Registry Prices Set On Individual Coins - Real or Not

TheRock

I was looking at my registry sets and noticed that they have an associated price on each coin given to them by PCGS. Can someone please tell me if the prices are accurate or not based on todays market.?

My 2 sets are in the 1959-Present Lincoln Proof Plain and Variety. They are "The DeRocker Collections"

Thanks.

LindeDad

I have coins in my sets that have cost me from 20% to 150% of what the PCGS cost lists. But for the most part the rarer and more expensive the coin, is where I find the price guide to become more accurate.

garsmith

PCGS Daily Price Guide prices - when you're buying you hope they are high, when you're selling you hope they are low; but the smart people know they are rarely accurate!

TheRock

Thanks guys. I know the Price Guides are for the birds. I do believe that if the prices that are reflected in the registry entries is tied to them, that the prices will be all over the boards. I was hoping that maybe they were tied to real current market value based on auctions or something else. Most likely not I see.

Thanks for the help on this question. Much appreciated.

TahoeDale

John,

The prices are from the PCGS Price guides, and are not as "Off" as it might seem.

The source of the prices are a serious attempt by those at PCGS to regularly monitor all the records of sales that occur in the various series. Where coins trade regularly, it is pretty accurate, but for those that trade only a few times a year, or not at all, it is more difficult.

Examples: generic gold gets adjusted all the time. You will see ups and downs regularly.

But the 1885 lib nickel in MS 67-- it stayed in a $20,000 range for years. Not until a sale in 2006, where one sold for $65,000 hammer did PCGS change the value to $60,000.

Same for the 1880 shield nickel in MS 65.

I tried to add up all the values for several series I collect. When I was done, the total for the entire series, in the grades I collect, was pretty close. Though many individual prices were way off.

So, depending on the series, these prices overall, are not too bad a place to start.

leothelyon

Prices vary from coin to coin, it really depends on the accuracy of the grade for that coin in whatever MS holder it ended up in. In other words no two coins look 100% exactly the same. When one coin is more superior to the other in the same MS grade, it becomes the more desirable coin to own, hense it will sell at a much higher price than another coin in the same grade that is of lesser quality. This is also the reason behind "lateral upgrading" of a same date coin in ones own collection. I've done it for many coin/dates over the years. But the prices only reflect what was sold in any given mint state grade. Very few folks know the exact quality of the coin except for those who saw it first hand before bidding. Call them ball-park figures with a plus and minus ratio of 100%, it really depends on the quality of that coin.


Leo