Liberty nickels- there are some nice ones

TahoeDale

We have been hearing much about the services overgrading coins in many series. They haven't messed with lib nickels as much as other series.

This 1895 is a MS 66, and is all there

dbldie55

Very pretty coin. I see the 1896 is now up to pop 5. I still recall it being a pop 1 a few years ago and recently a pop 3. It went up again last month.

jacktheknife

Very nice. If I could ever get Stewart to sell me his Lincolns I could start on Lib Nickels.
Maybe I'll just start on Lib Nickels first

Jack

dbldie55

<< <i>Very nice. If I could ever get Stewart to sell me his Lincolns I could start on Lib Nickels.
Maybe I'll just start on Lib Nickels first

Jack >>



If you have money left over after buying Stewart's Lincoln's, you should be able to buy anything you want.

grip

Nice coin Dale,I have it's twin,full kernals on the left.

TahoeDale

Grip,

Also very nice. This date , the 1888, and 1896 are so tough in 66. But when they look like yours, they are so special.

I did see where another 1896 in 66 was made last month. I have not seen the specific coin, but hope the owner is pleased and the coin is a full 66.

Some interesting pop history:

In Jan. 1997, PCGS had graded ................... Today
1885 MS 67 ..................... 2 ................... 2
1886 MS 66 ......................2 ................... 3

But for many other key dates, a few more:

1884 MS 66 ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,3 ....................13
1887 MS 66 ..........................0 ....................10
1895 MS 66 ..........................0 ..................... 6
1896 MS 66 ..........................1 ..................... 5
1908 MS66 .......................... 1 ..................... 5
1912-S MS 66 .......................4 ..................... 8

But then it is 8 years later, and that's not very many for coins with mintages of about 10 million (except for the 12-S), and only 100 years old. If these were Buffalo nickels, with these pops, the prices would be several times over the present costs.

BWRC

With Dale's permission, I am posting an image of his 1895 Liberty Nickel that I sold to him a few months ago. He was a pleasure to deal with and I was happy to assist him in putting this high end example in his fine collection.

jacktheknife

AH HA!!! Now we are getting somewhere. Dale's source revealed!

Now we all have a shot at those few remaining 67's.

Jack

wondercoin

Here is one of my personal favorites, which I won at auction a few years ago to place with a customer. Of course, we had to "stretch" a bit to pay the "color premium.

Colorful Liberty Nickel


Wondercoin

coinguy1

<< <i>we had to "stretch" a bit to pay the "color premium >>

Mitch, does THAT type of color actually command more than a minimal price premium?







Actually, I remember that coin well - it is easily one of the most beautifully toned business strike Liberty nickels I have seen.

TahoeDale

Mitch,

At the time, and even since, that 1888 brought more money, at auction, than any other MS Lib nickel. Both the 1885's in MS 67 were bought (by private treaty) for less, and no other 67 has sold since for more.

But I am hopeful that the recent demand and price increases will make your client a bunch at sale time. It is one nice nickel. And it is about time that pq examples rate high on the charts.

And I'm guessing I know who the client is. A real gentleman and connoisseur

jacktheknife

Dale,

Why would think I bought that 1888? I told you that I was only thinking of starting a Liberty Nickel collection!!!

Jack

BWRC

I would love to see that green 1888 in person. Please?

wondercoin

Coinguy / Dale: I agree - that Liberty Nickel is very, very special, which is why I wanted to share the scans in this thread. I would not be surprised to see that coin right up there in the years ahead as one of the most expensive MS Liberty Nickel in a holder, especially if it ever gets reauctioned.

On the Proof Liberty Nickel side - I was recently the underbidder on a Proof Liberty Nickel pattern that sold for $46,000 in a recent Bowers sale - I think that may have also been one of the most expensive Proof Liberty nickels to have sold at public auction? I was told after the auction that I simply ran up against a collector who had been searching for that particular Liberty Nickel for more than 20+ years and was going to buy it at virtually any price. I would expect to see more runaway prices on Liberty Nickel patterns when the R-8's come to auction in the years ahead as well.

Brian: One day soon, I also hope the coin can be publicly displayed.

Wondercoin

solid

All very nice coins! I love the color on that one, Mitch!

I have one example to share, a PCGS MS66 - part of the toned nickel type set I'm slowly working on.

Ken

Julien

I'm also a Liberty nickel lover and just started a registry set of proof Liberty's w/pictures. I'm at No 15 but should move up in a day or so. I have a beautiful toned 65CAM "in the mail". I also have a one (65 or 66 fingers crossed) on the way to PCGS for grading. The real kicker is I owned a complete set of PCGS (3 were NGC) MS64 and PR64 Liberty nickels back in the early 90's before registry sets. Had to sale them to finance a new business venture and have regretted it almost every day since. I plan to complete the proof set first while keeping an eye out for MS coins.

Here is a picture of my 1883 NC that is top PQ and I may submit hoping for a 67. And below that is a picture of my on the way to PCGS hoping for a crossover.

grip

You all have posted some serious(toned) Liberty's,Mitch,Ken,Dale.And thanks,I do love to look at real nice toners.
This one is the only one I have that could come close to the ones posted.

Only to share.

wondercoin

I double checked with Mr Eureka and confirmed that 1882 pattern Liberty Nickel struck in copper I was the underbidder on earlier this year was the highest priced pattern Liberty Nickel at auction ($46,000). I just noticed on the Bowers website that collector who outbid me ended a 50 year search for the coin (I had mentioned earlier that it was a 20 year search). Talk about coins that do not come around very often!!

"Bowers and Merena Baltimore Sale Helps Collector Happily End 50-Year Search

Bowers and Merena - March 17, 2005

(Irvine, California) - A collector's life-long pursuit of an elusive pattern coin was fulfilled during the official auction of the March 2005 Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention conducted by Bowers and Merena Auctions of Irvine, California (www.BowersAndMerena.com).
The nearly $5 million sale, March 9 - 11, 2005, provided an especially happy ending for several buyers and sellers as well as a record price for a Type II proof Buffalo nickel and six-figure prices for two Seated Liberty Carson City dimes.

An anonymous collector paid $46,000 for an 1882 pattern five-cent coin struck in copper (Judd-1676, Pollock-1878) graded PCGS Proof 64 BN. It is listed as Rarity-8 indicating less than ten examples are known to exist.

"The collector told me he purchased it for his father, also a coin collector, who had been searching for this pattern for 50 years," said Steve Deeds, President of Bowers and Merena Auctions.

"The opening bid was $12,500, and there were bids throughout the room and on the Internet. There was applause when it finally sold for $46,000. The buyer was very happy with his purchase because it culminated his father's life-long ambition to own one of these very rare pattern pieces."



Pattern Liberty Nickel


Wondercoin

Sunnywood

Pops of shield and lib nickels in MS66 have climbed and climbed over the last few years. Mostly it is coins that get conserved (often by NCS) and then sent to PCGS for grading. PCGS is pre-disposed toward dipped white nickels - they are much more likely to hand out MS66 and MS67 grades to those coins. This is often the only way to get NGC coins into PCGS holders.

Coins that were impossible to come by previously are now showing up routinely - I remember several shield nickels being pop 2/0 that are now 7/0 or 9/0, such as the 1876 PCGS MS66. The 1895 and 1896 Lib nickels are in the same category. You would think the Mint has been making more ... funny how the grading services can manufacture "new" 100 year-old coins.

Dale, where did that lovely 1895 PCGS MS66 come from? I remember the one I had, NGC MS66 ex Floyd Starr ... I think I sold it through Cindy Mohon & the late Gloria Peters. It's probably somewhere in a PCGS holder now ... wondercoin was buying some nice Lib nickels from me back then, but unfortunately his client wanted only PCGS. So some of my NGC-certified beauties ended up with TahoeDale, and of those some now reside in PCGS holders ... I believe that includes the 1883 With Cents PCGS MS67 pop 1/0 .... when it was in an NGC MS67 holder, Dale was smart enough to jump on it !!!

Best,
Sunnywood

Sunnywood

Here are a few of the departed souls from my Lib set. The 1885 (NGC MS66*) was the first Lib nickel ever to receive the "star" designation from NGC. One hit on the right edge of Liberty's neck was the only thing that separated this incredible coin from perfection. The colors were a little bit more intense than my photos ... also had wildly colored 1901, 1910 and 1912-D nickels, all MS66-MS67 as I recall ...

wondercoin

SW: Your memory fails you my master - I bought some NGC Shield and Liberty Nickels and continue to do so (e.g. an NCG-MS65 1880 Shield Nickel earlier in the year). Certainly not every single one- and if after a good conservation a few found their way into PCGS holders - so be it. I think you know what it is like to sell coins only to find them in higher holders shortly thereafter. I've had a few cross on me over the years that I've passed on as well. It comes with the territory.

Wondercoin

Sunnywood

Hi wondercoin, I'm sure you have bought many NGC coins !!! but as I recall, on that occasion, your client refused to consider anything in an NGC holder for the MS Lib nickel series ... if I am mistaken about this recollection, I do apologize !!

Best,
Sunnywood

Oh by the way, I will admit to this: I tried crossing (23) Lib nickels at one ANA, I think it was about 4-5 years ago. I went ZERO for 23. Many of them were truly exceptional coins. The submission included both the 1883 With Cents NGC MS67 and the 1885 NGC MS66*. The coins were sold by me subsequently in the NGC holders. I know of at least eight of those that later crossed to PCGS, and two of those became MS67's after being NGC MS66's when I owned them. I don't know what the status is of the other (15) coins. But yeah, it is really annoying to see your own coins showing up later in higher numbered holders, when the services wouldn't do it for you !!!!!!!!

wondercoin's client was of course ultimately hoping to put together a PCGS Registry set, and that's probably why he didn't want NGC coins ... after all, look at how bad my crossover percentage was. so I do understand the bias ... but the good ones did eventually end up in the right holders !!!

wondercoin

SW: You really did have plenty of sensational Shield and Liberty Nickels to go around. The PCGS coins were a spectacular group overall and, in the end, the NGC lot was quite impressive as well. I tip my hat to you for your years and years of searching and research to assemble such a collection of great coins!

Wondercoin.

Sunnywood

Thanks wondercoin ... I only wish I could have kept them all. You know how it feels: like I personally created the bull market in coins by selling mine !!!!! That GEM Indian $2.50 set that nobody wanted when I was selling it ... is now worth more than triple .... and the 1877 proof set with finest known gold has also tripled in value since I sold it. Of course, I only broke even !!!! Even the (*#$&%^ Lib nickels are worth multiples of what I sold them for ... oh well. Never mind the rainbow-toned 1796 quarter and the 1794 dollar in PCGS XF45 ... ugh !!!!

But at least I can bask in my delusions of grandeur, thinking that it was I who started the entire bull market by deciding to sell !!

Sunnywood

TahoeDale

Sunnywwod,

I had forgotton about your 1885 in 66*. Thanks for posting. as it is beautiful.

And thanks again for the opportunity to buy many of your other Shield and Libs. The proof 1867 no rays in an NGC 64 slab is still one of the nicest shield nickels I own, and is so nice I care less what PCGS says( Have not tried to cross any of the Shields- they are what they are--pq coins with color)

And the 1892 you posted. I have to think it was not for sale, for it would now be mine if it was.

See all you good guys in Baltimore. I will have my MS coins with me.

Sunnywood

Thanks Dale, I am so glad those coins have such a good and distinguished home !!!!!! Ditto for the coins that wondercoin bought from me. As for the 1892, yes I think I was not willing to part with it when you visited, so you probably never saw it. Legend later pried it from me.

Best,
Sunnywood