Key date dimes: Which would you purchase? (2006 thread revival!)
rhedden
Posts: 6,630 ✭✭✭✭✭
You are at a hypothetical coin show, and your favorite dealer has just offered you two key date dimes, an 1895-O Barber, and a 1916-D Mercury. They are both housed in PCGS holders. The Mercury is an eye-appealing, high-end AU-58 with full luster (PCGS price guide value $12,500 in MS-60, but it looks a little better than most MS-60s, as AU-58s frequently do). The Barber is a PCGS MS-64 and is accurately graded (PCGS price guide value $13,000).
Assume you have the money to buy one or the other, and both are priced at $11,000. Which one would you buy, and why?
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Tyler
I was just trying to get the fair market value as close together as possible, to avoid trivial comparisons based on slight differences in current market value.
3 months ago I would have said it was idiotic to spend that kind of money on just another dime, but not anymore.
Millertime
Complete Dime Set
1895-O for me. Way tougher than the 16-D and a better value.
Ray
If there is a market correction in the near term, I think the 16-D is at risk due to the latest run up. But who knows as this is one of the major keys that non collectors are also aware of. This coin and the 1909 SVDB are two of the least rare and most expensive coins IMHO (Along with the beautiful High Relief Saints, but they did not get the publicity of the other two)
If I were mainly concerned about future resale or I were primarily concentrating on Mercs, I'd go with the '16-D. Otherwise, I'd prefer the '95-O myself.
CG
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
I would have to guess that is the 1895-O, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Anyone know for certain?
would buy one each of two 1804 varieties in Fine instead.
We think alike, but where does one locate a Fine 1804 dime without getting killed on the price? You've got a huge edge in rarity with this issue for sure.
I'd also do some homework. Ie., how long has my favorite dealer had the Barber Dime? Ie., if he had it for three months or so, as far as I'm concerned, the price is negotiable.
OTOH, the 16 D is such a popular coin, I doubt there'd be any wiggle room price wise, assuming it's priced right to begin with. As an aside, I've always avoided coins like the 16 D Dime and the 09 S VDB Cent because while they are two extremely popular coins, I don't consider either of them to be especially scarce.
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<< <i>I would buy the coin that has appreciated the least over the past five years.
I would have to guess that is the 1895-O, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Anyone know for certain?
would buy one each of two 1804 varieties in Fine instead.
We think alike, but where does one locate a Fine 1804 dime without getting killed on the price? You've got a huge edge in rarity with this issue for sure. >>
How about here? Sold for $4,312.50 incl. the juice. Damage isn't as bad as it sounds.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Tomorrow, if I remember, I will start another one of these with the 1901-S quarter squaring off against the 1916 Standing Liberty.
But would I would buy is a nice XF-AU 1895-0. Those are not so plentiful and in the long run will probably outpace the 16d.
For my druthers I'd prefer the 1804 dime as well. And toss in the monster key 1874-cc as well. If I had $13,000 and had to buy a dime, one of those would be on the plate...nothing else comes close imo.
roadrunner
Barbers
2006 to 2023 Super Necro-Post, Ancient Thread Revival Alert!
Today, I remembered posting this thread many years ago, and I thought I'd try to fish it out. I couldn't believe it was from all the way back in 2006!
Anyway, here's today's update:
The 1916-D Mercury dime is showing $14,000 in PCGS AU58 in the price guide ($15,000 in MS60, if one exists)
The 1895-O Barber dime is showing $25,000 in PCGS MS64 in the price guide
I own the 1895-O Barber dime in PCGS MS64. Bought it shortly after posting this thread in 2006.
RichieURich gets the "post of the day award" for Dec. 4, 2006. I should have bought an 1804 dime in fine.
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And I did
Now you have to show a picture of it! Congrats!
Why did I not go for an 1804 dime back then? They are not only more expensive these days, but they are very difficult to locate.
Long time since this thread. Since then, have owned a 16-d in AU-58, 64+FB,
95-o dime in 62 and 63.
22 dime in 58
1804 dime in 45
all since sold as the time had come to say goodbye
I'll take this one, PC55. But I'd love to find an acceptable 1804 in VF or XF.
l
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got.
As they say in literary circles, "Picture, please."
Neither. I’m not really one for relatively modern key dates in MS grades. I’d take that same budget a buy a 1796 in the best grade I could find.
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Here's my old 2006 photo taken with a 2002-era digital camera. It needs new photos with my macro lens, but I don't have time for a proper photo session right now.
I bought the coin in a 1989 green PCGS holder as PCGS MS63. Opinion on this forum was that it would make 64 or maybe even 65 if I resubmitted it. It came back 64 and has never been sent to CAC. I paid the previous owner 64 greysheet Bid money for it back in 2006.
Well I think that the 1916-D is one of the most over-rated and overpriced numismatic coins in existence, there are tons of them, yet they are priced like they are R5 LOL. But I guess people want them. I only have one key date in the Barber series to present:
The 95-O is much more scarce than a 16-D mercury dime and seems to priced more reasonably IMO. I chose this one for eye appeal.
While I would prefer the 16d for beauty, I would select the 1895O Barber Dime as it has doubled in value in the last 20 years while the 1916D Mercury Dime has produced a 36% growth over the same period. JMO
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
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Nice coin! Brave, courageous, and bold for paying Greysheet 64 money for a 63!
The 1916-D Mercury Dime is part of one of the most beautiful series every produced by this country, and as such is a coin I would not mind owning. I do have the 1937-1945 issues of that series, all in mint state condition. I have all of the 1916-1936 issues yet to go, though many would not be in mint state condition given their value. The price willing to be paid is the price, there is no such thing as overpriced unless the coin does not sell, it is what the market will bear in the end.
Assuming you could have bought it from the price guide back then and not had to deal with the absolute scarcity of that issue.
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My younger self would have gone with the 16-D since I was pursuing the set then. My now slightly more experienced self would pick the 95-O, factoring in the lower population and relatively lower market value.
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I remembered this post when I saw it pop up again. Still like the 95-O. Still love me some barbers.
Neither one would fit in my collection, but it I had to pick, it would be the 1916-D Mercury. That is a classic key date appeals to many collectors. Sorry, but I have never been a Barber coin fan.
It was a large collection I bought wholesale. We had a good business relationship. I paid him greysheet Bid for the coins in green holders, then sent the obvious upgrade candidates in for regrade. If they graded a point higher, I paid him the difference. The rest I kept in 1989 green holders. I paid $6k for this one as a 63, gave him another $3k after it upgraded, so $9k total. It's $25k in the PCGS price guide now, so I made out more than OK. It wasn't so risky for me, because I would never have gotten a coin this nice for $9k if I went through retail channels. At a retail venue like a large coin show, it likely would have been overgraded in a 65 holder, because those were the golden days of the crackout artist with no CAC watchdog in place.
You did good, buying the 95-O
Had this been a new thread or had I seen it in '06 I'd have opted for the 95-O
It's a rather nice 64, I would def send it in for a bean.
I would have more interest in the 95-O by a mile, but that's just me. There's nothing about a 16-D that appeals to me personally. For being "so rare", they're actually pretty easy to find.
Sorry, but I have never been a Barber coin fan.
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As someone else on this board often states, "Complain about this."
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I restarted collecting coins about twenty years ago and this is probably the nicest coin in my collection even though I don't collect Barber Dime proofs. The the fields are a watery pale yellow to white mirrors and the red and blues just pop out at you. I didn't know coins existed like this, much less ever expected to own it. And yes, it's CAC.
Killer proof Barber 10c with original skin. I bet the mirrors are deep and glassy, too.
A key date Carson City Seated dime would have done much better than both of these pieces!
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