If you had a chance to spend $1,000 on a single coin or several coins realizing that from a speculatative standpoint you wanted to keep it for 20 years and turn a significant profit. What coin or coins along with the suggested grade would you target???
If I wanted a high chance of increase, I'd go for keys in as high a grade as I can get 'em. However, since I'm me, I'd likely go for early proofs (unfortunately, you just can't find proof half cents for $1000) or varieties that aren't in the Red Book, but which are still easily distinguished. Frankly, I'd go on a half-cent-variety shopping spree. R5s and better, or extremely rare die states, in whatever grade I can find them. The fun-factor in the second set of options is much, much higher for me personally. Sure, it'd be nice to say "Look at my 09-S VDB, or my 16-D" or what have you, but I get much more of a thrill when I find a guy that has a half dozen unattributed half cents. Fish
i think i would have to have a bunch of low value silver dimes,quarters,halfs,and dollars. i don't want all those high priced coins. i'd rather have a bunch of coins than just one coin.
I would and did get a US 1799 silver dollar. Even in a lower grade its going to gain. Actaully In 15 ears the coins have gained in value over 300%. So If is staid at that rate in 20 years id should be worth 5 or 6 grand. That IF. other then that Something with low mintage and or a high grade, key date.
I'll have to echo coinlover's sentiment. I love my Eagles, commems, coins worthy of 2x2s and Air-Tites very much, but I think I get the most joy out of the silver dimes, quarters, and halves that I have collected that are just so common and so circulated that they all go into a special treasure box... the ones that I can pick up, touch, count... If you're talking about speculative reasoning given a 20 year span, I think that these coins whose prices move essentially with the silver market have a good chance for appreciation as I have little doubt that sometime in the next twenty years silver will jump above what it is now.
I would have to go for a key coin in as high a grade as possible. I might consider going to world coins although that's a lot more speculative. Although many people collect Lincoln Cents-- how many of us began with that Whitman Folder-- perhaps other than that would be better. I've heard people discuss Indian Cents, Mercury Dimes and early Washington Quarters, for example. If I were to get more personal and more specific to my 20th Century Type Set, the next coin I really want to upgrade is my Standing Liberty Quarter. I haven't done any research at this point since I'm just dreaming but I wouldn't be surprised if I was in that $1000 range for something really nice.
I would invest in high-grade early 20th cen. Chinese silver coins. The market for Chinese coins is truly undervalued but it's changing fast. Every dealer I know says Chinese [and Hong Kong] coins keep going up and up. As China's economy is growing at about 9% a year and the population is about 1.3 billion the formerly poor Chinese are quickly becoming middle-class. And you have to be middle-class to be able to collect coins - poor farmers can't. China now has a middle class of over 100 million and in 10 years it will be double or triple that. The Chinese art market has gone crazy too. India will be next. It's very early in the growth stage but it has the potential to equal China. Whereas the US market is quite mature. It's impossible for it to grow at any rate other than a rate equal to the growth in population. In fact I believe coin collecting is in slow decline in the US as more and more alternatives to coins [PC games, the internet, etc] influence the potential young collector.
I would target scarce date or key date coins. For example: 1909 S VDB, ever popular, and increasing in value every year, or my favorites: 1913 S Barber Quarter or 1896 S Barber quarter. Buy for pleasure, and realize that any profit is just an added dividend.
I would suggest key date Lincolns in one under top grade. Less volitile then pop tops and if they discontinue the cent it would really take off. Perhaps Washington quarter keys in the same grade. The new state quarter collectors will be heading there next. Joe
I don't know too much about investment coins. i collect them, I don't liek to sell them, unless I'm trading it for a different coin or I have a bunch of the same ones. Therefore, If I were to invest in coins, I'd probably do mostly silver eagles, some commem's, some small gold coins (1930s or earlier), and probably anythign that i can get a reeeealllly good deal on (say buy a coin at the flea market that I can sell to a coin shop the same day and still make a profit of some sort).
I don't think you would do much better than to buy $1000 worth of American Silver Eagles. In 20 years, I think there would be a very high probability of significant profit without having to devote much time to it. Second choice would be complete sets of Franklin halves in MS condition. By then they will be getting old enough to have significant numismatic value.
Great responses from everyone, and I think you would do well with any of them. Let me put my 2 silver dollars in (used to be two cents, but inflation you know). Look at getting the highest quality error coin you can buy. I am not well learned in error coins, perhaps one of the local experts can chime in, but they are always popular and worth significantly more than a regular minted coin of the same grade. Here is a link to Fred Weinbergs site http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/default.asp and another to a 1887 Morgan MS64 with a wire pressed into it. http://www.fredweinberg.com/inventory/item.asp?ID=3452 Something to think about? Delawarejones
It's exceedingly difficult to spend $1000 on coins that will do best over the next 20 years. We are at a unique point in collecting history where many of the greatest rarities trade for pennies or dollars. The difficulty is in identifying these coins and then finding them to "invest" one's money. Some have already increased ten or fifty fold in the last few years but a great many more haven't moved at all. The best bet is now and always has been to collect coins. While you'ree collecting you'll learn things that only a collector will know and have opportunities that only a collector will recognize. It is the fact that so many quit collecting new coins that has opened up all the possibilities. Now that people are trying to assemble collections of things the rarities are finally coming to be recognized.
