Modern Coinage vs Older Coinage

[youliveyoulean 24]

Hi all,

my wife has asked me to trim down my coin collection and it's been keeping me awake at night.

I've been thinking do I sell some of each type and keep a few of each, dispose of my modern coinage entirely (Royal Mint silver, gold proofs etc.) or dispose of my older coinage entirely (mainly George V and Victoria)?

I'm thinking long term value. Which coins will fare better in the long run and why?

From my own experience, the upcoming generation of coin collectors would seem to much prefer the modern coinage. I guess one could argue a case for them having more eye appeal with these frosty, deep cameo appearances etc. They could also be viewed as more interesting as they tend to have a unique theme struck on the reverse which older coins don't have so you're not just collecting dates. Finally, the mintage figures are well documented so little or no research would be required to form opinions on scarcity, desirability etc. which means less time spent forming a collection (impatient lot these youngsters!).

I'd be interested to hear any views on this which may help me rest a little easier.

 

[IanB 175]

Have you tried asking her to trim down her collection of shoes, handbags and pretty things for the house? Then there would be plenty of space for your coins??

[azda 973]

An interesting scenario, the question is, what do you want to keep? Gold should most definitely be kept for rainy days, unfortunately we don't know what it is exactly that you have in your collection or how big and how well preserved it is, so only you can answer your question right now

[Peter 615]

When you can get an EF ED1 penny for less than a shite modern 50p  There is no comparison. Out of duty I got the Olympic 50p's but haven't looked at them for 5 years.

My hammered coins are always at hand,not in capsuals and apparently i have a grin bigger than my thieving dog who recently had my steak out of a hot frying pan.

[youliveyoulean 24]

IanB:- I would but I don't want my allowance cut!

azda:- I want to keep all of them! I like them all for different reasons but my question is which do you think will be increase in value as that would be the deciding factor. I think talking individual coins or size of collection is going off course but if you want a specific example, lets say a BU 1934 George V halfcrown vs a 2001 Victorian Era £5 Reverse frosted Silver proof issued by the Royal Mint (mintage 596 I think so fairly scarce).

Peter:- So I'll put you down for holding on to the modern silver proofs then!

[Peter 615]

No way...all is modern RM trash.The only way you can make on this crap is bullion increases. Buy history....simples.

[azda 973]

44 minutes ago, youliveyoulean said:

IanB:- I would but I don't want my allowance cut!

azda:- I want to keep all of them! I like them all for different reasons but my question is which do you think will be increase in value as that would be the deciding factor. I think talking individual coins or size of collection is going off course but if you want a specific example, lets say a BU 1934 George V halfcrown vs a 2001 Victorian Era £5 Reverse frosted Silver proof issued by the Royal Mint (mintage 596 I think so fairly scarce).

Peter:- So I'll put you down for holding on to the modern silver proofs then!

Having a crystal ball is wonderful in hindsight, who would have thought that in 1989 the sovereign that cost £195 now sets you back £800. Your frosted proof might do the same IN 10 YEARS, but then again, it might not, so it's your choice of what to get rid of

[Peter 615]

1950 & 51 1d coins still sell at 1960 prices.Buy some early silver GVF+ (pre 1800) and enjoy.

[Peter 615]

Oh and avoid 1758,1787 silver and 1746 Lima halfcrowns and maybe 1711 shillings.They are as common as a drunk accountant in a nylon shirt at a wedding.

[Sword 1,330]

For me the answer is simple: keep the coins you most enjoy having and get rid of the others. Collecting is primarily about enjoyment. If investment becomes more important, then coins might not be the best things to invest in.

I personally feel that a 100+ years BU coin is likely to have more potential from an investment viewpoint than a modern RM coin unless the price of bullion changes significantly.

 

[Sword 1,330]

7 minutes ago, Peter said:

Oh and avoid 1758,1787 silver and 1746 Lima halfcrowns and maybe 1711 shillings.They are as common as a drunk accountant in a nylon shirt at a wedding.

I plan to get  an EF+ 1746 LIMA halfcrown in the future. I think they are only very common in lower grades. And I haven't met a drunk accountant in a nylon shirt at a wedding before ...

[Peter 615]

In Suffolk we call them Wedding man.They seem to be at every wedding you go to.Another thing is they are still wearing 32" waist trousers despite putting on 3 St.

A quality Lima will always hold its value.A beautiful coin.

[mrbadexample 985]

8 hours ago, youliveyoulean said:

my wife has asked me to trim down my coin collection and it's been keeping me awake at night.

Is that lying awake wondering how to dispose of the coins, or the wife? 

This might be of interest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0499cj9/player

I can't abide the modern "commemorative" pieces. They simply aren't coins as far as I'm concerned, but that's just my opinion.

However, without knowing what you've got, it's hard to say.

Keep what pleases you most, or alternatively, think about why you've been asked to downsize. Does it take up too much space? Is it all over the house? I'd probably be inclined to avoid downsizing by whatever means I could.

[Sword 1,330]

2 hours ago, mrbadexample said:

Is that lying awake wondering how to dispose of the coins, or the wife? 

This might be of interest: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0499cj9/player

I can't abide the modern "commemorative" pieces. They simply aren't coins as far as I'm concerned, but that's just my opinion.

However, without knowing what you've got, it's hard to say.

Keep what pleases you most, or alternatively, think about why you've been asked to downsize. Does it take up too much space? Is it all over the house? I'd probably be inclined to avoid downsizing by whatever means I could.

That's a good video clip. I find it incredible that so many people are happy to buy from the mints at hugely inflated prices mainly for "investment" purposes.

Here is an extreme case I have just come across: 

 

This is one of the lots in the next Lockdale Auction. It was brought 20 years ago and none of the previous owners have even open the packet to look at the coins.

[Stuntman 264]

6 hours ago, Sword said:

For me the answer is simple: keep the coins you most enjoy having and get rid of the others. Collecting is primarily about enjoyment. If investment becomes more important, then coins might not be the best things to invest in.

I personally feel that a 100+ years BU coin is likely to have more potential from an investment viewpoint than a modern RM coin unless the price of bullion changes significantly.

 

I agree on all counts.  But perhaps keep a few of the modern RM coins whose designs you particularly like.

[azda 973]

2 hours ago, Sword said:

That's a good video clip. I find it incredible that so many people are happy to buy from the mints at hugely inflated prices mainly for "investment" purposes.

 

In some cases it's true the the mints add more than they should, but also coin dealers do the same when they're selling you a coin, there's absolutely no difference because they are all dealers at the end of the day , one is modern the other not, but modern can be bought at near spot price unless of course you are the South African mint who have this year started to sell silver Krugerrands at stupid prices, so far i've seen 50 euros plus for a 1 million mintage, i guess they are trying to be exclusive, but with a mintage like that it's never going to happen, funnily enough they recalled the coins due to quality problems, the RM should take note

Edited January 8, 2017 by azda

[mrbadexample 985]

4 hours ago, Sword said:

This is one of the lots in the next Lockdale Auction. It was brought 20 years ago and none of the previous owners have even open the packet to look at the coins.

That might be because they think it may attract a premium for being still sealed.

[Sword 1,330]

49 minutes ago, mrbadexample said:

That might be because they think it may attract a premium for being still sealed.

Undoubtedly. And hence undoubtedly it was initially brought from the Royal Mint for "investment". It will turn out to be a very bad investment when it is sold in the auction I am afraid. 

How can anyone tell if there are still coins inside? Someone could have removed them long ago and resealed in a box of junk ...

Edited January 8, 2017 by Sword

[mrbadexample 985]

1 hour ago, Sword said:

How can anyone tell if there are still coins inside? Someone could have removed them long ago and resealed in a box of junk ...

Could make for an interesting conversation with the auctioneers: "Hello, I've bought a box of rocks..." 

[Nordle11 564]

On 8/1/2017 at 9:09 AM, IanB said:

Have you tried asking her to trim down her collection of shoes, handbags and pretty things for the house? Then there would be plenty of space for your coins??

A little late here but this made me laugh coffee out my nose. Then I had to explain to everyone at work what I was doing. In Spanish. With coffee all over me.

 

[Nonmortuus 848]

21 hours ago, Sword said:

I plan to get  an EF+ 1746 LIMA halfcrown in the future. I think they are only very common in lower grades. And I haven't met a drunk accountant in a nylon shirt at a wedding before ...

I totally agree on the Lima Halfcrowns. I have been looking for one for over a year and only 2 have come close to grabbing my interest. I want one as an example but I am happy to wait for the right one to turn up.

[jaggy 528]

Re: Wives and coins. 

Some members may recall that I received an unsolicited offer for a 1853 proof sixpence about a month after I had acquired it (I discussed it on here). Anyway, I accepted the offer and made a 68% profit on the coin in less than two months. Needless to say, my wife was most impressed and even more so when I invested some of the profit in buying her a pearl necklace in a Heritage jewelry auction. She now believes that coins are a 'good thing' and that I actually know what I am doing with them. As such, I get no grief when investing part of my money (we both have our own dosh) in them.