Quality VS Quantity ...what would you do?

I have bought many old, low grade, low value coins over the years. I do not have a bunch of extra cash to toss around.

As a result, I have many old, low grade coins with values from $6-$50 each.

So I want to ask you this...

Would you rather.

A: Have a bunch of old, yet low quality and value coins in a box or:
B: Sell them all and get a couple "nice" coins. Old coins in higher grades.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I get the impression that you haven't made up your mind which series you'd like to pursue. I think that would be the first decision you have to make.

Chris

 

Without a doubt, option B. Quality never goes out of style. I also disagree that you need to decide on a series. I do not work on any particular series, I have no driving force driving me to fill empty holes

I just patiently look at LOTS of coins until one come along that strikes my fancy and I feel the price is good.

A lot of folks would say my collection is mess, but who cares what they say.

Also, just because you don't collect a certain series, does not mean you cannot specialize in it. just pick up a few examples of that series and learn all you can. There is no need to fill every hole in a Dansco.

Mike

 

Option A; I just love old affordable coins, as indicated by this photo of my desk. The more the merrier I always say...

 

Option B without a doubt. I don't like dreck!

 

If you are a collector, many times it's about the quality of the experience, not of the coin.

 

Option B quality over quantity.

 

While I agree that quality USUALLY is a better investment, there is a place for the unwanted coins. If you are on a limited budget, you can get far more then you can reaching for the highest quality coins out there. You need to choose the comfort level of your collection.

Now most people start out with an accumulation, rather than a collection. Different grades and different coins are acquired in a hodgepodge fashion. That's great for some, but you might try something like a collection of VF Indian cents. they aren't nearly as pricy as an MS collection, but it is difficult to put together a matching set with similar wear and color and it would present a challenge.

I like the really old coins, so I got into early date large cents. Eventually, I converted the rest of my accumulation into early copper. If you specialize in one series, then you can adjust from year collecting to date and MM collecting to major variety collecting and then finally to variety collecting on most older series. Your collection can grow.

But think about your interest. Which coins do you pull first when looking at your accumulation? Why do those coins appeal to you? This is the start. Then determine if you HAVE to complete the set or if you just want to work on it. Different sets are better for each category. Some people like Type sets with one example of every major type of coin.

Good luck!

 

As far as investment purposes I tend to agree with Log Potatoe's strategy. Not like it is a strategy.. but he collects mid grade barbers, and has quite a collection. Economically and this is comming from a total novice I tend to believe that this market in (bulk) mid grade quality U.S. coins will show the most improvement. On the otherhand for collection purposes I tend to focus on MS65 Toned Franklins.

 

When I first started, I was all about quantity. How many albums can I fill? Then as I learned more, that all changed.
I have said it before, and will keep saying it... If I could start all over again, I would have two albums. That being the Dansco 7070 type set, and of course, Jefferson nickels.. I would fill the 7070 with the best possible examples I could. I would take my time and not make terrible purchasing decisions because I HAD to have a coin I saw on ebay, which was my modus operandi for the first year.

I would give up a dozen full albums for just a couple quality coins.

 

You are killing me jloring! Maybe I am a little OCD when it comes to coins, because I want to come over and organize that mess! Although it;s probably not a mess to you, and you know where everything is.

 

Quality all the way

 

Why not both?
Set a budget for yourself on common coins that you like and save money on the side for high quality coins. There is no rule that says its one or the other. Collect how you want to.

 

I guess I'm the contrarian again. Sure I like quality coins as much as anyone, but I don't have much money. Sure I could have saved up and purchased The Ooh and Ahh coins, and today after 40 years I'd have maybe thirty to fifty coins. A high grade accumulation. Instead I have a complete set of Lincolns, indians, two cent, three cent silver, lack one three cent nickel, lack three seated half dimes, complete shield, V, Buffalo, and Jefferson nickels, Roosevelt dimes, lack two Washington quarters, complete Kennedy halves and Ike dollars. My 1793 to date type set (no gold) lacks 11 coins. In large cents I have almost a complete date set, I have complete variety sets for several of the middle dates and 255 of the 295 early date varieties. (There are about 11 early date collections more complete) Add to that over 900 different varieties of 18th century Conder tokens.

The quality of my collection isn't something to marvel over, but I think it's breadth is impressive. So in my case I'm glad I went for quantity.

 

I didn't realize how diverse your collection is. I'm in awe of your 255 varieties of early dates.

 

For world coins: quantity. I pretty much hoard old ones.
For American: my advice is just buy the best you can afford. I'm a poor college student so most of my collecting right now has been mid-grade coins (F-XF). Personally, I'd rather have a nice XF than an MS any day on older (pre-presidents) coins.

 

As a collector, I just buy what I like. The quantity gets a little bit bigger for each purchase, but even if the grade of the coin is low, the quality of my happiness is what matters most.

 

Condor, that is amazing!!!

To the original poster, I think it largely depends on your collection goals and your post brings up the importance of setting them.

I am working on a late date variety set . I buy the nicest coins I can and I shoot for high quality coins for the grade, but with over 300 varieties between 1840-1857 I just can't get MS examples. I have some, but the majority of my coins are in the EF range because even at $100 per coin that works out to $30,000 plus for the. Putting that collection together over 5 years would run my 6,000 per year or 500 per month. If I had the same goal and only bought MS coins it would be more like $300,000 + for the collection!!!

Now, if my collection interest was just a date set of 1840 to 1857 then I could do 17 MS examples at around $800 per coin and spend around 14,000.

Either way, buying the highest quality coin in any grade is a good idea, but what grade to buy, or how much to spend on any one coin, largely depends on what your goal is. Putting together variety sets of large cents is a quantity goal, so unless your are rich, it's a lower grade endeavor.

 

I vote for A. For me, quantity is a quality. For me, a box of 20 (or fewer) high priced slabbed coins, wouldn't be as much fun as the sprawling collection that I currently have. That said, a person can do both, it isn't either/or. Keep some of the low priced coins, and acquire some high priced ones too.

 

I like the answers given, one of the fun things about collecting is that it is your collection and you can pretty well do it as you see fit. One of the things I like to do is to accumulate junque silver and upgrade the coins in albums. I also like to search rolls of cents and upgrade my LMC collection (1959-82 coppers)

I like to have some examples of the coins in their mostly undisturbed mint state, or close to it. I still sometimes buy on a whim, but that is something I have curbed pretty much so that I am starting to have a little control over it.

So if I were to advise you by my actions it would be to enjoy the hobby, make it please you, if it loses its fun you might as well get out of it.