What is the Optimal Circulated Collecting Grade

[erwindoc]

If you are building circulated set, what grade do you shoot for? AU, XF, VF, F, etc? Combinations(AU/XF, VF/F)?? Why do you pick the certain grade?

 

For me, I tend to look at the cost of the key coins and find a level I think I can afford, then try and build the set with coins of a similar look.

[World Colonial]

You are asking this about US coins, but regardless of the coin, to me it depends upon what the design tends to look like in different grades. There are many series that just do not look that good in a particular grade, either because they just didn't wear well or because few are well preserved.

 

Of the coins I collect, the only ones I will accept in a grade like F or VF are Bolivia and Guatemala pillars plus the rarest dates in the others. Otherwise. I will look for better AU and mint state.

[michael]

IT ALL depends on the coin/series/date-mintmark combo/rarity

 

but in general SOME THOUGHTS for pre 1860 circulated federal type

 

silver-- fine+ with choice color and surfaces one something like a 1796 quarter a fair-2 with a close to full date and mostly outlined details of miss liberty and reverse eagle is more than acceptable to my minds eye etc.

gold-- vf+ with choice color and surfaces as below vf usually gold looks terrible usually are there exceptions for rarer dates of course

copper-- fine+ with average color and surfaces and for a chain a poor-1 is more than acceptable as long as there is close to a full chain on the reverse with some outline of miss liberty and a partial date with decent color and surfaces with a wreath a solid ag-3 with good color and surfaces and no edge bumps is acceptable etc.

 

for colonials almost anything goes depending on the rarity but for more available types avg surfaces and color along with fine+ or better is acceptable

 

as per the above EYE APPEAL IS THE KEY AS LONG AS THE COIN HAS GREAT EYE APPEAL FOR WHATEVER IT IS THEN THIS IS MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE AND THEN THIS MEANS THE ITEM IN GENERAL HAS A FUNDEMENTIAL REASON TO RISE IN DEMAND AS LONG AS IT IS A SCARE+ AND HISTORICAL COIN

[TonerGuy]

The one grade above the one you can easily afford.

[michael]

the one grade before the rather large jump in price

[$ilverHawk]

You are asking this about US coins, but regardless of the coin, to me it depends upon what the design tends to look like in different grades. There are many series that just do not look that good in a particular grade, either because they just didn't wear well or because few are well preserved.

 

Of the coins I collect, the only ones I will accept in a grade like F or VF are Bolivia and Guatemala pillars plus the rarest dates in the others. Otherwise. I will look for better AU and mint state.

 

OP is asking about what circulated grades US coin collectors tend to concentrate on. No questions about design or wear in various grades. Please explain how you bring the collecting of world coins into this discussion. OP is simply asking about what grades US coin collectors tend to concentrate on with their favorite series.

 

In reference to the OP post. I am currently concentrating on CBH's. I look for quality XF and AU coins with a priority towards R4 and R5 die pairings. I wouldn't pass up a nice MS CBH with a high rarity rating for the right price.

 

Carl

 

[coinman_23885]

It depends on what you are collecting, but the vast majority of serious collectors seek XF-AU examples when purchasing circulated coins. Any lower than that, the market becomes thinner. Also, lower graded pieces are often missing significant details (from wear) in the design elements, making them less attractive.

[PerryHall]

the one grade before the rather large jump in price

 

Agree. I always try to buy at the grade before the big price jump at the next higher grade.

[MarkFeld]

You are asking this about US coins, but regardless of the coin, to me it depends upon what the design tends to look like in different grades. There are many series that just do not look that good in a particular grade, either because they just didn't wear well or because few are well preserved.

 

Of the coins I collect, the only ones I will accept in a grade like F or VF are Bolivia and Guatemala pillars plus the rarest dates in the others. Otherwise. I will look for better AU and mint state.

 

OP is asking about what circulated grades US coin collectors tend to concentrate on. No questions about design or wear in various grades. Please explain how you bring the collecting of world coins into this discussion. OP is simply asking about what grades US coin collectors tend to concentrate on with their favorite series.

 

In reference to the OP post. I am currently concentrating on CBH's. I look for quality XF and AU coins with a priority towards R4 and R5 die pairings. I wouldn't pass up a nice MS CBH with a high rarity rating for the right price.

 

Carl

 

For many collectors, the "design or wear in various grades" largely determines the grades that are acceptable and/or desired. And that applies to both US and world coins.

[World Colonial]

OP is asking about what circulated grades US coin collectors tend to concentrate on. No questions about design or wear in various grades. Please explain how you bring the collecting of world coins into this discussion. OP is simply asking about what grades US coin collectors tend to concentrate on with their favorite series.

 

In reference to the OP post. I am currently concentrating on CBH's. I look for quality XF and AU coins with a priority towards R4 and R5 die pairings. I wouldn't pass up a nice MS CBH with a high rarity rating for the right price.

 

Carl

 

The concept doesn't differ. I just don't collect US coins which is why i used examples from those I do collect.

 

To go back to an example Michael used, I can't think of any coin I would buy in a grade of Fair-2 but that is just me. Especially one that costs as much as a 1796 quarter. I am willing to buy many circulated coins that a disproportionate.percentage of US collectors will not but when a coin looks like that, I would rather not own it all.

 

When I was younger, I owned a few CBH and it is a coin I liked in grades of VF or better. If i wanted to collect them now, i would still buy then in VF or XF if that was all i could afford.

 

On the other hand, I wouldn't buy WLH, SLQ or Mercury dimes in these grades, even "key" dates which are expensive. I know some of them can or do look decent, but because they mostly exist in large numbers even in choice MS, I "expect" them to look like that.

[BillJones]

For me all depends upon the prices for the items in question and the era in which they were made. Ideally we would all like to collect the highest grades for all eras, but that is not possible. For post 1900 coins, my grades of choice are Mint State or Proof 64 or higher, with the "or higher" getting to 66 or higher for items from the 1930s and later. For the second part of the 19th century I prefer Proof 64 coins. For the first half of the 19th century, I generally collect in the AU-55 to low MS grades. Early U.S. coin fall in the "best I can afford or find" range. I really like these in AU with original surfaces, but prices and availably have lowered my standards to the VF range with one coin grading only Fine-15.

 

In the cases of colonial coins, I know that a lot of collectors are willing to accept lower grade pieces with a lot of problems. I don't like corroded coins at all. If I can't afford or find something with decent surfaces, I don't collect it. I know that sounds snobby, but I just don't want to spend my money coins that I view as eye sores.

 

[RWB]

Back when I could afford to collect coins, I got the most enjoyment from high-end VF and nice EF pieces. These had been in commerce long enough to have a cultural story, but retained enough design detail to show most of the the artist intended.

[Walkerfan]

Either yesterday's XF or today's AU (55-58).

[FadeToBlack]

I find most AU coins ugly. Give me a 35-40 any day.