Hypothetical situation. I’d like to hear your thoughts and/or “Why.”

I’ll try to keep the situation as simple as possible.

You buy a group lot of 10 coins in your collecting wheelhouse for X amount of dollars. You’ve decided to sell part of the lot to get your money back and add the rest to your collection. You’ve determined that selling the best couple of coins would cover your costs. Alternatively, selling the bottom eight would also lead you to break even. Which would you prefer?

 

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I'd sell the cheaper ones, every time. With collecting, getting the better items is always harder. They cost more, and they're more rare. It'll be far easier to re-purchase the lower cost ones later.

 

For me it would depend on how attractive the top 2 coins are vs. the bottom 8, but I like what @Dave M said.

 

Keep the best (or all of them)

 

In my opinion, it depends. I've bough lots of 10 or more coins, and some that one would probably not consider "the best" turned out to be quite rare.
It also depends on what the focus of your collection is; maybe one that I don't have would be great in my collection, so I would keep it and wait if at some point a better one will be available.

 

I've never sold a coin, but in the hypothetical situation, the bottom 8.

 

I'd probably sell the whole lot and then go buy a coin I really want.

 

I’d sell the lower grade 8 coins and keep the 2 nicer ones.

 

I would sell the cheaper pieces. I have a some cheap coins, tokens and medals that I really like, but many of the pieces I love to admire are the expensive pieces. Those are also the harder pieces to replace.

 

What he said ^

Unless you somehow find a diamond in the rough, the reason that coins are sold in lots is because they are not desirable enough to bother selling individually. Focusing on desirable coins is always the best way to go in my opinion.

If it's something that you enjoy, and if you can make money from it, then buying and selling lots can be a fun part of the hobby. But, if you build your collection from lot purchases, then you're just going to end up with a mountain of mediocrity.

 

What is this “sell coins” thing you speak of?? In all seriousness, we collect coins because they appeal to us in one sense or another. For some it is beauty. Some history. Some for financial gain. I don’t know what draws you to collecting coins, but always keep what appeals to your interests.

 

Ah, very subjective, since it requires one to evaluate the entire lot versus what one already possesses, which is different for all collectors/accumulators.

Basically, I'm "all in" on the response from @Dave M; you usually want to keep the best (but again, that's subjective & dependent on status of one's collection/accumulation.

Also, I am in agreement with @Randy Abercrombie; while I think most of us have purchased "lots" at some time, I don't think it's a habit for most of us, since we rarely sell "excess" coins (although we will give them away to adoring fans,...or to promote the hobby/affliction ).

 

My first response is to sell the cheaper ones and keep the best. As has been said, generally the cheaper ones can be obtained at a later date, if you're interested? I'm not a coin investor, but I like to think that I make reasonable decisions as to what to buy, and what to spend. Coin collecting is my hobby. I expect to spend some money on my hobby. I don't generally sell, but might (or trade) to upgrade. I'm truly not in it to make money. I'm in it for the enjoyment I get out of it. I actually wouldn't sell, unless I needed to so I could get something that I wanted for my collection. If I couldn't keep all of them, I would lean toward keeping the better ones, but in reality, I would probably keep what fit better in my collection.

 

Not worth much but in my top 10
Constantine I
Romulus and Remus
ORBS ROMA
(Will post a better coin later)

 

By the way, @Randy Abercrombie, I absolutely loved the way you started your comment, lol. I'm not much in the "selling" group, either. My wife, on the other hand.....

 

My wife thinks I have to many coins to sell so she keeps telling me when I die she’s going to spend it. I know she won’t but one day I may tell her it’s too much to carry to the store to spend.