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Newbie Question Regarding Key Dates
atom48coin
Posts: 314
Hi everyone,
I am a relative newbie to coin collecting. Some background: I've been collecting for about a year now...mostly moderns, or coins post-1940. Needless to say, I've been all over the place, and have realized through lurking on this forum for the past couple months that I need to start focusing and possibly start moving backward in time. I love my little modern sets: Roosies, War nickels, short set Mercs, Sacs, and even my SBA's. However, with those sets I've learned the hard way as to what comprises "key dates." (Mostly through $$$$$$) I've tried to find as much info as possible on the coins I have collected so far, but I guess I'm also looking for an easier way.
So...my first newbie question: Is there a site that lists all the "key" and "semi-key" dates of any given coin series? (Historical reasons for the date being "key" would also be great.)
And somewhat along that same line: When you began collecting, did you go after the "key" dates first, or were they the last you acquired?
I'm looking forward to participating more in this forum, and learning A LOT more!!
Thanks in advance.
A
I am a relative newbie to coin collecting. Some background: I've been collecting for about a year now...mostly moderns, or coins post-1940. Needless to say, I've been all over the place, and have realized through lurking on this forum for the past couple months that I need to start focusing and possibly start moving backward in time. I love my little modern sets: Roosies, War nickels, short set Mercs, Sacs, and even my SBA's. However, with those sets I've learned the hard way as to what comprises "key dates." (Mostly through $$$$$$) I've tried to find as much info as possible on the coins I have collected so far, but I guess I'm also looking for an easier way.
So...my first newbie question: Is there a site that lists all the "key" and "semi-key" dates of any given coin series? (Historical reasons for the date being "key" would also be great.)
And somewhat along that same line: When you began collecting, did you go after the "key" dates first, or were they the last you acquired?
I'm looking forward to participating more in this forum, and learning A LOT more!!
Thanks in advance.
A
0
Comments
Coin Facts web site is great for mintages and key date info. Good luck and enjoy collecting!
SBA Proofs
click on the "view set composition" page link this shows you the weighted value for the different coins in the set. This gives you a starting point to find out with dates/mint marks are key based on thier registry set value.
After that you need to gets books on the coins types you are interested in and read! A little knowledge never hurts! The red books is always a good starting point for U.S. coins.
The main reason a coin is a "key" is that its supply isn't large enough to meet the demand for it. For example, a 1909-S VDB Lincoln isn't a "rare" coin, but its mintage is low for the Lincoln series and every Lincoln collector (and there are a lot of them) needs to have one to complete his set. Since everyone else knows this, many people who are not Lincoln collectors will buy one as a speculation - therefore, demand for this coin is a lot larger than its supply.
On the other hand, if you have a series that isn't widely collected by date and mintmark, any "key" coins there might be receive a lot less attention, because the supply is large enough to meet its small demand.
Generally speaking, many collectors advise buying the "key" coins first, because the prices of key coins tend to increase in price regardless of what the condition of the coin market is.
Whether you decide to buy the keys first (or, only buy the key coins and avoid the common coins in any given series), you should probably decide what grade you're willing to pay for. For example, if you're a Lincoln collector and your Memorials are all MS-65 and your Wheat cents are all XF, except for your keys (which are all AG), your set will probably give you less pleasure (and impress fewer fellow collectors) than if all the coins in the set are of roughly the same grade and appearance.
Check out the Southern Gold Society
Thanks for the reply and the wlecome. Yes, I have copy of the Red Book (2006)...and even a copy from 1997. I also have the ANA Grading Standards book, and PCGS' book. But even then, I find prices, alone, to sometimes be deceiving, and even listings of mintages -- since I've seen posts on this forum about surprise hoards being found, and historical meltings, etc. All of these things, I suspect, have had an effect on what comprises a "key" date.
A
My Registry Sets
Hoard the keys.
I made the mistake of not getting the keys first more than once---Prices just keep on going up and the keys never seem to come down any- and go up even more than commons... Common coins will always be available at any show-Sometimes keys will not--Depending on what series you are collecting. It is very tempting to get the commons first because they are less expensive. Have fun. Bob
You're probably right!! I forgot about the PCGS Registry point assignments as a resource, too. I have my sets registered, and have been glad to get my little 2 points for "FB" or "FS." But I guess I just haven't taken the time to browse all the different kinds of sets. That'll keep me busy for a long while...not to mention performing financial analyses on the red book.
As for my own collecting habits so far...needless to say I went for the "less expensive" (not to say, cheapies) first. (But not necessarily low grade.) I became like a little hoard unto myself. Mistake!! Now I'm going to have to clean out to upgrade, and then begin that backward movement in time that I mentioned earlier. I wish I had found these forums FIRST!!
My Registry Sets