I was hoping someone could comment on a thought I had concerning slabbed statehood quarters. Obviously silver will tarnish more easily than clad. Right? Here is my concern. A slabbed PR-70 quarter with a silver finish, might take on a tone through the holder, since they aren't airtight, or even from sunlight through the holder? Agree Disagree? So to me I am thinking that PR-70 SILVER slabbed coins carry a dangerous premium vs. their Clad cousins because they will be much more fragile. I am deciding whether or not to go down the Clad or Silver path. There is a huge difference in price between PR-69 and PR-70, and I am wondering if this difference is noticeable to the naked eye. However I see little slab price difference between silver vs. clad. ANYWAY COMMENTS FROM THOSE IN THE KNOW ARE APPRECIATED. I ASK BECAUSE I AM AN AMATEUR. THANKS IN ADVANCE.
One question...who is grading the coins PF70?? I don't recommend buying SGS slabs I bet there isn't a PF70 for each date and may not be a PF69--as for toning hurting the coins--I don't think the sunlight it going to be bad on it..but if you don't want them to have sunlight...look at them only at night Remember--PCGS,NGC,ANAC,ICG, are the only slabs I would buy..maybe a PCI but that's all...the others would have to be less than $5 for me to buy them....Buy the coin NOT the slab and don't worry about the grade on the slab...teach yourself to grade and then grade the coins yourself...its fun to grade Speedy
Nah you can get year sets from PCGS or NGC that are PF-70 with the corresponding Ultra/Deep Cameo rating. Not as common as the PF-69 though and they are 5-10 times the cost.
My answer would be quite simple; SILVER=PRECIOUS METAL CLAD=________ (whatever you would like to call it) Hands down I would go with silver if it were my MONEY being spent! You must decide for yourself and be happy with what you are doing. I buy both the clad and silver proof sets every year but have far more faith in the silver as a long term "safe" bet than I do the clad. Again, it is your collection and regardless of what any of us may tell you, it is important that YOU feel good about what you are doing, have done, and will do in the future. Good luck and enjoy the hobby!
I must agree with Crystal in the silver vs clad question. But that's just my opinion. Collect what YOU like. Dave
Yes - under some circumstances silver will tone more easily than clad. But if stored properly, neither is likely to tone. Yes coins can and do sometimes tone in the holder. However, toning can often add to the value of the coin. If most consider it to be unsightly toning, it can also detract from the value. It just depends on the toning and who is looking at the coin.If you wish to avoid toning, the key is proper storage. What you should actually be worried about is not toning, but haze. And the haze that is found on modern Proof coins is caused by the wash used at the mint. This will detract from the value. The sad thing is - there is nothing you can do to avoid it. It either happens or it doesn't. Don't ever leave a slabbed coin or a raw coin in the sunlight ! There is definitely a large difference in price between a 69 and a 70. As for the difference in appearance - the majority of people could not tell. But what matters is if YOU can tell. If you can't - then why spend the money ? You should also consider what has happened to the value of these coins in recent years - as well as what may happen in the future. Nobody knows for sure - but values could easily drop to half or less than what they are now. And that goes for coins graded PF69 and PF70.
Um...what has happened in recent years? I am guessing the prices have dropped....good guess? What kind of percent change? Thanks for advice. Sounds like I would be happy with the PR-69 quality, and they are MUCH less than the PR-70.
Interesting. And thanks for all the answers. Unfortunately as I learn more I think of more questions. ;-) I see tons of PR-69 UCAM/DCAM sets out there. Is it safe to say that and "average" 1999-2004 proof set would contain a lot of PR-69 coins and very few PR-68 and PR-70? I guess what I am wondering is if it is better to go with slabbed PR-69 coins or just buy the proof sets in US Mint packaging, unless all the availble ones are just PR-68 dogs.... Heck I have a 1999 Silver Proof set and I see they went waaay up in value. MAYBE IT'S FULL OF PR-70 DCAMS. LoL.
Why do you call it unfortunate that the more you learn, the more you realize what you don't know? That's what gets you to to improve your education. The main thing that objectively separates humans from the lower animals is the ability to learn from the experience of others.
1) I don't think I would call a PR68 a "dog." 68 is an extremely high rating. In my experience, most proof coins pulled strait from sets from the mint are in the PR65-PF67 range. Ultra-Modern proofs are well made and carefully handled by the mint, but *stuff* happens and they RARELY leave the mint in PR69/70 condition (there are some collectors who contend that there is no such thing as a "perfect" coin and as such PR/MS70 should NEVER be given). 2) I sincerely doubt that you (a self proclaimed amateur) could differentiate between a PR68, PR69, and PR70. (the vast majority of collectors can't). The graders who actually assign the grades have decades of experience and they use microscopes to find the smallest imperfections to differentiate the topmost grades. Most collectors, if given 15 coins all professionally graded Pr68-70 would be doing little more than guessing if they tried to sort them by grade assigned. ( know I would be.) 3) I only recommend PCGS and NGC when buying 69's and 70's. ICG tends to grade a lot of 70's by comparison , so their values aren't as good/reliable. 4) A common practice with some high volume dealers is to cherrypick proof sets and then submit the best coins for grading in the hopes of a 68+ grade. They literally search hundreds of proof sets for a handful of coins to submit. What this means for you is that unless you personally received your proof set from the mint it was likely already inspected for ultra high grade coins and was deemed more valuable as a set than as individual graded coins. Bottom line: your set likly contains no PF68+ coins (the odds are against it even if it hasn't been searched). 5) finally, i will reiterate a warning you have alreadyreceived, do NOT buy sgs graded coins. They have little value as they are way overgraded. good luck CJD
Heh heh. Thanks for the info. Well I looked at my 1999 silver quarters with a glass and right away I found one with a healthy scuff on the rim, one with a weird dark spot on the hip of the horse, and one with a dark discolored area covering maybe 10% of the obverse. I didn't even bother looking at the obverses. I had no idea quality control was so horrible. I just assumed the average proof today would be maybe 68 or 69. Man after seeing my set I wouldn't waste money on a silver quarter set when you can buy the slabbed 69's for just a modest premium. Thanks for insights.
I have been in your shoes, so this is not anything I have not been through, but with experience you will learn to change your attitude on toning. It is a fact of life that as things get older, they age a bit. In the case of coins this often means toning, If you are looking for a coin to put in a time capsule, MAYBE you could put the sort of thought into it that you are using as the basis of this question. Otherwise, I would not worry so much about it. Silver does tone/tarnish faster in some circumstances, but in my mind cupronickel can suffer more serious damage faster. In other words, silver can corrode, but it does not happen as fast as it can happen with a copper-based alloy. Also, if you look at older clad coins, they really do darken up over time – they usually do not stay bright and shiny any more than silver does.
Why not leave a coin in sun? My question especially pertains to a coin I bought on eBay that had been harshly cleaned (not disclosed, couldn't see it in picture, seller did not respond to my first complaint, too naive at the time to press the issue). Coin has retoned noticeably, but still more would make the coin look better. Sometimes I intentionally put this coin in the sun, hoping that might accelerate the re-toning. No obvious effect so far. Maybe it would take months (or a smoker in the house, or burning lot of candles in the room). onlysdad
Well it's not just the sun alone, but it can create some, IMO, some rather ugly toning. It depends on many things - what is the coin sitting on while in the sun ? It depends on the air quality in the area you live as well as inside your home. Coins can also be affected by what kind of heat you have, gas, electric or wood/coal stoves. All of these things combined together with the heat from the sun is what produces the toning and determines how it will look. Sometimes toning can be gorgeous - sometimes very ugly. So with a coin like you describe - I can understand you trying to make it look better. But your not doing yourself any favors really. For anyone with experience will look at the coin and still see it for what it is - a harshly cleaned coin that was retoned. But if that suits you - great. A slabbed coin left the sun can do all sorts of things. I have seen slabs left in cars actually melt. Others when it's not so hot just turn all foggy and you can't see through them. The coins don't endure this very well either. And it could be a very costly mistake if the coin is valuable.
