern coins like certified Silver Eagles. Now that he's gotten deeper into it he's building a type set of PCGS coins. He only has $100 a month to spend unless I have something really cool. It's been fun picking something out every month. This is what he's gotten recently:
1838 Large Cent in XF-45 $90
1856 1/2 Dime AU-55 $85
1913 Type 1 Buffalo $95
1962 Franklin Proof-66 Deep Cameo $100
1881-S Morgan MS-65 PQ with nice touch of toning around the rim $80
1943 Walker blast white MS-65 $75
1925 Peace $ balst white MS-65 $70
1941 Dime MS-66FB $38
1943-D Jefferson MS-66 FS $25
1964 Dime Proof 67 Deep Cameo $20
1957 Franlin MS-66 FBL $125 super nice

There are others I can't remember but for a nominal amount of money for the coin hobby he's building a great collection that's fun to look at and a great way to learn about coins.

ANACONDA

ttt because it's a good thread

agfox

I'm going to take this as a personal question because I can't speak for your likes. IMHO type sets are for superb examples. Usually key coins are far too expensive for that, but I have heard of better collections of nothing but key coins.

$100 I'd look for a nice common date Morgan with toning. Wouldn't afford a monster, but could get a very nice example in ms64 or 65.

Dog97

I'd go for the rare year because the common one is....common.

kobrakoins

I'd go with the common one

ANACONDA

kobracoins......kin?

snake

Lakesammman

Man....lawyers get in the strangest situations. You only have to sell HALF????

I know it goes against the grain/thread but the greatest pleasure I would get from $100 would be to buy a coin book. One with eye appeal, of course....

boz

Thanks for the pic Adrian. We won't tell Pushkin

prooflike

It's a -TYPE- set where you are representing type in the best way possible, go for the highest grade!

OTH, if you were doing a key date type set...

ANACONDA

"Man....lawyers get in the strangest situations. You only have to sell HALF????"

Good one, Lake.

Boz, my pleasure.

adrian

Mrpawn

Type sets are just that - Type: an example of a basic coin design

Best affordable example

MS Type

Toned Type

Circulated Type

Key Date Type

Distressed coins

Randomly thrown together or as found

I am sure that there are other examples but my point is to buy what you like for your collection(s). If you are buying for resale value more than anything else then make that study and figuire which one is best for you. Coins that you like are the best ones to spend your money on and only you can decide which those are.

OneYearTypes

i also agree that the best type needs the highest grade coins. and they should all be fairly consistent in appearance. hence, my type set with mostly 66's.

marcalan84

Adrian- Nice coin. I see my little "pep" talk has you back to your normal self....and things are as they should be. As far as Pushy-kin.....I believe he is in the "hairball forum" (6 doors down from the US Coin Forum).

I would just tell her (if my wife caught me being really bad)....that it was her fault because she wasn't giving me enough attention....and I didn't have a big enough allowance to go coin shopping to keep me out of trouble. Therefore.....somehow I would end up working a few more $$ out of her to buy coins. Hey.......at least I'm not bringing cats home

Liberty

Geez, I leave for a few hours, come back and find 32 replies! Thanks for all the feedback. Seems I'm on the right track with quality over rarity (at least most of you think so). Good to get a confirmation.

Adrian - loved the coin and the analogy but what do I do if my wife doesn't have a sister (and her brother just isn't good looking enough)? Does that mean I switch to a key date collection? *scratches head*. This "numis-stuff" is just too complicated

Thanks again, all.

Liberty