DanR asks in another thread: Hey cladking how about some picks from the clad world. What looks good? I've never answered such a question before for many reasons. It is very self serving so many people will discount it out of hand. Many will find the idea that any clad can be good is simply ludicrous and take pot shots at it. By specifically stating what I believe to be the more desirable or potentially profitable coins there may appear to be a slam of the coins not on the list- - I like all coins. Buying coins for invest- ment is not a good idea and such lists might encourage it. A great deal has changed and modern are becoming accepted a little more widely. These markets are apparently heating up. It is still very unwise to just throw money at coins as an investment and this might be doubly true for moderns since there is not as much information available and there are not as many dealers familiar with these coins. It is imperative that one look at some raw coins and do a little research before spending a lot of money for most moderns. I like mint state dimes and quarters in nice solid choice unc. Coins should be fully lustrous, well struck, and attractive. These can be purchased for little premium over regular unc prices but some dates are quite scrce. Also varieties in any condition are grossly underappreciated. This goes primarily to all the circulating coins (1c- 25c) and those which don't appear in mint sets. Many of these are rare in unc and scarce even in nice circulated grades. If you want to spend a little more money than mint sets are attractive buys. These sets contain most of the high grade mint state coins made in the last two generations. If you have a chance to pre-screen them for quality, all the better. The same applies to proof sets; Be a little more cautious here since (as with mint sets) the total value of the coins should be higher or nearly as high as the set. Set premiums may evaporate otherwise. Pop-top mint state clad is not for the faint of heart. If you've studied the coins and know that the coin is really a stand- out then they may be a great deal. Don't spend a lot of money to get a slightly better grade especially if the coin is common in the lower grade. If the market turns on you it's the lower grade coin that will inrease and the higher grade will fall. Look for MS-66 and MS-67 bicentennial quarters. These are very underappreciated and are common enough to find raw (they're easier in the '76 set than '75) but scarce enough that when type collectors seek them there aren't enough for all of them. The '82-P quarter is a sure winner in nice choice unc and better. Look for well struck and attractive coins. There are PL's of most mint state clads. These have gotten zero attention so far and would make an incredible col- lection. Many of these are excessively scarce so don't attempt this unless you have access to lots of coins. If you have access to lots of the tates issues it would probably be worth your time to assemble choice rolls or a roll set. Don't do this unless you can get the coins at or near face or sell the castoffs for near your costs or it will get prohibitively expensive. There are many other clads or moderns that could go on this list but many are like the PL's, almost im- possible to find so of little use. The best bet is to look yourself and simply make notes of what's hard to find. Look in circulation to get an idea of how the coins were made. There are lots of important coins in circulation so get get an occasional reward while you're learning. The hobby is for fun, so try to have fun first.
