I've been trying to put together a capped bust type set. For the past 6 weeks, I looked at the offerings by Teletrade and Great Collections. I considered TT a last resort. I like GC pretty well. Thing is, all I have been seeing are either detail grade coins, or very expensive high grade coins, like Au and above. The stuff I like and afford, like VF and below, has not been showing up on the auction block. Are coin auctions slow during this time of year, less people selling?
Don't know about the auctions, but I see plenty of capped bust stuff, G-VF, at local coin shows here in upstate NY. Can't say I like the pricing, though.
Thanks, riff. Heard of reddit, but thought it was a bookclub, or something. Looks like fun. Probably see you there!
Coin collecting is seasonal, always has been. The typical pattern is material piles up at buyers in the summer because fewer people are buying coins in the summertime. So early fall tends to be the high point of coin availability. Then the big fall shows happen, coins are bought, dealers acquire new material, and the general level of collector coins fall until late spring. Then the collectors are off doing other things in the summer again and the cycle starts all over again. Of course this is an overgeneralized statement, but roughly it is what is happening. Also remember coins are very thinly traded. While there are millions of coins you are looking for in existence, literally 99.9% of them are not for sale right now.
Prior to the advent of the internet coin collecting was more seasonal, but in the last two decades that has gone by the wayside for US coins. The major auctions or shows may be seasonal, but folks sell all types of coins in the entire run of grades all the time. After all, dealers need to have an income, too, and others don't wait for specific times to sell. Truly, GC and TT hardly saturate the market or represent what is out there. I think you know the answer to your lament and it is that all you need is ebay and the ability and willingness to spend a few dollars for a nice coin. It appears that either one of those requirements, or both, is missing in this equation.
Are you calling me an old fart Tom? Yes, its less seasonal than before, but I still tend to find more material in early fall than at other times, and a little less in the spring. Plus, I tend to follow auctions as well. So, I will bow to your opinions on the subject. The bigger point is simply most good material is not for sale. As such, one must work at finding good coins for sale, and be willing to understand a premium coin is worth a premium price, and price guides are just that, guides or averages.
I'm sure this is going to light your fuse, but anywho: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Early-Halve...12|VG%2010|VG%208|G%206|G%204|AG%203|Ungraded
No, no. Not an old fart. Heck, I'm probably older than you. I am not writing about the type of material that shows up in major auctions in this thread. I am writing about those collector grade coins in the $100 to few hundred dollar range that make up such a large segment of the hobby-industry. Remember, we aren't writing about rare dates or scarce die states in this thread, we are simply writing about VF-ish type. These coins do not take a vacation en masse, they are always being bought and sold and ebay provides an excellent venue for their acquisition.
I wouldn't quite put it that way. Unless you are talking about a particular rarity or scarce variety just about anything you could want is available, for sale, at any given time. You just have to know where to look, or who to have look for you. As I have said a hundred times, this is where having a want list with dealers is so handy. Dealers have connections all over the country, and if you want a particular coin they can find that coin for you, in the grade you want, usually in a matter of days because somebody will have it. Click on this link - http://www.certifiedcoinexchange.com/ Then click on Collectors Corner, then click on Browse All Categories for US Coins. From there just take your pick. Now that is just 1 dealer's network, there are several others. But this one, you as a collector can join and use - you can buy coins on this network. Sure it costs you $100 a year to do it, but if you want the coins you can and will find them there. And often at a better price than you can find elsewhere. Yes, coin collecting is seasonal, no doubt about it, it always has been. But that doesn't mean the coins are not out there being offered for sale. And when things slow down, prices tend to drop. And then you can often find bargains, or relative bargains. Where do you think all those coins that will sold next winter come from ? They are gathered up by dealers and smart collectors during the slow period - usually at better than average prices. Because they know were to look, or who to have look for them
I understand Doug. I was talking more physical coins rather than date/mm or type. I know all of my US material is in a SDB, has been for more than a decade, and will be for hopefully a few more decades at least. No, I never look at it, and no, its not for sale. That is how most coins are, squirrelled away by someone, but not for sale. The amount of physical coins that are nice, problem free, collectible coins, (especially early 19th century material), that is actively for sale at any point in time is quite low as a percentage. I was just trying to relay that to Tim, that it takes work to find a nice coin at a fair price. I have said many times what collectors really should be looking to buy is what is NOT in dealer cases usually, nice, problem free collectible coins. The dealers do the best they can keeping such coins in stock, but as soon as they have such a coin someone buys it. That shows you the demand and desirability. "Problem" coins are not as common as walking a bourse floor would have you believe. You see so many of them because the coins you REALLY wanted are already sold.
Since I collect 20th century coinage I can't say I know how you feel, but I wish you the very best of luck finding what you are looking for. All the best, ryan
Let bygones remain bygones unless the problem arises again. I don't want to deal with the past over and over, please. Jim
Consider buying a bunch of Capped Bust coins, and then piece mealing them out, selling the ones you dont need/want individually.
