Sometimes a Lower Grade just Fits Better and Ends the Search...
Broadstruck
Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
After spending a couple years searching for something in CH-Gem BU and not finding anything I'd pay up for a CH AU came along which had all the qualities I'm looking for in UNC just couldn't find in that condition. This has happened before as I once stumbled across a wholesome VF while looking for a XF-AU and it also ended the search. A few XF-AU's have come up since, but all had something bothersome going on which kept me from ever wanting to upgrade.
Any one else run into this same conundrum?
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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As long as coin decent enough to feel the hole G04 or better is good enough for me.
Many times where there is a huge bump up in cost to the next grade say an MS64 is $100 but MS65 $275 I prefer the MS64 and so do buyers at shows. They are looking to fill the hole with a decent coin they like. The high end market is for the wealthy.
Coins I have recently moved quickly: 1913 50c PCGS VG10, 1934-S Dollar PCGS XF45, 1926-S Dime PCGS XF40. I am always looking for better dates like these as they are good sellers.
Yeah buying a lower grade coin sure isn't a problem for the wallet. As even if you have to pay up a bit for a nicer example when the day comes to sell it's also a lot easier to move then a higher graded coin with some negative surface issues.
Because of the fluid grading standards, often the 'lower graded' coin is every bit the quality of the next step up...Cheers, RickO
I've found that ATS an AU58 and MS62 often look identical but can mean a big difference in price.
ANA LM
USAF Retired — 34 years of active military service! 🇺🇸
The average grade of my collection is XF-40/45 for that exact reason
I couldn't find a Barber half in MS70 so I settled for the one below.
ExoJ, i'm looking for the OUCH > @EXOJUNKIE said:
MS62 many times was the AU58+ before plus grading.
Any one else run into this same conundrum?
Al the time. I try like the Dickens not to "settle" as more often than not I end up looping back and upgrading. Can be expensive. Best to set a realistic ($$) minimum objective and stay with it - but for sure easier said than done.
On my DMPL's I want the deepest mirrors and will downgrade for something crazy deep over higher grade.
In general if I have longtime customers I tell them to buy the nicest coin for the grade they can afford and NEVER to upgrade by just one grade-point level, particularly in Mint State grades. For example, Morgan dollars, go from a 62 to a 64 or from a 63 to a 65. But the eye appeal trumps the grade, every time. I won't send a customer a coin I wouldn't want for my own collection. They appreciate that ...
Kind regards,
George
Very happy with a range of VG10 to AU in my Whitman '92-06 book of Barber Halves, but I realized that as much as the better dates are mostly in VF, I couldn't live with the VG '04s so I recently got a VF 30-35.
When I know I can do better with something on the important side, I'd rather it done.
Not the choice BU to choice AU acceptance you allude to, but certainly if my set was BU, I'd be more than happy with an AU 1904s half, so yes.
I’d much rather have a stellar XF-AU coin than an ugly MS coin every day of the week. I also would avoid upgrading a coin just for the sake of a having a higher number. That’s what happened to my Peace dollar set. I was still in the mood to upgrade and keep working on it, but most of the time coins in higher grades weren’t as nice as the ones I already had, especially when considering that ownership adds a point!
Assembling a gem set of Peace dollars causes problems with the 25-S and 28-S. A stellar all-there 64+ CAC coin is a couple thousand bucks. A barely-there 65 is $15k. At this point in my life a super-nice 58 would suit me fine and represent the issue splendidly.