Hello every one! Its been a while since i last posted on the forum, sorry about that. Its been a busy summer for me with a home renovation. If anyone has ever done a renovation before they will tell you that it is a huge time and money sucker I have been saving up for some time to buy "key" coins instead of getting lots of smaller ones. I have saved up enough to purchase a good mid-high end Spanish trail commemorative or a lower grade Hawaiian commemorative... Any recommendations as to the best place to purchase one? Any recommendations for reputable online dealers? I know i would like to get a certified coin, PCGS or NGC. thanks much!
Welcome home I had wondered where you had been! Here are a few dealers that you might want to look at---Ebay should have some too... http://www.islandcoins.com/index.htm http://www.northeastcoin.com/ http://www.vtcoins.com/ http://www.alaskacoinexchange.com/Index.htm GDJMSP has some more links of dealers in the Numismatic Resource forum.... Speedy
I have been lurking some, but its hard to have a hobby when you have so little free time or spare $$$ I also turned a leaf and decided that instead of buying a lot of lower priced coins i would save up and purchase key dates and rare/interesting coins. I am also trying to be more picky, i have a really nice set of Franklin's i am working on that must be high end, preferably with rim toning (mmm!) Its a strange experience to go into a coin shop and not buy anything... I will check out those links! I will also try not to be such a stranger...
Key Dates are dates that are hard to find---sometimes they are low mintage...most of the time they are $$$....coins such as the 1914-D cent is a key dates....no one really sets a rule book saying what is a key and what isn't...it is just learned by collecting. Ranchhand.... That will be a nice set of Franklins!!!...I'm thinking of taking my cir. Franklins to my dealer and start to work on a BU set also---my PF66 set is almost done and I think BU would be a nice set to work on next. Speedy
yea speedy, its tough when you set a "bar" for each coin, i have let a lot of franklins that looked great go because of a contact mark in the field, or weak strike. Congrats on almost finishing the proof set! their is something about the frankilns that make them look so good when they are brilliant and clean (with a touch of toning) they almost look like satin... sabatca: yes, speedy is right, key dates are considered the "rare" coins in a date/mint mark run of a type of coin. The best way to see what the key dates for a coin series are is to take a look at the redbook, all of the coins that are way more expensive then the others are the keys. take a look at the mercury dime series, the 1916-D is far and away one of the most sought after and rare coins in that set. I am sure that a lot of sets of mercs hare out there that are missing that one coin... one method of collecting is to try and get the key dates for a set first. If you where to save up and get a 1916-D dime, the rest of the set would be a snap to complete I can also tell you form experience that the key dates seem to keep climbing in price, while the more common dates seem to stay relatively low. Also if you are trying to have a set of coins that are matched in grade it is best ot get a key date coin in a grade you can afford, then collect the rest of the set to match that key. Nothing stands out more in a collection of BU/AU or XF coins than a G or VG key date... some are not really that picky though.
It seems to me that key date coins are currently priced much higher relative to more common coins than they have been in the past. Some people view this as evidence that the keys outperform other coins and have more appreciation potential. Others view this as evidence that the keys are currently overpriced. Time will tell who is correct.
