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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 671928, member: 19463&quot;]Historical Significance is a big demand factor to me when I&#039;m buying for my &#039;general&#039; collection. If I am looking for a single or few coins to represent a period/place, I strongly prefer a name that rings a bell. For Americans, old Spanish coins mean more if they were issued by the rulers that sent Columbus to &#039;discover&#039;. For readers, a coin of just any Islamic ruler might take second place to one by Harum al Rashid of 1001 Nights fame. Julius Caesar ourdraws most Romans but Caesar Augustus and Nero outsell people much more rare who issued coins much more beautiful. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Content often comes to play only when we flirt with melt value. A few years back when the Hunt brothers were playing games with silver. More than one coin dealer found it impossible to keep up with the rush and marked prices in spot+ a price for a specific coin to prevent bust half dollars from selling as bullion. Of course there are those of us who would like to own a Roman gold coin and are willing to pay a bit for an aureus worn slick and holed just because it is the only gold ancient we are likely to afford.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Rarity means nothing to 99% of collectors. There are unique coins out there and few who care. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Preservation has become such a big thing. I wonder how many collectors even know that the theory that started the numerical ratings was based on a perfect coin being worth 70 times the price of a slick. Some coins still sell for only 10 times as much in EF as in G but I suspect Mr. Sheldon would be shocked at the difference between MS67 and MS66. I&#039;ll be shocked if that situation doesn&#039;t change in another 50 years. Had he known the progress of the 50 years after his book, he might have named it &#039;Grading Whimsey&#039; rather than &#039;Penny Whimsey&#039;. William H. Sheldon was an interesting guy in several respects. How many fat and lazy coin collectors know who invented the term &#039;endomorph&#039;? </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Demand is the name of the game. My favorite story is from the auction where a coin with only three known failed to sell since only two people cared and they both had one. The same coin a week later might sell for thousands if only two more people got interested. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I suggest one more thing: Legitimacy.&nbsp; Some of us only collect &#039;real&#039; coins.&nbsp; Others accept patterns, contemporary counterfits, reissues, commemoratives and bullion made to be collected but never actually involved in trade.&nbsp; Demand for a rare &#039;real&#039; coin usually outpaces a token equal in other respects.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>dfraser: Agree, great thread! Is your presentation available to us?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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