Already have collected all the moden commem's, Now looking to start a classic commemorative collection any good ideas or pointers would help. Modern coin Mart doesn't sell these.
by far a beeter choice than the modern commems....I would say a nice MS-63 64 Gettysburg would be worth investing in....look for either low mintage or high grade (MS-65+) ......best of luck/success
Be advised that many Early US Commems have been (are are being) counterfeited. If your counterfeit detection skills are not the best you might want to stick to PCGS and NGC slabs (and be advised that those have also been counterfeited).
I've been collecting classic commems for over six years and this is some good advice. And be wary about cleaned examples out there. They are plentiful, its best to stick with slabbed coins if they can fit in your budget.
Check out Northesast numisatics..Here's a link to there comm's http://northeastcoin.com/inventory.jsp
http://www.markfeldcoins.com/ I don't know what your budget will be for them, but here is a start for you. Besides being a member here, Mark is also on numerous other forums. I've been acquainted with him for 6 years on the NGC forums, and he is one of the most honest and honorable men I know. Mark was a grader at NGC for about 6 years, and he knows quality. He partnered with Pinnacle Rarities to purchase a complete set of Classic Commems for $1 million+, and they are some of the most beautiful toned specimens I have ever seen. You might also want to contact him about your want list and price ranges so that he can help find them for you. Chris
In case you're interested, here is the "Hidden Liberty Collection" purchased by Pinnacle and Mark Feld.......... http://pinnacle-rarities.com/Collections/HiddenLiberty/main.html Chris
Buy the book before you start buying the commems!!! Classic commemoratives are great and the stories & history behind many of them are even better. Buying a good book about them before you dive into buying the coins will pay off. Not only will you know more about what you're buying, you will also know what to look for on each design as far as spotting possible counterfeits and looking for well struck high-end examples. Even though it's 30 years old now, I recommend The Encyclopedia of United States Silver & Gold Commemorative Coins 1892-1954 by Anthony Swiatek and Walter Breen. I picked one up on eBay for around $10 years ago. Even now you can get used copies off Amazon for under $20 shipped and I think that is money well spent if you have any interest in classic commemoratives.
Todays "modern" is tomorrows' "classic". Many of the abuses people point to with regard to moderns were evident in the issuance of the classics......
I have been collecting early commemoratives for awhile and they are interesting to collect. If you like a potpourri of designs, with for the most part beautiful designs, commems are for you. Because of the counterfeiting issue, I suggest collecting NGC or PCGS certified coins for those valued in the $200+ range. There are plenty of beautiful certified coins to buy, but keep a keen eye.
If you want to collect all of the classic commemoratives, you have a daunting but rewarding task ahead of you. Otherwise, I suggest you first set a per-month budget, then take a look at an illustrated price guide and decide which coins both can afford and would enjoy buying. I'd have to count, but I think I own about half the silver series. Some, such as the Columbia and Cincinnati I'm not sure I'd buy at any price. I'm unwilling to pay the market price for some of the others, such as the Old Spanish Trail. Still others, such as the Sesqui, can be unattactive in affordable grades. And finally, there's the Hawaiian, which I hope to buy in MS63-64 sometime this year. It's purely a matter of personal preference, but for someone buying their first classic commemorative, I feel the Oregon Trail, Connecticut, or even the Stone Mountain make a great choice.
To update this thread I have purchased The Texas comm and the Stone Mountain and sent them into NGC, The Texas came back as a MS-64 and the Stone Mountain did not grade cuz it was cleaned. Oh Well it is a start and something to look foward to in the future.
If you are going to buy raw commems, you will probably encounter many that have been improperly cleaned, and when you add up the expenses for all of the (potential) grading rejects, you might find that it will be cheaper in the long run to buy them already certified. Chris
