What were the golden / silver ages of collecting?
Zoins
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What were very popular times to collect and why was it popular?
I can think of the following collecting eras more recently:
- 1960s - everything including tokens
- 1980s - classic and new commems, TPGs
- 2000s - condition rarity super moderns
- 2010s - selling of super collections
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Late 1960's for me. It's when I began collecting as a 14 year old in 1967 or so. I used to go to the bank and buy rolls, and I actually was able to complete the 1941 to date Lincolns (no 1955-S or 1960 SD)
Compete Jeff set too (no 1950-D) I still have the folders with the coins.
Those were wonderful times.
Pete
i would love to have been a collector in the 1900-1930 era. Gold coins in circulation. Prices were dirt cheap. Hang out at the mint, make friends with an inside and nab a 1913 Lib Nickel. Matte Proof Lincolns and Proof Buffalo Nickels could be had in a set for 8 cents. The year 1916 rolls around and you go to the bank and pick up original rolls of 1916 SLQ's and 1916 Mercs and 1916 WLH's. 1921 and nab some original high relief Peace Dollars. That would be a tough era to beat IMHO.
Of course if you had a time machine, why not go back to 1794!
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1960s to about 1974. Best value for money, and high quality pieces available at the same price as lesser coins.
But you had to really know what you were doing ... AND ... be super condition conscious in an era when mint state coins were referred to as being Unc. or BU.
I began in the 2010s. I like short sets. I completed Ikes and war nickels.
The best time for me was the late 60s to the early to mid 1970s. My family would go across the border to Mexico and trade Greenbacks for Moran dollars 1/1 as the banks there seemed to want to get ride of them. Many of the Morgans were 19th century coins.
I also paid $525 for a strong XF 1918/17 D Buffalo. I also paid a$50 for a very nice three leg Buffalo. No TPG in those days but I learned to grade these coins with a dealers help. I sold a complete set of Buffalos and Mercury dimes, many of the Mercury dimes were AU or unc. I sold my collection in the early 1990s as I was starting a family and was in the process of buying our kid raising home situated in and area with good schools. I wont say what I got as the coin market was in the tank but I still made money and learned quite a bit about collecting.
I am really young, but the 60s definitely. When the Garrett sales happened later, there was a big boost in the hobby. In 1943, the Michael Higgy collection is believed to have been the boost for the rise to the 60s.
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RE: "But you had to really know what you were doing ... AND ... be super condition conscious in an era when mint state coins were referred to as being Unc. or BU."
I think the nomenclature change is immaterial and possibly misleading since "Mint State" implies a kind of originality and "Uncirculated" is a specific description class.
As for knowing what you were doing, that is still the case, only back then, there was much less "pain" for settling for less than a superior coin. Plus dealers were always happy to sell the nicest coins for a few extra $$ - after all, they usually paid the same for all "Unc" coins of a certain date/mint/type.
Collectors also protected themselves by buying from reliable dealers. I bought coins from Dave Bowers and Jim Ruddy in their various business permutations. I never got a cleaned or inferior coins from Bowers -- never. when I had some of those authenticated many years later, they were consistently "MS66 and MS67" or better. 1800 $10 eagles in Bowers' "AU" were $895 and I suspect many now sit in "MS63" and higher plastic holders.
I have said it here before... the early 50's. As a paper boy I got IHC's, Buffs, Mercs, SLQ's, Walkers, Barbers, Columbian halves and even a few Morgans and Peace dollars as payment....Never got a Flying Eagle cent though...Cheers, RickO
Today, I'm still getting these coins as tips for delivering newspapers.
@DancingFire .... Really? Did not realize there were still paper routes.... Cheers, RickO
Now is for me personally. There is so much more information and knowledge available via online sources that just weren't there in the past. Clearly most of us here would not own the quality/quantity we do without that availability.
mid 90s through 2008
Collecting-wise, I'd say the best time to get the best coins would probably be the latter half of the 19th century / earlier two decades of the 20th.
BUT - who had money to save on coins back then ... life is much less difficult financially (and in other) ways anymore ... #firstworldproblems
For me - I enjoyed collecting Lincolns as a child. But we had no internet in the 80's. We had the coin magazines, and the LCS's. The fun was purely for fun's sake. Never looked at profit/loss or things I simply couldn't afford. I collected because I loved it. Was a great time.
Insert witicism here. [ xxx ]
Well, in 1972 I purchased a seated dollar for $200.
) so, against my vows to keep it til I died, I did sell it.
It is NOW "finest known" and in TDN's stuff due to my getting pissed at PCGS for giving it a 64 when every dealer I talked to (back then when I was dumb...(dumb-ER)
I ...did... get double 64 price for it from Bobby Avena......but...... still..................
But...MY... decision, faulty as it was.
I can VIVIDLY remember a Jack Tar (SF) show and a dealer with two CASES of P/L early capped bust $2.50 and $5.00 gold.
Yes, even the THICK ones.
However, they were out of MY reach.
And I can still "see" them.
This is a sample of 1971 prices.............
For me personally, 1998-2005
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