Really good interview video on lowball coin collecting. I dabble in lowball collecting so naturally it's of interest to me, but I think pretty much anyone could learn something or find it interesting.
Great video, I watched it the other day. Gave me a new admiration for a way of collecting I used to think as odd.
Very interesting interview, its nice to listen to something like this without someone trying to sell you something. Quick question @geekpryde - you being a collector of these, which I am not, how does the CAC sticker work exactly? My collection is all raw, but I buy slabbed coins to crack out and follow a lot of the discussions on slabs out of curiosity, and usually the CAC sticker means the coin is considered to be about a point or two higher than the slab grade. Wouldn't they change a 1 to a 2 or higher and thus no longer be considered a PO1?
No, this is not quite correct. A "gold" CAC sticker means that it's at least 1 full numeric grade higher than what the TPG assigned. But the vast majority of coins with CAC stickers are "green" flavor. The way to think of this is that within a single numeric grade, say P01, if you were to divide that into 3rds, then the bottom 1/3 would not sticker, and the top 2/3 would sticker. Basically, it's just a way to find coins that are "solid" to above average for that grade. So within P01 grade, a coin with a green CAC sticker is a nicer coin that many other examples with that same grade. Its also implies that the coin has not been messed with, cleaned, artificially toned, modified, etc. Some people don't need or want CAC's seal of approval. But for me, I like the extra set of eyes on the coin, and it's a fun way to collect. By finding only coins that are CAC approved, it makes the hunt harder and thus more rewarding. So my Fair-2 coins with a CAC sticker are still only a Fair-2, but they are darn nice fair 2's.
The green CAC sticker indicates the coin is solid for the grade and wholly original. A borderline MS-63/64 in theory wouldn't get a sticker as a 64, but would as a 63.
I love the low ball coins. Some articles that would be worth your time reading if you also enjoy these lower numerically graded coins: The Lowdown on Low Ball Coins Low Ball Coins: Why Collectors Pay Premium Prices for America’s Most Worn Coin Please post your lowballs so I can see some nice coins!
Which as a lowball collector you don't want, right? You want one below average for the grade, since lower is better. I think CAC should give out brown stickers for the below average lowballs. They're leaving money on the table!
An interesting concept! I can see the appeal, though - there's something to be said for a coin that has borne the weight of decades of hard, daily use. Lots of history there.
I think I have a pretty worn Morgan somewhere. This thread just might inspire me to pull it out and take some pictures.
I added a new LowBall over the weekend: I think I will officially start having a sub-goal / side collection for these lowballs, as I do really like them.
I had never heard of such a thing until just last week, when a friend explained it to me and sent me a pic of his prized lowball. A 1794 (1795 head) cent, that's a P-01. He said that PCGS has only three such P-01 coins.
I'm just still amazed that people collect lowballs. I have an P-01 1889 Liberty Nickel. Surely that's not worth anything, is it? (And how would I find out?)
You’d be surprised. There’s a US lowball registry type set on PCGS for example. Get two bidders who need the Liberty nickel in P01 and it might get crazy. Show us a pic.
You're right -- I *would* be surprised! ;-) This is self graded. I *think* it's a P01. What do y'all think?
