Collecting certain types/denominations of coins 0

[Rdietrick]

I kmow this is all opion based but as a newcomer, what types of coins do you think would be the most rewarding, fun to hunt and lucrative for a later date to collect. I want to narrow down to a few types to focus on to begin with. Do you guys focus on certain types/denominations or just us coins in general?

Graded, upgraded, slabbed, raw etc.....

Just looking for input and opinions 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Rdietrick

[VKurtB]

May I speak freely? This is a very often expressed question, but one impossible to answer. It all depends on what gets your motor running. This hobby has a paradox within it. Those who engage in it with an eye to “lucrative” almost never succeed. Those who ignore “lucrative” and do it for the love of it, often do well as if by magic. That may sound counterintuitive to you, but I assure you it is true. Yes, it sounds too “Zen” to be real, but it is what it is.

[Rdietrick]

I was thinking that way. By lucrative I guess I mean the value to my children. Like the 90% silver category, say start with the half dollar denomination or dollar denomination. Ive been around it my whole life my dad was a collector be it through circulated coins but still filled books with them. I never really picked it up until I started playing around in the silver market and acquiring a third of his collection it kind of triggered a big interest, especially in the higher end/precious metals side as well as the rarity side of things.  

[VKurtB]

I’ll share my Modus operandi with you. Maybe it will make sense to you, or maybe not. I also have a multi-generational focus, not my likely 10-15 years remaining on the planet. I keep an eye open for collecting series that are deeply unpopular at any given time. Here’s one example. In the silver and gold run-up of 2010-2011, I bought nearly NO silver or gold coins. I sold heavily almost everything I had that I didn’t love. But I was grabbing up Early American copper at bargain basement prices. Now I am intrigued by series that “the cool kids” won’t touch with a 3.3 meter Bulgarian. Things like overpriced modern commemoratives that current issue prices have collectors running away from at sprinter speeds. Things like the American Innovators dollars. It’s a “contrarian” philosophy that has often served me very well. Some day, perhaps soon, my philosophy will bite me on the rump, and that’s okay with me. I have fun.

Edited September 7, 2020 by VKurtB

[Rummy13]

Let me start by saying I am NOT an expert, nor do I have a collection that they would ever have.  I have a a collection of mainly common coins that I have put in books or 2x2s and a lot of proof and mint sets from 1956 - 2020. I have had a few coins put in slabs, just because I am thinking some day they could be worth something. I collect for the fun, not for profit, My nieces and nephews enjoy coming over and changing my show case around to show different coins. Some day they will get the coins and I want them to know that if they like a coin then save it, and a coin is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.  So I really like proof sets, and 50 year old set are worth a whopping $10, but I love to show them off. I will never be selling my coins, so I buy what I like, not what the pro would get.

[Coinbuf]

There is no wrong or right way to collect, some coins are always popular and some come and go.  In the 80's there was a huge run up in commentative coins where prices went for moon money.  Fast forward to today and anyone that bought and held coins bought in that time frame lost 50%, 60%, and more as the prices slid when the demand fell.  The upshot of this is that there is no real way of predicting what will retain or increase in value and those that will not.  As a general rule many US mint products have the potential to be worth less in the future than on the date of release, and conversely gold coins have; imo; the best chance to hold value in the future.  However with the recent run up of gold prices I do not know if now is the right time to be buying gold or not.

I sperate coin buyers into two groups collectors and investors now there is some crossover of the two groups but these two bins work for my simple model.  If your an investor your main focus is ROI, getting the most return for the dollars invested this includes the silver and gold stackers.  If your a collector your main focus is on the coins, the history and stories that go along with the coins are often important to collectors.  But collectors should also be at least aware of the financial cost, including opportunity cost, that goes with buying collectable coins, and may become more important as the value of a collection grows.

I then separate collectors into two bins set builders and type collectors, I am a set builder.  I enjoy the building of a set and the satisfaction of finding that last coin to finish a set.  Type collectors can also build sets as there are many type sets, but often type collectors like an eclectic and diverse grouping of coins rather than a defined set.  One strategy that type collectors use is the box of twenty, where the collector will buy up to twenty coins.  Then if a new coin is bought one already in the box will be sold to make room for the new addition. 

Perhaps the breakdowns I've listed will help you to decide what sort of direction you might be happy pursuing, always know that your collection can be anything you choose and you are free to change collecting paths to suit your enjoyment of the hobby.

[VKurtB]

1 minute ago, Coinbuf said:

There is no wrong or right way to collect, some coins are always popular and some come and go.  In the 80's there was a huge run up in commentative coins where prices went for moon money.  Fast forward to today and anyone that bought and held coins bought in that time frame lost 50%, 60%, and more as the prices slid when the demand fell.  The upshot of this is that there is no real way of predicting what will retain or increase in value and those that will not.  As a general rule many US mint products have the potential to be worth less in the future than on the date of release, and conversely gold coins have; imo; the best chance to hold value in the future.  However with the recent run up of gold prices I do not know if now is the right time to be buying gold or not.

I sperate coin buyers into two groups collectors and investors now there is some crossover of the two groups but these two bins work for my simple model.  If your an investor your main focus is ROI, getting the most return for the dollars invested this includes the silver and gold stackers.  If your a collector your main focus is on the coins, the history and stories that go along with the coins are often important to collectors.  But collectors should also be at least aware of the financial cost, including opportunity cost, that goes with buying collectable coins, and may become more important as the value of a collection grows.

I then separate collectors into two bins set builders and type collectors, I am a set builder.  I enjoy the building of a set and the satisfaction of finding that last coin to finish a set.  Type collectors can also build sets as there are many type sets, but often type collectors like an eclectic and diverse grouping of coins rather than a defined set.  One strategy that type collectors use is the box of twenty, where the collector will buy up to twenty coins.  Then if a new coin is bought one already in the box will be sold to make room for the new addition. 

Perhaps the breakdowns I've listed will help you to decide what sort of direction you might be happy pursuing, always know that your collection can be anything you choose and you are free to change collecting paths to suit your enjoyment of the hobby.

Well said.