Philippines One Centavo 1915-S

coinkat

Just curious- What do you experts think is a fair price for one that grades AU55?

It seem there is a fairly big spread on these from EF to MS60

IloiloKano

If certified, then between $300 and $350, depending upon eye appeal. If not certified, but you believe it stands a very good chance of being certified, then from $200 (for low eye appeal) to $250 for nice, clean and evenly toned (which is the book price for AU50).

Note that book for MS60RB is $650 and book for MS63RB is $1,500.

The above are maximum prices I would pay for such a coin if I don't have one nicer and if I have the money to spare, though I would prefer about a 15% discount if I could get away with it.

Edited to address matter of huge price spread.
There was a very small collector base (practically nil) until the 50's, and harsh cleaning was the rule rather than the exception for decades thereafter. Also, the centavo was extensively used by the population for everyday transactions. Hence, finding uncleaned coins in AU and higher grades is much more difficult than might be expected otherwise. Conditional rarities abound in the US-Philippines category of coin collecting.

Read what the PCGS Set Registry has to say about the US-PI Centavo.

coinkat

I think your evaluation is not different from mine- sometimes a reality check is required though