Liberty Nickel MS Prices For 1912-S? Why are they so high?

moosesr

I have been starting to get interested in collecting uncirculated liberty nickels and was trying to decide which dates were key dates and probably should be obtained first. I know the 1885, 1886 and 1912-S are the key dates in circulated condition and I thought these same dates would be the key dates in uncirculated. Based on certified pop's I don't understand why the 1912-S is considered a key date, but it is more expensive compared to similar population more common dates.

Anyone have a comment or explanation for this higher price for the 1912-S, for example as compared to a 1910 which has similar pop's?

Thanks,
Charlie

relayer

It's the tenth lowest mintage of the 20th century (238,000) and finding them in MS condition is tough.

ziggy29

Relatively high preservation rates are largely offset by the overall very low mintage and by pricing pressures at lower grades.

grip

Maybe another factor,they were not widley collected,and leaving a majority in circulated condition?
Al

jdimmick

I may be somewhat biased as I have a very nice highend PCGS-64 in my collection ( at least for a few more months), but I think the 12-s price is higher becuase of several things.

1) Lowest mintage of the v nickels (excluding the 13 course.)

2) First San Fran nickel

3) And finally more importantly, thier is no Proof format of this date like the 85 and 86 coins. I believe if it werent for the proof version on other years, a lot more demand would be on 85 and 86 MS strikes and you would see a big price difference between them and the 12-s.


For those intrested ! Thier is an original roll of 12-s Lib nickels in a collection? Whether it gets dispersed anytime soon is anyone's guess???

nccoin

It should be a no brainer. Look at the mintage compared with the other dates.

moosesr

I just looked at the Heritage Auction Archives for 1885 and 1912-S coins in MS grades from 1993 to 2004. There were 29 auctions for the 1885 and 50 for the 1912-S, which looks to me like evidence that there were almost twice as many 1912-S coins available in auctions as 1885 coins. Also the Liberty Nickel Collectors Society Records show 299 certified in MS for the 1885 and 735 certified for the 1912-S.

So, it justs seems to me that it is not the low mintage that is making the 1912-S a more expensive coin.

Charlie

nickel

also, 1912 S nickels are way less than 1916 D dimes in good or fine condition , even though the dimes have a somewhat higher mintage . should i or you buy every 1912 S in sight ,or sell every 1916 D before the price collapses?

WACoinGuy

Remember also that 1910 is less than a $200 coin until you reach MS-65, whereas the 1912-S is over $1,000 after MS-60. The fact that they have similar pops doesn't say too much in this case because of the large price difference.

WACoinGuy

BTW, if you're looking at putting together a collection of liberty nickels, you'll also want to keep your eye open for coins from the 1890s. These can be pretty difficult to find as well. I should know -- I'm three coins away from a complete set, and two of them are from the 1890s.

dorkkarl

1912-s is a sleeper. it's a coin i've "invested" in....

you heard it here 1st!

K S