Putting together certified sets

[Patrick Harris]

Probably a stupid question, just curious to how some of you approach this. Is it better to purchase whole sets or to buy individually as I begin to build a particular set? I guess in the long run it might be cheaper to buy whole sets but you end up tying up money in coins that you might never get certified. Any sage advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[jgenn]

Welcome Patrick.  If you are looking to collect coins where whole sets are available to be purchased then what kind of challenge would that be?  I find that the hunt for scarce coins is the fun part about this hobby.

[Patrick Harris]

Oh, I agree. What I meant was, let's say somewhere down the road I decide to build a Proof Kennedy set, is it better to just go ahead and purchase a new proof set, to be saved for later or to just look for that particular series of coin when I get ready to begin?

[Conder101]

If you want your set of coins to be certified, it is usually best to buy them already certified.  Buying raw coins such as proof sets and then planning to have them certified later will frequently result in higher costs, especially if the coin comes back at a lower grade than you had hoped and you now have to buy another one.  Also with many modern coins, it is often possible to purchase them already certified for LESS than what it would cost you to have a raw coin certified.

[jgenn]

Now I understand what kind of sets you mean.  I wish I could find year sets of Spanish Colonial 8, 4, 2, 1 and 1/2 reales.

Conder101's advice is well stated.