Is it better to buy this 3cent piece graded or ungraded? 1 1

[Youngmoola]

[Coinbuf]

You're the expert why don't you tell us. 

[Mr.Bill347]

Ooh somebody has ruffled some feathers!

if you collect graded coins then why not if you want nice raw examples , you can find them on EB for about $20

[Sandon]

     Every coin must be graded to determine its market value, whether the grading is done by the collector who is considering purchasing the coin, the person who currently owns it, or a third-party grading service. Opinions as to a coin's grade may vary, even among those with knowledge and experience. This is especially true for uncirculated (mint state) and proof coins, where a single point in grade may mean a substantial difference in list values.

    I'll take your question to mean, "As a new collector with little knowledge of or experience in grading coins who is considering buying an 1868 copper nickel three cent piece offered as MS 66 (a Gem Uncirculated grade with a high list price), should I buy such a coin so graded by a reputable third-party grading service or by the seller?"  My answer to this question is that you are definitely better off buying such a coin graded by a reputable third-party grading service (NGC, PCGS, CAC Grading, or perhaps ANACS), whose opinions will generally be given weight should you decide to sell the coin.  

   An 1868 copper nickel three cent piece is a relatively common date in that series even through lower to mid-uncirculated grades. A well-worn piece grading "Good" lists $20 in the NGC Price Guide and could likely be purchased uncertified for less. A nice Extremely Fine lists $55. A Choice Uncirculated MS 63 lists $200, a Very Choice MS 64 $325, a nominal Gem MS 65 $600 and a MS 66 $1,300.  Although I'm personally fond of this series, it isn't one of the more popular types of U.S. coins and am not sure why a new collector would want to purchase a likely high-priced example of one of its more common dates, assuming that you are actually considering buying it. Notwithstanding the third-party grading of the coin, it is still important that you develop the judgment to determine that the coin is "nice for the grade" and worth the price being asked.  Many "three cent nickels" were struck weakly and/or from heavily clashed dies and may be unattractive even if awarded higher grades based on surface preservation and luster. 

   I happen to own an 1868 graded MS 63 by PCGS, likely due to somewhat subdued luster, but I value it for its strong strike with full lines in the "III" and relatively unblemished surfaces. Can you tell much real difference between this MS 63 and the coin graded MS 66 that would warrant spending an additional $1,000 for it?

   If you would like to learn more about copper nickel three cent pieces, see my topic about them:

 

 

[JKK]

If you threaten to kick the seller in the head, you might get a better price. Might be worth a try.

[ldhair]

Buy them raw and send in for grading. With your skills, you should do great. 

[Henri Charriere]

On 3/8/2024 at 5:45 PM, JKK said:

If you threaten to kick the seller in the head, you might get a better price. Might be worth a try.

Evidently, it seems you have already made the acquaintance of this gentleman, hence the precious broadside.   Malheureusement, we will likely never learn the seller's actual retail price.

[Youngmoola]

Mos definitely also tomorrow I will be purchasing my 1928 graded peace dollar..👌🏾😎 on ebay

[Youngmoola]

@idhair n jkk ur names speak for it self😭

[JKK]

On 3/8/2024 at 7:13 PM, Youngmoola said:

@idhair n jkk ur names speak for it self😭

I apologize. I didn't realize you were special needs.

[Youngmoola]

I guarantee I add to my collection special or not dats wat all matters

[J P M]

On 3/8/2024 at 10:39 PM, Youngmoola said:

I guarantee I add to my collection special or not dats wat all matters

Well, Roger would know best, but it looks like you picked the most popular Peace Dollar of the bad guys. I have to ask what grade is it and who is the slab grading company?

[Youngmoola]

Yea thx to y'all I learned it's better to collect the lowest mintage of a special series and it's a MS-65 slabbed by P.C.G.S

[J P M]

On 3/9/2024 at 9:48 AM, Youngmoola said:

Yea thx to y'all I learned it's better to collect the lowest mintage of a special series and it's a MS-65 slabbed by P.C.G.S

Nice a 65 is a very nice coin, when it comes in you will have to takes some pictures for us and show it off. 

[J P M]

You may want to save your money and shop around a bit. This is not the kind of hobby you need to rush into. I think you could find a better one. It looks like a nice coin but not a MS65 PCGS coin

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/204661457342?itmmeta

[Youngmoola]

[Youngmoola]

[powermad5000]

Why did the OP initially say the first pictured Peace Dollar was an MS 65 when it most clearly from the photos is not and then to be found by @J P M as an AU 55? 

[Henri Charriere]

 

 

On 3/9/2024 at 1:35 PM, J P M said:

You may want to save your money and shop around a bit. This is not the kind of hobby you need to rush into. I think you could find a better one. It looks like a nice coin but not a MS65 PCGS coin

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/204661457342?itmmeta

I wholeheartedly agree. The topic seems to have been abandoned but I don't understand why. Sandon's reply was so comprehensive that all can benefit from revisiting it.  As regarding the Peace dollar, you could not pay ME to accept it as a gift. For the grade and price it lacks Wow! power, period. [To the OP:  I do not believe your User name sufficiently captures your essence.  I would like to respectfully suggest "G Money" as more befitting your nature and reflective of your station in the life.]

[Henri Charriere]

On 3/9/2024 at 2:27 PM, powermad5000 said:

Why did the OP initially say the first pictured Peace Dollar was an MS 65 when it most clearly from the photos is not and then to be found by @J P M as an AU 55? 

I asked myself the same thing.  No correlation.

[Sandon]

On 3/9/2024 at 9:48 AM, Youngmoola said:

I learned it's better to collect the lowest mintage of a special series

   That isn't always true, especially for Morgan and Peace silver dollars. Large portions of some issues were stored in Treasury and bank vaults for decades before being released in uncirculated condition at face value as late as 1964 or sold by the government between 1972 and 1980. Others, including higher mintage issues, were subjected to meltings that destroyed much of the original mintage. Although the 1928 Peace dollar is the lowest mintage issue of that series, the 1934-S and certain other dates are much rarer in most uncirculated grades.

    As I previously stated, if you insist on buying coins this expensive without much knowledge or experience, it would be best to buy them certified by NGC, PCGS, or other reputable services.  However, your time and money might be better spent learning and developing informed judgment. (I had been collecting for over 40 years before I spent this much money on a single coin.)  The coin in the PCGS holder with serial #84288352, which doesn't appear to be the same one you showed earlier, appears to be fairly priced for the assigned grade, but one can't really assess a coin without in-person examination, and from the obverse photo it appears too dull and streaky to be considered a nice coin for that grade in my opinion. (You can also access photos from a Heritage auction at which this coin was sold in 2017 through PCGS Certificate Verification, which also show it to be dull and streaky. See https://www.pcgs.com/cert/84288352.) 

   I recommend that you follow the old saying of "buy the book before the coin" and attend such venues as coin shows and coin club meetings, where you can examine a variety of coins and speak with knowledgeable collectors and dealers. I referred you to forum topics identifying reliable print and online resources in one of your previous topics. 

Edited March 9 by Sandon
corrected sentence

[Youngmoola]

@henri first off I never said the first one was a Ms 65 I said I plan on purchasing a Ms 65 n showed u a pic off the coin I was studying goof troop n the last image is wat I bidded on which is a Ms 65 graded n slabbed.. go back n learn wat u talking bout before u give a faulty judgement my jolly rancher Yung fella

Edited March 9 by Youngmoola

[Youngmoola]

@sandon the 1934 s is no where nearer rarer nor more valuable than a 1928 P peace dollar i guarantee u dat n id believed u if u said 1921 or 1922 high relief peace dollars, n I'm basing my opinion from factors that's looked at at auctions 

 

Edited March 9 by Youngmoola

[Youngmoola]

Also peep ..My motives different from y'all's I'm a beginner whose purpose is to invest in coins I can later auction off or to pass down generational wealth to my kids..it's not about bragging or boasting n killing ones egos😎

[Sandon]

   

On 3/9/2024 at 4:39 PM, Youngmoola said:

the 1934 s is no where nearer rarer than a 1928 I guarantee u dat

On 3/9/2024 at 4:24 PM, Sandon said:

the 1934-S and certain other dates are much rarer in most uncirculated grades. (Emphasis added).

  I don't know where you're getting your information. Although the 1934-S is more easily obtainable and cheaper than the 1928 in circulated (especially well-worn) grades, it's much scarcer and more expensive as an uncirculated coin. Fewer 1934-Ss were preserved that hadn't been in circulation than 1928s. In the MS 65 grade, the 1928 lists $3,750 in MS 65 in the NGC Price Guide, while the 1934-S lists $11,500.  See Peace Dollars (1921-1935) | Price Guide & Values | NGC (ngccoin.com).  The 1934-S has a higher list price than the 1928 in every grade AU 50 and higher. The NGC Census shows a total of 9,802 certification events for 1928 Peace dollars and only 5,245 for the 1934-S. See Peace Dollars (1921-1935) | Coin Census Population Report | NGC (ngccoin.com).  More significantly, the 1928 has 6,189 certification events in Mint State grades (60 or higher), while the 1934-S has only 1,406. You will notice similar price and certified population differences in the PCGS Price Guide and Population Report at pcgs.com.

On 3/9/2024 at 4:46 PM, Youngmoola said:

I'm a beginner whose purpose is to invest in coins I can later auction off or to pass down generational wealth to my kids.

   How can you hope to become successful as either a collector or an investor (or, like many of us, as both), when you lack even basic knowledge and experience?  Just as in stock or real estate investing, if you don't thoroughly understand what you're buying and the market for it or at least consult with someone who does, you're not likely to succeed. I recommend that you learn and make smaller purchases for at least the next few years. Otherwise, you will likely learn the lesson the hard way.

[cobymordet]

      just buy gold!  

[Moxie15]

  I must admit that I find you very confusing If you are trying to invest you have a strange attitude about it. If you are looking for help and advice you have an odd way of asking for it. If you are just trying to show you are the smartest man in the room, then....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

if you are just bragging 

[ldhair]

I don't trust a word the OP has to say. He has shown that to me. 

[Henri Charriere]

Yo, G-Money, I'll make this short and simple. Do NOT squander any $$$ on an MS- anything until you have mastered the basics.  

You have the right to do whatever you please, but be smart.  Skip the World and Ancient coins which require more knowledge, get your Red Book out and select a coin type that appeals to you and study up on the series. Every coin series has one or more key dates and/or mintmarks. Nothing wrong with keeping your eye on the prize, but concentrate on the ins and outs of a series.  If you're looking to make a quick killing, the chances you will are remote.  I have faith in you. Aw-eye? Aw-ite then. On the strength, G!