So I'm new to the hobby, been interested in starting my own collection for a while now. I've been really interested in the commem dollars but I dont want to waste my money either. Right now I only have a MS70 1998 John F. Kennedy dollar, MS/PF70 2009 Lincoln Dollars as far as the commem go. I've noticed theres such a large verity of commemorative dollars and alot of them are pretty pricey. Do you all think these coins are worth it in general not a specific coin really? Also I'm talking silver not gold, thanks. -Chris
You might want to check your dollar again-- I think it's a Robert Kennedy dollar. Anyway, as a general rule of thumb, the wider the appeal a commemorative has when it is issued, the less chance it has for increasing in value. Just look at the commemoratives with a national theme, like the Columbian Exposition half dollar, 1926 Sesquicentennial half dollar, Pilgrim half dollar, Washington half dollar, Constitution dollar, Statue of Liberty dollar, most Olympic issues-- they tend to lose value after they are issued, and take a long time to recover. Commemoratives that are not so popular when they are issued tend to do better in the long run.
Modern commemoratives are not rare and high grades are abundant. I don't see much potential for tremendous gain on most of them but every now and then there is one like the Jackie Robinson. I think the Early US Commemoratives are much more interesting and collectible.
Doh your right on the Robert Kennedy, its 2am and trying to keep my eyes open haha. To tell you the truth I dont really know where to start as far as buying coins. I figured its best to collect a general type of coin instead of a bunch of random ones with chance of being able to sell them in some sort of set.
It's a tough call. When I started (in 1966), silver coins were still circulating, and money collected from paper route customers would include wheat cents (they had been discontinued just 8 years earlier), various coins from the 1930s, Mercury dimes, and occasionally an Indian head penny, dateless Standing Liberty quarters, and even a Peace dollar or two. So it was easy to get started back then. If you're on a limited budget, I would suggest starting by collecting coins from circulation (you will never lose any money on them!), and buying guidebooks to learn about the more valuable coins.
I think modern commemoratives are a great place to start a collection as long as you stick to buying coins, not plastic. They are affordable and some have fantastic designs. As far as investments, don't ever think you are going to make money on these. I would stick with the MS69's and forget about the 70's. You may find that as you gain numismatic experience, you interests might change. You don't want to have a large amount of money invested in MS-PF70 moderns that may be very difficult to sell at the price you paid for them when you decide to switch to collecting Peace Dollars.
if you wish to collect mordern commems for the love of the hobby and nice designs, it is certaijnly a great place to be. If you wish to collect them for future profit, i would go to a different section of the hobby! While some commems are certainly pricey, most are pretty common and will never quickly jump in value. In order to make a killing on commems, you have to buy them at issue price, and take a gamble they will either sell out, in which case you can unload what you bought on Ebay for a profit... or hope they only sell 10,000 or less, in which case wait a few years and watch the price quickly grow. Either way, its all a gamble.
I love commemoratives. I wouldn't shy away from them. There are some really nice ones. Some I would never buy and am just not interested in. Others are like works of art. Just don't over pay. Most have plenty available if you're looking for one which I think is great. Why would you want to pay more for a nice coin if you can have it cheaper? 70s are pretty reasonable in some issues and prices can vary widely from seller to seller.
I started out buying modern commem's MS/PF 70 only. It was very dissapointing to find one later for $100 less. Do not buy the the first one you see. It takes patience for the competative values to show up. Also, the limited mintage mint issues appreciated in value nicely(such as the anniversary issues). I don't agree with the buy 69 only(did not cost much but did not appreciate either). So suite yourself and have fun.
Thanks for all the reply's! I started off with e-bay fever for sure, spent about 1,000 in about two weeks easy. But I'm sitting here just thinking to myself, wtf did I really just buy. Right now I have 2008 PF70 set, 2004 proof set, 1975 proof set, 1976-77 proof set, 1998 Robbert MS70 coin, MS/PF70 lincoln Dollar, 5 PF70 Silver ealges 03-04-05-(2)06 and a bunch of random coins that I've bought at show's through out the years. Just figured I need to start with some type of "coin" collection other than a bunch of random coins that I've been buying. Where do you guys shop for your coins, I went to usmint.com but it seems they really dont have much of anything and the stuff they do have are pretty high priced.
I don't understand this - they are the best place to get commemoratives when first released. Yep - some might decrease in value over the years, but I have never had an issue with them. Nothing wrong with commemoratives - but I would certainly never pay for the 70's. Not even for the silver eagles(which I have at least 3 sets of). 70's are only good for registry sets in my opinion. I like several of the designs. So you might want to think about it before continuing to buy. If you decide on commemoratives then you can take your time - do not get the ebay fever. Decide on decent price - then just keep bidding until you win. That is how I built my PCGS silver eagle set. There are plenty of them about and you can take your time acquiring them.
Swift Commems are an area I've never looked in to. I can see the appeal they have for folks though. A lot of us have "dabbled" in a number of coin issues over the years, until we settled on a focus. The advice above about this being a hobby, if you're looking to profit financially from your hobby, maybe Commems arn't the way to go, but as Elaine noted buying Commems at the issue price isn't gonna kill ya. Collect what you like, even if it's a lot of different stuff.
The only problem I have with the U.S mint is the fact that its hard to find ideams on the site in stock. Alot of it is out of stock, I actually just orderd a couple things from them a couple minutes ago. Think I'm going to pick up a book on Coin values and all the jazz
what the mint has or is missing at this point is not 'normal' the lincoln commesm sold out so those are gone, the louise braille is up and on presale for a discount. Most of the silver and gold eagles are off sale because of blank production issues. most everything else the mint normally has is still for sale though.
Always a good idea. You can start with "A Guide Book of United States Coins" by RS Yeoman. Lots of good info, but don't take the values as gospel.
1st Welcome to the Hobby, its a great and addicting one..... I recomend haging out here, going to the library and book stores to read books on coin Collecting and Numismatic topics... Also, go browse and hang out at a few coin shows if you get the chance... ""worth it"" You milage will very for each reader/poster here I think... Investment wise, maybe not on commems except certian more popular sell outs... But then again, I bet most of the folks that got the very early Morgan's thought aww, its just a coin... Why collect it, when I can buy a few loaves of bread and some beans or something to eat.... For fun and enjoyment, YES!!! If they catch your eye and you don't mind spending the cash... Go for it... I like most of the commens and I buy the ones I don't like as I'm addicted to completing sets...
That is exactly the same thought I was having, I dont mind spending a couple hundred bucks on a coin but I need to make sure I'm not waisting my money either, may be better prices out there. There is one coin I really want right now, I've been contenplating buying it or not. Its 2008-P Bald Eagle Silver Dollar PF-70 going for about $175.00, the MS-70 onces go for a hell of a lot cheaper. What do you think of that coin, is it worth it? I only found a couple of people that actaully sell this coin in PF state.
