Bust Half Dollars and I usually stay in the $50-$200 range with a relatively flexible goal of only $100 each. Take Care Ben
I guess I am less risk averse and fairly confident in my ability to grade and consulting those around me that I trust. One thing to watch in buying raw are very small flaws in high eye appeal coins since the sellers want to give you "buck fever" with all that luster hoping you won't notice the smaller flaws that hinder the grade of the coin. With proofs, being really picky as with raw uncirculated coins usually keeps you out of trouble, but make sure you get a second or even third opinion.
Walking Liberty half dollars. Bought most of an old timer's hoard at $3.50 each. Kept buying here and there until the price went over $7 each then stopped. Didn't take that much more effort to assemble a complete raw set. The 21 and 21D I bought raw also. The most expensive was the 1921D.
Circulated coins should be a cinch to buy raw, uncs and proofs are where the real hairs start to get split in the world of grading.
Yes, I buy raw coins about 99% of the time. I like to search bags of coins and rolls of coins. I buy mint sets if I need them... but usually I break them out of the plastic to put in my albums. I also buy raw coins from our CT folks when they have the ones I need. I have a couple of other website dealers which are very reliable in their quality. And, if need be, and I cannot get them elsewhere, I will buy from sellers on ebay. I only buy slabbed coins if the price is right and I can use them in my albums. Because of this I only have a few certified slabbed coins I have kept original because their quality is exceptionally outstanding. jeankay
Even buyers of slabs should take the advice, buy the coin, not the holder. This implies that one should be able to grade and recognize a good MS 65 over a slider. The same should be true for evaluating a raw coin.
I've spent up to $3000 on a raw coin. Was it because I considered myself knowledgeable enough to do so ? Partially, but primarily it was because I knew my seller. If you know and trust your seller, you can rest easy.
