I am a "get the most bang for the buck" kind of guy. I aim to purchase at the grade just before the price takes a steep climb. I'm not interested in varieties or key dates. I just want a nice example for my U.S. Type Set. I'd prefer red or red/brown; I realize it will cost more. It must be slabbed. 1) Should I go for MS or Proof? Is that just a personal preference? It looks to me like: * MS common years are 1899-1909 * PF common years are 1865-1868 and 1873-1876 2) Are those assumptions correct? It looks like the first "big" jump in price for MS is from MS64 to MS65. It looks like the first "big" jump in price for PR is from PR63 to PR64. I'm looking to spend $100-$200, maybe a little more. 3) Is this possible, and are the above statements correct?
Looks generally accurate for MS coins to me, if by "big jump," you mean relative/percentage jumps rather than absolute jumps. Within that rough price range, you can even possibly get a MS65 if you hunt a little. Proof, I'm not as sure of. I think I'd go MS, because you're likely to get a nicer looking coin with better eye appeal for the price. I don't tend to like older proofs that are extensively hairlined, and a lot are, so it would be a lot harder to find a nice one IMO.
This is all a personal decision, but if you want to stay low in price, some of the later dates, especially if you wait for and/or search out something special, would likely be your best bet if the nicest coin for the least money is your concern. With that said though, were I a collector, I might try to search out something, perhaps, in the civil war era even if only to add an additional touch of history to the collection. Due to the year ranges of other types, you're already going to have other coins from the later era, and since most higher grade coins from the civil war era can be pricy, it could be viewed as an opportunity to include a coin of a historically significant date for not a terribly lot of additional money.
For $100-200, I don't think you'll particularly like a proof coin you pick up as much as a business strike. It looks like MS64RB, MS64RD, or even MS65RB is attainable for a 20th century date. Look at A LOT of coins in these ranges, and learn the difference between the grades, then cherrypick for quality. You'll know the coin when you see it. There's a pretty big population in that range for 1909 -- higher than other 20th century dates -- despite the lower than average mintage.
I agree that it's really a personal decision. A Proof is going to cost you much more if you want one with eye appeal. For your budget, I'd pick an MS64 R/B. Depending on date, they can be acquired for <$100.
Oh, I forgot to add... you might want to consider AU58 coins as well, unless you specifically only want uncirculated.
I thought about that too, but erased it before hitting the reply button in my post. I think for $100-200 he can find a very nice MS coin. I do like a nice AU58 though...
