Why do we designate a number to a coin?

[Leothelion]

This is probably redundant to many of you who base your collections on what how others might grade your coins and the numbers attached to them. And to go as far as paying someone to grade your coins, perhaps this is all water under the bridge for most collectors.

Besides the fact that it's a marketing ploy to price and sell coins, recently while redoing inventory of my FS Jefferson collection, placing the coins into fresh mylar 2x2's, this and for the first time, I've left off the mint state grade numbers. Mainly, for all my raw coins. Why I have found it a necessity to do so in the past was mainly to convey and sell a coin by a condition I perceived to be accurate and hopefully agreeable to others. But yet a coin's grade can stand on it's other merits such as toning and strike and sell just as well.

The grading of coins has stood it's time, no matter how bad it gets. But for the time being, I want the coin to stand on it's own merits without the numbers. I may venture into selling my extras through pictures and discriptions only and leave out the numbers. Will they sell? I doubt it, but I hope my coins will find their way into collector's hands that are interested in the coin and not the numbers.

 

Leo

[EZ_E]

Right on!

[davefperry]

The best reason I can think of for labeling coins is for your heirs. It can give them an idea of a fair split without selling your collection and dividing the money. Some may want to keep some coins and some may want to sell but if they don't know much about coins the notation would give them an idea of value.

[spy88]

Leo, while your idea is perfectly valid for those you wish to keep, those that you attempt to sell will do so much better if you DO give a MS for. I have done FS Jeffs both ways---first, giving a good grade and good pics, and second, letting the pics speak to the interested lookers as to the grade and still have good pics.

IMHO----

Without a doubt, I would have done better in my auctions (eBay) had I stayed with the grade. If you are knowledgeable as to grading standards, post a grade with your coins. You will attract more people to the page then will turn away from it BECAUSE of the grade. Giving eBay coin buyers the benefit of the doubt, they pretty much know if your grade is accurate AS LONG AS YOUR PICTURES REPRESENT THE GRADE. I have always said up front in the description anything that a prospective buyer would want to know regarding the specific coin (nicks, hits, scratches, scrapes, bridging, die flaws, strike strength, etc.) that may not show in the pic. And if you don't do this, you give the buyer reason to return and/or complain. Of all the items I have sold, I have never put in a return policy and I have never had a bid winner complain or want their money back or been negged for it. Got some neutrals because I gave some neutrals but that was on a seller, not from a buyer.

 

David

[SilverEagleCoins]

I inherited a bunch of hand-me-down Morgans and Peace Dollars that are not in great shape. Although most are blast white there are obvious rim nicks and scratches, maybe even cleaning, that probably negate anything worth the cost of slabbing. I put all these in nice white 2x2 emphasizing the 18XX age + mint and nothing else. I really didn't want to emphasize the low quality. I have no immediate intention of selling these for profit so I did it just for organized display.

 

It's still neat to show 100 white 18XX Morgans in a nice clean 2x2 in the plastic pages of a folder.

[Leothelion]

Not long ago, I did that with the smaller cb holders but the coin pages I received in the mail had PVC in them and smelled like a shower curtain so now I have 2 three row red boxes to hold them. I'm afraid they may tone some in those boxes but that's life.

 

Leo