Which old gold shall I do? Inspire me with pics.
Downtown1974
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All of my gold is modern government issue bullion/coinage; AGEs, Maples, Buffs, etc. After seeing Paradisefounds gold type set, I have the itch to do an old gold set. Torn between doing a gold liberty type set and a gold Indian type set. Any recommendations or advice? Buy raw or crack out? My plan is to display them in a plastic capital holder. This is more for enjoyment rather than investment so eye appeal will trump grade. Any suggestions or input is greatly appreciated.
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Indian heads are realy cool but if you want more affordability go for the liberty head. Hear are sum of mine for inspiration.
If you can swing it Southern gold is intreseting and very historic. It is pricey so buy certified. A full set would be very difficult so maybe a C D and O Half or Quarter Eagle would look nice. Could even do the P and S mint too and have one from each pre Civil War mint.
Do what you want & what you can, but I feel like it's hard to go wrong right now with a nice Saint. 64's trade for less than $200 over melt, which is sort of amazing for a well preserved example of such a beautiful and historic coin. It can become the anchor for your Indian set. Or you could give yourself however long it takes with your budget and do an 8-piece basic gold type set (4 libs, 3 Indians, and the Saint). At today's levels in 62 for most of the pieces and maybe 63 for the $20 Lib and 64 for the Saint, I think you could do this for somewhere in the $6100-$6300 range. I think I'd buy all this stuff slabbed.
I would go for old gold Libert coins first. The Indian/St, Gaudens coins are easy except for the $5 Indian.
Another thing, you are now looking at old gold. It will and should look different than the gold you have now. Look for the old gold "look". Some toning or patina for an original appearance. Old gold that looks fresh from the mint is to me not as appealing, but get what appeals to you.
The Capital holder is nice, the 8 coin set looks great all together!
Pick your favorites and start with those first. For me it was the St. Gaudens designs.
Instagram
Go for an Indian set. Here is my digital capital set....
Maybe something "early" early -
Or something from a branch mint, @Smudge mentions above:
Gold from Carson City !!!
How about a nice gold dollar?
or a Dahlonega Half Eagle
Overland Trail Collection Showcase
Dahlonega Type Set-2008 PCGS Best Exhibited Set
Thanks for the input! I was leaning towards to doing a liberty head gold set, and it sounds like it is a good “entry level” old gold coin. I find it to be an attractive coin as well. I am fortunate to have an excellent coin shop only 20 minutes from my home and he has pretty much anything I’ll be looking for.
Smudge, you touched on another reason that is part of my inspiration for doing this set. All of my gold is pretty and shiny. I want some gold with character now. Toned with worn textures but not crusty. Coins that are easy on the eyes.
I’m gonna take a crack at the 4 gold liberty coins to start.
Thanks again for the advice everyone, and I love the pictures! Some very impressive old gold.
These are both great ideas.
The toner Indians are just WOW!
My Saint Set
With a mintage of 1,636, the 1880 gold dollar is a popular coin. They were also well made and very attractive. With an estimated survival of 900 pieces or so, it's not as rare as the mintage would indicate. Speculators recognized that the mintage was low and set a lot of them aside.
This coin probably would not be your first piece of old gold. It took me a while to find this one, and it wasn't cheap when you compare it with coins like a common date St. Gaudens $20 gold. This coin is in an old green label PCGS MS-65 holder.
Please keep us posted on your set!
Here ya go >
I most certainly will.
Here’s one I never complain about owning.
I would echo the suggestion of Southern Branch Mint gold. I’m drawn to Dahlonega Half Eagles, like this 1846-D/D.
Some of you guys are recommending some fairly expensive gold coins. I'm not sure how much the OP wants to spend on his collection but an 8 piece or 12 piece type set would be a realistic goal for the average middle class collector if he's willing to save up for the more expensive coins.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I don't know what OP wants to spend either. But old proofs are definitely nice to look at:
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I like the look of the Classic heads. circ examples aren't terribly expensive, either.
May I recommend early gold? I've always found it quite inspiring...
Perhaps the 12 piece type set (That's what I'm doing) if you're cracking them out for a capital holder, do them in AU58.
This is one of my favorites, but it's MS64 not recommended to crack a 64
My YouTube Channel
That’s very helpful info Asheland. That’s a beautiful Indian. I wouldn’t crack that beauty out either.
There's nothing quite like CC 20s!
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I really like the five dollar Indian gold... I have toyed with the idea of doing a set of them... just have not had the desire to start the quest yet.... Cheers, RickO
My humble opinion, taking into account collecting challenge, current market(ability) strength, and expected long-term potential:
1) Territorial gold
2) Carson City, Charlotte, and Dahlonega gold
3) Early gold type
4) Pattern gold
Philadelphia gold issues are under appreciated. With 17,600 business strikes the 1889 below is the highest mintage quarter eagle from the 1880's. A $2.50 date run from 1840 through 1907 (if you exclude 1841) is doable provided you can afford (and find) the 1864, 1865 and 1875.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907-cac/alltimeset/268163