What % of your net worth do coins take up?

nwcs

I was thinking about this as I was at CompUSA today (hiding from the traffic at Best Buy). Realized that mine right now is around 15% or so of my net worth. Mostly in 10 gold coins. Wondered how that compared to other collectors.

Wondo

More than my wife knows or I would care to admit!!

keets

hey Neil

my net worth is a negative number!! my collection is sheltered, of course, so i'll say 100%.

al h.

nwcs

Ahh, no fair, accounting tricks don't count.

keets

OK, OK. probably close to 35%.

al h.

MacCoin

1% maybe 2%

razorface1027

Household net worth p/yr......7 to 8%. It's escalating too. At the rate I'm going now, at the end of 2004 I'll, in all probability, be re-divorced...

dollardude

I'd say 1%. I'd say your crazy if it is more than 5%!

cherrypickincoin

Right now less than 1% is actually in the coin market. When the coin market goes on the decline again, I'll invest more so that will rise. At one time I had more than 50% of my worth invested in numismatics. I had a pretty substantial collection 'til I decided to start selling off.

Bustman

<< <i>I'd say 1%. I'd say your crazy if it is more than 5%!

Then I must be certifiable!!!!!

Baley

I'd say your crazy if it is more than 5%!

I'd say "you're" crazy.

JrGMan2004

Anyways, for me... considering I own very little even of value... I'm about a 25% person... all I have really is my $200<collection, my $500 computer and a Game Cube

Coinosaurus

5% for me. May go up to 10% but I'm more comfortable at this level for now......

zenny

<< <i>...I'd say your crazy if it is more than 5%! >>




because....???

dollardude

because....???

Do I really need to explain this?!?! Go look at the "10 things men know about women...." thread in the open forum!

mercurynut

Interesting question and I am going to have to figure it out. My assuption is in the 15-20% range.

zenny

<< <i>Do I really need to explain this?!?! Go look at the "10 things men know about women...." thread in the open forum! >>




oh, of course you don't need to explain it, i'm just curious where you've pulled the number from, that's all. i consider coins a reasonable store of value in normal times, and in a bull market i think it's not a bad place to have 15% or so of available assets.

BAJJERFAN

Off hand I would say maybe 10% but in all honesty I never considered or counted them as part of my net worth because for one the thought never crossed my mind, and there is no guarantee that they will be worth what I paid for them

hamiltonjh

A very low percentage. I collect for fun. I never thought about what they're worth in relation to net-worth. They're certainly not gonna cover retirement, unless the market drastically changes. Dont see that happening any time soon.

dollardude

Well, I'm going to run my fingernails down the chalkboard of conventional wisdom again. The 5% was an educated guess based on the fact that this shouldn't even be considered part of your investment portfolio -- just a hobby. At least for me, this is just a hobby -- not a way to make money. The fact that I've made a few bucks on my hobby over the past couple of years was a bonus. If you want to play with this a little bit, that's fine, but consider it a gamble at best, and pick a low percentage of your worth, say somewhere in the 1% to 5% range. I just know I'm going to get some disagreements, and I'm fine with that.

BAJJERFAN

Net worth is assets minus liabilities, so your coins are considered an asset even tho you own them for hobby purposes.

hamiltonjh

I agree with you dollardude.

If I were a multi-millionaire with LOTS and LOTS of coins to supplement my net worth, then I'd worry about it. But, at this level, it's a hobby. Something for fun and enjoyment.

XpipedreamR

<< <i>What % of your net worth do coins take up? >>




Coins? What coins?

dollardude

<< Net worth is assets minus liabilities, so your coins are considered an asset even tho you own them for hobby purposes. >>

I agree, technically these are still considered assets. My point was that you shouln't count on them as a major portion of your assets.

BAJJERFAN

Even tho they are worth a fair sum I wouldn't include them in an asset list. Frankly no one but me needs to know what they are worth.

fountainheadgold

I am currently at 4% and may increase to 6%

beartracks42

around 5%.

HavanaJoe

Currently 3.86%. I have all of my assets linked to a spreadsheet that updates each night. It's been as high as ~4.5%, but has dropped as my mutual funds have rallied. Will probably drop more in the short term since I am not buying again for a few months, but continue to invest in other things. I would never let it get above 5%.

I consider my coins a hobby BUT they have value- therefore, they are an asset. So, it makes sense to account for their value in a net worth calculation.

Dave99B

Almost 3%.....

Dave

ARCO

about 30 percent of my money is in collector coins. It is soooo easy when I get into financial straits to rob my savings. It is much harder and it is out of my wifes conscious knowledge when I have coins as opposed to cash ready to withdraw. Most of my coins are in the $50-$200 range with a few dozen in the $200-$500 range. They are liquid on Ebay and always in demand so I never worry about losing money with them.

Until my X-Mas bonus last week almost 80 percent of my money was in coins.

Yes I am sick and addicted.

Tyler

Deadhorse

Coins, about 10%

Bullion.............I'm not talking about that here. Don't want to hijack this thread off on that trend again.

Jody526

After adding up my assets, and subtracting my liabilities, I'm not worth anything.

tonyhar

For me to know and you to wonder!

GOLDSAINT

This is an interesting thread, but everything is so relative. If you are a dealer, and in a hot market, and 70% plus of your net worth is NOT in the products you are selling then you are doing something wrong. People like ARCO have a great plan, most people are lousy savers so why not adjust your attitude to make saving fun, he is one that will most likely end up wealthy. He saves in an area he understands, knows the products, knows the markets, and hopefully knows what’s a good buy and a bad buy. Most people invest in things they no absolutely nothing about, they are sheep following the news and advice of salesmen. How many people that own shares in a Mutual fund can list the assets held by that fund, and tell you what percentage of the fund they own? My guess is that ARCO knows exactly what he owns in every category of coin in his collection. As far as any investment being good or bad they are neither until you sell. All the investors that went short the stock market 3 years ago, and have sold, think the stock market was the best place to put your money the last few years, and they did much better than coin collectors.
Another relative point about percentages of coins in a net worth is it makes a huge difference how much the net worth is. If someone had 50% of their net worth in coins but their net worth was $10,000,000 then if all the coins went to 0 the poor guy/gal would still be worth $5,000,000. I have only 3% of my net worth in coins but 3% of what?

Bustman

Goldsaint,
You hit the nail on the head. If you know what you are doing, at the very least, coins are an excellent way to save ( I hate to say invest).
The best investments FOR ME over the past five years have been: real estate, coins, stock market. In that order!!

RYK

I agree with GoldSaint's point, as well. At different stages in life, and at different income and asset levels, different %'s are appropriate.

The other issue that I would bring up is the liquidity of your collection at your calculated value. If you are collecting MS-65 Saints, as an example, there is presently tremendous liquidity. If you collect condition census pre-1808 Eagles, while the coins may be considered valuable, unlocking this value may take time and skill.

My answer is 5-7%, and I am very comfortable with the value and liquidity of my collection.

BAJJERFAN

When one figures the value of a 401k plan balance into his net worth should this be done on an "as now" basis or should one deduct for the deferred taxes?

roadrunner

Let's see, a few days ago DDude stated we were "stupid" and today it's "crazy." Wonder what tomorrow will bring? Not too many choices left. But "crazy" certainly applies to me. Many of my crazy purchases over the past year or two are up 50-100%. One of those 50% profits was on a $20,000 coin. That's crazy. How stupid could I be? Personally, I think holding out in the DOW or NASDAQ at this time IS "crazy." Now let me explain the definition of "IS."

Like Deadhorse, I don't even include my holdings of bullion and generic $20 Saints/Libs in this analysis.

roadrunner

RYK

Roadrunner,

I do not mind being called "crazy" and "stupid".

Wm Blake: "Listen to the fools reproach! It is a kingly title."

fcloud

Not very much. I have about $7.60 in face value on my Mercury Dime Set (80 coins with four to go). And some other stuff. Just having fun and not too concerned with the money aspects.

khayse

Dollardude,
Sorry, but if I only had 1% in coins right now I would see my collection as worthless.

Goldsaint had an excellent point (a couple really). I use coin buying as a way of saving.
It may be a hobby but I pretty much expect the money to be there when I sell. If coins were
declining 20% a year steadily, long term, my coin budget would get cut by 100.
Also the point about how large your net worth is.

I'm probably at around 10%.

-KHayse

Trime

Coins are definitely an asset even if at face value? It doesn't matter who you tell about it?
How do you value your coins. Cost or Present valuation? The latter is reasonable but assessed by what measure?
Retail price ? CDN? Auction records- fees? Discounted value list? Etc?

PhillyJoe

Four/five years ago, any of my extra money went looking for the next hot stock. You basically couldn't miss even if you taped the stock page to the wall and threw a dart. As stock values went down I saw coins as both a hobby and a great place for a "savings" account. I try to buy coins that are stable values (whatever that is; let's just say I don't buy certain 1963 Lincolns or 2003 pop 1 coins). Since a lot of my purchases require a signature, I have them sent to work. At my year-end review, my boss asked how my little hobby was doing. I told him it was a hobby two years ago; today it represents a healthy % of my net worth. Then I told him just give me the damn check 'cause there's an auction ending in 5 minutes.

Joe

Conder101

I'd say around 50 - 60% depending on the value of my library. I live simply and have few material possessions other than my collection and library, I have almost no liabilities and the rest of my net worth is in cash or cash equivilants.

RGL

Never thought of it that way before ... about 3 percent.

DieClash

<< <i>I'd say around 50 - 60% depending on the value of my library. I live simply and have few material possessions other than my collection and library, I have almost no liabilities and the rest of my net worth is in cash or cash equivilants. >>



Wow! 60% Holy cow dude! Less than 5% here!

Cheers!



Kirk

silverpop

i'm a collector not a investor so i have no idea

Lmman

I would say less than 1%

TahoeDale

In 2003 when this was first posted, over 70%.

Today 65%. Sales of the MS Lib nickels in 2006 and Barber halves in 2009 brought it down. And rare gold sales this year have contributed to the lesser %

Fortunately, the coins have out-paced every other investment( stocks, real estate, and bonds have remained the same, value-wise).

I along with almost everyone, have seen the Stock market sell-offs of March, 2002, and 2008. The value in 2002 is almost the same today, with no buys or sells( Retirement account).

The home I bought in 2002 went up nicely til 2007, and is now at the same market value as I paid-- and that includes substantial upgrades.

I have no other assets that have tripled to as much as7 times original cost.( of course, these are the rarities)

DieClash

<< <i>In 2003 when this was first posted, over 70%.

Today 65%. Sales of the MS Lib nickels in 2006 and Barber halves in 2009 brought it down. And rare gold sales this year have contributed to the lesser %

Fortunately, the coins have out-paced every other investment( stocks, real estate, and bonds have remained the same, value-wise).

I along with almost everyone, have seen the Stock market sell-offs of March, 2002, and 2008. The value in 2002 is almost the same today, with no buys or sells( Retirement account).

The home I bought in 2002 went up nicely til 2007, and is now at the same market value as I paid-- and that includes substantial upgrades.

I have no other assets that have tripled to as much as7 times original cost.( of course, these are the rarities) >>



Congrats Dale! At least one of your investments is working for you. I haven't seen my 401(k) increase in the past 10 years. I assuage myself that "I am buying low" right now and this isn't the first, second or even third time I've been "buying low". Bummer!

TwoSides2aCoin

A good percentage.