Time Travel/ Coin Shopping

XpipedreamR

I've often thought,"Boy, if I could go back in time and buy coins, that would be really great, blah, blah, blah."

Forget the question of time travel. My problem with this whole scenario is this: If I were to travel to the past on a numismatic shopping spree, what would I use as money?

If it weren't too far in the past, I'm sure one could easliy obtain large quanities of worn out old currency for face, or at a small premium.

But if I wanted to make a really big score, and go back 100 years or more, what could I use that wouldn't cost me more now to acquire than I would gain from getting these coins at yesterday's prices?

I'm sure there are a number of pieces I could purchase that have skyrocketed in price so drastically as to make this whole venture more than profitable, and then some.

But if I just wanted to do some general coin shopping, would it be worth it?

I figured that maybe I could bring back very nondescript, unmarked gold bars, to spend. Was gold worth what it is today, adjusted for inflation? I'm not sure about this.

Any other suggestions? Yes, I know I'm a dork, but this is bugging me!

FullHorn

use your knowledge of the future and invent somthing and get paid all the old coins you want and then come to the conclusion that hey I have a time machine maybe coin collecting is not as fun as it used to be

MrEureka

Go to Germany with some of these.

kamehameha00

A silver dollar is a small price to pay for OBW rolls back then.

cladking

Just go back to 1983 with a some old bills and clad quarters and buy the
current coin at the bank. With 30X to 85X your money you can do your
shopping today for the coins you want.

There are lots of 19th century culls which would be available quite reasonably.
Even goods and very goods of common dates would be very cheap when traded
for gems of rare dates. Take gold.

Baley

I've given this time travel subject a lot of thought, and it's pretty easy:

1) if you just want to exchange cash and come back, bring worn, high denomination coins that are about 10 old, and exchange them for new, low denomination coins. for example, bring AG and G bust halves of 1808-1815, and exchange them for red cents and half cents, and the best dimes and half dimes of the pre-1807 era that you can find.

or

2) barter, and bring back in time things like nice steel nails, books of matches, bic pens, whatever you can sell for cents and half cents, and then bring the coins back to our time.

So who has the time machine and when are we going, because I'm ready

XpipedreamR

Everyone is welcome to join me in my time machine, for the right price!

Dollars

Hey I can cook, does that earn me a spot.????

I would also take a trip to the future. Might as well kick the stock market as well

Dave
In Laurel
MD

mgoodm3

I'd go back with some gold bullion and visit Dahlonega and Charlotte.

coppercoins

The simple answer...worn out Morgan dollars are $7 each right now and go back to 1878. Clean up on those and go back to the 19-teens and buy up gold at face. Bring it back, sell it for cash, and repeat until you have everything you want.

Draco

I think the best thing to do is take back gold and silver bullion.
What bothers me most about this thread is that it's the most interesting one right now

Draco

Or maybe. . .take gold bullion and buy platinum in 19th century, come back and sell it.
How much was aluminum selling for again? Maybe you could sell some high grade aluminum in the early 1800s for a ton of money and solve all you problems.