i like to collect coins that have great eye appeal for me personally,with no regard to completing particular sets. i have an ngc storage box and would like to collect 20 coins over the next 5 to 10 years. i'm trying to emphasize quality over quanity and still remain in my budget. i'd like to go around $500 min to $1000 max per coin. i like ngc slabbed coins as i am not experieced enough to not be fooled by countefeits. my question is with the parameters i've set,would i be better going for more common dates in better condition,or rarer dates/mm,in lesser condition? i've started with a 1911d twenty dollar saint in ms-63.(a style of coin i've wanted my whole life). i like the luster and eye appeal a lot and got it for around $700. obviously my budget limits both condition and date/mm rarities,but which would you guys emphasize? thanks,banny.
well, since your budget per coin is close to my budget per year, i would go more for condition since i can get great looking coins at still relatively low prices. the catch is that the good condition, oh-so-common dates will not grow in value as quickly as the rare dates will. I would rather have a good looking coin over a not so good rare key date. So IMHO i would shoot for the upper level quality coins over the not so good rare key dates.
I can't tell you what coin will go up and what one will go down..I have a feeling that the whole market is going to fall soon but I can't say that for sure. If you want good coins that people aways want..go for key dates...1909-S VDB cent 1901-S Quarter...1932-S and D quarter 1938-D Half dollar 1921-P and D and S Halves and so on..... Speedy
I don't think you need to emphasize one over the other. You wanted a saint and bought a nice one. That sounds like a good decision to me. It's impossible to predict what sort of coins you'll run across, so there is no need to get mentally locked into a preference ahead of time as long as you stick to the guidelines you've outlined above. It sounds to me like you're going to end up with a great collection! I wish I had your dicipline.
Try to keep your eye out for coins that fall somewhere in between - not necessarily the key dates, but better dates, and not necesssarily the highest grades but 65 & up when possible. The keys can many times be way too expensive in higher grades. And the higher grades such as 66 & 67 can often be way too expensive even for common dates. There will be times when you can obtain both - a better date and a higher grade - within your budget. But as a general rule you will not. So the middle of the road policy will help you attain your goal AND stay within your budget. Above all, be patient - don't rush into a purchase for there is always another that will come your way
