Desirable coins under $100 - not a WTB or FS topic

Millertime

Does anyone have an opinion of desirable coins for under $100?

I’m not talking your grandma selling a $20 gold piece to you for a $100, but coins with a real value of under $100 (in EF or higher) and they should be pre 1900’s or very early 1900’s. Raw coins that would require some searching, to keep the fun in collecting, would be preferred.

Coins with a low mintage that are surprisingly low priced, value has increased substantially over the last couple of years, special mints, uncommon in circulation, or any other unique feature would make the coin desirable.

I’m on a budget and I was interested in some opinions. My next two coins I really want are a half dime (any year) and a coin minted in Carson City, so I consider these desirable.

This isn't a WTB post, I'm just looking for opinions.

Thanks,
Millertime

airplanenut

You can get an EF or AU large cent for $100--depends on the year. Some Indian cents, liberty nickels, as well. Even seated quarters, dimes and half dimes can be found around $100 in EF/AU.

Jeremy

goose3

NUMEROUS buffalo nickels can be had in that range.

JrGMan2004

Choice VF and low-end XF Capped Bust Half-Dimes run in the $60-$100 range... And you want a tough search? This is it... find nice, original, or nearly original, coins that haven't been messed with too badly... they are not easy to find... at a 200 table show I went to this past summer, I saw... maybe a half-dozen Capped Bust Half-Dimes... only one drew my attention enough to consider buying it, and that one was even beat-up a bit... I did end up buying it the, because of the die marriage

BillJones

There are a fair number of interesting Civil War tokens that can be purchased for less than $100 in grading ranging from EF to R&B Unc. These include 4 of the 5 Monitor varieties, several of the McClellan pieces and even one Lincoln token that was issued during his 1864 re-election campaign.

Millertime

I was looking for something more specific.

For example: The CC quarter was minted for only 8 years, but there is still 1 year that can be had for under $100. I had vaguely heard about the CC mint but until recently I didn't realize how rare CC coins are.

I'm sure there's other examples out there so I was hoping some of the experts would fill me in.

Thanks,
Millertime

Millertime

Sorry George and BillJones, I was typing so I didn't see your posts till after I posted about specifics. Your replies are what I'm looking for.

Thanks.

BillJones

The 1876 and 1877 CC quarters have Gray Sheet values of $80 in EF. Given that one should expect to find coins for a bit less than $100. The trouble is you may be very disappointed with what you get for an EF graded coin these days. The grading standards seem to have slipped by one grade. Yesterday's VF is today's EF. That's one of the main reasons why the price seems cheap.

nwcs

Desirable is a highly individual in taste. For me, cool coins under $100 would be late date mercs in high end, mid range walkers, some nice morgans, high end war nickels, lower grade seated and barbers (many of them can be had for that range), lower end slqs, etc.

Shamika

<< <i> NUMEROUS buffalo nickels can be had in that range. >>


You can pick up a georgous 1937, 1937-D, or 1938-D in MS66 for less than $100.

How about an MS67 steel cent? All three mints can be found for less than $75 each and there are few coins that can draw as much WOW appeal from kids and non-numismatist than a blazingly bright steelie. They bring all kinds of interest from people.

xbob

I think a nice 1917 Type 1 Standing Liberty Quarter would be a cool coin to get. You can proabably get a PCGS slabbed EF for $80 or so. Maybe even an AU or low MS for under $100 (might have to be raw) if you shop around and get lucky.

BillJones

You would have shop a lot and get lucky to find a nice Type 1 Standing Liberty quarter for less than $100. The coin is quiet popular with collectors in grades from AU-50 to MS-64. Be prepared to pay well over the Gray Sheet for properly graded MS-63 and 64 coins. They trade between dealers for more than the sheet amounts. MS-65 graded coins tend to be a drug on the market, however, because of the big price jump from MS-64 and sometimes "optimistic grading."

DeepCoin

I just bought a Liberty Nickel for $75 in 64 so there are coins out there in this category. Look for a 1883 No Cents and see what the prices are. Good luck in your search!

Millertime

Thanks for all the replies so far. There's a couple of things I'm adding to my want list now.

If there's any other opinions out there please let me know.

Thanks,
Millertime

MadMonk

MS-66 Franklins with killer toning!

Theop

1909 VDB Lincoln Cent in PCGS MS65 Red is about $100 and a very nice 1 year type coin.

Or spend 50 times more and get one with a little "s" mintmark on it.

Millertime

No offense to everyone that loves the toning but I almost added a disclaimer saying no toning, but with all the toning fanatics out there I thought I'd better not (I really don't want to get kicked off this message board).

I don't own any toned coins so I can't decide if I like them or not.

Of course if someone wanted to send me a toned Morgan Dollar from the Carson City mint I might be convinced.

Millertime

Baley

Though not in EF, I find it surprising that a nice, original, 180 year old, Good to Very Good quarter can be had for less than $100.



Mintages for the large sized bust quarters were fairly low to start with, they were heavily circulated and suffered high attrition, and then many were melted when the weight of the quarter was reduced, making their silver content worth more than 25 cents.

The above specimen is a B-3, 1825 with traces of underdates 4 and 3 visible beneath the final digit.
There are probably fewer than 500 of this variety remaining in ANY condition.

poptopsRus

1927 S Quarter and underpriced in my book. The mintage is less than the 1932 D or S quarters and can be had (in lower grades) at a fraction of the price.

morgannut2

If you don't like toned coins dated before 1900 it really limits you to buying dipped, cleaned or worse type material. I'm prejudiced but in a white coin less than $100 you could become an expert on the die marrages of Morgan's (VAMS) which are commonly untoned, then when PCGS starts recognising them in the registry, you'll make out quite well IMHO. Or if you buy a dipped later date CC quarter it will cost less that way, but over time it should retone and look OK by the time you sell it for a profit. Either way, you'll be buying a fairly rare sub-category of coin with some recognised rarity and which is interesting to future collectors perhaps.

rhedden

Millertime,

Try half cents 1825-1857 in VF-XF. Many can be had between $45 and $100 each, and they are usually nicer looking than contemporary large cents. Buy from a reputable early copper dealer and tell them you want only coins without problems. There are enough of these around so that any early copper dealer should be able to send you a nice one.

Try 1875-1877 "CC" mint Seated dimes in XF. Somewhat harder to find, but very desirable an perhaps underpriced. Avoid cleaned pieces.

Seated half dimes in XF don't cost very much, and the "O" and "S" mints are usually quite scarce and more desirable. Again, avoid cleaned pieces.

Bust half dollars in VF-XF in the 1820's and 1830's are widely available under $100 and have many interesting die varieties to offer. Most Bust halves have been wiped or polished and have hairline scratches in the fields that you can't see in a photo. You should avoid those, and for that reason, don't buy them from ebay.

SilverDollarMan

<< <i>1927 S Quarter and underpriced in my book. The mintage is less than the 1932 D or S quarters and can be had (in lower grades) at a fraction of the price. >>



Underated or underpriced? hehe I think over priced.

WACoinGuy

<< <i>Bust half dollars in VF-XF in the 1820's and 1830's are widely available under $100 and have many interesting die varieties to offer. Most Bust halves have been wiped or polished and have hairline scratches in the fields that you can't see in a photo. You should avoid those, and for that reason, don't buy them from ebay. >>



I'll second that -- there are some beautiful bust half dollars out there in the VF-XF range. Here's a chance to get a beautiful silver coin that's almost 200 years old. Talk about history!