Someone posted that you should never look back. So that made me do just that It made me smile and cry. I did well on most of the modern stuff. I could never get those prices today. The classic stuff is a different story. Just the Bust coins made me cry. It's been a lot of years and I made good money at the time but at todays values, I messed up. I need a time machine. I guess that's why I love this hobby.
Things go in cycles there are probably just as many wins as losses. Depending on what you sold. The sad part is there are even more that just remain the same. Never go up or down.
I sold a lot of stuff low when I was less educated but that's all they were bringing and needed the bux. Now I find nice classic goodies out here on the W. Coast and they more than make up for previous "losses" so it all evens out in the end! HH to one and all.
I've bought stuff for the last 30+ years. People said "you paid that much for a quarter?" And to this day I have never sold anything that I have accumulated. Granted I have bought a lot of junk but I have bought a lot of treasure as well. I didn't get into this hobby not to make money. Unfortunately the investors have gotten into the act and have changed my hobby into an investment vehicle. The TPGs have tried to make it so you don't even have to see what your buying. So sad.
I haven't been collecting or selling for long... about two years now only. However in that short time span I have already seen some very noticeable price swings. A good example are high grade proof silver Ike dollars. I've seen them almost double in price then fall to below the start price. I'm sure the price of silver had a lot to do with it, but it was a lot more noticeable than other silver coins.
You win some, and you lose some. Hopefully, in the long run, it will all work out in your favor. Chris
I never look back. What I paid for what ever back in the day doesn't matter. I'm in it for the joy of collecting and what my collection is worth doesn't really matter all that much. I have never sold a coin although I've traded a couple in recent years. If all goes to plan my grandson will have a nice collection someday. I've got a Dansco 7106 album full of reds and s few colorful BN's to give to him soon to hopefully get him in the collecting state of mind.
Looking back at what you sold stuff for is just as bad as those who look back at what they could have bought stuff for. Problem is humans think of numbers as static, even though theoretically we know about inflation. "Old" numbers should be put into a scale, like how man loaves of bread, to make them more meaningful than dollars. Converting your old sales into loaves of bread and doing the same today, does the sale price look as horrible?
A little olive oil, water, and wine vinegar will make it edible........can't do that with coins though.......
Yes. I bought a toner from a Heritage Long Beach a year or two ago and decided to sell the piece to finance an unexpected acquisition. I had difficulty selling the coin for a fair price. I was finally able to break even after a couple of months of trying and sold it to a collector. Six months later, someone makes an offer through Heritage for several hundred dollars more than I paid. I was not happy with myself. If only I had been patient and/or explored other potential sources of funding, it could have ended differently.
Old Skool by New Skool? Back on topic - I think the loaf of bread analogy is a pretty good one. No different than using 1995 dollars, or whatever they now use, for the CPI. If I had better records of my earliest purchases, I'd probably be even more disappointed in various sell amounts. But then again, as others have opined, it seems a wash when others have been sold at multiples of purchase price.
