When did this happen? Prices of DCAM 40% silver Kennedy half dollars

braddick

So I threw a quick bid on this PR68 DCAM 1969-S PCGS proof Kennedy half dollar, on a whim.
I was surprised to win it at a little over $17.00.
It has been awhile since I've priced these out, but wasn't there a time in the not to distant past that PR68 DCAM Kennedy halves (from either 1968 or 1969 or 1970) were more expensive or is this the new norm?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/395571803590

1madman

Pop is 1,778
Price guide is $40

Seems to be fairly common

braddick

I recall going through dealer stock back in the late 1980s looking for these in DCAM and when one was discovered it was a real treat.
Now they appear to be as common as hens teeth and just not the big deal they used to be.

wondercoin

Pat: The coin you won is around $25 - $50 retail. It’s a very nice example of a 68DCAM coin. The more interesting grade is PR69DCAM (with just 1 higher at PCGS). In the PR69DCAM grade, the coin has sold for as little as $38 at GC! But, that is for the “low end” of the quality pool, both in way of quality of grade and quality of depth of deep cameo. On the other hand, the “high end” of the quality pool has sold for nearly $600 at GC!! If I had lot viewed that auction, I might have paid $1,000 for the coin.

I love these 1968-1970 Kennedy coins with monster DCAM depth and 69 quality grade. I’ve been collecting them (along with the other denominations) for at least 42 years. Back then, around 1982 -83, I could “cherry” one killer monster DCAM Kennedy with 69 quality surfaces out of every roughly 100 fresh proof sets. Today, I “cherry” one out of every roughly 500 -600 “fresh” sets (almost non-existent any longer). And, even at that, the depth of cameo is maybe an 8-9 out of 10, while the coins I “cherried” in 1982-83 were 10/10 on the scale.

Just my 2 cents.

Wondercoin.

JimW

The 1965 SMS DCAM is pretty pricey IIRC

braddick

Thanks for all the info here.
Just some rambling thoughts:
Between the grading fees and the price of the coins I can't imagine it is truly worth it to find the time to cherry pick these and get them in holders unless you find that "one-in-a-million" black and white monster.
I wish Rick Tomaska still posted here.
I also miss Russ and MadMarty as there take on this would again be interesting along with Dog97.
I am grateful we still have Mitch!

Thank goodness, for those who love the hunt- the SMSs in deep cameo with flawless fields are still strongly desirable.

jmlanzaf

@braddick said:
Thanks for all the info here.
Just some rambling thoughts:
Between the grading fees and the price of the coins I can't imagine it is truly worth it to find the time to cherry pick these and get them in holders unless you find that "one-in-a-million" black and white monster.
I wish Rick Tomaska still posted here.
I also miss Russ and MadMarty as there take on this would again be interesting along with Dog97.
I am grateful we still have Mitch!

Thank goodness, for those who love the hunt- the SMSs in deep cameo with flawless fields are still strongly desirable.

A lot of those get in holders from people with bulk submission privileges. I bought a whole PCGS submission of proof and mint set coins from one of those folks for $12 per coin on a flip. He paid $7 per plus the cost of the coins.

SanctionII

7Jaguars

Funny you brought this up as I have just taken a liking to the 68-70 S proof Kennedys in DCAM & UltraCam (NGC). I just like the look and don't really want to sink that much into them. The 70S I got was only 69 CAM but really a nice one - but very little investment for nice looking coins.