Why do you own duplicates?

Nap

For those that do buy duplicates of the coins they own.

Most of us have limited budgets. Yet I don't think I'm alone when I look at my collection and find a few duplicates of things I already own.

Maybe, since multiple answers may apply, consider this question regarding the last duplicate coin you purchased, to make things simpler.

okiedude

I would say several of the answers above apply LOL!

lkeigwin

I don't know what to vote. Almost all of the above? Maybe the best answer is "I really like both coins."
Lance.

BillJones

I have certified examples of a couple of coins in this set. If I sold the coins out of this set, it would not look good.

lasvegasteddy

do we have to confess something here

amwldcoin

Perhaps you should include you think they are a good investment to your poll. That is what I would vote!

brg5658

None of the options covers my reasoning.

I have a few duplicates because I collect coins, I don't fill holes in arbitrary "sets".

Just because two coins are the same mint, same date, etc. does NOT mean they are the same.

I own 5 examples of a scarce Conder token (~ 400 minted) because I was researching the edge lettering process and die markers. I also love the design and each one is truly different.

Numismatically, there is a lot to be learned by owning examples of seemingly "duplicate" coins.

BillJones

Hard Times Token, Low #5 ...

This is a scarce token that is hard to find, but I have two. #1 is a so-so VF, but this a bit better than average.



#2 is sharper and more attractive, but it has a hole. Hard Times Token collectors don't think that these pieces should have a hole, therefore I bought it cheap. I just didn't want to part with either one, and besides this was probably holed so that someone could wear during the 1832 presidential compaign or during Jackson's presidency.

roadrunner

If one specimen is worth owning then certainly at a similar or better price so would a second coin. I'd much rather buy duplicates of a very worthy coin than just fill holes in a set of "low potential" coins only because I "have" to complete the set. At one time I owned 7 fully original 1867-s quarters in F-XF. The were all great coins. Should have kept them all. And I don't consider it hoarding or cornering the market. If it's a worthy coin with potential based on your knowledge, buy it. Worthwhile dupes are always easy to sell. Fwiw I'd bet many collectors here own duplicates of MS63-MS67 common date Morgan dollars. Are they hoarders?

TwoSides2aCoin

<< <i>do we have to confess something here
>>



I confess: duplicates own me.

DennisH

Where is "all of the above?"
I have dupes of many dates, and in several cases more than 5.

ModCrewman

My answer doesn't really fit any of them, but I went with "Got a fantastic deal."

I collect cameo proofs from 1950-1970, a great majority of my collection has been purchased raw in original gov't packaging. There is an art and a "gamble" to identifying and evaluating the quality of the proof coins through the mint packaging of this era. It's not always clear whether the coins will be a superior example to the one in my primary collection. In addition even if not of sufficient quality to improve my collection they are frequently good buys and certainly in better than average die state (CAM/DCAM), and potential money makers. I have multiple double row boxes of cameo singles that I'll get around to selling some day that probably don't warrant the expense of having them graded. On that note if anyone knows of a bulk outlet for raw DCAM, CAM, and non-CAM with frost singles for above melt in (PR63-67 grades) from 1950-1970 let me know by PM (to not hijack the thread).

That's why I have duplicates.

jcping

My answers fit into multiple categories.
For R6 or rarer coins, I will buy them at a lower grade of typical grade(s) that I want and then upgrade later provided quality/price is right.
For a certain type of die cud coin, I cherry picked them when I could see any

ricko

I do, for several reasons.... sometimes I just like the coin, other times it is a good deal...and other times I forget I have the first one... Cheers, RickO

ShadyDave

Plain and simple, I'm a hoarder...

Walkerfan

I don't currently own any duplicates but I have more than a couple coins that I would keep, if I ever decided to upgrade.

SamByrd

marmac

I have two kinds of duplicates, I have dupes that are just waiting to be dealt with, meaning sold off, and I have dupes because I like the particular issue and find it worth owning more than one, sometimes more than two-trips!

Exbrit

Nice set Bill

TwoSides2aCoin

Not to hijack the thread either, but I can vouch for Modcrewman's post, from first hand experience. Back to the whys. The when is : "every time another collection comes walking in". And that's just another why, really.

SmEagle1795

I have one pair of duplicate coins at the moment, and I'm still not sure if I'm going to sell my earlier coin. They're very different dies, but the first has a nicer obverse and the second has a much nicer reverse (probably the finest known reverse, which is the "money" side of this type).

TopographicOceans

E) All of the above

david3142

I was hoping I'd be able to select multiple answers. I have duplicates of coins I have upgraded. I have duplicates where I don't consider the coins the same. For example, I have a few toned 79-S, 80-S, and 81-S coins, as well as some of those coins in PL or DMPL. i have 3 1884-CCs, one is a GSA from my Grandfather (sentimental), one has gorgeous color and the other is DMPL. I have a couple of pairs where one coin is raw in an album and the other in a slab. I don't know why getting a good deal should matter. Once you've bought the coin, the price paid is irrelevant.

Weiss

Duplicates?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

amwldcoin

<< <i>I don't have many dupes, if in fact I believe these are my only two, but I have them because they are uber rare, 1876-Large S Type Two Obverse Type Two Reverse, both also in higher grades , one high AU and the other low MS. I couldn't choose which one to sell so I kept both.


>>



If I had to choose I would take the AU! Nothing beats a nice original lightly circulated coin for me!

SamByrd

EVillageProwler

I have two pairs of duplicates currently. One is a Tuscany 10 Paoli (a crown piece, for you lightsiders) of Pietro Leopoldo I. Same Davenport catalog number. Both high grade, but different dates. I can't part with either because, grade aside, their eye appeal is unbelievable and conditionally very rare.

The other is a penny from Eadwig, King of Wessex (that's Anglo-Saxon England, for you lightsiders). Same SCBC catalog number. Both are high grade, with amazing eye appeal. One has a rare die marker. The other has a nice provenance (Tetney hoard of 1945).

I've had other deliberate duplicates in the past: multiple die marriages and states of 1842 Seated Dollar, and 1799 8x5 BB-159 (the BB-159 have interesting die states, especially as it gets near terminal DS).

EVP

DCW

Sometimes if you collect rare and esoteric pieces, you pull the trigger when one you already have comes along and looks like it is "going cheap."

Treashunt

because I can.

mercurydimeguy

I buy duplicates -- and sometimes up to 5 or 6 of the same coin to find the ideal one that matches my set...not because I'm fickle but because I don't get to big shows so most of what I buy is over the Internet. I then sell off the duplicates once I find the keeper.

Of course my timing sucks because whenever I go to sell off my duplicates the coin market is slow, so I am often coin rich and cash poor

While not super wealthy I probably have ~ $50k in duplicates (mostly premium PCGS and CAC coins) that have absolutely no market demand....

So the real reason I own duplicates is that I can't always sell them at their value level whenever needed yet I'm not so destitute to take losses on coins that in 6-12 months I can make premiums on.

My 10 cents

AMRC

<< <i>I do, for several reasons.... sometimes I just like the coin, other times it is a good deal...and other times I forget I have the first one... Cheers, RickO >>



Most honest answer award!

I always run into collectors that are putting together a set of something or another and have multiple duplicates of coins as they upgrade but still do not have the key dates. With Morgans for example, I have walked through more than one collector who was able to buy the 93-S they needed after selling off the duplicates they no longer needed.

AUandAG

I collect CC Morgan Dollars. What kind of collection would all of 13 amount to?

Since no two look alike, I believe I have NO duplicates.

bob

FunwithMPL

To do research to write a book.

TomB

You don't have the reply that popped into my head, which goes something along the lines of "because they are all fantastic coins".

oih82w8

I upgraded one and need to sell the other.

Timbuk3

All of the above, but basically to use
as trading for something I really like !!! :-)

coinkat

I suppose I have a different definition of what constitutes a duplicate. Simply stated... I do not view owning the same coin in a different state of preservation as a duplicate. One could have an example of the same coin that covers the grading spectrum- Are they the same coin? Yes, but they are still different by their condition so I do not see those as duplicates. Another one of my minority views worthy of expressing...

IrishMikey

Many coin collectors are "vest pocket" dealers in the making, so the accumulation of duplicates is inevitable. Like a previous
poster with the 1867-S quarters, when I run across a good deal, I just don't care if I already have 2 (or 10, or 100) examples
of the same coin. I figure that things will sort themselves out in time, and they usually do.

winky

Only if I love what I already have then I can brag about it. I try to collect Seated dimes with R5 or R6 rating and you might be OK late on but no guarantee.

cardinal

I think it comes down to the objective of the collector. For someone intent on completing the Basic U.S. Coin Design Set (as defined by the PCGS Set Registry), then a rare 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar would be deemed a duplicate of a common 1802 Draped Bust Large Eagle Dollar. Each collector decides what characteristics matter to them in determining what makes one different from another.

Coins that differ from each other in some manner, whether it's a different date, die variety, die state, or different grade, may not be considered "duplicates" if the differences matter.

So, what about "duplicates" that are precisely the same date, die variety, die state and grade (by the same TPG)? Aside from accumulating/hoarding favorite pieces, can there be an objective served by the duplicates? My answer is "Yes" -- for purposes of live displays.

Notice how the majority of the coin pictures on the forums (and all of the pictures on CoinFacts) show both the obverse and reverse of each coin or medal? As collectors, we want to see both sides, yet if something is in a locked display case, you can't just reach in and flip it over to see the other side. So, how do you handle assembling an exhibit and still let people see both sides? Duplicates come to the rescue...

Here's an example, one I had PCGS put together in preparation for a future display:



--Cardinal
Libertas Americana Through Time

lcoopie

Asides what has already been said,
No 2 coins are exactly the same

OKbustchaser

No such thing as duplicates. Coins--even those from a particular year/die marriage are unique.