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MINT SET GRADES......
COINDOG
Posts: 402
I just got back the grades from three ( 3 ) 1973 mint sets, and for Ikes they were :1973-P- MS 65
1973-P- MS65
1973-D- MS 64
1973-D- MS 64
1973-D- MS63
One of the " P " coins was so bad, I didn't send it in to be graded. There are still some good mint sets out there in dealer stocks, but they are starting to vanish.
RE: PCGS Invoice : # 3252689
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<< <i>
1973-P- MS 65
1973-P- MS65
1973-D- MS 64
1973-D- MS 64
1973-D- MS63
One of the " P " coins was so bad, I didn't send it in to be graded. There are still some good mint sets out there in dealer stocks, but they are starting to vanish.
RE: PCGS Invoice : # 3252689 >>
Congrats on those MS65s. You are correct, nice sets are getting harder and harder to find. After searching many 1973 sets, I have yet to find any IKEs that I would call MS65.
in the early '90's. The numbers of nice gem Ikes in this set had always been low
and there were apparently some being taken off the market selectively. This didn't
seem a very important factor because there were never a lot of this date on the
market. The coin market took a beating in the crash of '89/'90 and this affected the
mint and proof sets perhaps even more dramatically than the coins that had run-up
in price. There was extremely small demand in those days (less than a tenth of yo-
days small demand). The modern market appeared ready to wake up in '88 and the
Pittsburg pre-ANA was incredible for moderns. When the market tanked many dealers
had to raise cash and the first thing out the door was their old accumulations of mint
and proof sets. The prices were already so low that many of these were just busted
up and spent but the '73 had a substantial premium which began drifting lower.
There weren't any motivated wholesale buyers for either the set or the dollars so it
was more a matter of just allowing time for the price of the now frequently encountered
set to reflect this reality. The coin market was totally demoralized by '95 and almost
all coins traded for very low prices and would be discounted steeply from greysheet
in order to move them at all. Moderns had a solid bedrock demand but this market was
really no better. It simply suffered from large supplies of most raw coins. The '73 set
dropped to less than 125% of face value.
The moderns began recovering in '95 and eventually dragged the entire coin market
with it despite the huge disparity in size. As the overhang of '73 sets was worked off
over the next few years the price soared and the frequency of gems dropped. This af-
fected many other date sets as well but mostly it was the Ikes and to a lesser extent
the halfs which were affected. It has only been in the last couple years that more and
more of the other denominations are getting noticeably less often seen in gem. This is
happening at the same time that these sets are evaporating and disintegrating on the
market. Where once you could find boxes of sets to look through now there may not be
more than a dozen or two in many dealers stocks. The sets that are encountered are
more and more containing corroded or harshly toned coins. Even the ubiquitous '81-D
gem cent has had huge numbers destroyed by carbon spots in the last two or three years.
'73 Ikes are about the first thing picked over (except perhaps SMS cameos). There pro-
bably aren't any sets still on the market which contain gem '73 Ikes. This submission
probably was so good because these sets came back on the market rather than were
still on it. These were probably selected from a much larger group of sets long ago. Any
gems on the market are likely still in a sealed "bag", and these have gotten quite unusual
to see. These coins were not often sighted as gems even in 1973 so you'll have to find
a lot of sealed sets before you can be confident of having a gem.
I wouldn't say there aren't "any" still out there......I bought a sealed US Mint group of 5 1973 mint sets. Still had the tape/stamps/etc.
I opened it and looked at the coins. Not sure if there is a MS65 or not, but there could be (I have been tempted to send a couple of them in but I don't feel confident in Ikes to do that and I don't have a MS65 to compare to).
So, there are still originals groups that are still sealed and out there, but, you are probably very correct that the ones that are floating around as singles have probably been very picked over.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Find someone in your area that does specialize in Ikes who wouldn't mind looking at your sets. It could be worth your time.
Here is the rule of thumb I use in evaluating my Ikes.
MS67 (never made one so I wouldn't know).
MS66 clean fields (no strikes and no obvious abrasions), minor ticks or a well hidden tick on the portrait or eagle (if the fields are clean enough then a slide across the eagle or portrait will still grade at this level)
MS65 minor abrasions in fields (noticeable but not obvious), some ticks on portrait or eagle.
MS64 noticeable abrasions or ticks in the fields and on the portrait and eagle but still has clean look at first glance.
Below this I am not certain. I have just got several 1972 T1 Ikes graded MS61, MS62 and MS63 so I will know the characteristics for these in the coming weeks (after they arrive).
V/R
Sumdunce
<< <i>I bought all the sets 73-78 and sent in the ikes and kennedys PCGS is so expensive i now think it is cheaper to just buy already slabbed coins on Ebay.PCGS should give better prices for volume and moderns.Not to mention the length of time it takes to get your coins back.Any way 65's is great for Ikes. My best were 64's out of twelve Ikes. >>
Sometimes it is cheaper to buy the slabbed. On the other hand, reviewing a slabbed coin will help. Count the " hits " on the obverse, especially in the primary grading areas, Also, remember that 80 % of the coins grade comes from the obverse.
Lastly, a point that James Sego made not long ago : LOOK FOR EYE APPEAL !!!!!