Retiring from SemiKey/Key Date Coins after next month..

hee hee, true...but arguments sure are fun

 

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Yes...they are, but some are unwinable - especially with opinions, then it becomes time to just let it fade away into obscurity......later. I have a Dew and some left over halloween candy to enjoy.

 

You guys could grab a "dew" and check ot the Yanks beatin' up on the Phillies.....

 

Spoke too soon. Ryan Howard just hit a two run homer for the Phills.....

 

are you saying that you believe you have learned all we can teach you? You're naivete is showing.

 

Nope, I love how you freely call me naive.

Alls I'm saying is I'm retiring from buying semi key/key date coins.

 

ahh, nevermind..lol


stainless

 

haha, some never learn

 

No one questioned your intentions and integrity. Abilities to give investment advice, however, don't come after 3 month experience.

Instead of responding in a combative way to EVERY SINGLE POST that somehow tries to show you where you are wrong, just TRY and learn something.

And "sharing my experience" is fundamentally different then "going to give coin investment advice".

You really need to learn how to listen and accept that you are wrong, instead of arguing with every single person, especially those who give you constructive criticism and hint that you might be possibly becoming the laughing stock of the board.

Since you are planning on going back to college, here's something that stuck with me for the past 3 years. One of my former professors, now my research supervisor, had a saying for those students who think they know more then people who have been in the field all their lives: "Sit down, clam up and listen. Come back to me in 10 years when you have completed any research of your own that is of any value".


This is all I can bring myself to say on a very strictly-moderated site.

 

That one always makes me giggle.

Please guys, settle down.

 

I wish you good luck in whatever way your collecting tastes run BNB, remember that most people get most vociferous about the same faults that they share.

As for advice it is much easier to give it than take it.

 

Buy the book before the coin, then buy the coin before the slab.

 

No one likes to be told their wrong, it hurts their morale, their sense of pride. BNB, I think you have a great mind and if you were to listen to others and take their advice more, I think you would make a great investor in coins. I commend you for buying some books and reading, keep it up! Grading is hard, I've been collecting since I was a little kid and only beginning to understand it. Believe it or not people are trying to give you constructive advice. Arguing with them isn't going to work....you can't win an argument. You may learn from a book by Dale Carnegie called "How to win friends and influence people." If you study this book you will be a pro in business and handling people. We all have more to learn....its a non stop process.

 

now there's someone who knows how to listen!

 

Shucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I know I this is not a popular opinion, but it is not wrong to tell a beginner to defer to graded coins. The fact is that beginners don't know how to grade at all. Until they do, using the crutch provided by the TPG's is sound advice that will protect them financially and enhance their learning experience by seeing and comparing graded coins.

Furthermore, 90% of experienced collectors don't know how to grade either. What makes them different from the newbies is that they think they know how to grade coins. The hubris and ego displayed by most collectors astounds me on a routine basis. I would consider myself a competent grader of only 6 series of coins: Jefferson Nickels, Morgan Dollars, Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, Peace Dollars, & Barber Quarters. The other series I can take an educated guess, but I would almost always defer to the TPG opinion in those instances. Knowing your limitations is just as important as learning and obtaining knowledge. The good thing about newbies is that they know they don't know anything and act accordingly. That is, every newbie except BNB.

BNB joined the numismatic community and jumped right in the deep end with no lessons or knowledge. Most of us fully expected him to drown and even tried to force feed our noble advice on him. Well, he survived and learned that he was in over his head and has decided to quit while he is ahead (or not behind) and join his rightful place in the community which is a student of numismatics with a story to help other over eager newbies.

I hope BNB finally settles down and decides to learn how to grade a series of coins. My guess is that given his energy and enthusiasm, if he puts his mind to it, he will become a very good coin grader indeed.

Good Luck BNB and hope you feel better. As always, if you need any advice, don't hesitate to ask!

 

Well, I see I missed most of the fun on this post and I will stand to the side and not further instigate. BNB, good luck in your new direction -- you certainly have started some interesting threads on here.

I would like to comment on something Lehigh stated,

"I would consider myself a competent grader of only 6 series of coins: Jefferson Nickels, Morgan Dollars, Mercury Dimes, Standing Liberty Quarters, Peace Dollars, & Barber Quarters. The other series I can take an educated guess, but I would almost always defer to the TPG opinion in those instances. "

I believe I can grade two series fairly well (Walkers and Buffalos), not surprisingly they are the two series I have collected for going on three years now. I have read numerous books on Buffalos and one on Walkers (we need more books on Walkers).
I don't delude myself into thinking I know any other series very well although I often get an itch to try to start collecting something else. As an example, Mark Feld recently acquired some beautiful half dimes and for a fleeting moment I thought, "I am going to start collecting half dimes." But there is a simple reason I didn't buy any of Mark's half dimes -- I don't know anything about them!

This is also borne out when someone like Desertgem posts a coin for a guess the grade. For Walkers and Buffalos, I am usually within one grade of what the TPG says and can often guess the grade correctly (we can save for another day whether PCGS or NGC assigns the correct grade). For all other series, I know I am guessing and am often off by two or three grades or more. In the end, it is not surprising because I have looked at a lot of Buffalos and Walkers and read a lot about them. Everything else, not so much.

So I agree with Lehigh's premise as I understand it. Relying on the grade of slabbed coins is not a bad idea for someone learning. More importantly, understanding your limitations can save you a lot of frustration. It's okay -- you don't have to know everything about everything to enjoy this hobby.

 

Although I hate to get into this with someone with MUCH more knowledge about coins than me, I can't agree with you.

First, most collectors may not know how to grade every series, and may get the grade wrong when you get the specifics, but most collectors that have some experience know how to at least get call a coin an F-12, when it is in the VG-10/F-12 range. It may take a while to get good (Which I still can't grade worth crap, LOL) but I know a lot of collectors who CAN grade, and I think it's the majority. Maybe not be able to grade accuratly to the specific grade, but I am sure there will always be different opinions on coins, especially the MS grades.

Also, your statement about using the TPG's grade is sound advice..no it isn't. When the TPG's admit to market grading, then you can't go by their grading. When they grade problem coins because they are very rare, or make what would be a AU-58 Key Date coin an MS-63 just because of the market, it is not accurate and should not be considered a guide to go by, IMO.


stainless

 

I think it's fine to use TPGs for early collectors who are afraid of getting burned. Not so much because the techinical grade is correct...but because of the stable value. I wouldn't recommend a collector learn how to grade based on slabs...but if you want to purchase coins and take a big chunk of the finical risk out, slabs are probably the best way to go.

 

But is a collector going to learn how to grade if they keep relying on slabbed coins?

With many already expressing their dislike for grading companies changing their standards on a whim and slabbing widely-different coins into same grade holders, it's a pitfall to rely on them.

The only person who should be recommended to do so is is an individual that has zero interest in coin collecting, zero knowledge, zero ambition to learn anything and just wants to buy some plastic that won't lose too much value.