Condition Rarities That Are Only Melt Value In Low Grades

collegecoincollector

Let's see if we can name a few:

I'll start....

The 1945 (P) Mercury Dime. Low grade and its only melt, high grade with full bands and its a major condition rarity.



Can be as a variety OR a date.

Stew

1971 P Eisenhower Dollar; Low Grade= Face value / MS-66= $2,700.00

Walkerguy21D

1920D and 1923S walkers; AG/G coins are worth approximately melt, Ch AU's will run you about $2k, if you can find them. And higher for Unc's, of course.

GoldenEyeNumismatics

84-S Morgan, 80-O Morgan, 01-P Morgan

AUandAG

The 1883-s Morgan comes immediately to mind. Common and cheap in low grades and
just the opposite in high MS grades.

bob

scottgardener

A 1934-S Peace dollar in G4 is worth only a few bucks more than most other dates; in AU grades they're one of the key dates, and by MS63, it's the big stopper of the series. By comparison, 1928 is a key date in the lower grades, starting around $400 VG to F, but only costs twice that in MS63.

Among Indian quarter eagles, the 1914 plain is the distant second key after the killer 1911-D. In circulated grades even up to AU, though, it costs the same as a generic. It's at MS62 that it starts rising, and by MS64, you're looking at the price and then at the blank spot in your collection where the 1911-D goes, instead. (or the house payment for the next two months)

ambro51

While not exactly common, the 1859 S gold dollar is reasonably priced in circulated grades, but becomes the rarest coin in the entire series in higher MS grades. Only a handful exist in high grade.

Barry

Every modern.

PerryHall

<< <i>Every modern. >>



Agree. In a PCGS MS70 it's worth a premium---sometimes a huge premium. The same coin raw is worth face value or melt with some exceptions for special issues like the MMIX UHR Saint.

ambro51

......you could throw in EVERY modern Lincoln Memorial in the highest pop grades, though some here will doubt that any PCGS MS68 biz strike is still worth any more than one cent.

lkeigwin

Many 1940's and 1950's Lincoln cents in MS67RD sell for multiple thousands.
Lance.

Mowgli

<< <i>Every modern. >>

cladking

<< <i>Every modern. >>




Technically this isn't really true but there are so few absolutes that are.

It will really hurt if your $2700 '71 Ike gets run over by a car but it will still
be worth about eight times face.

More importantly though is that there are plenty of moderns that don't
even exist in unc much less very high grade that still have very substantial
value. The '76-D DDO quarter is worth over $1000 in AU for instance. It
might be outside trhe parameters of the question but a 1983-P quarter
has a substantial value in high grade but is still worth $25 in unc.

...Just another perspective.

leothelyon

Dang moderns.....they'll trip you up if you're not careful.


Leo

roadrunner

Nearly every lower mintage gold coin from the 1880's to 1928. Think of all those high grade (MS66-69) Eliasberg gold coins that if in VF would only be worth about melt. One could probably say the same for most dated coins from this period - Barbers, Morgans, etc.

Eliasberg's 1894-s $5 Lib in MS69 has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past. In low grade it's worth no more than any other circ $5 Lib with motto, and not much more than melt.

roadrunner

barbershopper

<< <i>84-S Morgan, 80-O Morgan, 01-P Morgan >>



How about the 86-O in MS65?
Or the 1932-D quarter in MS65?

JT

Walkerguy21D

<< <i>Or the 1932-D quarter in MS65? >>


Certainly a scarce and valuable coin in MS65, however, I think one of the ground rules was that the coin be worth melt in low grade....
I believe this coin in AG is still worth $50 or so. But if anyone is offering any low grade 32D's at melt, I'm a buyer! I think the 36-D washie is a good example of what the OP is requesting, though.