Question about starting a set

Morganmanic

Is it best to by upgrade you coins in the set in increments (ie. vf, then trade up to XF, then trade up to AU) or by on real great coin one at a time?

GoldenEyeNumismatics

by the bestr you can afford

dan8402

I would say waiting until you find something you really like would be the best way to go. There is no reason to just get something to fill space when you know you're immediately going to try to upgrade. You will just end up taking a financial hit by buying and selling all of the lower graded coins.

JoeLewis

I feel that it is a waste of time and money to upgrade to a coin knowing that you will eventually upgrade again. Decide on the grade that you will be happy with for a long time and then save up a buy the coin.

mcheath

Most people will tell you to buy the keys first. It depends on the series as well. Do you want a well matched set? Also looking for what is sometimes called "the collector grade" can be a determining factor. This is the grade right before the a huge jump in price. For instance many Morgan dollars are close in price between ms60-64 with a huge jump in price for a 65. This would make 64 an ideal "collector grade" Howver the key for me is to buy what I can afford and not overextend myself. That being said doing your homework and taking time to study and become knowledgable is the best thing you can do before starting a set.

BAJJERFAN

Buy the best that you can afford, at least try to get the semi keys and better dates first. If you see an exceptionally nice common date, grab it while the grabbing is good. If you can't tell the difference between a 64 and a 65, buy the 64, unless you intend to flip the 65 for a profit.

percyb

Buy both the low and the best grades.

airplanenut

Why bother buying a coin you don't want? If you buy all the VFs first, you'll end up with a set you don't like, and then have to start over to upgrade each piece. If you wait long enough, you'll get the coin you always wanted, and have all the satisfaction of a great hunt. I just found a coin after 10 years... and with it, I'm immensely glad I never bought one of the hundreds I rejected.

Morganmanic

I guess for me there is a satisfaction of completely a set even if it is not of the best quality. I can still hunt for the next best coin. I do not know yet but I do thank everyone for all their input

CarlWohlforth

A coin costs more to buy than what you can sell it for. So every time you buy a coin you plan on upgrading you lose money. So I suggest waiting for the coin that will be the right coin for your set.

Please figure out how much your planned set will cost. I've started sets only to realize later on that I can't afford the set.

BAJJERFAN

Keep in mind that your collecting goals can and probably will change some as you make progress on your set. You may find that getting the commons in 66 has more appeal now than it did before. I don't get too excited about a matched set. Finding matching coins can be challenging and a matched set is technically excellent, but if you sit down and start looking at 100 coins that all look the same it can become aesthetically boring very quickly.

garsmith

Buy the best you can afford, playing the upgrade game smoetimes doesn't work out you end up selling the undergrades for less than you paid for them!

Swampboy

<< <i>Keep in mind that your collecting goals can and probably will change some as you make progress on your set. You may find that getting the commons in 66 has more appeal now than it did before. I don't get too excited about a matched set. Finding matching coins can be challenging and a matched set is technically excellent, but if you sit down and start looking at 100 coins that all look the same it can become aesthetically boring very quickly. >>



and I like how you said that.
There's no way for me to get all gem lincolns for my circulation strikes set and I really don't have a problem with that.
As long as each piece appeals to me I'm happy.

droopyd

<< <i>As long as each piece appeals to me I'm happy. >>





I think that's the only sane way to approach collecting as a hobby.