My coins range all the way up from "off the scale" (badly damaged with almost no identifying features--but still, they are part of history) to some in various levels of MS. Having coins from all grades does seem to help the higher level coins stand out. I often prefer a smooth and undamaged VG-10 with good eye appeal to a higher level coin that might have a "detail" rating. It also helps grading skills to see all the different coins at different levels. If one has all MS 63+, I'm not sure how special some EF 45s must look (unless very rare) in comparison, but when you have coins below EF the EFs can be special and the MS ones "super-special. Of course, everything is special in its own way, as we now say.
For forty years I was perfectly satisfied collecting below average and very worn coins. I too was mesmerized by the history in my hands. Wasn’t until I raised my brood that I allowed myself the luxury of owning some of the pieces I dreamed of my whole life. And yes, after forty years of being a very average coin collector, now holding a few finer pieces does add a level of sweetness to my collection.
Or, if you look at everything in the right light, how can you find any darkness? I am in my 74th year of collecting. Virtually every coin in my coins intended for circulation collection is some degree less than MS. Found in change, traded for, given to me by friends and relatives or found searching. Some I did get from mint rolls back in the 50's and 60's. I put the ones with the best eye appeal in the albums. I like coins that had to work for a living.
I've become more quality minded as my coin budget has improved, but many of the types I enjoy the most are very expensive in high grade, so hence decrepit placeholders. It's a denarius of Octavian (Augustus) commemorating the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium. This type is pretty expensive in VF or better. But for more common coins, I've been pretty good of late in trying to get attractive examples. The below coins is an example of one of the most comon of Byzantine types, Sear 805, but is actually approaching a best of type. One almost never sees facial features on these. I've also gone back to another love, collecting by patina. This coin isn't in the highest grade, but the wonderful patina more than makes up for it. All in all, my collection also ranges from worn to nice.
That green patina is really neat. I suspect you had to look at many coins to find one like this. I really like the Augustus coin. It's nicely worn and there's nothing that detracts from the eye appeal, for me. And Antony and Cleopatra--can't get much more classic than this. It seems the later emperors are so much easier to find, and less expensive.
Some coins I collect I only buy in low grades. Others, I collect high grade coins. Then there’s the one that fall somewhere in between:
Thanks! Although worn, the Octavian looks better in-hand. Yes, that patina color is one of the rarer ones. A vcoins search only brough up two or three true aquas. I suspect per the price you're referring to the third and fourth century emperors in general? The post-450 AD Western emperors are usually unobtanium and $$$$$. I've trotted this guy out ad nauseum in the ancients section, but it's my nicest aqua-blue to date:
I often think about this, especially in determining a target grade for a set. I also think about the opposite. It amazes me how much I have grown as a collector. I took a good deal of time choosing the cents for the Lincoln Memorial set as they are plentiful in MS. Yet as a kid, I would have been thrilled just to have a date and mint mark for the album, regardless of luster, strike, etc. Oh how far I have come and how far I have yet to go.
