Mark Felds 2 1/2$ classic head gold piece

[pendragon1998]

Why would you be, Tom?

 

[TomB]

Good point.

[World Colonial]

I agree with your sentiments and what you included is basically what I tried to tell him. A coin is only a coin and though you or I may want one or want one more than another, it isn't a critical life decision.

 

If I read your post correctly, I also agree that he should collect something that is (presumably) more in line with his financial circumstances. By way of comparison, I have only paid $1200 for a coin twice and that is the most I have ever paid for a coin. Based upon the content of his posts, I recommended to him that he start from a more basic level and work his way up from there. He would find it less stressful and probably more rewarding.

[harvey8542]

Kevin if you are still lurking there are some great points made by the members here. I also feel that it would benifit you to collect something of a lower value. I myself like Roosies they are relatively easy to find in high grades blast white or with beautifull toning. There are also no coins in the series that I wont be able to find so in time I will be able to complete my set. So please sit back and take a good hard look at what you want to do, and if you have questions please ask.

[realone]

I guess that is the trouble with not really knowing who you are speaking to in this anonymous arena we call the internet.

[MikeInFL]

Who the heck are you?

[EZ_E]

[font:Comic Sans MS]Yikes! Zoink! Golly Gee Jasper![/font]

 

Going from Gold to Roosies is like downgrading a BMW for a Ford Escort!

[MunkyMan95]

Kevin just needs to get out of the hobby all together. His coins cause him an extreme amount of stress, and he obsesses over each and every one of them. "I noticed these little dings on my coin... Is it real?" "My NGC slab has a scratch on it... Is it faked?"

[harvey8542]

[font:Comic Sans MS]Yikes! Zoink! Golly Gee Jasper![/font]

 

Going from Gold to Roosies is like downgrading a BMW for a Ford Escort!

 

Be nice my Roosies have to at least compare to a Ford Focus

[Bruceswar]

[font:Comic Sans MS]Yikes! Zoink! Golly Gee Jasper![/font]

 

Going from Gold to Roosies is like downgrading a BMW for a Ford Escort!

 

BMW = Busted Motor Works

[stinkycheese1]

Kevin if you are still lurking there are some great points made by the members here. I also feel that it would benifit you to collect something of a lower value. I myself like Roosies they are relatively easy to find in high grades blast white or with beautifull toning. There are also no coins in the series that I wont be able to find so in time I will be able to complete my set. So please sit back and take a good hard look at what you want to do, and if you have questions please ask.

 

Thanks Harvey. Yes I am still lurking, debating whether or not I should continue posting here. It seems since I don't contribute much here and worry so much, isn't causing alot of good.

 

I appreciate all of the advice given.

 

[BECOKA]

Kevin, I found that it helps to pick one series, learn everything you can and stick to finding good examples in that series. They don't come as fast but you will feel better about each purchase. You may see things in other series you like but as soon as you purchase you start going down an expensive path.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[stinkycheese1]

Kevin, I found that it helps to pick one series, learn everything you can and stick to finding good examples in that series. They don't come as fast but you will feel better about each purchase. You may see things in other series you like but as soon as you purchase you start going down an expensive path.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Great advice. I think I'm going to specalize in classic head gold $2.5 pieces, and $2.5 indian incuse design pieces. I have yet to have a coin $2.5 coin but I love the pratt design on the indian heads.

 

Now I will just have to read. I'm thinking of picking up the book by bowers "Gold coins an illustraited history". What books do you suggest to read on $2.5 classic head designs and indian head $2.5 pieces?

 

[realone]

Who the heck are you?

 

I am one of the few members that actually has their actual high school yearbook photo for their icon thats who! Oops that is the photo ats, I never picked a photo here, oh well I guess I am also incognito

[BillJones]

Now I will just have to read. I'm thinking of picking up the book by bowers "Gold coins an illustraited history". What books do you suggest to read on $2.5 classic head designs and indian head $2.5 pieces?

 

The Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins 1795 - 1933 by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth contains pictures and write-ups for every U.S. gold coin, including the regular issue, commemorative and pattern issues. The book is large and expensive (but less than $100), but it is a great one volume source.

[Oldtrader3]

Kevin, you need to lean to grade incuse design gold coins. They are one of the most difficult designs in which to determine sliders from genuine uncirculated coins. Plus, they are expensive in any grade above MS62. It is extremely difficult to grade most incuse quarter and half eagles which are in lower MS grade holders. Many of the coins in lower MS slabs are AU, some are not. You can read Bowers' and Scott Travers' gold collecting books which are helpful. Plus, the "Harry H. Bass Museum Syllogy" book by Bowers, has very good gold coin illustrations.

 

None of this makes you a good grader. The best guide is the experience of looking at many, many coins at shows. Plus, you need to become confident in your grading skills avoid the confidence meltdowns that you periodically have about your coins. Incuse gold is and has been widely counterfeited in Latin America and Eastern Europe. You seem to have trouble and severe doubt even with Coronet gold coin attribution. Incuse design will drive you crazy. You might also spare the rest of us some of the theatrics. I know that you are young but learn some maturity.

[Doogy]

Kevin, you need to lean to grade incuse design gold coins. They are one of the most difficult designs in which to determine sliders from genuine uncirculated coins. Plus, they are expensive in any grade above MS62. It is extremely difficult to grade most incuse quarter and half eagles which are in lower MS grade holders. Many of the coins in lower MS slabs are AU, some are not. You can read Bowers' and Scott Travers' gold collecting books which are helpful. Plus, the "Harry H. Bass Museum Syllogy" book by Bowers, has very good gold coin illustrations.

 

None of this makes you a good grader. The best guide is the experience of looking at many, many coins at shows. Plus, you need to become confident in your grading skills avoid the confidence meltdowns that you periodically have about your coins. Incuse gold is and has been widely counterfeited in Latin America and Eastern Europe. You seem to have trouble and severe doubt even with Coronet gold coin attribution. Incuse design will drive you crazy. You might also spare the rest of us some of the theatrics. I know that you are young but learn some maturity.

 

i agree, for someone constantly worrying about counterfeits and grading, incuse gold coins are pretty much the worst ones to collect. You may want to find another niche to collect; how about the gold coin with the longest current design lineage, the Sovereign. It has had a consistant design since around 1816. They were minted at several different mints, are highly collectable, most are still somehwhat affordable, and a beautiful design.

[Oldtrader3]

Sovereigns are great. They were minted in many different countries. Gold Sovereigns are also cheaper than most MS incuse half eagles. You can collect them from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the U.K. et cetera, plus they are about 1/4 ounce of gold and do not have the premium of the U.S. issued incuse gold coins. I really like the design and may start collecting examples of the various Commonwealth country's gold Sovereigns and dollars myself.

 

I would also like to collect silver Florins. Even the Victoria, Young Head, "Godless" silver Florin coins of 1849 are cheap, considering their scarcity. However classic silver, Florins cost nearly as much as gold Sovereigns.

[Doogy]

Sovereigns are great. They were minted in many different countries. Gold Sovereigns are also cheaper than most MS incuse half eagles. You can collect them from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the U.K. et cetera, plus they are about 1/4 ounce of gold and do not have the premium of the U.S. issued incuse gold coins. I really like the design and may start collecting examples of the various Commonwealth country's gold Sovereigns and dollars myself.

 

I would also like to collect silver Florins. Even the Victoria, Young Head, "Godless" silver Florin coins of 1849 are cheap, considering their scarcity. However classic silver, Florins cost nearly as much as gold Sovereigns.

 

Indeed! I think the Sovs would be a great thing for him, if he decides to stay with coins.

 

As an avid collector of 19th century British coins, I too will agree that Florins are a terrific way to go. My interests lie with Victorian Crowns, Victorian Florins and Double Florins. Florins can be purchased quite reasonably, the Jubilee head generally under $100 for UNC, the 'Widow's head' for generally between $100 and $300 while the Gothic and Godless have been steadily rising in price these last few years. I'm sad to say the last UNC 'Godless' cost me over $600, which is much more than they were even 4-5 years ago. As with anything though, condition is everything.

 

Good suggestion!

 

 

[physics-fan3.14]

Sovereigns are great. They were minted in many different countries. Gold Sovereigns are also cheaper than most MS incuse half eagles. You can collect them from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the U.K. et cetera, plus they are about 1/4 ounce of gold and do not have the premium of the U.S. issued incuse gold coins. I really like the design and may start collecting examples of the various Commonwealth country's gold Sovereigns and dollars myself.

 

I would also like to collect silver Florins. Even the Victoria, Young Head, "Godless" silver Florin coins of 1849 are cheap, considering their scarcity. However classic silver, Florins cost nearly as much as gold Sovereigns.

 

Indeed! I think the Sovs would be a great thing for him, if he decides to stay with coins.

 

As an avid collector of 19th century British coins, I too will agree that Florins are a terrific way to go. My interests lie with Victorian Crowns, Victorian Florins and Double Florins. Florins can be purchased quite reasonably, the Jubilee head generally under $100 for UNC, the 'Widow's head' for generally between $100 and $300 while the Gothic and Godless have been steadily rising in price these last few years. I'm sad to say the last UNC 'Godless' cost me over $600, which is much more than they were even 4-5 years ago. As with anything though, condition is everything.

 

Good suggestion!

 

 

I'm partial to the shilling myself :thumbsup: !

[MunkyMan95]

Alright, which one of you did it? Who replied to Fruitloops' thread saying that there's a classic head $2.50 available on Mark Feld's site?

[Doogy]

 

 

that is classic!

 

[Doogy]

Sovereigns are great. They were minted in many different countries. Gold Sovereigns are also cheaper than most MS incuse half eagles. You can collect them from Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the U.K. et cetera, plus they are about 1/4 ounce of gold and do not have the premium of the U.S. issued incuse gold coins. I really like the design and may start collecting examples of the various Commonwealth country's gold Sovereigns and dollars myself.

 

I would also like to collect silver Florins. Even the Victoria, Young Head, "Godless" silver Florin coins of 1849 are cheap, considering their scarcity. However classic silver, Florins cost nearly as much as gold Sovereigns.

 

Indeed! I think the Sovs would be a great thing for him, if he decides to stay with coins.

 

As an avid collector of 19th century British coins, I too will agree that Florins are a terrific way to go. My interests lie with Victorian Crowns, Victorian Florins and Double Florins. Florins can be purchased quite reasonably, the Jubilee head generally under $100 for UNC, the 'Widow's head' for generally between $100 and $300 while the Gothic and Godless have been steadily rising in price these last few years. I'm sad to say the last UNC 'Godless' cost me over $600, which is much more than they were even 4-5 years ago. As with anything though, condition is everything.

 

Good suggestion!

 

 

I'm partial to the shilling myself :thumbsup: !

 

yup! Shillings are yummy too!

 

[TomB]

Given your history, I do not think that the incuse Pratt design is the optimal coin for you to collect. I agree that they are gorgeous pieces, but not only have they been heavily counterfeited from various parts of the world for decades, but they may be the single toughest US series to grade. My honest advice to you would be to look at something else at this time.

[physics-fan3.14]

Love that shilling Doogy. I actually just bought one of those (I'll prolly start a thread in the world section soon - I got a few shillings this weekend )

[physics-fan3.14]

Alright, which one of you did it? Who replied to Ftuitloops' thread saying that there's a classic head $2.50 available on Mark Feld's site?

 

That's really funny, in a cruel sort of way. I don't want you to leave if you don't really want too, Kevin, but I do strongly agree with the rest of the crowd that maybe high dollar, often counterfeited, difficult to grade gold coins might not be the best place for you. Try something more affordable and easier to collect for a while - I'm particularly fond of the Franklin myself.

 

I am reading a really good book on the efficiency of the stock market right now (A Random Walk Down Wall Street, for those of you that might be interested.) One of the stories the author tells is of the famous JP Morgan - one day, an investor confessed that he was losing sleep at night because he was worried about his stocks and their volatility. The investor asked what he could do, and JP Morgan recommended selling to the sleeping point - the point at which the investor could sleep at night without worrying about his stocks.

 

This lesson can definitely be applied to coins, and your situation in particular. Sell off your coins and switch into a series that you can collect without worrying. You've learned a lot since you joined us here, but perhaps your chosen collecting focus might not be the right one for you.

[BankNote1]

What about Buffalo Nickels? Most of the 1930's can be found in MS65 or MS66 for not a lot of money. The mm'ed 20's and teens are killers in MS but most can be had in AU+. They aren't hard to grade and you don't have to worry about counterfeits like you would with gold.

IMO Buff's are one of the best looking of all U.S. coins.

[michael]

The Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins 1795 - 1933 by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth contains pictures and write-ups for every U.S. gold coin, including the regular issue, commemorative and pattern issues. The book is large and expensive (but less than $100), but it is a great one volume source.

 

(thumbs u (thumbs u

 

also david akers book on quarter eagles would be a great extra resource to the above book and both books in combination would be a killer resource for the quarter eagle series

 

 

i also agree with tomb that the incuse quarter eagles are not for you at this time

 

why not try large cents 1830's-1857 these are a great coin and reasonable priced collectible coin in circ. grades

[World Colonial]

Its ultimately up to you but if you collect these quarter eagles, you will be ignoring the advice given by those of us on this forum. I'm not sure what you have in mind when you say "specializing" but aside from the pitfalls already pointed out, that is a potentially very expensive project to tackle.

 

Let me put it for you this way. There are other coins that I would like to collect, even in my series, that I do not. One of the reasons for this is that I cannot afford them. Some or many of them I could buy in the sense that I have the resources to do it, but if I were to do so (by selling other coins I own or using my savings), I would be going out of my league based upon the resources available to me. Its similar to owning a very expensive item that is inconsistent with the other possessions which that person owns.

 

As I mentioned in my last post, the coin you wanted to buy is the same price as the most I have ever spent on a coin, for most collectors is a lot of money and only a minority of collectors have collections composed of $1200 coins or even half that amount.

 

You are young and have many years of collecting ahead of you. You would almost certainly be better off starting with something more suitable to your current knowledge base and (presumably) financial capability and working your way up from there.

[DirtyGoldMan]

Last year, one of the great collectors of our time told me that before he had the means to afford the great rarities that he can now collect, he would spend his money on auction catalogs and references and his time reading about and studying coins. This prepared him for the time when he could afford the best and armed him with the knowledge to pursue it. While most of us will never collect in this strata, there is a lesson here that can benefit a great many of us.

 

Perhaps I am out of line here, but it seems odd and inappropriate for a young man without a job (at least as the OP reported in the first post) to be specializing in gold coins. I did not do so until I had a steady income to support and justify it. Now is the time to pursue a livelihood, career, profession, or whatever you want to call it. The coins will always be there.