Which would you rather have?

You have a choice of 3 coins. All are of the same date, mint mark, variety and grade (both yourself and the TPGs agree). You must choose 1, and for purposes of the senario, all look identical except...
Coin A: Great Strike, Great Luster, but a little too much chatter for most peoples taste
Coin B: Great Strike, Unbelievable fields, but the luster is somewhat lacking
Coin C: Great Luster, Unbelievable fields, but the strike is soft

Which one would you choose? I'd go with Coin A, because my prime concern is more eye appeal than anything.

 

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Dang. Tough decision on this one. Can I see the coin 'in hand'? :devil:

 

What do you mean by "chatter"? As in bag marks and such?

I would probably go with B or C, depending on just how soft the strike was. I can deal without a little luster or with a weaker strike, but bag marks and hairlines bother me.

 

I will take coin C and prove it!



Fantastic surfaces and luster can overcome a weak strike, IMO.

 

Same here, I'm "C" all the way. Nothing is better than strong luster & fields free of contact marks. Mmm, Mmm good!

 

I'll take Paul's coin in hand..........

 

Now I am not saying that the B coins are bad, just not my favorite.



About the A coins, I don't own any.

 

Probably C coins, since I have a couple.

 

C. (see post 4)

Chatter annoys me more than anything as far as eye appeal goes.

 

I'd pick C, because all of the others occurred post-mint...

But honestly, I'd rather have no luster, dirt-crusted, and evenly-worn devices.

 

Marvelous thread OP (FE21).

 

B. To simply put it, I love clean fields and flashy coins.

 

I'd go with B, I love a strong strike and the problem free fields are a big bonus. If I have those a subdued luster isn't going to bother me at all. The A coin with lots of chatter in the fields just saps the eye appeal and the C coin with lots of luster and a poor strike just highlights the mush.

 

I'll take B because you don't say the coin's luster is dull. You state that the luster is only "somewhat lacking". I'll take this along with great strike & unbelievable fields.

 

B. Luster isn't a top priority for what I collect.

 

Obtaining the strongest strike you can for any mintage is most important. So . . . coin C is out (with respect to my esteemed colleagues who chose C). Next, problem free devices and fields are the second most important. Luster is great, but it does not beat out great fields and nice devices. Therefore, B is the choice. All 3 coins may have the same TPG grade, but when it comes down to the serious money, coin B will bring it in every time.

 

I highly disagree with that statement. In my experience, luster is the most important element of grading in the gem+ grades. I'm not sure you could even prove your theory anecdotally.

 

Depends on the series. Some series/dates it's just not reasonable (or cost effective) to get a full strike, others it is. SLQs is a prime example where I would happily sacrifice a full head for a clean coin with lots of luster, Jefferson Nickels is similar.

Therefore, my answer is "It depends". Mostly it would would be A (has chatter). Sometimes it would be C (lacks strike), depending on the series. I could even be convinced to choose B (lacks luster) in circulated coins.

But really, I would answer the OP's question in a much more general way....

Q: "Which would you rather have?"

A: "The coin that appeals to me most."

 

Mike,

I think you meant B or C.

 

Yeah, I was confused (again). Think I fixed it.