i really don't want to be-labor the point and never intended on causing any trouble with my reply, but if you look at what's in italics below you'll see what i got when i did a simple cut/paste at the link. all that would be needed is to assign the corresponding 1-10 numbers and we would have exactly what you intended to present without the attendant link to your website.
my intention wasn't to single you out, or perhaps it was. while i agree with the majority that you educate and assist the forum and all of us collectors, i think it's important to keep the table level. other dealers/sellers have been castigated for subtle attempts to use the U.S. Forum to sell or otherwise promote sales, so it's really only fair that you should stop straddling the fence.
interestingly, the points that DK raises, which i feel are valid, seem lost on most who are willing to be forgiving of you. a quick look at the link shows the top of the page and other links to sales, your company's name displayed prominently and at the bottom of the page your telephone number and the "pitch" to assist with sales. those are what i feel are the offenses of the link and stuff like that has already been clearly determined as wrong for this forum. the proper place is in your signature line, the BST forum or the Registry forum. while it seems a moot point, had another member seen and posted the link as you did, it probably would have been totally acceptable. it's the simple fact that Pinnacle linked to Pinnacle.
with all that said, i'm hopeful that you won't stomp off for a while. these aren't rules meant to discourage the kind of helpfulness that you offer, they are just rules to discourage selling or any attempt to sell at the U.S. coin forum. they need to be applied equally or they are meaningless.
al h.
Ten Ways to Add Value to Your Coin Collection
There are many ways that you can add value to your coin collection. Some of these, obviously, involve purchasing new coins. But others involve minimal—if any—expense. Here are some of our suggestions, along with some experiences which we feel will be helpful.
Regrade Your Coins: If you have PCGS or NGC coins that were graded five or more years ago, there is a possibility that they may be undergraded by today’s standards. In some cases, a one point bump upwards can mean a huge increase in value. It can also mean that purchasing a specific coin on your want list might not be necessary as you might already own a better one. There are some tricks involved with regarding your coins and we strongly suggest that you discuss them with an experienced professional before you just starting randomly removing your coins from their holders.
Review Your Holdings with a Professional: We highly recommend getting a “coin checkup” every few years. Grading standards and market conditions change and unless you follow the market on a daily basis, the chances are good that you are not going to know the market as well as someone who trades in it daily. Most dealers will be happy to meet with you at a coin show to look at your coins, or if you have a large enough collection they may be willing to come to your bank or office.
Admit Your Mistakes and Sell Your "Dogs": No collector is perfect and everyone has bought some coins that, in retrospect, they wish they didn’t own. Our advice is to get rid of the coins you don’t like. You might be able to trade two or three ugly pieces (or nice coins that no longer fit into your collection) for one piece that makes your collection much better.
Attribute Your Coins: You may own a rare variety and not be aware of it. As an example, there are a number of rare varieties in the Washington quarter series that command a strong premium. If you are not aware of these, buy the standard reference and learn the characteristics of these specific varieties. Or, send your coins to a trustworthy specialist dealer who can see if you have any important pieces.
Improve Your Keys: Any good collection is judged by its key coins. Many collectors will skimp on key dates in their sets and buy common issues in very high grades. If you have been waiting to buy a key issue for your set, this might be a good time to pull the trigger. This is particularly true in series such as Lincoln Cents where the key issues (1909-S VDB, 1914-D and 1922 Plain) have risen appreciably in recent years and show no signs of losing value.
Register Your Set on the PCGS and/or NGC Registries: The PCGS and NGC Set Registries have become a very important component in today’s coin market. If you have a high quality set it becomes more marketable by being included in the Set Registry. This is even more so in a 20th century series in which a large number of collectors have registered their sets and the competition for the #1 spot is especially fierce.
It is also good to include images of coins in your collection on Set Registry. If you are not a good photographer, hire a professional to take a few good images.
Fill Your Holes: A complete set is more saleable (although not necessarily more valuable) than a partial set. If your collection is 75% complete, why not consider filling the missing holes? And if the missing holes are coins that way beyond your budget, consider starting a set where you can realistically complete it.
Trace Your Coin’s Pedigree: In certain series, an important pedigree can add value to a coin. As an example, early date Large Cents with famous pedigrees are very highly valued by collectors. It will not be possible to trace a coin’s pedigree in many modern series but numerous high quality (or easily recognizable) early issues can be pedigreed with a little detective work.
Write A Book on Your Specialty: Some of the most successful collectors have increased the awareness of their specialty by writing a book about it. This is especially useful for a series about which there is little or no current information. Many of the most popular numismatic references have been written by collectors. These books have not only made their collections more valuable but they have also provided their authors with a great sense of accomplishment.
Designate Your Coins: In the past few years, both PCGS and NGC have added new designations that can increase the value of a coin. Proofs are now accorded a Cameo or Deep Cameo (Ultra Cameo at NGC) designation if they show a strong amount of contrast between the devices and the fields. In some cases, a coin with this designation can become considerably more valuable.
Any dealer who posts on this forum is getting free PR, and some dealers, like Mark, give excellent information for all levels of collectors.
There is nothing wrong with a win-win situation.
Dorkkarl did have some good points, that value in a collection does not have to be financial. Increasing your knowledge of minting processes and the history of the coins you collect will greatly add to the enjoyment of your collection. Far too much emphasis is placed on grades.
Robert Scot: Engraving Liberty - biography of US Mint's first chief engraver
Comments
i really don't want to be-labor the point and never intended on causing any trouble with my reply, but if you look at what's in italics below you'll see what i got when i did a simple cut/paste at the link. all that would be needed is to assign the corresponding 1-10 numbers and we would have exactly what you intended to present without the attendant link to your website.
my intention wasn't to single you out, or perhaps it was. while i agree with the majority that you educate and assist the forum and all of us collectors, i think it's important to keep the table level. other dealers/sellers have been castigated for subtle attempts to use the U.S. Forum to sell or otherwise promote sales, so it's really only fair that you should stop straddling the fence.
interestingly, the points that DK raises, which i feel are valid, seem lost on most who are willing to be forgiving of you. a quick look at the link shows the top of the page and other links to sales, your company's name displayed prominently and at the bottom of the page your telephone number and the "pitch" to assist with sales. those are what i feel are the offenses of the link and stuff like that has already been clearly determined as wrong for this forum. the proper place is in your signature line, the BST forum or the Registry forum. while it seems a moot point, had another member seen and posted the link as you did, it probably would have been totally acceptable. it's the simple fact that Pinnacle linked to Pinnacle.
with all that said, i'm hopeful that you won't stomp off for a while. these aren't rules meant to discourage the kind of helpfulness that you offer, they are just rules to discourage selling or any attempt to sell at the U.S. coin forum. they need to be applied equally or they are meaningless.
al h.
Ten Ways to Add Value to Your Coin Collection
There are many ways that you can add value to your coin collection. Some of these, obviously, involve purchasing new coins. But others involve minimal—if any—expense. Here are some of our suggestions, along with some experiences which we feel will be helpful.
Regrade Your Coins: If you have PCGS or NGC coins that were graded five or more years ago, there is a possibility that they may be undergraded by today’s standards. In some cases, a one point bump upwards can mean a huge increase in value. It can also mean that purchasing a specific coin on your want list might not be necessary as you might already own a better one. There are some tricks involved with regarding your coins and we strongly suggest that you discuss them with an experienced professional before you just starting randomly removing your coins from their holders.
Review Your Holdings with a Professional: We highly recommend getting a “coin checkup” every few years. Grading standards and market conditions change and unless you follow the market on a daily basis, the chances are good that you are not going to know the market as well as someone who trades in it daily. Most dealers will be happy to meet with you at a coin show to look at your coins, or if you have a large enough collection they may be willing to come to your bank or office.
Admit Your Mistakes and Sell Your "Dogs": No collector is perfect and everyone has bought some coins that, in retrospect, they wish they didn’t own. Our advice is to get rid of the coins you don’t like. You might be able to trade two or three ugly pieces (or nice coins that no longer fit into your collection) for one piece that makes your collection much better.
Attribute Your Coins: You may own a rare variety and not be aware of it. As an example, there are a number of rare varieties in the Washington quarter series that command a strong premium. If you are not aware of these, buy the standard reference and learn the characteristics of these specific varieties. Or, send your coins to a trustworthy specialist dealer who can see if you have any important pieces.
Improve Your Keys: Any good collection is judged by its key coins. Many collectors will skimp on key dates in their sets and buy common issues in very high grades. If you have been waiting to buy a key issue for your set, this might be a good time to pull the trigger. This is particularly true in series such as Lincoln Cents where the key issues (1909-S VDB, 1914-D and 1922 Plain) have risen appreciably in recent years and show no signs of losing value.
Register Your Set on the PCGS and/or NGC Registries: The PCGS and NGC Set Registries have become a very important component in today’s coin market. If you have a high quality set it becomes more marketable by being included in the Set Registry. This is even more so in a 20th century series in which a large number of collectors have registered their sets and the competition for the #1 spot is especially fierce.
It is also good to include images of coins in your collection on Set Registry. If you are not a good photographer, hire a professional to take a few good images.
Fill Your Holes: A complete set is more saleable (although not necessarily more valuable) than a partial set. If your collection is 75% complete, why not consider filling the missing holes? And if the missing holes are coins that way beyond your budget, consider starting a set where you can realistically complete it.
Trace Your Coin’s Pedigree: In certain series, an important pedigree can add value to a coin. As an example, early date Large Cents with famous pedigrees are very highly valued by collectors. It will not be possible to trace a coin’s pedigree in many modern series but numerous high quality (or easily recognizable) early issues can be pedigreed with a little detective work.
Write A Book on Your Specialty: Some of the most successful collectors have increased the awareness of their specialty by writing a book about it. This is especially useful for a series about which there is little or no current information. Many of the most popular numismatic references have been written by collectors. These books have not only made their collections more valuable but they have also provided their authors with a great sense of accomplishment.
Designate Your Coins: In the past few years, both PCGS and NGC have added new designations that can increase the value of a coin. Proofs are now accorded a Cameo or Deep Cameo (Ultra Cameo at NGC) designation if they show a strong amount of contrast between the devices and the fields. In some cases, a coin with this designation can become considerably more valuable.
There is nothing wrong with a win-win situation.
Dorkkarl did have some good points, that value in a collection does not have to be financial. Increasing your knowledge of minting processes and the history of the coins you collect will greatly add to the enjoyment of your collection. Far too much emphasis is placed on grades.
Camelot