newp help

duxbutt

HI All, I am sure this has been asked a bunch of times but trying to learn about the older PCGS holders. I have a Old holder I thinkn is called a rattler. do the older holders hold any more value to the newr current PCGS holders? Just curious as I am on my educational journey/
Thanks All.

timber100

<< <i>HI All, I am sure this has been asked a bunch of times but trying to learn about the older PCGS holders. I have a Old holder I thinkn is called a rattler. do the older holders hold any more value to the newr current PCGS holders? Just curious as I am on my educational journey/
Thanks All. >>



Here is some info

link

Kove

duxbutt, I buy, sell, and collect a lot of rattlers, so I'll take a stab at your question. It's tough to generalize, as each coin series has its own quirks. And these premiums change over time.

For Morgans, Peace, and silver commems, rattlers do typically bring a slight premium, say 5-10% in grades up to about MS 64 or MS 65, especially true for "generic" coins. When I scan the TT sales prices for Morgan dollars, I often notice a slight premium for generic rattlers. However, it depends on the coin. At the Heritage FUN auction, an MS 65 Monroe half rattler sold for $950 (PCGS price guide $2000). It was an ugly coin that had been around the block for awhile, so the rattler holder didn't help all that much. You have to be careful about assuming that all rattlers bring a premium, but it's often true.

For MS 66 rattlers, and especially MS 67 and higher, rattler premiums can get higher. Again, it totally depends on each unique coin. There aren't many rattlers left in these higher grades, and the ones that come to market are often "fresh" coins (so the high premium can be as much for "freshness" as it is for the rattler holder).

To illustrate my point, here are some recent examples from the Heritage FUN auction a few weeks ago:

1923-S Monroe Half, PCGS MS 66 rattler: PCGS price guide $4850, Heritage: $13,225(!)
1936 Gettysburg Half, PCGS MS 66 rattler: PCGS price guide $1000, Heritage: $2070
1938-D Texas Half, PCGS MS 65 rattler: PCGS price guide $450, Heritage: $1725


In general, expect a slight 5-10% rattler premium up to MS 64/65, more if you're going for higher grades or a non-generic coin with something special about it. Another caveat I'll give is that standards for copper (RD, RB, BN) may have changed since the rattler time, and DMPL standards may have changed. I can't speak to premiums for copper rattlers or DMPLs.

If you have a question about a specific rattler coin, and a premium to expect, I'm happy to provide my FWIW opinion.

duxbutt

Thanks Timber Great stuff.

duxbutt

Thanks Kove. Great info as well. The coin in question is a 1933-D MS 64RD Lincoln that I got off the board here. Thanks (coinlook) I am new to the PCGS grading and am tryign to get all this figured out. I appreciate the help all.

timber100

Here is another neat place that has information on all sorts of slabs.

link

lkeigwin

<< <i>HI All, I am sure this has been asked a bunch of times but trying to learn about the older PCGS holders. I have a Old holder I thinkn is called a rattler. do the older holders hold any more value to the newr current PCGS holders? Just curious as I am on my educational journey/
Thanks All. >>

No. Not to the informed, anyway. But some folks will perceive a difference and pay more. It is rarely worth it.
Lance.

Kove

Looks like after my novel on silver coins inside rattlers, I can't help you with a Lincoln cent

There's lots of good info on these slabs (like timber100's helpful links), but good info on current valuation of coins in rattlers is hard to come by. Examining auction records for rattler pricing is a good place to look, if you have time. I find Teletrade archives to be good, because you can search specifically on older holders (I think you need to register to search more than 60 days back).

One more thought, and this is just my own valuation method that works for the dollars and commem series that I collect, but if you want a ballpark guideline for rattler pricing, I am often willing to pay up to full PCGS price guide for a nice coin in a rattler holder (PCGS guide + price if I think the coin warrants it). Don't take that as a hard and fast rule, but it can be a good first shot at rattler pricing. I always try to pay less than this, but I'm usually comfortable paying up to full PCGS guide pricing for many rattlers if I like the coin.