collecting - A coin I like but you probably won't

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A coin I like but you probably won't

Toned coins aren't for everyone. Those who avoid toned coins occasionally
comment that they like this or that coin, but it is an exception. Those
who claim to like toned coins will often draw a line between attractively
toned and ugly toned, accepting the former, rejecting the latter. This
drawn line is entirely subjective, with no two individuals agreeing where
the line is drawn.

So, I find this coin on eBay and I like it. Even the act of searching eBay
is an act of foolishness on my part, since I have made some purchases that
have me broke, financially busted, and it will likely be into the summer of
2004 before I can consider another serious purchase, if I'm lucky. What
did I just say? Well, don't hold me to it.

I haven't searched eBay for commemorative halfs for a couple of weeks, long
enough that I am going nuts. So, today, rather than spend some time
photographing some coins to list at auction (which is what I should be
doing, but it sounded boring, or tedious), I do an eBay search. I thought I
would share some of my reaction to this coin;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3037294568

I have owned five or six Monroes, mostly Ef to AU, maybe one that was a MS61
or 62. I have never been excited by the look of the coin, but I have
noticed that the more lustrous the Monroe, the better I like it. I figured
I would have to have a super duper 64 or 65 to be content with the Monroe
for my permanent collection.

I also look at toned coins, because way back I decided I did not want a set
that matched. You know, when you collect Lincoln cents or WL halfs, the
recommendation is that the coin have the same wear factor and color, to have
a nicer looking set. Well, that makes sense, all walkers and all Lincolns
are intended to look the same, so a set should be matched. Not so with
commemorative halfs. What is it, 48 different designs for the classic
commemorative half? Can't remember precisely. Anyway, I wanted my
collection of halfs to have all kinds of color. Here, a coin rim toned in
burgundy, there - a coin with brown, there- a coin with rose, there -a coin
with blues and greens, there -a coin with oranges and reds. That was what I
decided I wanted. Further, when possible, I wanted the toning to be
pertinent is some way to the coin, either pertinent to the design, as in an
Oregon with gold around the sun or pertinent to the event being
commemorated, such as my blood stained Gettysburg, here;

http://showcase.netins.net/web/bills...Gettysburg.JPG

Back to the Monroe in the eBay auction, and some of the thoughts that popped
into my head.

1. Geez, I think that would look nice in my perceived collection, but;

2. $1,599 if no one else bids. That is a lot more money than I have ever
spent for a coin. That's 150 to 300 of my $5 and $10 proof and mint sets
that I have been eBaying, and I don't think I have that many left to sell.
What does greysheet say? Hmmm, Monroe, 65.... crap, it says bid is $2,480.
So now the price doesn't look so bad, unless

3. the coin is a low end 65 or possibly overgraded. For the most part, I
have been very satisfied with the NGC graded coins that I have owned, but
still, one out of 10 I have not been happy with, perhaps a high ratio
because all of my purchases have been eBay. What if I were to win this coin
and opine that this is 64, imo? Let's see, greysheet says Monroe,
64....ohhhhh. Uhoh. 64 is bid at $360. Big, big price jump. Now, I have
to go back to the price and wonder if there is a reason for the minimum set
at 2/3rds of greysheet bid. Well, I can't really judge surface marks with
the auction image. The color, well wait a minute, I have bought from this
seller before, and the color of the coin was nowhere close to the image
portrayed in the auction. Why, I even have a comparison to look at;

http://showcase.netins.net/web/bills...okecompare.JPG

Top image was auction image, lower image is very close to the truth. Lot of
difference, huh. In this instance the coin was much nicer than the auctin
image. Hmmmmm.

I have no summary paragraph for this post. I have yet to sum up the
situation. I did have one other thought- email the seller. But, this is a
Saturday and the auction ends in a few hours. Should I even pursue this
coin any further? I mean, I can't afford it. I would have to charge the
money and sell a lot of coins quick to avoid finance charges. Always
another Monroe tomorrow, right? Still, I seen a Spanish Trail a couple of
years ago that I passed on because I had never spent $1,000 for a coin and
felt like I could not afford to do so at the time. That, and it was just
plain scary to spend that much on a coin. And, since that Spanish Trail
that I passed on, I have looked at a large number of Spanish Trails and not
seen any that I wanted for $1,000. I have seen several that I liked, but
the price tags were closer to $2,000 or more. So, for me, there may not be
another Monroe tomorrow, or the next day. I should have titled this post as
"The pitfalls of the hobby" Bill

"Bill Krummel" wrote in message
...
snip Bill' thoughts

.. The color, well wait a minute, I have bought from this
seller before, and the color of the coin was nowhere close to the image
portrayed in the auction. Why, I even have a comparison to look at;

http://showcase.netins.net/web/bills...okecompare.JPG

Top image was auction image, lower image is very close to the truth. Lot
of
difference, huh. In this instance the coin was much nicer than the
auctin
image. Hmmmmm.

Looks to me like the same warm tint to this coin as the one you got
earlier. If you have a color correction program, take the Monroe picture,
and tweak the color to be more like the coin you won. That way you'll see
if you would like it, if in fact the seller does "correct" his auction
pictures.

Looking at his other auctions, they all seem to have that warm gold tint to
them (not counting the real gold coins).

Ed

"Bill Krummel" wrote in message
...

1. Geez, I think that would look nice in my perceived collection, but;

2. $1,599 if no one else bids. That is a lot more money than I have ever
spent for a coin. That's 150 to 300 of my $5 and $10 proof and mint sets
that I have been eBaying, and I don't think I have that many left to sell.
What does greysheet say? Hmmm, Monroe, 65.... crap, it says bid is
$2,480.
So now the price doesn't look so bad, unless

3. the coin is a low end 65 or possibly overgraded. For the most part, I
have been very satisfied with the NGC graded coins that I have owned, but
still, one out of 10 I have not been happy with, perhaps a high ratio
because all of my purchases have been eBay. What if I were to win this
coin
and opine that this is 64, imo? Let's see, greysheet says Monroe,
64....ohhhhh. Uhoh. 64 is bid at $360. Big, big price jump.

I think I'd be searching for a high end MS64.
Steve

"Doggo" wrote:

Looks to me like the same warm tint to this coin as the one you got
earlier.

There's one problem with your theory....the NGC slab is perfectly white.

++++++++++
Phil DeMayo - always here for my fellow Stooge
When bidding online always sit on your helmet
Just say NO to counterfeits

"Steve" wrote in message
...

"Bill Krummel" wrote in message
...

1. Geez, I think that would look nice in my perceived collection, but;

2. $1,599 if no one else bids. That is a lot more money than I have
ever
spent for a coin. That's 150 to 300 of my $5 and $10 proof and mint
sets
that I have been eBaying, and I don't think I have that many left to
sell.
What does greysheet say? Hmmm, Monroe, 65.... crap, it says bid is
$2,480.
So now the price doesn't look so bad, unless

3. the coin is a low end 65 or possibly overgraded. For the most part,
I
have been very satisfied with the NGC graded coins that I have owned,
but
still, one out of 10 I have not been happy with, perhaps a high ratio
because all of my purchases have been eBay. What if I were to win this
coin
and opine that this is 64, imo? Let's see, greysheet says Monroe,
64....ohhhhh. Uhoh. 64 is bid at $360. Big, big price jump.

I think I'd be searching for a high end MS64.
Steve

If I have two coins I like equally well, your're darn tootin I would go with
the high end 64 over the 65, at that price jump. But, I don't search for
numbers. I search commem halfs by type and go for what I at least think I
will like for my collection. The number on the slab is of no consideration,
although the price related to the grade number is. Iows, if I see a 65 I
can't afford, I don't go looking for a 64 I can afford, I wait until I come
across a coin, regardless of number, that I like and can afford. Were I to
go nine months without a coin purchase, I could probably afford a $1600
Monroe. But, I bet the next Monroe that I have a decent interest in will
carry a price tag of more than $1600 and more than I have saved up for, if
my past experience is an indicator. Bill