Starting an Ike Collection

Sounds like you got if figured out.

 

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Yeah, but I am wondering if I will be constantly upgrading my coins, especially the common business strikes.

 

I see tough coins has a couple nice ones right now. Take a peek.

 

This again is up to you. The "Book" is complete when you say it is.

Take a look at eBay price vs grade to see what is considered a high grade for the year and MM. It does vary some. Imho, if your "Book" averages MS65-66, you have assembled a pretty decent collection and it will take real cherry picking to find better raw ones.

 

I still have to learn to grade these guys. I am reading a lot of books on grading right now.

 

I have two 72S Blue Ikes. Both are nice. One has great all around fields the other has less scratches on the face. What should I go for?

 

The 1972s Blue Ikes are common in MS 66 67. I bought a PCGS graded MS67 one for around $15.00 on ewwbay. MS68 ones are MUCH higher in price. This is one year I would be picky on. Very nice examples can still be found raw.

 

My 71 Blue is terrible compared to my 72 and 73 blues. Is that common?

 

Most blue envelope Ikes can be found in very nice shape. Press on, Bman

 

duplicate

 

Bman33 said "I'm going with plastic flips and sheet holders"

That's what I did.
The flips I buy come so that they hold pairs. I cut them in half so each holds one coin but has an open top. Then I slide them in the sheets with a 90 degree turn so the open part is held closed by the sheet. (used to do vinyl records this way if you are old enough to remember those day)
If that doesn't make sense let me know and I will try to do some pic's that show what I mean

 

@MontCollector @mikenoodle @cladking @Ike Skywalker @spirityoda @softmentor

Ok, let's talk about grading Ikes. What is your advice? I am a total novice at this and made a couple of blunders searching through some Blue Ikes.

 

Go to a major show. Look at slabbed examples. Look at as many as you can.

Once you know what PCGS and NGC coins look like, you'll know what the market accepts and likes.

 

I'm going to the ANA World's Fair of Money in August. Should get some time doing it in there.

 

For me it's easy but I don't grade like the grading services.

The big thing for BU's is to find good strikes by good dies. Look for all the peripheral lettering to stand up and have rounded tops. Of course the coin should also be as clean as possible. I also avoid coins with chicken scratches because they are unsightly. I don't know why the services don't consider it.

With the S-mint coins it's a little different. They still have to be well made but most are. So look for an absence of marks. But also look for coins with special surfaces or crisply struck. Look for PL in all its forms. Look for the best dies and planchets. The nicest coins just leap out at you and are often called coins with "eye appeal" but then I don't believe in eye appeal. There's always a reason some coins look nicer.

 

@mikenoodle said it best.

Grading takes time and experience. The Ike Group gives you a general description of the grades, but nothing replaces experience. I still have a hard time grading raw Ikes.

Might see you there. I plan on attending as well.

 

I am by no means a master grader. but maybe better than novice. If I have any ability it has come from having a standard to grade from like the online grading photos and comparing graded examples. reading the basic grading standards from something like Redbook is fine for the lower grades, but once you get into the 60's it is a much more fine tuned and usually beyond my ability to make a definitive call. I can tell the dif between 62 and 65, but to tell if something is a 65 or makes the cut to a 66, well, I only have an opinion, and I wouldn't pay me for it. LOL. For me. the dif. at that level is what appeals to me, not what would a professional grading service give it. What the pro's would give it only matters to me when I'm trying to sell, and want to get the best price I can for what I'm selling. For buying and personal collection, it is what my eye tells me and what I like.

 

I look at the Ike Group Website and have the PCGS Photograde app on my phone. It's still tough when you are going through a dealers raw coins. The lack of 3D when looking at photos makes it very difficult for me. I like your advice though. I won't be selling my Ikes so Eye appeal and what I like should be the determining factor.

 

... and the fact that so many diverse opinions exist in the realm of those who actually know what they are talking about, tells me that your opinion is the one that counts. The discussion about whether, which or what should be graded this or that way, will never cease. There are just too many factors in choosing. How the individual weighs these factors differs from person to person. A collector, an investor, and a commodity dealer will all see it differently.
Take just one of those factors, scratches made in primary fields buy the minting process. Do you consider them at all? do you consider the depth? the length, the placement the variances due to light (just to name a few) and just how much do you weigh that in terms of the whole picture. There will never be an absolute standard to judge a variable flaw. Is a tiny hairline scratch across the nose worse that a nearly identical scratch in the open field?
There is an old saying - that's what makes horse racing. One person picks the color, another the starting gate position, another the rider.
My best advice? I think it would be to take your time. Don't feel pressed to fill a hole in the set. Find one that you like... no... enjoy. Then collect that one.
Enjoy the journey as much as the buy.

 

UGH!

The sound of those coins banging against each other in a 3 ring binder gives me chills!