Could early RD Lincolns still be a bargain?

clackamas

Here is the argument: Take Buffalo's from the twenties. The rarest date is the 26-S has 206 coins in mint state graded. At the highest grade there are 9 coins in MS65. There are 104 coins in MS64 and one sold recently for $17,500 in MS64 with a Pop of 104/9.

now lets take the 26-S lincoln, although not the rarest in MS, its not common and one of the most expensive coin in the series. There are 78 MS red coins graded, with a single top coin graded at MS65 and 62 coins at MS64RD. One recently sold for $4,370 in MS64RD. This is less than 1/4th what a more common Buff from the same year fetched.

So, are Lincoln's relative to other coins cheap?

littlewicher

I always think in terms of value of the original coin. Although it isn't mostly true for all series. A penny is worth one cent to begin with, a nickel is worth five cents, so to begin with, the nickel is worth 5 times more then the penny. That means that maybe the nickel should be worth around $18,000, when the penny is worth $4,000? It's the same with the seated coin series and Barber series. Obviously the half dollars are usually going to fetch more in the same grade and date, then maybe the dime. Just trying to make sense out of prices.

clackamas

Does that mean a Peace Dollar should be worth $400,000?

tjkillian

I've never heard of the value of a coin related to its face value. I shudder to think what a common date double eagle would be worth.

Tom

littlewicher

No. This observation is somewhat limited, and has a lot of factors involved with it also.

littlewicher

The idea was just trying to make sense out of current prices for coins. Some of the observation is accurate, in my opinion. Like you pay generally more for a Barber Half, then a Barber dime, correct?

tradedollarnut

The availability of RB and BR specimens will knock those prices way down on the Lincolns. Too many nice RB coins available will siphon off some of the demand.