What is the Heart of the Rare Coin Market

Typetone

Well I'm back from Hawaii. What a great place to spend a week or two, especially if you are from Alaska.

A while back I was reading one of Scott Travers books written a few years back. He expressed an opinion that the heart of the high-end rare coin market is Barber, Seated, and Capped Bust coinage. By heart, I believe he meant where most money is spent buying and selling and where most collectors and dealers focus most of there efforts.

With all the changes over the last few years, do you think his statement still applies? If not, what do you now think is the heart of the market?

Greg
"The Ever Ponderer"

Spooly

Sadly I would say, high grade modern coins and pop rare classic coins. The Registry has been the top driver in coin collecting the last couple of years.

gmarguli

Barbers and Seated coins? Are there really that many collectors of these coins? I'd say Morgans.

Tonelover

Yeah, and in his 1990 edition of the Investors Guide to Coin Trading Mr. Travers praises the Merril Lynch Athena Fund whose fund objective was "an investment quality portfolio consisting principally of ancient Greek and Roman coins and, to a lesser extent, Greek and Roman antiquities". That did real well. A revolutionary new electronic trading network called the American Numismatic Exchange (ANE), and the Numismatic Quote system (NQS) were also high on his list of new and important developments which would lead the future. I haven't heard anything about those systems in quite a while.

Ah, lest I digress. My experience so far would cause me to say Morgan Dollars, and inexpensive circulated type of all denominations seem to be the bread and butter of the industry at the moment.

pmh1nic

If you make a judgement based on what you read in the latest advertisements it seems a new heart gets transplanted every few years. On some level that may be true but I think in each generation there will always be a group of collectors that will have the desire to go back to the beginning to collect and study bust/seated coinage and enjoy it's connection with early U.S. history.

braddick

The cool thing is we are all bretheren in the same Fraternity. I admire your Au55 original Barber half. Maybe you'll admire that flawless MS68 State quarter.
Not enough to collect it- just enough to understand why there are those who do.

Ronyahski

Good question. I can't figure out the answer to it right now. On one hand, I agree with the statement that Seated, Barber and Bust are the heart of the high-end rare market, although for the life of me I can't figure out how you leave off Morgans.

Obviously the moderns have gotten all the publicity and attention lately. What remains to be seen is if the high-end moderns continue to be considered as rare in the long-run. If they do, the heart got bigger. If not, he was right. My guess is it is getting time to add the 20th century "classics" to the list...Walkers, SLQ, Mercs, Buffs. Ask the question again in a couple more years.

michael

you ARE right about the barbers and seated an extremely undervalued and currently underappreciated series, but show me a super hi end ms coin or a toned monster and it is instantly sold or a very rare date. give these coins time they will come back with a vengence and right now is the time to buy when no one wants them..... SO TO SEPAK but you must buy the right coins.... for example and just a few examples here........ seated dimes in ms 67 that are real ngc/pcgs 67 coins or hi end and with fully original wihte surfaces never played with or monster toned coins of course low pop helps but is not necessary if the coin is am toned monster.... barber coins like dimes quarters for example in monster toned 65 and higher. or very nice white fully original barber halves in 65 and higher if you can find them.....lol now those arw super sleepers and if you have any of these coins you can sell them.......... right now for wahtever you aSK!!! the super sleepers are the 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 barber quarters esp the 1901 in real 65 and higher and monster toned is just a plus........ even proof seated dimes early 1860's 65 and proof seated quarters 64 and higher but nice coins fully original white or nicely toned even trades that are real 64 coins ms or clean clear white proof trafdes in 64 or giher now that would be a rare coin if it had eye appeal and not ugly dark toning!! sincerely michael

michael

also classic coins in 64 and higher pre 1835 with nice original toning but where to find such animals....... they are always in demand and multiples over sheets but a market where you really have to know what you are doing. those coins are better than cash in the bank!! sincerely michael

Typetone

My view is that I don't believe Barbers, Seated, and Capped Bust coins are now the heart of the market (though they could well come back). Mostly type collectors pick up a few pieces of each. Few are collecting full date sets of any of these series. I know several top shelf dealers who are choking on their inventory of these. By the way this probably makes them great buys now. I especially like ms Barbers and proof Seated pieces. So what is the heart. I propose three possibilities.

Morgan/Peace Dollars. Most dealers I know have major inventories of these and sell alot. Some, like the CC pieces, DMPLs, and rainbows are white hot. Most collectors have a few to alot of these. They are well quoted in the grey sheet up to MS67. There are many registered sets. I own a dozen pieces myself and don't even collect them.

20th Century " Art Deco Pieces". Art experts may diasgree buy I call the Mercury Dime, Walkers, Standing Quarters, Buffalo Nickels, Peace Dollars, and Saints art deco pieces. At least they revived spectacular art on U.S. coinage. They are widely quoted by date and widely collected. Most major dealers carry alot of them. Who doesn't own a few dozen of these coins at least.

Modern. Current series and those that came and went during the current series. Lincoln Memorial Pennies, Jeffs, Roosies, Washingtons, Franklins, Kennedies, IKEs, SBAs, Sacs, and modern commems and bullion coins.

It's tempting to say modern and probably most transactions occur in this group, but the winner probably is the 20th century art deco pieces, based on most money spent, most widespread collector interest, and pure beauty and love by collectors.

Who agrees or disagrees?

Greg

Chippewa

I am surprised to see no mension of early silver commems so far. Since I started working on them a couple of years ago I think the market has really soared at the high end.

Ronyahski

Greg - You called them art deco pieces, I called them 20th century classics, but have to agree with you that they are probably now deserved as part of the heart of the market.

You know dealers choking on nice Seated material? I'm taking names, please tell me who they are, would like to help them clear their throats.

Regards
Daryl

KoinKollector

Ill echo what Daryl said... What dealers??? At FUN every dealer told me he couldnt hold on to the seated material long enough. All I heard was seated is getting hot again...