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liberty nickels
libertynickelcollector
Posts: 11
i am a new coin collector and am starting to collect liberty nickles. What do you think of them and do you think they could go up in value anytime soon. Thanks for your time in advance
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Welcome to the boards!
Liberty nickels in my estimation are a nice classic coin that's worthy of more attention than they get at this time. Coins in XF condition and up are affordable and nice looking. Some proofs and high end business strike coins can be awesome! As for long term appreciation of said collectibles, I'll let others chime in, but in my mind, don't collect coins with an eye on future appreciation, you'll most certainly be dissapointed somewhere along the way. Collect them because of their beauty and history. If they should appreciate in value, well that's an added bonus!
See you on the boards!
Frank
NEVER LET HIPPO MOUTH OVERLOAD HUMMINGBIRD BUTT!!!
WORK HARDER!!!!
Millions on WELFARE depend on you!
Welcome to the boards.
Buy the coins you enjoy and don't expect to make anything on them. If you do enjoy them and do make a profit, whenever you sell them, it makes it all that better.
I bought a PCGS MS64 1883 (without CENTS) on eBay at a decent price as I enjoy Type Sets and first year issues.
Good luck and enjoy the hobby and your numismatic preferences.
I love Ike dollars and all other dollar series !!!
I also love Major Circulation Strike Type Sets, clad Washingtons ('65 to '98) and key date coins !!!!!
If ignorance is bliss, shouldn't we have more happy people ??
That's a great choice for a first set. It's a very doable set. The great thing about it is there's only 32 coins in the set. I'm working on the Lincoln Cent set... 141 of them bad boys. ...takes forever.
David
I only have three of them. (85/86/12s)
Coinguy sure has a beauty for sale on his site. I think it is a proof.
I think mine are lowly VG's. I can't remember. They are at the bank.
I'm a key date collector (for the most part) and find myself turning into a "Type" collector.
happy collecting,
i myself do not know that much about lib nicks
but i love them as they are great under appreciated undervalued coins and are a classic set
to get them with really nice eye appeal is a challenge but if you get any like that they are the keepers be it vf xf au ms proof
for investment
i would not buy coins i would only buy coins for fun as a hobby with money you can afford to lose
i would study the coins you are interested in and find out what you like for grade and type of mint striking ie business or collector proof coins and what you can afford for you in your particiular situation with what discretionary you want to spend and i would find out what the going prices are for decent coins and how to tell the nice looking coins from the not so nice looking ones are and then i would buy with a discerning eye with you looking for and understanding value and when you look at a coin you are considering to buy you know exactly what you are looking at and can value it yourself with what you have learned beforehand before buying any coins to be a doctor doesnot happen overnight likewise anything takes time and work to become knowledgeable on and is a fun learning process maybe there are other ways to do this? but for me i have no experience in such matters other than starting at the bottom and climbing the stairs of many years of hard work and experience to get me to where i am today!! still at the bottom stair...............lol but i guess that is another story and is my karma and my choice!!!
i bet if you buy coins and enjoy them doing the above in general
when you go to sell you should at the very least break even barring any extraordinary circumstances and maybe even do better financially with them
there are a couple of lib nicks with photos on a web site www.pqcoins.com that are really neat coins monsters i have seen them in person and they are in my opinion great looking coins the scans really do not do justice to the coins there are two lib nicks on there but it gives you an idea just look under the eastern collection on the site and click on the thumbnail photo to get a larger image!
i wish you luck and let me know if you have any specific questions on the lib nick series i really do not know that much about them but i would be willing to give you my opinions/ two cents worth on your questions you might ask me
I agree with the advice about buying AU coins. I don't like to buy coins between 60 and 62, they don't seem like good values.
I wish I had put together a circulated set when I started collecting. It sounds like a very educational thing to do.
Welcome to the forum, if only from someone who has just joined himself.
I have recently returned to the hobby after a ten year break. Life got full of a bunch of things, and coins had to take a back seat for a time. But I never lost my love of them, and for many reasons I'm back again.
Liberty Nickels hold a special place in my heart, and are the series that I am currently working upon. But before I get there, I'll take a second to say where I'm from coin-wise speaking.
My father was a collector, and we used to attend coin shows, and visit shops in the cities we visited in the 70's and early 80's. During those years he plugged along, and built a Lincoln collection one coin at a time in very high grade. He used it as a teacher to inspire his students to collect also. Those three capital holders hung on the walls of his classroom for many years, and each new addition was celebrated by his students of the moment. He taught me to study a series before collecting, to buy the best one can afford, and not to over buy if a lesser grade would satisfy me. He also taught me the joy of just looking at coins and asking questions about series, even if I was not interested in them deeply at the time. As a teacher, a lot of it was always about education to him.
While he did his pennies, I did a Jefferson Nickel set, and in as full step condition as I could. We had a lot of fun together. I learned a lot about how challenging collecting a series can be, and how many little facts one can learn about a series. It's problems, and it's specific hurdles. It was a great education for a young collector.
College in the early 80's marked an end to my collecting for a bit, as it was expensive, and left little time. And during those years my father died unexpectedly. Now his pennies hang on my wall, and make me smile. Also collecting reminds me of him, and I often think about him when I look at coins, and read about them. He'd have loved forums like this one where people could share information and their newest finds. He'd be amazed by online marketplaces like eBay and such. Such a wealth of information about.
But I digress. Back to Nickels. Perhaps it was that Jefferson set, perhaps it was my fathers cent collection, but My tastes didn't grow to center upon the flashy gold coins, the big Morgan Dollars, or the beautiful silver dime and quarter series. I found myself liking the minor coins. specifically the nickel coinage, including the Three Cent pieces. I liked the designs, I liked the size, and the way they would tone. I liked the history of them, they were indeed 'the everyman's' coins.
So after college, when time opened up, I decided to get back into collecting again, and settled down to pick a series. My Jefferson's were done except for the new issues, so I needed to pick a new set. In my mind, I had four choices.
1) Buffalo Nickels
2) Liberty Nickels
3) Shield Nickels
4) Three Cent Nickels.
The Buffalo's, the obvious choice, just overwhelmed me. There seemed to be so much to learn to be a informed buyer and collector of the series, that I was unable to feel comfortable with them. So I passed. Looking back I think it was a combination of how popular the Buffalos were, and the fact that I was ‘on my own’ so to speak that put me off from trying them. There is also a part of me that likes to run against the crowd, so I tend to move away from popular series.
To be frank, the cost of the Shields scared me at the time. It looked like a hard series to do in the high grades I wanted to, and those proof only issues seemed impossible to my budget minded pocketbook. Also, of the four series, I found them to be the least eye appealing in design. So they got the pass.
The Three Cent Nickels... Ah, I love their design, I find it classic and wonderful, and did at the time also, but they also have those costly Proof onlys (curse 1877 and 1878 :-) So with a touch of regret I passed on working there also.
That left the Barber Nickels. They looked doable. I liked their style and design. I liked the period of history they came from. So I dove in. My way of doing this, was to order the Capital Plastic holder for the entire series and making a frame for it, and hanging it on my wall. I also got the two books that focus on the series, One by Bowers, and the other (which was even better) by an author who's name escapes me here at work. Both cover all American nickel coinage, and both proved worth their weight in gold.
And after study I bought coins. Each has been a story, and each has been a joy.
I'm putting the series together in MS60 and higher (proofs allowed) with an eye on well struck pieces that appeal to a handful of criteria that I find important. For example, I like to be able to see kernels on both of the ears of corn on the back. I also demand that all the obverse stars have the little lines that separate the points to be clear and sharp. I'm forgiving of the occasion tiny scratch and rub, so long as they don't bother my eye. I like my toning even.
It got hard to find coins that met my criteria locally, and about the time that life got too busy, I'd dried the area up pretty well. I still had a lot of fun looking, but I often came back from a show with no purchase. As I had pretty specific tastes in what I wanted in each coin, mail order was not a great option. I'd seen MS64's that failed my standards, and 60's that passed with flying colors. So unless I could see the coin, I was uncomfortable buying it. Also, it didn't seem like much fun to drop a check in the mail and get a coin. I wanted to look for it. Study my choices and then pick one. The stalking was a big bit of the fun. And I admit, finding the bargain was a piece of the game also.
When I stopped in '93 I'd gotten all but 10 coins of the series.
The unfinished set hung on the wall, occasionally I'd take it down, enjoy the coins and move on with my life. For some reason, last week I didn't put it back up. I set it next to my computer, and sort of enjoyed it as I surfed the web and did other online tasks. I started to search out coins online, and found that there were lots of places online where I could actually see the coins for sale. I found this forum, and the Liberty Nickel Collectors Society. I found a site dedicated to Three Cent Nickels and bought a book there that specifically covers the series, something that I only could dream about ten years back. I look forward to it’s arrival and reading it.
And yesterday I found a proof 1901 Liberty Nickel on eBay that met all of my likes. I looked at it for a bit, and then feeling a bit naughty, placed a bid. It was fun to see if I would be outbid over the rest of the day. I wasn’t, and I won it, and at a price that would have made me thrilled back in '88 to boot.
Nine to go :-)
It's been a challenge to collect this set the way I want to, and do it within my budget. And I enjoy every bit of it. It's not been too hard, or too easy. It’s like a good stretch, it’s worked me a bit. Every coin has a story that came with my finding it. Looking at the set makes me remember, and feel good. I've learned a lot.
Sorry to have been so long winded, but I have some time today at work, and wanted to say hi to the community and talk about my path to this wonderful series.
To the gent (libertynicklecollector) who started the thread, I echo much of the advice that others have said before me. Buy the best coins that you can afford, with an eye on what you'll be able to do for the 'key' items. Think about your plan for the set. Are you willing to spend the most of a grand to have a AU 1912S to match the rest of an AU set? Are you willing to go lower there? What will make you happy? Figure that out, then dive in. You'll have no regrets by feeling you had to 'settle' at the end if you go in eyes wide open with well thought out plan at the top.
Go to eBay, or some of the fine online shops, and look at the images they post, and educate yourself as to what problems the Lib's get when they circulated. It’s the sort of education that you only can get by seeing a lot of coins. Find out what parts of the coin catch your eye the most. Those devices should be the ones where you focus your consideration on when deciding if you like a piece, and if you might want to add it to your collection.
I put the investing aspect to one side. I know it's important to feel that one may get cash value out of ones collection at some point, but I've always found this to be in direct conflict with my ability to enjoy the hobby aspects of my collection. I like to think that if the coins I own go up in value, it's a bonus on top of the joy I get from the set and the act of building it. Any money I spend on my hobby I never expect to see again. I’m buying the experience, the memories.
Good to meet all of you!
Myriads
It's a nice series, especially if you can find nicely toned business strikes.
Here's one of my favorites that I expect to have back in my collection shortly:
i know many specific instances where lib nick buyers did extremely well with the coin they had collected over the years and sold within the last 2 years! and the coins they sold then did very well even moreso for the next owners!
michael
michael
of where it is. You might consider starting another thread.
It's not a good idea to invest in any coin series and those who do profit are often the
ones who tackle a set or collection because it's enjoyable. If you're having fun then you
already have a leg up on the investors.
While these nickels have never been extremely popular that could quite easily change in
the future. There are tens of millions of people collecting a very similar composition from
circulation now and a new generation of collectoprs coming along who probably won't
have a strong dislike for copper nickel and other base metal coins.
I don't know about they're future potential from an investment standpoint. They seem to be one of the few series that haven't nearly recovered since 1989. But they do make a pretty set, and since I'm in it for the collecting and not the profit, I've found them to be a lot of fun.
Greg
Liberty Nickles in MS-65 have had some explosive price gains over the past two years. However, be careful in selecting these, you will find a wide range of quality and appearance with in that grade. As someone else said, I think Ms-64's with original color and nice luster are still good buys especially on the 85, 86 and 12-s. These coins in MS-65 have gotten so high that they are out of most people's budget, and many will revert back to MS-63,64. You can find nice ms-63, and 4's , even Au-55 58's for that matter that have incredible eye-appeal for a lot less money.
I still think this series has more room to grow, but collect if you like them(enjoyment of the series), not as a money maker.
I attached a pic of my favorite Lib Nickel, the 12-s ( Pic sucks, it does not show the awsome luster this coin has)
While the Liberty nickel design is attractive, many of the actual coins you see are not. Take your time and find some nice ones for your collection. I don't know what sort of budget you have,
but you're going to see many ugly ones before you find some that are attractive for the grade.
One decision you should make is whether you want to collect business strikes or proofs, and then
in what grade range. Most of the coins are IMO affordable in MS or PF 64. Expect star 7 (obverse) to be weak and the corn (reverse) to be incompletely struck. At the MS 64 level, I'd rather see some add'l contact marks in the obverse field than on Miss Liberty's face or neck. Look for attractive eye appeal and avoid coins with unattractive toning.
I would probably prefer an AU 58 with eye appeal than a coin in the MS 60-63 range.
Once you get to MS 66 and better, proof coins are more available and reasonably priced than MS coins. But learn how to grade them. I have seen more ugly for the grade Liberty and Shield Nickels than any other series of coins.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
Thank you for the welcome. I know that my intro might be a little low key hidden in this thread, but I'm that kind of guy. Since I mostly read and only comment on the series that I have experience in, I'd feel sorta odd saying hello in a thread just for me.
I picked up a nice 12D on eBay last night. It's a coin that I've been hunting for awhile, in my condition and price range. I'm very pleased. From the images it looks like a perfect match for my set. If things have gone well there are attached images for you to enjoy.
Michael, thanks for the nice words of support. I've been enjoying my 'comeback' quite a bit :-)
jdimmick, no shot of the 12S's Reverse? That's the best part!
It's nice to have such a warm welcome here.
Myriads
....so close , yet so far away ....
enjoy , it's a short series set , and most dates and grades are available for reasonable prices .
Went back an added the rev of the 12-s for you. The photo's suc, but its there now. I wish they would change the file size format so it was not 50 max topost.
jim d
I would not worry about the 1913 nickel. As it was not meant for circulation, I would not include it in a set of Liberty Nickels. I consider it to be an expensive novelty item, which I cannot afford.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
That is a very nice 12-S. I hope that the one I get for my set someday is as solid as yours!
Myriads