Who remembers when "Slicks" were barely "Hole Fillers"?
braddick
Posts: 24,166 ✭✭✭✭✭
A Lowball coin has a certain charm because it is can be interesting and fun to locate problem-free coins with enough details along with a date and mintmark to identify.
Lately though I have noticed the hunt for these type of coins has crossed over into allowing coins that can't be identified as to date and mintmark.
Growing up we called them, "slicks".
Now I suppose they are coming into their own as a collectible.
Here are two examples I watched this week.
(Yes, I waited until the auctions were over so as not to interfere.)
First up is a dateless, worn almost completely smooth Peace dollar.
It closed at $91.00. When you add the eBay fees and postage it is well over $100.00:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/196902687516
My second example is a Morgan dollar, presented by the same seller.
It closed at $93.00. Again, with the postage and eBay fees, over $100. for this dateless, worn Morgan:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186850374232
There are other examples too, most without the same high results, yet surprising regardless.
Comments
I thought they got this way as feed to a one armed bandit.
Never acquired a taste for them, but interesting as a set for sure.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
Less than an ounce of silver for $100. What a deal.
They do have a certain charm, but I think I’m too accustomed to collecting at the other end of the spectrum. Would make an interesting abbreviated type set tho. Something fun to do at shows. Hmmm. Nah.
For what it's worth, I am certainly not adverse to collecting whatever you want and how you want.
That kind of goes without saying.
In fact, I enjoy collecting these 'slicks' myself.
Here are a few:
I just never suspected the pricing would sometimes now reach 4X's 5X's the silver content value.
I still think that you, braddick, invented and/or popularized low ball collecting about 20 years ago when you offered a $1000 reward if anyone could get an Ike slabbed by PCGS as a P01. Back then no one else was interested until you offered that challenge. Nowadays there are a bunch of lowball collectors and even Registry sets devoted to lowballs. But yeah, it seems to be a new crossover if people are now collecting slicks without a way to identify the date. It would be a great thing to have a type set of them in an album.
Mr_Spud
Will the "lowball" fad last ... that is the question? There was a time when such coins could be found in store dealer's junk boxes for very little money. Do store dealers even have junk boxes anymore?
Mr_Spud- I actually have to thank an unknown dealer at the Long Beach coin show back in 1984 who had a partial set of worn, problem-free, Lowball early Commemoratives in Wayte Raymond album pages. It was what lit the bug in me.
I transformed that interest into also collecting PO1/FA2 worn Kennedy half dollars and then Ike dollars.
I never chased after the Morgans and Peace dollars as there was just too many of them.
I don't know if a 'fad' extends past a couple of decades or more, perhaps it does and maybe the "Lowball craze" will come to a crashing end? There have been a ton of collectors speculating such for many years now.
With ALL that stated, I still have to wrap my mind around this new paradigm of accepting dateless coins into the lowball field of collecting.
I'd be nervous paying much above bullion for dateless slicks when someone can make them. Someone posted the media to be used in some type of tumbler a while back.
The term a fool is born every second comes to mind.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I've never been one to collect these or even take them serious as a group of 'collectible' coins.
For the life of me, I can't see how some would.
I feel the same way about investing in Crypto, a pure Ponzi scheme if you ask me, but I do want to add, I do believe Cryptos still have a long way up the dollar scale before the crash to zero, but I still can't pull the trigger on them.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
Those are great especially that last Morgan
Lafayette Grading Set
Can the same be said for those who collect Full Step Jefferson nickels?
I paid up for mine but that was in large part due to the old Anacs holder and believing that I was unlikely to find a P1 with a date anytime soon.
Like @braddick mentioned, I don’t think it can be called a fad when there is a decade or two of collector interest in lowballs. The prices might go up and down but I doubt we will see lowballs trading near melt value again.
As far as junk boxes, I hear that stores still have them. Some are better than others. My last experience was a while back but the LCS had one. There were a few items that were priced fairly while others were overpriced (at least in my opinion).
It can properly be said of every coin collector that pays over face value for a metal disk.
But 5X the metal value for a disk that cannot even be identified (other than the type), that is a new level of insanity in my opinion. Now where did I put that bucket of culls. 
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Or 100Xs for a slight difference in strike?
Now where is my bucket of Jefferson nickels pocket change...
That is the second time you referenced FS nickels, are you under the impression that I collect FS nickels? Because that would be false.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
This not you?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/293878/wtb-1948-fs-ms65-jefferson#latest
Forgive me if I made an assumption.
To each their own....I'll NEVER understand the appeal of them.
They are painful to look at (for me) and they make me GLAD that I DON'T own them.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Don’t show those slicked down things to anyone that is considering collecting coins. Total turnoff, especially the poor or fair modern 40% coins. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when my friend’s dad pulled out a legible seated quarter.
Lafayette Grading Set
A Dansco type set of dateless slicks would be a challenge - maybe the buyers of the $100 slick Peace/Morgans are doing that
No problem you are forgiven, I mean it makes sense that one post twenty years ago would define my entire collection.
Although in a way it somewhat does as I like to seek perfection, I leave the electrical box knock outs out of my collection. If you find that bucket of FS Jeffs let me know, I may even be interested in buying one or two to help you finance your collection of slicks, those buggers are expensive!
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Thank you.
The important question: did you find that 1948 FS Jefferson?
@braddick
Pat, I blame you for this as you were one of the first I saw going after lowballs and paying up for the harder to find ones...
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Actually no, the example in my dansco is a nice 64ish unc but not FS. Twenty years later I haven't a clue why I was looking for that specific coin back then. I have a full set of Jeffs up to 2000 in my dansco album but have never considered myself a series collector of any of the nickel designs; as I never pursued it further it was not a huge priority.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I remember when slicks were greasers and greasers were hoodlums. And DA was a hairstyle.
Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. An album set is a good way to collect these.
But the mystery deepens! Maybe braddick hacked your account back then just so he could use the post 20 years later.
Do you think those Columbian Halves were actually worn down from commerce circulation?
The ones that they couldn't sell were put in circulation. Some became pocket pieces and others circulated in commerce as money.
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
In that case I have to give major props to Pat for a plan well executed and some serious forward thinking.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Always wondered if they clean the guts of those slot machines for the silver?
Where does the worn silver go when the silver gets worn?
Stupid question I know.
Kinda fits in with two feather nickels.
Oddballs I would buy to flip, but for me, no collecting interest.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
They have no charm for me, but I grew up with another generation of collectors.
Yes, I ran into these often in circulation as a kid. I saved a few but eventually Just spent them.