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So why do Barber and SLQ's and Mercs seem to command a premium?

Mission16Mission16 Posts: 1,413 ✭✭✭
in Precious Metals
When offered as 90% bullion? I was stacking up some quarters today when I noticed how THIN the Barbers were. I put 4 on my scale and got 21.9 grams. I put 4 Washingtons on and got 24.4 grams. Logic tells me I should want to pay LESS for Barbers and SLQ's.

So why the premium?

Comments

  • guitarwesguitarwes Posts: 9,266 ✭✭✭

    Some dealers will pay less for Barbers and SLQ's because of this. Some dealer will sell them a little cheaper because of this.

    The reason they generally command a premium is because of the false public thought of higher numismatic value vs. common bullion value.

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  • sumrtymsumrtym Posts: 394 ✭✭✭
    Who's the dealers selling cheaper? PM me if you do or know of someone that does.

    If I can get them at a discounted rate that makes up for the loss of metal vs. buying more modern issues, our metal detecting club members would MUCH rather be seeing them in our Annual Hunt than the rosies, washingtons, etc.
  • RedTigerRedTiger Posts: 5,608 ✭
    Like virtually everything else, it is supply and demand. There are sometimes a hundred as many of the later series vs. the older series. Barbers in particular, sell easily for a good premium price online at Ebay. If a person did an experiment at most shows or local coin clubs with two coins for sale, both at the same price of melt value for a full coin. First coin is an uncirculated MS63 1964 Kennedy half, second coin a common date Barber half in Good-4 condition. I'd guess the Barber will sell first 95% of the time. Maybe go down to Fair-2 grade or actual damage and the Kennedy will get closer to 50% vs. an old Barber.

    Do the same with a 1964 Washington quarter and an old SLQ, and it might be more like 80% instead of 98% but, I'd guess the old coin still gets chosen first most of the time.

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  • illini420illini420 Posts: 11,466 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I like buying Barber 90% because I like old coins. Also, when some collectors put their Barbers in a junk pile many years ago some dates in G or VG were "junk" but now they are not. Also, when going through junk Barber dimes I often find Seated dimes since they share a very similar reverse. Just more fun than boring Washingtons or Roosies. But I'm also not buying solely for silver content, I'm buying to have fun looking through them and pulling out the non-junk as well.

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  • Mission16Mission16 Posts: 1,413 ✭✭✭
    Ah. I see now why it would be so. Some folks are looking at 90% as bullion with some possible numismatic value. Others (like me) are simply for the bullion.
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