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Just how hot is the Early Dollar market?

northcoinnorthcoin Posts: 4,987 ✭✭✭✭✭
There seems to be agreement that certain areas are hot (beautifully toned Commems, high end registry set pieces, etc..) Included in the discussions last summer was also mentioned Early Dollars. Are early dollars still hot or was it just a flash in the pan? For those of you who are into early dollars do you see this as a good time to be buying? What would you pay for a flowing hair 1795 graded by ICG as XF-45? Would it make much difference if it was a two leaf or a three leaf variety? Or another way to ask the question, if the greysheet for an XF40 is $5,500, how much, if any, over that in your opinion would be a sustainable price for an XF-45 graded by ICG?

Comments

  • BladeBlade Posts: 1,744
    I just heard about a 1797 in PCGS MS62 that is being offered for sale. Didn't get a price, but this dealer typically plays in the hottest parts of the market. PM and I'll send you info.
    Tom

    NOTE: No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

    Type collector since 1981
    Current focus 1855 date type set
  • pmh1nicpmh1nic Posts: 3,275 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I really don't make it a practice to keep track of the pricing of early dollars because I'm not buying or selling right now. That said I looked at Trends a week or so ago and was shock to see the current listing for the early dollars I have. Even given that Trends is high retail the price are two or three times higher than I remember them just a few years ago.

    Having said that I can understand the growing appeal of these early pieces of U.S. numismatic history. I think this trend (high prices) will continue (may not as dramatically) given the relatively fixed supply and what I believe will be an increase in demand as some of the State Quarter collectors migrate to classic coins.
    The longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice is it possible for an empire to rise without His aid? Benjamin Franklin
  • PlacidPlacid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭
    Heritage
    Lot: 13755 Early Dollars
    1795 S$1 Draped Bust XF45 ICG
    Sold For: $4,715.00 (with BP)
    Ended: October 8, 2002
    10:00 PMCT

    Lot: 7734 Early Dollars
    1795 S$1 Flowing Hair, Two Leaves XF45 ICG. B-1,
    Sold For: $5,405.00 (with BP)
    Ended: September 27, 2002
    12:00 AMCT

    Lot: 8338 Early Dollars
    1795 S$1 Flowing Hair, Three Leaves XF45 NGC.
    Sold For: $5,865.00 (with BP)
    Ended: July 28, 2002
    12:00 AMCT

    BP=15%
  • Northcoin,

    I believe Early Dollars are still fairly hot! The premium, original pieces you can forget buying at greysheet. Most of the others are not as hot and can be had for around greysheet and sometimes less.
    The ICG 45 you are inquiring about can be a 4500 coin up to 7000 coin depending on quality.

    Best of luck, Dollarmike
  • cardinalcardinal Posts: 2,005 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The Early Dollar market is one that I follow very closely. After several years of fairly level prices, these coins have increased sharply over the last few years -- many of them tripling over the last three years. Before the recent increase, the "normal" price from a Heraldic Eagle dollar in XF-40 was $1,000. Now, nice specimens go from $2,500 to $3,500, even for common varieties.

    I think an important thing to remember with these, or other early coins, is that there can be very different "quality" and eye-appeal between coins of the supposedly-same "technical" grade. That makes it very difficult to make value judgments or comparisons difficult without actually seeing the coins. Consequently, these coins really only trade on a sight-seen basis. Your best bet is to make comparisons with other known sales -- the Heritage website maintains a permanent archive of auction sales, with photos. So, it would be a good idea to not just compare the grades on the holders, but also compare the appearance of the coins.

    From what I've seen, those specimens of ho-hum quality or eye appeal have not gone up in value nearly as much as those with high-end quality, and I would expect that trend to continue. I know I am still buying for my set, and I'm prepared to pay the premium if the coin warrants it. It seems that the Flowing Hair dollars are experiencing some renewed growth right now, and 1794 dollars really seem to be on fire. I can remember up to five years ago, F-XF 1794 dollars sold for $1,000 per grading point -- $20,000 for a VF-20 specimen. Right now, there's a PCGS-VF20 listed on the National Coin website for $95,000. That's a 375% increase!

    I'd recommend considering your purchase carefully, and making as many comparisons as you can.

    Best of luck.
  • EVillageProwlerEVillageProwler Posts: 5,856 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I received my copy of the latest JRJ today. In it, WDP wrote an article analyzing the prices realized from the two Heritage auctions of the Michael Hering collection of EDs.

    The most numerous variety in that collection was the 1795 FH (3lvs) Bol.5 (BB-27). It is exceedingly common, and so would not command a premium due to scarcity.

    The long and short of his analysis is that, like many other series nowadays, the nice, eye appealing and PQ specimens are hot. The ones with problems or are LQ, however, trade at a discount.

    Like Dollarmike and Cardinal said, there is a huge price variance due to the coin itself. The holder does NOT matter.

    Dollarmike: please tell me why I did NOT bid on the Hering BB-256 specimen? As I recall, it was a nice VF35 specimen. WHY?!? WHHHHYYYYY!!!!?????!!!!!

    EVP

    How does one get a hater to stop hating?

    I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com

  • northcoinnorthcoin Posts: 4,987 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Thanks to all for your insight and time spent providing useful advice and suggestions.
  • michaelmichael Posts: 9,524 ✭✭
    super hot for the right coins okie to good for everything else

    an example of a super hot coin any 1794 dollar and a really nice full strike original or lightly cleaned 1795 dollar in au 50 53 55 58

    okie to good are lower grade dollars with reasonable surfaces

    hot hot hot fully original better variety rarity 5 and higher dollars
  • EVillageProwlerEVillageProwler Posts: 5,856 ✭✭✭✭✭
    hot hot hot fully original better variety rarity 5 and higher dollars

    They are hot because they are fully original, not because they are R5+. The latest sales of named ED collections (Cardinal, Hering, San Marino, Albany) have shown that quality is hot. The rare varieties that are only of marginal quality did not perform well.

    EVP

    How does one get a hater to stop hating?

    I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com

  • dorkkarldorkkarl Posts: 12,691 ✭✭✭
    the entire segment for bust material is still extremely hot. i have sold a dozen bust dollars in the past 3 years, & wish i had waited until today to sell them.

    let me make this statement: you cannot pay too much $ for a bust dollar.

    as crazy as that sounds, in the past 20 years, it has proven time & again to be true for me. coins that i thought were a ripoff in 1980, i have sold for 4, 5, 6 times or more what i paid for them. in fact, most of the money i have turned in recent years has been from the sale of my dollars.

    i have also sold a whopping number of bust half-halves. again, i used to pick these up for dirt prices 20 years ago. today, you can forget it. if you've got anything over R5, you are gonna make money, plain & simple.

    the key factor? original coins. that's ultimately where you can't lose money, because the number of true originals will never increase, while the number of collectors will.

    K S

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