New to coin collecting
Gothat3rs
Posts: 49 ✭✭
Im just looking for any advice towards buying coins. Like is it a good idea to buy through ebay whete I can't see it in person? How so i look for the best grading through pictures? Do i just use the pcgs photograde?
I just got my first 2 nickels, 1913 t1 and t2. I'm gonna send them off to get graded and am looking into the other 1913 mints. I feel like i should try to find some nice looking ungraded ones correct?
Just trying to get opinions or help from some people that have been doing this for a min
6
Comments
Welcome
Nickels sound like a good starting point. Best to buy graded coins or lower cost raw coins until you learn what you’re doing. Picking up a few pieces of literature will be helpful as well.
I will be getting a few books. But yes I wanna hunt down ungraded coins in hopes of finding the ones that are worth more then I paid obviously. I'm just nervous to use ebay where I only have photos.
Do you have a good book recommendation
If you are trying to make a profit, it will take some time to become an accurate grader.
It is more difficult to grade from ebay photos.
You are also competing against people who are already experienced accurate graders.
Here are 2 grading books. I use the first one.
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Standards-American-Numismatic-Association/dp/0794838243
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Grading-Counterfeit-Detection/dp/0375720502
@Gothat3rs ... welcome to the Forum! Ebay can be a decent source for graded material but you really have to know how to grade, as well as, interpret a photograph if you're buying raw coins. There are quite a few unscrupulous sellers that "photoshop" their images to hide imperfections.
If you live in a city that has a coin club, or a major coin show... that would be your best venue to see coins in hand before purchase.
Buffalo Nickels are a great series to start with... I just really suck at grading AU/Mint State ones...
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Welcome to the hobby and forum. If you have a coin shop within driving distance it might be beneficial for you to go hang out there, talk to the employees, browse through their inventory, build a relationship.
My thoughts which are likely said by others above me already….
Get some books and read them before spending any significant money. Go to a coin show. Understand you likely make mistakes along the way while learning, in the hobby people like to call this “tuition”, this is where the books can really mitigate your costs of tuition.
Do yourself a favor and learn before you buy anywhere sight unseen. Here is a link to David Lange's Buffalo Nickel book which may give you a beginning education.
Jim
https://archive.org/details/compguidebuffalo1992lang
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Ok thank yiu everyone, last question when I'm going off prices should I use pcsg ? Or I been looking at some stuff in the 2026 official red book. It seems like pcsg is higher pricing then the book?
Welcome to the forums ✌️
Welcome to the forum.
Based on the questions you’ve asked, you’re almost guaranteed to lose money buying ungraded coins based on images and then spending additional money to get them graded. It’s not nearly as easy as that, even if you’re highly knowledgeable.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I agree with Mark, a new collector buying raw and then having them graded almost never ends well. Can you tell the difference between a coin with original surfaces and a cleaned coin? Between a lightly circulated coin and a higher grade uncirculated coin? Between a genuine coin and a good counterfeit? Many times you can buy the more common ones cheaper already graded than having them graded yourself. I would suggest posting clear pictures of the ones you want to have graded obverse and reverse here for opinions. You could also buy some common dates already graded and compare to your raw coins. I wouldn't be in a rush to have raw coins graded until you get more experience.
Another great resource is https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts where images of graded coins can be reviewed along with other valuable info. Welcome to a great hobby where patience is rewarded and where impetuousness is punished.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
If you are willing to spend money to learn, when you can, buy graded ones to study. If you enjoy taking a risk, buy some cheap lots for fun and fill the album. This forum is great reading for buffalo hunters.
Welcome and I hope you enjoy. I'd start buying boxes from the bank to search through. I know my Vystar has a coin machine that doesn't charge a fee to deposit the coins back into my account. Keep to a low budget on raw until you get better at grading and knowing when a coin has been cleaned or altered. All in all you could just post a few pics here and you will get lots of help.
Grading very expensive! For the cost of having your own raw coins graded, you can buy one to several coins already graded.
PCGS graded coins usually command a higher premium or price, more than any other company.
Personally I would recommend buying already graded coins! Getting back details/genuine coins is a major bummer (these are coins that have a scratch, a cleaning, tooling, artificial toning, counterfeit, or flawed in some way.)
If you are looking for value and valuable coins, buy graded and get familiar with how they look before spending any real money on raw coins. Tuition, as mentioned above, is money “wasted” on coins, cons, and or grading. You will pay to learn. It is much better to buy books or graded coins instead and learn from them.
If you want some dirt cheap pcgs graded nickels send me a direct message, if you cover shipping, I’ll hook you up with a low grade pcgs buffalo and pcgs liberty nickel on eBay.
Also, if you start buying on eBay, the search filter allows you to select “sold” in the search. Numbers will then be green and show what coins have actually sold for. There is sometimes a difference in what people ask for a coin and what it actually will sell for.
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
Interpreting photos is probably the trickiest part of buying raw coins on eBay. Apart from that, it’s going to take some experience to evaluate your raw coins for signs of cleaning and the like.
It’s also not a bad idea to spend some time acquiring inexpensive coins that have already been graded—in a range of different grades. If you’re planning on submitting coins, you’ll want to be familiar with how TGPs grade them.
Welcome! Buy the book before the coin (IOW educate yourself before buying.
I would recommend buying from ebay sellers with a return privilege. If it doesn't match the pics or you are unhappy, just post it back (do a return).
I started a Buffalo collection in the 1950's and it's still not complete! But, it's all roll finds and pocket coins from back in the day. No graded examples. Put them in a Dansco (trasferred from a Blue Book) and upgrade when I find them.
Lifelong hobby.
bob
And where do you purchase the rolls? Just go to the bank and get rolls of nickels ? Or is there a better way to find older stuff?
I get them from collections I buy (retired now). If you want to learn how to do that send me a message. Of course when you buy a collection you get whatever it is and buffs are not always there. However, there is a chance you can make a few bucks if you buy wisely and then buy the buffs you want.
bob
as a new person to grading coins, you're going to lose a lot of money because you don't know how to tell a higher grade coin from a lower grade coin.
buying an au50 buffalo and thinking you have a ms64 will cost a lot of money
also, don't jump into paying for pcgs grading services until you know how to grade first. grading costs a lot of money for eachcoin and if you send a $10 coin in because you thought it was $150, then you'll just burn evevn more cash
slow down and participate in the GTG/Guess The Grade threads
oh, and you'll have to know what a counterfeit look like. look through some of the ebay counterfeit threads. the ones i post are the easy ones
Im gonna wait until I get my grading book and start doing more research before I buy anything else.
Im thinking about grabbing a book on what certain grade coins are worth to, I think its like the official red book?
Don’t assume that published guide prices are accurate. In many cases prices realized in actual transactions are a better indication of value than price guide values.
The “Red Book” is an excellent general guide. However, unless something has changed, its values are provided far in advance of the book being published. So even if they were accurate at that time, they might not be by the time the book goes to print. And then there’s the additional lag time between the printing date and when you read the book.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
prices go up and down, but the redbook prices change once per year
grade the below buffalo
There's a lot of good advice here. If there's a coin club near where you live, you should consider joining and get to know some of the seasoned collectors there who would be willing to mentor you. Also, many coin clubs have auctions and many members just bring coins to sell.
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
Order a box of nickels from your bank (the number of buffalos may vary), but they only cost 5¢, and you can resell what’s left without a loss. Handle as many coins as you have the time to look—that’s how you may pick up a bit of instinct to back the book learning. Some institutions have free Coinstar privilege.
Learn a few Jeffersons to keep since you’ll see so many.
I shop the Whitman-style folders on eBay, it’s not a deal, though.
If you do what you say and take suggestions from here, you put yourself in optimum conditions to have a great collection someday.
Understand that little of this advice helps you earn money, it helps you to use as little of your money as you can spend.
Good luck.
Price is subjective and can vary greatly. While Redbook and PCGS prices are a good guide, you should not expect to see those exact prices in a transaction. PCGS prices are listed in my opinion higher than the average transaction price. I bought a coin that PCGS listed at $4000 and I paid $3100. I had an offer to buy that same coin at $3300.
Another thing to keep in mind, grading is subjective, just because it's in a PCGS holder (or other holder) does not mean the grade is accurate, it can be a good reference but it's not always right. I have a coin that to me is clearly a ms67 but PCGS graded it 66, then I have 3 other of the same coin in MS67 holders that are 66 and maybe even 65 on one of them. My 3 67 graded coins are not as nice as the one in a 66 holder.
You are starting the right way but the best advice I saw was find a local shop if there is one in your area and build a relationship. I will gladly pay more for a coin at a local shop than I would pay online.
I'll geuss a go4 from the photograde. Only thing is notice is more scratches and wear on the reverse. But I can still see the writing on yours like the go4
we used to have trick questions
i brought one back
it's a counterfeit
this one the posted of it here called it "skinny buffalo." apparently it's a common counterfeit
this isn't a LOL situation as this post was marked
i'm terrible with buffs but G4 looks good
I wanna hunt down ungraded coins in hopes of finding the ones that are worth more then I paid.
Your best chance of doing that is inheriting a group of raw coins accumulated long ago from a relative or given to you by a friend. Certified coin grading has become increasingly popular over the last 35 years.
Post pictures of the obverse and reverse of each nickel and post on the Q & A forum and ask if these are worthy of being sent to a TPG. You need to have members look at pictures of them to give you a best scenario for why to or not to have them graded.
USN & USAF retired 1971-1993
Successful Transactions with more than 100 Members
Great job, Bob. I actually completed a buffalo collection from change and put it in an old coinmaster album. I gave it to my Granddaughter Ellie and it's in the SDB. I had abenefit many did not have, I was allowed to go through my Grandfather Paris' cash register every time I was visiting in the mid to late 50's/60's. I have completed 2 since of which one I still have in a Littleton Album. I will get the coinmaster out one day and photograph it. I never bought one coin for the coinmaster, although the early dates and keys are fr/ag/good. Thank goodness I had never known of date restorer until much later. lol
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Mine is a different date (1913-S) but this is graded G04. Yours has a much stronger obverse.
- Bob -
MPL's - Lincolns of Color
Central Valley Roosevelts
Cherrypicker Guides and searching Ebay for varieties is a time honored tradition.
About the only way I would buy raw coins.
Morgan and Peace Dollar VAM's are an interesting subject.
Anything collecting... going with graded key dates Preferably with CAC stickers.
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Great advice given so far, you’re off to a great start, having joined these forums!
I would not be as concerned with profit initially, there is a lot to learn and I agree with the others, I would highly suggest you buy stuff that’s already certified.
eBay is a great place. If you know what you’re looking for, I buy a lot on there, often.
Welcome to the forum!
Here’s my one and only Buffalo nickel
I’m a type collector
My YouTube Channel
Especially for newer collectors, if you want graded coins then you should probably just buy them that way.
Many new collectors get caught up in the excitement of getting coins graded, but after membership and grading fees they are deep underwater with their coins.
Buying raw coins from ebay is definetly a challenge.
I've been collecting for a few years now and I still hesitate to buy raw coins.
You can return them if you want but on $30 coins is it really worth it?
I also suggest that you don't come into this hobby thinking your going to make money. Most collectors are happy to break even or to only loose maybe 5% or 10%.
That's if your lucky.
So much to say about this subject but I'm sure others will interject more solid information to you.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
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Buying raw coins, especially from pictures, is very risky even for an expert. For a neophyte it is almost a certain way to lose money. Many of them have problems and will come back in details slabs, meaning they are ungradeable. These problems are either hidden in the images or cannot be discerned by the untrained eye. As others have said, grading is not cheap, either, and you must also add on shipping fees. I think that you are better off to buy coins that are already graded. Especially, if they are the more inexpensive ones (<$1000). Good luck and enjoy the hobby! Collect what you like, and it will be more fun and you will learn and succeed as you progress. Buy best that you can afford. Because, if you buy cheap, you will end up selling cheap and probably losing money. Look at a lot of different auction photos to get an idea of what a nice coin should look like, too. These boards are also a great place to learn and make friends.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Please remember that there is no Santa Claus in Numismatics.
As many others have said, this is not a promising route toward making money. But -- coin collecting IS a great hobby. If instead you figure out what you actually want in your collection and seek that, rather than just buying whatever seems like a good deal, you can incidentally do pretty well over time.