i worked the Vienna, VA show this weekend and was really disappointed in the lack of coins available in the grades I was looking for - a prime example was Mercury dimes in MS65FB. I bought a total of 1 coin - a 1946 Walking Liberty half in MS63 and sold 5 mercury dimes. I sold the dimes for exactly what I paid, which is better than loosing money. My Mercury short set was a mixture of AU sliders and MS coins - nothing better than MS65FB. I decided to sell off the lesser grade coins and set the grade for the set at MS65FB, except the 1945, of which I have a lovely MS65 example. The weekend wasn't a total loss, but it wasn't very fun cooking away in the heat after the A/C couldn't handle the heat. My next show is the November Vienna show followed by the Baltimore show - hopefully I'll be able to find some better grade Mercury dimes and some silver Jefferson's to finish off those sets. I've already started researching Newfoundland coins and looked at quite a few nice grade examples. I made some new acquaintances and had a few words of wisdom bestowed upon me - the best was "it's called coin collecting, not coin buying" after I opined having money to spend but nothing to spend it on. The search goes on... -Steve
Newfoundland, eh? Great area to collect, I just got into it this summer. And you're absolutely right, its coin collecting, not buying. Why not start off with some lower grade examples and work your way up? Honestly, its nothing to be ashamed of. :-D
That's the story of the market lately. There just isn't much fresh material out there, especially if you are looking for specific dates.
The market is desperate for new coins. I used to be able to spend as much as I want to at any coin show, now, I just look a lot. And buy infrequently.
You just have to use your imagination and start making your own coins. If the government makes coins and the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, then you are the government. So start making new coins. :smile Not sure where your at but around the Illinois area there is really no lack of finding coins in any grade. One dealer at most of the shows has as many Mercury Dimes in MS grades as you can afford to buy. He even usually has the 16D, 42/41, 42D/41, etc. Those may not be in MS but sure are in Ef to BU areas. That dealer usually has 3 to 4 tables of coins, many behind the tables. Usually has family helpers due to all the traffic. Another dealer there always has an abundance of Lincoln Cents like the 09S VDB. That show is in Countryside, Illinois if you are ever in the area. It is on the second Sunday of every Month.
Since I'm retired and disabled due to a stroke, I look forward to reading about all your experiences when attending shows, coin shops, tour visits and metal detecting, bank visits and change finds... Clinker
I have the Canadian Coins book and read though it last night - some very interesting coin histories surround Canadian coins. The change of monarch required changes in the coinage and thus generated some interesting varieties... as for the market being a tad dry right now - there are plenty of coins out there, I'm just very picky when it comes to buying - my collections have a uniform look and it's difficult to find coins that maintain that look. I saw too many slabbed coins that seemed overgraded or lacked eye appeal. Just because it's an MS66FB does not make it a beautiful coin. -Steve
