If a person could tell a raw AU58 from a MS-63 about 95% of the time, they could do well making money with coins. But that is something that may not even come with 20 years of experience, unless they see thousands of coins a year. IMO. Coins don't have trailing stop loss. Jim
20 years? Seriously? Maybe I'm off base here, but it just seems we're not giving the average guy enough credit to make decisions on stuff like learning what things should cost or learning to grade. It's just not that hard.
Sounds like an educated guess. I am thinking of lining a chickens cage with the grey sheet and making a few purchases using the infallible chicken method.
Stevereecy, My advice would be to read post #5 over and over and over. It is worth its weight in GOLD (maybe even more). It is a rare person that tells you that what they do (and sell) may not work for you. If you want to invest, buy stocks. They are much more liquid and in general much lower mark-up. And you don't have to have them graded or slabbed. Coins are fun to collect and can be a great source of pride. I absolutely love to look at many of the coin designs and take great pride in my collection. However I have realized over the years that what you think will make money will likely lose, and what you sold off will likely gain. Read #5. It says it all. Lack
The way for the normal guy to make a little money in coins would be to buy the sure things from the mint and sell them while they are hot. For example fractional buffaloes were a sure thing.
Steve this is exactly what I was talking about. There are a great many people who think that learning to grade isn't that hard. But it is - it is extremely hard. Beyond that even, the majority of collectors never learn to grade accurately - even if they spend a lifetime trying. If you truly believe that it is easy for you - who knows, maybe it is. If so, I don't know what you do for a living but you might want to consider becoming a professional grader. They make up to $250,000 a year.
I was once asked to become a professional comicbook grader by a senior grader at CGC. But I learned those guys don't make much at all...like $50,000 as a starting salary. I'd think that grading coins would be fairly political. Seems like to even be considered for an entry level job like that you'd have to be known and published. I don't know. Honestly, I'd rather be an investment banker or a commodities trader but I like my hometown too much so its a moot point. Steve