I am using my first post to find out everybody's opinion about quality vs. quantity. What are everyone's thoughts on the matter? I myself am more of a quantity person, i would much rather have 100 ok pieces than 10 great ones.Like for example my thing is Kennedy halves,but i have only roughly 40 or so 90%, and roughly the same number of the silver clad 40%,yet i have somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 or so of the copper nickel composition and to me the the sheer volume more than makes up for the fact that they are no where near as sought after as the silver pieces.So what are your thoughts a few really nice pieces or lots of more common pieces?
I will respond to your first post with my first reply! I've been a coin collector all my life, but for the last 6 months I have been really active. I used to think having one of every coin was pretty neat when I first started, but as the collection grew and grew, the luster of digging through spare change wore off. I am not going to find a Morgan or a Walking Liberty at a bank or cash register (although I had a friend at my local branch let me have access to a bag of Ike's the other day!). Long story short, I think it was good I started off with with quantity, but as time goes on it is better to move into quality.
This question has been asked before - typical answer is quality. I try to strike a balance between the two - get the best I can for my bucks and wait for another to come along. I think in the long run quality will beat quantity. Part of the key is understanding the coin or the series you are collecting and knowing the grading break points - so for example why spent 200 for XF example when you can spend 220 for an AU example.
First welcome to Coin Talk, I hope you enjoy yourself here. Second I was born and raised in Kentucky, and still have a good number of family residing there. To your question realize this is only my opinion, some may agree with me while others will disagree. I don't think there is a right or wrong here, it is just what works best for you. Also realize I know nothing about what your disposable income is to spend on coins. Many people will tell you and many books will also say "buy the highest grade coin you can afford". I've always had a little trouble with that statement for me personally. I like to regard that statement more in the terms of how much I'm willing to spend. Not that I have that much money to spend on coins, but I think quality and quanity must be in harmony together to have a collection you are happy with. Another thing to remember is you are collecting for yourself I would imagine, and that is who you have to please. If you are going to collect a set of a particular type of coin such as building a set of Peace Dollars, Buffalo Nickels, or whatever this is how I do it. Get a magazine, a Red Book, or whatever that has a price guide in it. Realize the guide you are looking at is not going to be accurate, but from it you can get an idea concerning your future set. You may see that in Extra Fine to Almost Uncirculated you can reasonably afford all of them. Maybe you can afford all in Mint State, or maybe only Fine to Very Fine. What I avoid is having a set of coins that one coin will be a Mint State or Almost Uncirculated, while the coin next to these are only Fine or Very Good. That does not bother many people, but it does to me. Neither are right or wrong, just our personal preference. You may find that instead of being able to afford a total set you may have to be satisfied with one coin from each year. It may be that you may have to settle for some type of variety set of a particular coin. I give you a couple of examples that apply to me. I think Standing Liberty Quarters are very beautiful. I don't collect them because to get them in grades I would be happy with are too expensive for me. The one from each year is also too expensive because of the 1916. I like Seated Liberty Quarters, but again they are too expensive for me. But, after doing some research I think I cann afford to do a complete eight coin variety set in mid level grades. I guess the important thing here is to do some homework first so you can establish some goals that are obtainable. One last thing I do not buy hole fillers, I think it is a waste of money to buy a coin you know you are not happy with. I prefer to wait until I can afford the coin I in the grade I'll be happy with. Others do buy hole fillers, it works for them and that is fine I just don't like to do it. I hope this helps you some in starting your collection.
I am generally a fan of quality over quantity when it comes to coins but it really depends on the series. I really like the ASEs so have both superior examples and a good amount of them. In other series though I try to collect the best quality of the best key or semi-key dates I can afford. I am also into varieties so will collect almost any variety regardless of condition. TC
First welcome to CoinTal, now I would have to say try to buy the best that you can afford OK I know from experience that often temptation takes over LOL but do try
It kind of depends on what you collect and why. If a person collects basically bullion value coins to resell later, quantity wins over quality. If you want to make money on collector coins then go with high quality key or semi key coins. A lot of what I collect I do so for me with not much thought of selling so for some sets I go with mid grade so I can fill a set easier. Easier to find coins I look for mint state coins with good eye appeal.
I started out with quantity filling each hole with whatever came along. Then I started my upgrade to a better quality, but not over expensive coins (mid-grade). Now I'm enjoying the search of a higher quality and somewhat on the higher priced coins, but not rediculous high dollared. I find that there is a whole slew of coins that are simply not worth the money, just over-hyped...
I think that initially the excitement encourages collectors to "grab everything in site". And there is nothing wrong with that if it leads you to find your true passion for coins... I would agree. Bear in mind tho, quality is in the eye of the beholder not, IMHO, on someone else's view! (No, I am not knocking grading services, just stressing that everyone views a coin with their own perspective) All of the above are well thought out responses and suggestions! If coins are an investment, the above is a good piece of advice. I do not collect for an immediate ROI(return on investment). I do collect with an eye to very long term appreciation - That's for my Grandson to benefit from! With todays Internet and TV "hucksters" selling coins, I can definitely agree with the over hyped statement. (Search the forums for threads about how much of a price discrepancy there is when dealing with the "hucksters!) +1 ! Agree 100% - Whatever way you choose to go, go and enjoy the hobby! (And read through this MB, there are great forums with good info!) . . . just my pov
I wholly agree. I started out buying lots of old coins that I could afford. I was a coin seller's favorite customer buying all the discounted "junk" that no one else wanted. Then my attitude changed and now I'm looking for coins in particular grades to match my sets. I find myself trading off a lot of the old "junk" to but 1 or 2 coins that I really need. So I believe in quality over quantity. Mark
Dont overdue it!! Most of us dont have unlimited pockets so you have To balance what you can afford VS the quality!
WELCOME TO THE FORUMMMMMMMM Although it's an interesting subject and has been asked many times before, it is really not that easy to answer for everyone. What your asking is something that will just get you personal opinions and may not have anything to do with your likes and dislikes, availability, monitary abilities, etc. Asking which is the best way to do this hobby is like asking Who should I marry? Which car should I buy? How much should I spend on a Valentines Present? Should I put a room addition on my house? Naturally you'll get many people that will say buy only the highest grade coins. Then too many will say buy what you can afford. The opinions are endless and only you can decide what you want to do with this hobby. HOWEVER, my opinion is to simply send all your coins to me so this problem will not longer be a problem.
I would like to thank everyone for their opinions and insight.I see that everyone leans toward quality. I think i am more of a quantity person by default, I live in a small town with no coin shop with in 250 miles of my location, and i don't really like doing business over the internet so finding high grade pieces is rather hard but it's very easy to go to a local bank and ask for 100 dollars worth of halves or dollar coins they seem to have a limitless supply of them.
It really helps to learn not only about coins, but to learn how to collect. By that I mean one can make collections in several different ways for different series of coins or periods within their total collection. Having some flexibilty within your collection IMO can make it more interesting and sometimes a little less expensive. Good luck to you.
