Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="-jeffB, post: 2416924, member: 27832"]Yes, some people collect them. I got strong money for a holed, engraved, beaten-up proof trade dollar from someone who was building a holed/damaged set. Lots of people say "don't buy damaged coins because you'll never get your money back out of them". That's a circular argument at its core. If damaged keys were really worthless (only worth melt), you'd be able to buy them at melt. You can't -- usually. I just picked up a heavily polished 1897 Barber quarter with clear uncirculated details. Bad photos, weak description, BIN $5.50 shipped. I got it before someone else did. I'm pretty sure I could flip it for at least ten times that, assuming it's genuine (haven't popped it out of the capsule and weighed it/done the magnet test yet). That's all beside the point, though. It's not just "greater fools" (like me?) buying these coins in hopes of flipping them; there are plenty of people buying them to keep. "Serious numismatists" may not have much respect for those collectors, but there are still enough of them to constitute a market.[/QUOTE]