buffalo nickel collectors

cape

if you had one of 2 ms68 1936d buffalos and you knew yours was the finest would you trade this coin for a very high end 1926s ms64 buffalo nickel that was graded in 1991? obviously the hope would be to regrade the 26s to get a ms 65! this is a real situation so lets hear what you would do.

Numismanic

Yes, without a doubt.

BuffaloIronTail

I would do EXACTLY what you're thinking of doing.

Pete

gyocomgd

With your pedigree and so many neat numismatic accomplishments already in the bag, it would seem an interesting foray into mastering the commerce side of these. Go for it.

chabot510

I am not too sure. If it is the 68 that you showed me down in Baltimore, then I would not. If it were another inferior coin then I would do it, worth the risk imo

intocoins

1926-S @ 64 = 117 coins /10 higher
1936-D @ 68 = 2 coins / 0 higher

Both are impressive coins, but i would not part with your 36-D. If you fail to upgrade you will always kick yourself for that decision. I would think for the right amount of money you could probably acquire a 26-S already holdered @65 ( maybe not ) since there are 10 verses a pop 2 coin which you probably will never come across again. Correct me if im wrong , but i think both of the 68's have been standing for quite some time now?

Now on the flip side of things, the 1926-S is without a doubt a much more romantic coin. A couple things to consider -Lowest mintage of the series-weak strikes-The absolute key to the series-etc....,but i still stand by my decision, cause i think a 90 k increase with the next higher grade will keep that coin in the 64 holder.

Now, Im certainly no expert and i basically only collect Buffs in circulated grades , but you asked what i would do. I'm sure whatever it is you decide will be right. Good luck .

bhartman35

I wouldn't trade it. Both coins are obviously on the upper end of rare, to say the least, but you've got in your possession one of only two examples of that coin. Statistically speaking, you're in a much better position now than if you traded it for the less-rare coin, aren't you?

caitlin

ED
Are you talking about my coin imaged here? Everyone would agree it would be hard to say unless you saw the 26s in hand. I've seen the 26s awesom coin and I might consider trading but my coin has a much lower pop. That said I believe the 36d ms68 buff is worth more. As stated before I do have a better chance for trading only if it stays in an ms64 holder. If his coin upgrades that would be a different ball game.

DRG

This actually reminds me of the Classic vs. Modern debate.

What you have here is one coin that is rare in any grade higher than VF (Classic) and one that is only rare in high grade (Modern).

The question is: How do condition rarity and absolute rarity compare?

Even though I collect Modern Top POP’s, I think the 1926 S is the better coin to own.

The 1936 D had a mintage of 24 million and was widely saved making it very similar to many modern coins. The 1926 S had a mintage of fewer than 1 million and only about 200 have been graded in any Mint State grade by PCGS.

A gem 1936 D Buffalo can be had for about $100 and an AU for $2, while an AU 26S is $2,000+ and a gem is $100,000.

Condition rarity is all a coin like the SBA$ has to offer, but for coins like the Buffalo Nickel there are many coins that offer both absolute and condition rarity. The 1926 S is just such a coin.

I don’t think there is any real comparison between a gem (or near gem) 1926 S Buffalo and a common 1936 D in any grade.

1936 D 5c Mintage 24 million PCGS Top POP MS68 #2 with #53 in MS67.
1980 P SBA Mintage 27 million PCGS Top POP MS68#2 with #85 in MS67.

I would not even think of comparing my 1980 P SBA$ PCGS MS68 to a 1926 S 5c PCGS MS64-65


Don’t get me wrong, there is something to be said for owning the very best of any one coin. and I would not trade my set away at this point for any price.

P.S. That is a great looking 36D.

roadrunner

I'd need a little more than just the old holder hype to give up a pop 2 coin that every top collection needs. With 110 MS64's of the 26-s that probably exceeds the number of top sets that need it.

Grading started getting sloppier in 1990-1991 as the market cooled.
I'd be very wary. But if you know from good sources (personal inspection if possible) that the coin is 64++, then someday it will probably become #11 or #12 on the list. I'd be very tempted to go for it if I graded the coin 64.7 or higher. It would likely be worth 2X the current price even in a down market.

roadrunner

Shamika

Caitlin's on crack! She should know better by now.

A true collector wouldn't trade THE MOST BEAUTIFUL Buffalo nickel for one of lesser appearance regardless of the date. This shouldn't be about the almight dollar.

caitlin

Shamika
For just any ms64 I would never consider it but I held this 26s buff in hand and in my eyes that coin is a solid ms65. I could easily be talked into trading.

Shamika

Even if you could get an upgrade on the 26-S, you'll live to regret it if you trade away the 36-D.

If you're hell bent on owning the 26-S, use something else in trade. You'll never ever find a better 36-D.

cape

im with you shamika i would not trade the 36d! but as caitlen and i inspected this 26s in 64,i can see why caitlen wants the 26s. the 26s is a 64.8 coin . hopefully i can partner with caitlen and aquire this 26s . ill know after atlanta ana.

Shamika

Just to be fair to Caitlin, I think it's worth mentioning that a 26-S in 65 is a $100,000+ coin.

caitlin

ED
I trust you'll keep me posted?

Also nice thread any other thoughts?

caitlin

Is the owner of the 26s buff lurking here on the forum? If so could you PM me.