just purchased my 1st slabbed coin, finally

[Kamillion]

so the guy wanted $15 on Ebay, i offered 12.00 and he accepted. with $3 shipping so i got it for $15 total.

 

I went with the advice of going for a larger coin, so I got this 1966 SMS MS66 Kennedy coin. I also like that it has some silver in it.

 

here is the link to the coin, I cant copy the picture from the site. When I receive it maybe ill post it but I know its not a big deal at all to you guys. I just am excited because I finally have a slabbed coin I can stalk. haha.

 

I like how it has some red on the top too, its not a average looking kennedy to me.

 

link to the ebay coin

[MarkFeld]

It looks as if has a print behind Kennedy's head. That would bother me, and there are plenty of others without such distractions.

[Chris1976]

looks like a nice coin to me, I see the lines Mark was talking about, I just wonder if they were caused by a bump to the camera while taking the picture possibly. I'm sure it will look nice once you get it in hand.

 

just take your time and take notice of every little aspect of the coin. Clean fields, crisp lines where the die punched the design, uniform rim (no rim dings are always a huge plus), etc. I know there has to be a local coin shop near you, spend some time in the store just looking at all the various graded coins. You dont need to buy any of them to just look at them in the display.

 

I and many others here will tell you over and over again, its very hard to judge a coin in a picture. Bad lighting, uneven lighting, camera shakes, etc can make even the best looking coin look like total . But also becareful about coins that look too perfect in pictures as well, Photoshop, paintshop pro, etc all do a fantastic job and removing imperfections.

 

-Chris#2

[lcoopie]

i am guessing there will be no red or blue on the coin

it may be a reflection

 

 

[Kamillion]

im currently looking at a 1956 PF68 quarter for about $40.

 

Ya I also think the image of the coin looks blurry from the camera. also I bet that spot Mark talked about is on the slab itself it seems like to me.

[MarkFeld]

im currently looking at a 1956 PF68 quarter for about $40.

 

Ya I also think the image of the coin looks blurry from the camera. also I bet that spot Mark talked about is on the slab itself it seems like to me.

Do you care if the flaw is on the coin or not? If so, it would have been good to have asked the seller about it before bidding. There also appears to be some streaks on the lower obverse.

 

Please slow down, not for me, but for your own best interests.

[Kamillion]

i guess ill know when I get the coin.

what i did see was a crack on the front left of the actual slab. which is why i think the slab itself is what your seeing. i think.

 

It looks like it might be an artifact of the lighting. When you get it, be sure to check it for obverse doubling on IGWT. There are many times when the original submitter doesn't care to pay for variety attribution.

 

Chris

 

 

thanks, will do. fingers crossed.

[cpm9ball]

It looks like it might be an artifact of the lighting. When you get it, be sure to check it for obverse doubling on IGWT. There are many times when the original submitter doesn't care to pay for variety attribution.

 

Chris

 

[Kamillion]

hey is NNC grading trusted at all ? I see a coin that has it on a slab but the coin doesnt seem too hot. just wondering.

[Kamillion]

guess who just got another coin...

 

1954-P MS66 Dime

 

heres the ebay link

 

got it for $16.50 free shipping. Had it at 15.50 but then someone outbid me, guess you could say I learned a few sniping tactics myself.

 

 

i like this one alot. looks flawless but the pic is too small really.

[Joe Swindell-migration]

The Kennedy looks fine...all you guys had to do was look up the NGC photo...

[Kamillion]

The Kennedy looks fine...all you guys had to do was look up the NGC photo...

 

nvm

 

i just figured it out. haha. im looking at the coin now. and the dime I just got. thanks for bringing this to my attention!

 

 

actually, i just checked the dime, and there is no online pic available at NGC. booo

[MarkFeld]

The Kennedy looks fine...all you guys had to do was look up the NGC photo...

It might look fine to you, but it doesn't to me. And even if it did, your "all you guys had to do" would have been in addition to looking at the EBay images, which, under the circumstances, was more than enough for me.

[Kamillion]

you guys are picky huh.

 

 

[Chris1976]

you guys are picky huh.

 

 

 

You have to be in order to find the coins you want and can be proud of owning. Its not really being picky, but "maxamizing the purchase dollar for dollar" is the way I see it. I've seen and held every coin I needed to finish my first set, but to my standards, they didnt seem to fare too well. But thats because I want to look at them years from now and still be as proud and happy to own them as the day I started with coins.

 

-Chris#2

[James_OldeTowne]

I'm usually one of the more cautious posters on here when it comes to discussing purchases with a relative newbie. However, generally speaking, it's actually difficult to do poorly buying just about anything high grade in an NGC or PCGS slab for $15, give or take. You are basically paying for what it cost to get the coin certified!

 

Of course, $15 for a 1977-D nickel in PCGS VF-30 is kinda dumb, but really, you are really keeping down the risk buying certified coins in the $15 range.

 

If you are truly enjoying your purchases, I think you're doing a great job of getting your feet wet, so far.

 

Just don't get soaked .

[cpm9ball]

hey is NNC grading trusted at all ? I see a coin that has it on a slab but the coin doesnt seem too hot. just wondering.

 

NNC is a third-world grading service, and since you are new and know little about grading standards, it would be advisable that you avoid them like the plague.

 

If it isn't in an NGC, PCGS or an old ANACS (white) slab, you should treat it like a raw coin.

 

Chris

[bsshog40]

Looks like you got a couple decent purchases. I think this has been asked before and I don't recall seeing any answer. Of course, it is your preference to answer or not. Do you have any goals in mind at all? From what I'm seeing, you're just jumping on one coin after another with no specific series at all. Eventually you're going to want to work towards a goal to achieve and you will find yourself looking at alot of these buys down the road and realize they do not fit in your collection. This is actually where the loses will come into effect in the long run. Trying to get your money back can be a challenge with some coins.

[Kamillion]

nope, no goal in mind. I just like them all.

 

maybe my goal can be to have every coin.

 

[bsshog40]

nope, no goal in mind. I just like them all.

 

maybe my goal can be to have every coin.

 

Good Luck my friend!

[TomB]

I believe the JFK image was generated from a scanner and not a digital camera. There are huge differences between the qualities of the images that are obtained from these two methods. What Mark believes might be a print behind JFK's portrait is what I would interpret to be light reflection from the scanning process. The JFK looks fine as does the Roosevelt. The only thing I would caution is that you paid just north of $30 for two coins that you may have obtained raw for $10 or so combined.

[Kamillion]

I believe the JFK image was generated from a scanner and not a digital camera. There are huge differences between the qualities of the images that are obtained from these two methods. What Mark believes might be a print behind JFK's portrait is what I would interpret to be light reflection from the scanning process. The JFK looks fine as does the Roosevelt. The only thing I would caution is that you paid just north of $30 for two coins that you may have obtained raw for $10 or so combined.

 

i thought the point of getting these coins for a premium was bc they are slabbed in pcgs/ngc. isnt that why we're all here?

 

 

i unloaded about 80% of my raw coins about 2 weeks ago. I only have raw morgans left bc i kind of like them.

[cpm9ball]

i thought the point of getting these coins for a premium was bc they are slabbed in pcgs/ngc. isnt that why we're all here?

 

 

It does help to know what would be a fair premium.

 

Chris

[Kamillion]

i thought the point of getting these coins for a premium was bc they are slabbed in pcgs/ngc. isnt that why we're all here?

 

 

It does help to know what would be a fair premium.

 

Chris

 

but...but..but..

[TomB]

I believe the JFK image was generated from a scanner and not a digital camera. There are huge differences between the qualities of the images that are obtained from these two methods. What Mark believes might be a print behind JFK's portrait is what I would interpret to be light reflection from the scanning process. The JFK looks fine as does the Roosevelt. The only thing I would caution is that you paid just north of $30 for two coins that you may have obtained raw for $10 or so combined.

 

i thought the point of getting these coins for a premium was bc they are slabbed in pcgs/ngc. isnt that why we're all here?

 

 

i unloaded about 80% of my raw coins about 2 weeks ago. I only have raw morgans left bc i kind of like them.

 

The cost of certification is what is known as a sunken cost in that whomever pays for the certification can't expect that the plastic will boost the value of the coin an equal amount. These pieces look nice, but the truth is that they are essentially both bullion pieces at this time and their value is greatly connected to bullion. Certainly, there are folks who might pay a small premium because they are certified, but that is not an enormous pool of buyers. Of course, we are also only talking about a $20 difference between combined bullion value and combined costs so your downside is quite limited.

[19Lyds]

im currently looking at a 1956 PF68 quarter for about $40.

 

Ya I also think the image of the coin looks blurry from the camera. also I bet that spot Mark talked about is on the slab itself it seems like to me.

Do you care if the flaw is on the coin or not? If so, it would have been good to have asked the seller about it before bidding. There also appears to be some streaks on the lower obverse.

 

Please slow down, not for me, but for your own best interests.

Both areas you've noted Mark are simply artifacts of the scan from a flatbed scanner if the coin is not "centered" on the scanning bed.

 

Below is the same IKE scanned off to the right of the bed and then off to the left of the bed.

 

..

 

The OP appears to have bought a problem free SMS Kennedy which has a bullion value of $6.50 in a $14 NGC Slab graded at MS66.

 

On the bright side, he saved himself a couple of bucks plus to from shipping to get his own graded considering he'd have to buy the coin raw and then send it in or have it sent in and then wait for what seems like forever for the grades to post.

 

IMO, making a simple $15 purchase is a good start down a path that could lead to him being either a savy coin collector or a disappointed coin collector.

Regardless, its a start that everybody has to make at some point in time.

[MarkFeld]

im currently looking at a 1956 PF68 quarter for about $40.

 

Ya I also think the image of the coin looks blurry from the camera. also I bet that spot Mark talked about is on the slab itself it seems like to me.

Do you care if the flaw is on the coin or not? If so, it would have been good to have asked the seller about it before bidding. There also appears to be some streaks on the lower obverse.

 

Please slow down, not for me, but for your own best interests.

Both areas you've noted Mark are simply artifacts of the scan from a flatbed scanner if the coin is not "centered" on the scanning bed.

 

Below is the same IKE scanned off to the right of the bed and then off to the left of the bed.

 

..

 

The OP appears to have bought a problem free SMS Kennedy which has a bullion value of $6.50 in a $14 NGC Slab graded at MS66.

 

On the bright side, he saved himself a couple of bucks plus to from shipping to get his own graded considering he'd have to buy the coin raw and then send it in or have it sent in and then wait for what seems like forever for the grades to post.

 

IMO, making a simple $15 purchase is a good start down a path that could lead to him being either a savy coin collector or a disappointed coin collector.

Regardless, its a start that everybody has to make at some point in time.

 

Lee and Tom, thanks for the explanations about the scanned images. I hope that the coin is nice and that Kamillion is pleased with his new purchase.

[physics-fan3.14]

you guys are picky huh.

 

 

 

Absolutely. I will wear that title with honor. You don't assemble an award winning collection, or one that others respect as having quality coins, without being extremely picky.

 

Its great to buy a couple of coins to get the process rolling, to experience the thrill, to see what its all about. Now that you've done that, its probably time to start thinking about what your goals are. Do you want to assemble a set? Do you want a random hoard of coins? Do you want bullion? There isn't really a right or wrong answer to each of these questions, but what you decide you want will direct your future purchases. Right now, you have 5 or 6 random coins.

 

The other thing to take away from this is that absolutely no - there should be no premium for plastic. Learn this quickly, and learn this well: BUY THE COIN AND NOT THE HOLDER. That is the semi-unofficial motto of this board. I couldn't care less if you have 5 coins in plastic. The point is, you have 5 coins. If the coins are not quality coins, then you wasted your money. This is the NGC board, and they graciously sponsor our community - but even they would agree, this hobby is about the coins, not the plastic. Don't get sucked into the idea that everything you buy has to be in plastic, and absolutely don't get the idea that "its in plastic, so it should be worth more" Or "NGC graded it so that has to be the right grade". Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

We are all giving you a lot of good advice here - if you wish to be successful in this hobby, you would do well to take it to heart.

[Keigwin]

Nice! Now crack 'em.

Lance.

[bsshog40]

 

i thought the point of getting these coins for a premium was bc they are slabbed in pcgs/ngc. isnt that why we're all here?

 

I collect some slabs like everyone else and I also have alot of raw coins that I like very much, but this is not the goal of this forum. This forum has some very very knowledgeable individuals that take thier personal time out of thier day to help eduacate new collectors. During this process is also the chance for them to show thier coins and collections that most have taken many years and knowledge to aquire. Some of my first coins bought were cleaned coins. I didn't even know the difference until I came here. I never bought another cleaned coin. I also read posts and asked questions until I'm where I'm at now. Still far from a master of any series but knowledgeable enough to keep from breaking the bank with bad deals. My first intentions of collecting was to build proof sets. Since then, I have ventured into other series and most of them Raw. So you see, it's not about the slab, as jason stated, it's about the coin. You've made a couple good purchases but still quite random and I''m sure as time goes on, you will figure what series you would like to follow and some of these new purchases will be bac on ebay. There has been alot of advice given here from long time collectors that at times you have laughed off. I hope that you learn to take the advice given and one day be knowledgeable yourself enough to help another new collector that comes along and you see him spiraling in the pool of slabs and auctions!