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Back from a hiatus, and curious about colonials

Hello, everyone. Some of you might remember me- I used to be a frequent user here on the forums a couple years ago. I took a small hiatus from collecting (my main focus was on toned commemoratives) but now I have returned.

I'd really like to break into the colonials area (and maybe early 19th century gold), but I'm a tad bit unsure on where to begin. Now, I don't have tens of thousands of dollars sitting around (yet), so I might have to start off "small," as they say. Is there a particular early 19th century/colonials one would recommend as "entry level"?

I understand the term "entry level" to be relative, so I'm willing to hear what many of you have to say. And perhaps the first step isn't blindly adding such a coin to my collection- I understand that as well. If anyone could point me toward an informative resource on said coins, I'd be very grateful!

Successful BST transactions with: blu62vette, Shortgapbob, Dolan, valente151, cucamongacoin, ajaan

Interests:
Pre-Jump Grade Project
Toned Commemoratives

Comments

  • NewEnglandRaritiesNewEnglandRarities Posts: 1,020 ✭✭✭✭
    First and foremost, welcome back!

    There are a lot of great resources for colonial coins currently available. From an online standpoint, I would recommend checking out the C4 (Colonial Coin Collectors Club) website, which is www.colonialcoins.org. There is some great information about the club and primers for starting collecting colonials, as well as a community forum which members participate in.

    There are also links on the site that can direct you to other sites with more colonial collecting information.

    From a reference book standpoint, I always recommend the David Bowers Colonial Coin Encyclopedia, which can be acquired from Whitman. It has pictures of all the known die varieties of colonials as well as descriptions and attribution information.

    Regarding what is a good entry level coin/s, there are many different options for that. A state copper, or a Fugio Cent are always popular choices. There are so many different designs, it really comes down to what is attractive to your eye design wise.

    I would highly recommend looking for pieces that have nice eye appeal. There are many colonials that have post-strike damage, but finding a choice attractive example for the grade will always be a much more popular coin with collectors than a problematic example. For example, a choice glossy F15 is much more sought after than a problem VF35.

    Hope that helps.
    New England Rarities...Dealer In Colonial Coinage and Americana
  • TopographicOceansTopographicOceans Posts: 6,535 ✭✭✭✭
    I'd recommend finding a nice Fugio Cent.
    They have a cool factor of 10 image
  • daOnlyBGdaOnlyBG Posts: 1,060 ✭✭
    Originally posted by: NewEnglandRarities
    First and foremost, welcome back!

    Thank you!

    There are a lot of great resources for colonial coins currently available. From an online standpoint, I would recommend checking out the C4 (Colonial Coin Collectors Club) website, which is www.colonialcoins.org. There is some great information about the club and primers for starting collecting colonials, as well as a community forum which members participate in.

    There are also links on the site that can direct you to other sites with more colonial collecting information.

    From a reference book standpoint, I always recommend the David Bowers Colonial Coin Encyclopedia, which can be acquired from Whitman. It has pictures of all the known die varieties of colonials as well as descriptions and attribution information.

    I will check out all the resources you just listed- thanks.

    Regarding what is a good entry level coin/s, there are many different options for that. A state copper, or a Fugio Cent are always popular choices. There are so many different designs, it really comes down to what is attractive to your eye design wise.

    I remember seeing one a couple years ago at a local auction. The bid went way too high for its own condition- I remember being discouraged. However, in retrospect, perhaps it would have been wise to match the price. It really did catch my eye. Oh well!


    I would highly recommend looking for pieces that have nice eye appeal. There are many colonials that have post-strike damage, but finding a choice attractive example for the grade will always be a much more popular coin with collectors than a problematic example. For example, a choice glossy F15 is much more sought after than a problem VF35.

    Hope that helps.


    That definitely helps- thanks once more. If anyone would like to post pics of an eye-catching, lower grade Fugio cent, please feel free to do so- I'm curious what's out there.

    Successful BST transactions with: blu62vette, Shortgapbob, Dolan, valente151, cucamongacoin, ajaan

    Interests:
    Pre-Jump Grade Project
    Toned Commemoratives
  • TopographicOceansTopographicOceans Posts: 6,535 ✭✭✭✭
    This is my MS61
    You can check on eBay or Heritage for a lower grade but get a PCGS or NGC one.

    On the obverse, it's got the rising sun and sundial with the word FUGIO (time flies) and MIND YOUR BUSINESS, a Benjamin Franklin saying along with the 1787 date.

    The reverse has the 13 rings and WE ARE ONE.
    Mine is a STATES UNITED variety.

    The Fugio cents were the first coin authorized by the new United States Government.


    image
  • kazkaz Posts: 9,052 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Welcome back! Here is a recent purchase, a VF20 Club Rays Fugio



    image

    image

  • daOnlyBGdaOnlyBG Posts: 1,060 ✭✭
    TopographicOceans, that's a sweet looking coin. How'd you come across it? Did you buy it raw?

    Kaz- that's pretty cool. Where did you buy it from?
    Successful BST transactions with: blu62vette, Shortgapbob, Dolan, valente151, cucamongacoin, ajaan

    Interests:
    Pre-Jump Grade Project
    Toned Commemoratives
  • kazkaz Posts: 9,052 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Mine came from David Kahn, who has a few colonials as well as a large variety of 19th c coins.
  • CoinRaritiesOnlineCoinRaritiesOnline Posts: 3,638 ✭✭✭✭
    Greetings from the Central States Numismatic Convention where lots of cool colonials are being bought and sold, in all grades, including some at our table.



    For the best basic overview of colonial coins, you still cannot beat the Redbook in my opinion, though for pricing you are far better to use the free and more timely information provided on PCGS Coinfacts, which includes recent auction results for all issues.



    But with one caveat: In colonials, what I call the "non grade attributes" - color, strike, centering, planchet quality, originality, etc. - can have a bigger impact on value than the numerical grade.
  • msch1manmsch1man Posts: 809 ✭✭✭✭
    I started collecting colonials about a year ago...it's a fascinating area in my opinion. As far as books go, I'd recommend The Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins...you should be able to pick up a copy for around $35 and is well worth it. You should check out the Early American Coins and Tokens Basic Design Registry sets...fun to browse through and provides one possible framework to base your collection on...though obviously it's just a framework. I have about 50 colonial types that I'd like to have one day. As far as what coin to start with, I wouldn't box yourself in looking for one type, I'd be open to what comes along first that meets your standards.
  • TopographicOceansTopographicOceans Posts: 6,535 ✭✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: daOnlyBG
    TopographicOceans, that's a sweet looking coin. How'd you come across it? Did you buy it raw?

    Kaz- that's pretty cool. Where did you buy it from?


    I bought it on eBay from seller glass1979 in June 2012 in a NGC MS62 holder.

    I sent it to PCGS and it did not cross.
    Last year I wanted to move all my coins to PCGS for consistency and sent this in again but specified MS60 as the minimum grade.

    It came back MS61, so it cost me a point to move from NGC to PCGS.

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