are there any KEY dates that have not gone Insane in pricing?

goose3 · October 4, 2004 10:11AM

well , Huh??

I've got several K to blow and would like some ideas. I think I may buy a nice PF buffalo or at least look for one in Baltimore.

jdimmick · October 4, 2004 10:17AM

John,

as far as sheet movement a nice problem free circulated 95-o Barber dime, or a semi-key 1921 SLQ with strong clear date. 21-p or d halves?

jim

UncleWiggly · October 4, 2004 11:05AM

This might help. A week or so ago someone asked something along this line for wheat pennies. I do remember 1928S and D being mentioned.

Jerry

majorbigtime · October 4, 2004 11:21AM

are there any KEY dates that have not gone Insane in pricing?

1879-1883 Trade Dollar$!

Coinosaurus · October 4, 2004 11:29AM

They are out there, but chances of finding them are not all that good. Right now it takes more than cash to find sleepers, it takes some luck and hard work too!

EVillageProwler · October 4, 2004 11:32AM

1879-1883 Trade Dollar$!

They are NOT keys!

nccoin · October 4, 2004 11:49AM

<< 1879-1883 Trade Dollar$!

They are NOT keys! >>

If you collect Trade dollars, they are keys for that series.

cladking · October 4, 2004 11:54AM

You can go to some pretty big coin shows and not find a nice choice '82-P or '83-P quarter.
If you do find one it'll cost anywhere from ten to fifty dollars depending on when it was priced.

nccoin · October 4, 2004 1:39PM

Since I have almost a roll of Lincoln 1931-S cents, I will have to go with this coin as my answer to your question. Prices range from around 60.00 for an XF, but you need only to spend 100-125 for a nice 63 rb.

Coin Finder · October 4, 2004 2:05PM

Hey Goose, I would go as far as to say any key date barber dime.

Nice key date seated coinage is still cheap to.

Tbig

EVillageProwler · October 4, 2004 2:27PM

If you collect Trade dollars, they are keys for that series.

Very funny. You obviously have no idea who I am. Obviously, different people can have a different definition of what is a key date.

FYI - for the PF TD series, the 79-83 dates are the most common for the entire PF 73-85 run.

EVP

michael · October 4, 2004 3:13PM

gem 1878 seated dime

gem 1901 barber quarter

gem proof cameo 1885 three cent nickel

gem ultra cameo proof 1871 three cent nickel

any gem unc type two silver trime

any ultra cameo proof trade dollar

any ultra cameo gem proof seated dime

any ultra cameo gem proof three cent nickel

any gem proof large cent brown and red brown with great eye appeal

any decent proof classic head half cent

1909 gem red matte proof lincoln

any one year one mint type coin in gem from the early commem series

any choice proof no motto seated dollars

any gem proof 1886 three cent nickels

the list goes on and on but this is a start

you asked for it goose you got it!!

michael

sliderider · October 4, 2004 3:35PM

These may only count as a semi-keys for the series, but with 1.8 million copies minted, the 1930-S Mercury dime at around $200 (according to Coins magazine) in MS-65 seems quite reasonable considering a 26-S with 1.5 million minted is $3000 in the same grade. The 1931-D at 1.2 million is also around $200 in MS65 as is the 31-S at 1.8 million minted.

Elcontador · October 4, 2004 3:42PM

are there any KEY dates that have not gone Insane in pricing?

No. Plenty of nice coins are available in all grades. You can buy them if you want to either sell your first born, or write a blank check.

michael · October 4, 2004 4:12PM

gem proof 36 satin buffalo with good color

michael

JadeRareCoin · October 4, 2004 4:54PM

Yes, I know of a few key dates that are far more difficult to obtain than the price guides would indicate. Just a few. Are you going to the St. Louis show?

oreville · October 4, 2004 8:03PM

sliderider: You said<<<<<<<<<<<<These may only count as a semi-keys for the series, but with 1.8 million copies minted, the 1930-S Mercury dime at around $200 (according to Coins magazine) in MS-65 seems quite reasonable considering a 26-S with 1.5 million minted is $3000 in the same grade. The 1931-D at 1.2 million is also around $200 in MS65 as is the 31-S at 1.8 million minted. >>>>>>>>>

Sorry to disagree with you but just keep in mind that the 26-S is actually a BETTER BUY than the 1930-S since they were simply not saved in 1926 as compared to 1930 and even 1931.

Barry · October 4, 2004 8:07PM

Would you consider an AU coin with a mintage in the 5000 range going for $300-400 a deal?

If so, take a look at 3 cent nickels. Link to BST forum (shameless plug for my Ebay auctions)

dorkkarl · October 4, 2004 9:41PM

yes, definitely, too many to mention.

quick example, 1811 half-cent.

K S

LanLord · October 4, 2004 10:34PM

<< Very funny. You obviously have no idea who I am. >>

Wow, someone needs a reality check. That statement just sounds like an over-inflated ego.

oreville · October 4, 2004 10:54PM

Lanlord: I did not see it that way. I see that EVP was trying to hint to ncc that he is a specialist in Trade Dollar along with other coinage of that era.

The problem so far with most of these suggested great coins listed as not having insane in prices are NOT KEYS!
Great and wonderful coins, yes but NOT KEYS!

LanLord · October 4, 2004 11:04PM

I certainly don't mind someone sharing impirical data to support an opinion, but simply stating "You obviously don't know who I am" to support a point of view just seems odd.

OnlyBuffalos · October 4, 2004 11:20PM

The 1911-S through 1915-S Lincolns in true red MS65 are very underpriced relative to their sheet price. Be aware that most coins of this date range that are in MS65 RD slabs are really MS65 RB. If you are able to find a true red, recommend you purchase it.

oreville · October 4, 2004 11:20PM

Lanlord: You have a point there but geez, I thought everyone knew that the 79-83 proof trades were the most common also.

Now that I think of it and had my coffee, I thought majorbigtime and nccoins were joking about the 79-83 Trades and that EVP was just joking back at them!

oreville · October 4, 2004 11:23PM

Onlybuffalos: I thought those true MS-65's have already shot up in price? Do any of them qualify as KEYS in your opinion other than perhaps the 1914-S which is an awesome date?

STEWARTBLAYNUMIS · October 4, 2004 11:57PM

1901 s Barber quarter

stewart

mirabela · October 5, 2004 12:01AM

What about this -- one tick back from where the price spike starts, i.e. F15 21-S buffalo, etc. My sense is that people getting priced out of a higher grade are getting pushed back down the sheet in all issues, and there are still lots of actual keys & semi-keys (relatively, anyway) that aren't super-expensive up to a certain grade, and then shoot up. If you can find the next-closest thing, it might be the next thing to inflate. This logic worked pretty well for me in real estate -- seems like it might in coins.

OnlyBuffalos · October 5, 2004 12:46AM

Oreville, I think the term "key" is relative to the grade in which one collects. Traditionally we talk about keys based on overall population, but perhaps we should break it down further. If one is looking for a 1914-S Lincoln in a low circulated grade it is not a key. If one collects MS63 true red and above Lincolns, and especially MS65 reds, then it is a key. In MS65 red, a 1909-S VDB is common by comparison. Are you the collector who has hoarded all the 1911-S through 1915-S MS65 RD Lincolns?

I still believe this range of San Francisco dates in MS65 red, has a fine chance of going quite a bit higher as there are many collectors who are actively looking for them. The registry competition also is driving demand.

goose3 · October 5, 2004 4:37AM

thanks for the info thus far.

I like true KEY dates so long as they are problem free and in somewhat of a recognizable condition.

oreville · October 5, 2004 5:07AM

onlybuffalos: I am not sure if we ever really "studied" the concept of key other than the "famous" coins or the stoppers of each series which quite frankly are not always the same.

I agree that we need to further break them down as to what we are talking about.

Me hoarding all the 1911-S to 1915-S mints cents in MS-65??? Heck I don't even have a posted registry cent collection!!

But here is a coin that still has a lot of potential down the road despite a 100% price increase in the past 7 years:

jdimmick · October 5, 2004 5:10AM

Oreville,

I know I have said this before, but I absolutely love your 55DDO. Super fiery orange and very clean with eye-popping appeal.

Stewart,

I saw you mention 01-s quarters, am intrested on your perspective on this date and to what grade range is still undervalued?

jim d

oreville · October 5, 2004 5:22AM

jim d: Thanks but there are about 5 or 6 others out there that can still be found and have in my view as much potential in this rarified condition as the 1943 copper cent. All this date now needs is for someone to "lose" their 1955 DDO cent when they accidentally left it on top of the fridge!

lordmarcovan · October 5, 2004 5:37AM

Think outside the box.

Join the Dark Side.

Hey, you didn't specify US key dates only!

Seriously, though, I wouldn't suggest you completely go Dark, but there are some truly rare Darkside coins that can be snapped up (relatively) cheaply, leaving you plenty of money left over for Liteside keys.

The 1943 Irish halfcrown and florin come to mind- only about 500 of the halfcrown are known, and yet they do appear on the market fairly often. I bought an ANACS F15 for less than $150 a few years ago, and considered it a steal. The 1943 florin is rarer, with only 25 to 35 pieces known. It'll cost you four figures, though. But imagine if that were a US coin that rare- it'd be six figures, at least- right? I bought a few Irish farthings from the 1920's and 1930's, with small mintages, in blazing full-red UNC condition for something like ten bucks each! Most of the common dates of the Irish farthings have mintages of 480,000- slightly less than a 1909-S VDB cent! Of course the demand is not as hot, so you can usually get these things for less than the cost of a lunch entree. The demand isn't totally nonexistent, though. Many Darkside sleepers are slowly awakening.

Talk to Spinaker2000 sometime about his South African proof halfpennies and pennies. These pre-WW2 coins had proof mintages well below fifty pieces, sometimes in the twenties, and the ones I have seen are nice Brown proofs with all sorts of pretty colors on 'em. Vastly overlooked, even for Darkside coins.

Barry · October 5, 2004 5:38AM

Jim D. - I don't think 01-S Qs are undervalued at all. I sold one about 6 months ago for almost twice what I paid for it 2-3 years ago.

jdimmick · October 5, 2004 5:50AM

Barry,

I agree with you on a majority of the grades, that is why I was curious on Stewarts thinking on this specific coin. In grades Ag and G this coin is downright expensive compared to availability. Once you break Fine, and I would even say problem free choice F and especially VF, this coin is nowhere to be found, and even with the recent price increases, still undervalued compared to the difficulty in aquiring one. Once you get back up to MS, then they seem to be be more available for a price.

jim

coynclecter · October 5, 2004 5:53AM

Another step out of the box

There are some US fractional currency keys with 20 or so notes known to exist that can still be had for around a grand. Their day will come.

As far as coin keys, keep in mind that a key only has good potential if you anticipate it being needed in a set. Don't expect a key in MS65 to be a great investment if the remaining, non-keys are unavailable in the same grade range.

have you looked at the 1872 2 cent in unc. Very hard to find but should be reasonably priced compared to comparable keys in other series.

tradedollarnut · October 5, 2004 5:56AM

The 1878-1883 trade dollars are the key dates only in the most simplistic form of collecting trade dollars - the Whitman album. It has slots for these proof only dates in addition to the circulation strikes. Of course, this ignores the real keys - the 1884 and 1885 and also ignores the fact that 95+% of all collectors don't collect this way anymore.....they either do a circulation strike set [key: 1878-CC] and/or a proof set [keys 1884 and 1885 - or 1873 and 1874 if the big two are ignored].

Elcontador · October 5, 2004 6:38AM

IMO, if you are looking for value visa vis rarity of particular coins, I think you'll have to go to a series where the number of collectors is relatively small. I don't collect this stuff, but I'd think we'd be talking about 2 cent pieces, 3 cent nickel & 3 cent silver and possibly half dimes.

Almost everything I collect has at a minimum, doubled in pricing in the last several years. The only exception is an '83 No Cent Nickel in PC 6, which dropped substantially in price in the last 5 years, though I don't consider it to be either scarce or a key date at grades below MS 67.

morgannut2 · October 5, 2004 7:18AM

I'll vote 1955 DDO too. In Morgans, 1894-P with 820 or so in Pcgs MS, vote for nice AU 55-58. It's the only option for the thousands of Morgan collectors (1980 price $500 vs $1900 today)

EVillageProwler · October 5, 2004 8:11AM

I certainly don't mind someone sharing impirical data to support an opinion, but simply stating "You obviously don't know who I am" to support a point of view just seems odd.

Lanlord,

In retrospect, I can see why you think I was exercising self-puffery. I assure that I was not. My terse response was to his suggestion that I do not collect TD's -- something that most oldtimers around here know is not true. I'm an avid collector and student of the series.

(Please go back and re-read his first response to me, and you will clearly see that he suggests that I'm wrong because I don't collect the series.)

That, sir, is all I meant.

EVP

EVillageProwler · October 5, 2004 8:19AM

Also, I'd like to remind people that it is very difficult for folks to write in a way that is totally, 100%, concise, inoffensive, accurate, clear, and meaningful 100% of the time.

Usually, people just make a post without regard for peer review, spell checker, legal review or passing a SC justice's voire dire.

Pick on me if you want. Pick on each other if you want. But, remember that the overwhelming number of posts around here are simply innocent, innocuous comments.

Regards,

EVP

oreville · October 5, 2004 9:33AM

<<<<<<<<<Usually people just make a post without regard for peer review, spell checker, legal review or passing a SC justice's voire dire.>>>>>>>>>>>

coinkat · October 5, 2004 10:07AM

when is the next Baltimore show?

EVillageProwler · October 5, 2004 10:14AM

Coinkat,

From Ed Kuszmar's web site, it's 12/3-5. Check out his web site.

EVP

coynclecter · October 5, 2004 10:19AM

<< Also, I'd like to remind people that it is very difficult for folks to write in a way that is totally, 100%, concise, inoffensive, accurate, clear, and meaningful 100% of the time.Usually, people just make a post without regard for peer review, spell checker, legal review or passing a SC justice's voire dire.
>>

Ahh, but this is the world where the antagonists thrive. If you can find that one misspelled word or akward phrase then we can "let the bashing begin".after all, for some , "that's what it's all about"

roadrunner · October 5, 2004 11:20AM

There are a number of seated quarters that I consider key that are a fraction the price of the 1901-s or 1916 quarters but 5X to 50X rarer to boot.

1842-0 SD and 1872-s are my two favorites. The 72-s is potentially the rarest seated quarter (70-cc and 71-cc are two other "collectible" contenders but those have massive price tags) and without question imo the rarest "S" mint quarter ever made. It will get its just due down the road eventually.

The 51-0, 52-0, 60-s, 64-s, 66-s, and 71-s are not that far behind and are still very modestly priced. These have surviving pops of around 100-200 pieces total per date.

RR

STEWARTBLAYNUMIS · October 5, 2004 11:27AM

1901 s Barber quarter ms 66 and ms 67. both are $100,000+

1896 O Barber Half ms 66 and finer.....priceless or $100,000+

1955 DDO in ms 65 $30,000 to $60,000 ....ms 66 red ..$100,000+

1990 No S Proof 68,69 D Cameo unspotted,unstained ..$10,000 +

1793 Half Cent ms 65 ....... $300,000 to $500,000

1912 S V nickel ms 66 ........$15,000 to $25,000

1896 O Barber dime ms 66+ $20,000 to $30,000

Stewart

michael · October 5, 2004 3:54PM

really choice to gem ms 1874 trade dollars

michael

nccoin · October 5, 2004 10:49PM

<< 

<< Very funny. You obviously have no idea who I am. >>

Wow, someone needs a reality check. That statement just sounds like an over-inflated ego. >>

are there any KEY dates that have not gone Insane in pricing?

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