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Will the times ever be perfect?

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W.K.F.

Entry posted by W.K.F. ·

3,887 views

 Greetings Collectors,

   Answer... not in our lifetime. Yet we can always strive to make things better. And learn from history.

i was born in 1954. A great year to be into coin collecting. Just not old enough then to buy any great coins at great prices. Yet. (would like to have loaded up on proof coinage from 1950-1953. Or maybe crawled to every big bank in and around Philadelphia  a year later at age one, to load up on rolls of Lincoln cents of 1955)

i just glanced at my first red book (22nd edition 1969) and looked to see what an 1894-S Ten dollar liberty was worth. (I’m in the market presently for one)

Three conditions listed for 1894-S $10:

fine- $45

very fine- $65

unc- $110

WOW! Almost as much as the 1893-CC Ten in unc, which was listed as worth $150. Probably could have found choice examples of both coins for far less than $250. Now that would be perfection!

maybe a 1893-s Morgan in xf for $525?

perfecter...

1955 dd obv cent in xf for $235?

perfectist...

or, a 1939-d Jefferson in unc for $40?

mo-perfect...

shoulda, woulda, could’ve...

Price total today for all the above??

(mid to upper five figures) not a bad return 60-years later.

Was the mid 20th century the twilight of beautiful American coinage? Imo yes. I’ve said nothing about standing Liberty halves and quarters, yet I own both, and believe them to extremely beautiful. Most everything minted from 1900-2000 is beautiful imo.

But I sure do like gold liberty tens from 1839-1907 too. Actually the entire 19th century coinage too! Would love to have three $3 gold pieces, and four $4 Stella’s also. ( I’m not being greedy am I?) dam right I am. I checked and it was deemed ok! Anyway...

The coin below in an NGC slab is a new addition. Of my four new Franklin’s, this is the only NGC example. All are CAC.

I have a nice example already in my set from 1956.  And own a couple others from 1956 in 66-fbl. I’ve seen some gorgeous toning from this year. More so than any other year, except the 1958. This was a beautiful example, that I feel I stole in a Heritage auction a couple weeks ago. There are very few of these attractive examples left of 1956 in ms-66 with full bell lines. And with CAC approval too.

Sweet.

Its always about the popularity of the series first. And then it’s about the population (the pop being very important in everything I collect). This determines value imo. This series, while not vastly popular like the Morgan dollar, Buffalo nickel, or Indian head pennies, (never been able to call them Indian head cents) it’s a silver series that has many scarce rarities if one looks at just how many of a certain grade is actually in captivity? I like em a lot. And they’re a way rarer larger silver coin than most realize. Study the 33-coin series. They’re beautiful and they’re scarce to very rare in 66 and above. Look at the mintages and populations at present. Compare how few their are when compared to other series with like-kind mintage and population numbers. With or without full bell lines, high grade pieces are rare to non existent. I still  think that there is only one coin graded ms-67+? With FBL a 1963-D featured in a Heritage Long Beach Auction that ends in a couple days. A simply gorgeous example. Check it out. The bid at last look was at $15,500. I bailed out at $3500. Wouldn’t be surprised if the final hammer price is north of 30-k?

in a perfect world I’d own a 1953-S FBL Franklin in MS-66... and... an 1894-s ten dollar liberty in regular old MS-65. Now that would be fine and then some.

(I’d even settle for both coins in Anacs plastic.) lol I’d even settle for a full grade down on both too!

A perfect world would be 1969 buy prices in 2019!  But that wouldn’t stay fun long. 60 years from now 2019 buy prices may look extremely sweet?

Thank you to all who have texted and commented on the last post. I really enjoy hearing other views on all of this that interests us. Keep em coming!

Happy Collecting to all!

kerry

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Mokiechan

I started collecting in 1968, it was past the period when silver dimes, quarters, etc. could be easily found in circulation but it was a time when wheat cents all the way back to the teens were still findable in change.  Of course silver war nickels were also still in circulation. But all in all, I always felt like I missed the best era for collecting (the Forties and Fifties).  I look back in my 1968 Red Book and I see outstanding low prices on so many key coins but I also realize, they were still prohibitively expensive for a 10 year old collector.  So, as far as I am concerned, for coin collecting, for me, These Are The Good Old Days. 

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deposito

Yes, it'd be nice to be able to send yourself money back in time, and instructions on what to buy.

But you couldn't easily have access to so many auctions around the world except in the present.

I could have put together an awesome collection of ancient coins 2,100 years ago.  But what'd they wipe with? 

Ben Franklin is a guy who deserves a run of coins.  By the time I grew up clad Kennedy halves would have been the $0.50 piece, but I never remember them showing up in circulation.

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W.K.F.

Well said! The denarias and soldus of the ancient world that could have been had...Ben F was fortunately still in circulation when I started into coin collecting. Along with Walker halves, Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickels and an occasional silver dollar. Gonna do a piece soon on how and what got me started in coins. Thank you for your comment.

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W.K.F.
On 6/6/2019 at 10:05 AM, Mokiechan said:

I started collecting in 1968, it was past the period when silver dimes, quarters, etc. could be easily found in circulation but it was a time when wheat cents all the way back to the teens were still findable in change.  Of course silver war nickels were also still in circulation. But all in all, I always felt like I missed the best era for collecting (the Forties and Fifties).  I look back in my 1968 Red Book and I see outstanding low prices on so many key coins but I also realize, they were still prohibitively expensive for a 10 year old collector.  So, as far as I am concerned, for coin collecting, for me, These Are The Good Old Days. 

These are definitely the “Good Ol Days” right now! Well said!

thx!

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coinsbygary

Kerry

There's a sinking feeling in me that the "SS Good Old Days" set sail some 50+ years ago. There's anther part of me that says our perspective of the 1954 market is skewed. For instance, when you list the coins and their purchase price in 1954 we tend to think in terms of 2019 dollars. Granted, I believe there is some increase in real value but factor in inflation and the perceived increase in value is not as much as we think. Consider this, my father working a full time job earning a living wage would not have been able to afford the 1954 priced coins you list. I still hear the story of my parents spending $50 for a special pair of shoes because I had flat feet. They had to make sacrifices to afford those shoes in the early 60's. Today, I'll drop a grand for a coin without batting an eye. Overall, I'm happy with the number of great coins that can still be bought today at affordable prices. Thus, there is no such thing as "good old days". In this respect it's all relative. As for the $4 Stella that will be out of the reach of every average collector in any era.

Gary

Edited by gherrmann44
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