Best way to sell MS65 OGH Walker short set?

RedTiger

I am trying to help one of my buddies in the local coin club. He has a superb Walking Liberty half short set (1941 to 1947, 20 coins), all MS65, all hand picked back in the early 1990s. All are in old green PCGS holders, complete with a green PCGS box. He is not a member of the forum, so BST is out, and Ebay is probably out too.

Greysheet is $3300 to $3600 on the set in MS65. PCGS guide is $4390 for the short set in MS65, with the 1941-S $785 of that. I haven't checked Heritage or Teletrade yet. A dealer is offering a possible trade towards another coin, maybe $4000 in trade towards a coin that costs $7000. I told him he might do better selling elsewhere or consigning to one of the full retail dealers such as Legend or Northeast Numismatics. I mentioned the CAC option, and that with gold beans the coins might go up substantially in value to the right sellers.

I am out of my depth here. What kind of advice might you offer this guy? I'll email a link to this thread in a few days. Again, BST and Ebay are out. He has never consigned to Heritage, so would likely pay the full freight rate (not the dealer discount rate). He is in no great hurry to sell, but would like to use the money to pay for another coin, a very hard to find coin.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts that you might have.

/edit to add: if it matters, this is in the Southern California area, and the guy often goes to the Long Beach show.

/second edit: the guy came back to the coin club. He traded the set in and got less than the $4000. I didn't get all the details. He acknowledges he overpaid for the new coin, but it is a hard to find item.

BustHalfBrian

Both Great Collections and Teletrade Auctions are out of Irvine, CA (which is in SoCal), so that may be worth looking into.

And I'm sure if he took them to Long Beach, someone would take them off his hands. Or perhaps he could arrange a consignment deal with a dealer on the bourse floor.

WTCG

Short set Walkers are almost entirely comprised of generic dates and high grade examples in old holders are very common. It doesn't take long at any given coin show to locate a few gem Walkers housed in green label holders. Consequently they are generally not worth a premium and they have been difficult to sell, especially in MS65 and MS66.

Try an online auction. Someone somewhere might be willing to pay a premium for the old holders.

Greeniejr

<< <i>I am trying to help one of my buddies in the local coin club. He has a superb Walking Liberty half short set (1941 to 1947, 20 coins), all MS65, all hand picked back in the early 1990s. All are in old green PCGS holders, complete with a green PCGS box. He is not a member of the forum, so BST is out, and Ebay is probably out too.

Greysheet is $3300 to $3600 on the set in MS65. PCGS guide is $4390 for the short set in MS65, with the 1941-S $785 of that. I haven't checked Heritage or Teletrade yet. A dealer is offering a possible trade towards another coin, maybe $4000 in trade towards a coin that costs $7000. I told him he might do better selling elsewhere or consigning to one of the full retail dealers such as Legend or Northeast Numismatics. I mentioned the CAC option, and that with gold beans the coins might go up substantially in value to the right sellers.

I am out of my depth here. What kind of advice might you offer this guy? I'll email a link to this thread in a few days. Again, BST and Ebay are out. He has never consigned to Heritage, so would likely pay the full freight rate (not the dealer discount rate). He is in no great hurry to sell, but would like to use the money to pay for another coin, a very hard to find coin.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts that you might have.

/edit to add: if it matters, this is in the Southern California area, and the guy often goes to the Long Beach show. >>



As Wei said, short set Walkers are a dime a dozen even in OGH and or stickered. If your friend has been offered 4k for the set, take the money and run. Unless there is something special about them like nice color or an obvious upgrade in the 41-S, pretty much all dealers including full retail guys won't pay bid let alone 10% over ask which your friend was offered. For material that common auction is your worst option seeing as you will get delayed money and pay a pretty big percent to the house or even eBay.

djm

<< <i>Greysheet is $3300 to $3600 on the set in MS65. PCGS guide is $4390 for the short set in MS65, with the 1941-S $785 of that. I haven't checked Heritage or Teletrade yet. A dealer is offering a possible trade towards another coin, maybe $4000 in trade towards a coin that costs $7000. I told him he might do better selling elsewhere or consigning to one of the full retail dealers such as Legend or Northeast Numismatics. I mentioned the CAC option, and that with gold beans the coins might go up substantially in value to the right sellers. >>



You should really watch the Coin Vault to get an idea of what the most you can possibley get for stuff. Last night the were selling the short set for $899.95 with a box all PCGS MS-65. You should check the price of the $7000 coin it is probably overpriced as well.

MICHAELDIXON

Last night the were selling the short set for $899.95 with a box all PCGS MS-65

I would buy a set or 2 at that price! I think you are mistaken on that price, as Greysheet bid on a shortset in MS63 is $1,059. Coin Vault is overpriced, so I know they were not selling shortsets of MS65 at $899.95!

Edited to add: Going to Coin Vault's website and checking the history of what aired, they do not show selling a short set of any grade in Walking Liberty halves.

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>

<< <i>I am trying to help one of my buddies in the local coin club. He has a superb Walking Liberty half short set (1941 to 1947, 20 coins), all MS65, all hand picked back in the early 1990s. All are in old green PCGS holders, complete with a green PCGS box. He is not a member of the forum, so BST is out, and Ebay is probably out too.

Greysheet is $3300 to $3600 on the set in MS65. PCGS guide is $4390 for the short set in MS65, with the 1941-S $785 of that. I haven't checked Heritage or Teletrade yet. A dealer is offering a possible trade towards another coin, maybe $4000 in trade towards a coin that costs $7000. I told him he might do better selling elsewhere or consigning to one of the full retail dealers such as Legend or Northeast Numismatics. I mentioned the CAC option, and that with gold beans the coins might go up substantially in value to the right sellers.

I am out of my depth here. What kind of advice might you offer this guy? I'll email a link to this thread in a few days. Again, BST and Ebay are out. He has never consigned to Heritage, so would likely pay the full freight rate (not the dealer discount rate). He is in no great hurry to sell, but would like to use the money to pay for another coin, a very hard to find coin.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts that you might have.

/edit to add: if it matters, this is in the Southern California area, and the guy often goes to the Long Beach show. >>



As Wei said, short set Walkers are a dime a dozen even in OGH and or stickered. If your friend has been offered 4k for the set, take the money and run. Unless there is something special about them like nice color or an obvious upgrade in the 41-S, pretty much all dealers including full retail guys won't pay bid let alone 10% over ask which your friend was offered. For material that common auction is your worst option seeing as you will get delayed money and pay a pretty big percent to the house or even eBay. >>



This. Unless you can find a collector wanting a "ready to go" set, I'd take the $4K trade in. Or try the Boards here and ATS first.

RYK

This might be one of those occasions where selling the set, intact, is better than breaking it up. I would also try the BST, especially if your friend can come up with high quality photos of the coins.

LindeDad

The trade might be the best bet if the other coin is rally worth that much. Simple fact is the short set has lost about 20% of it's value in the last year or so.

RedTiger

Thanks for the replies. Goes to show that how poor my coin instincts tend to be. I was telling the guy that $5k would be a low retail asking price at specialty dealers for that kind of set. What do I know? Apparently not much about Walkers.

It is revealing that only a few think it worth the trouble and expense to send the coins to CAC, even though a good number of the 20 coins might get gold beans if the guy has any skill with grading Walkers. Again, it is a hand picked set from 20 years ago. He looked at hundreds of coins to buy those 20. It seems like that part of the story is worth beans to the majority opinion here.

Thanks again. I'll defer to those with more experience and I'll pass along the news.

Bochiman

I would think CACing, good photos, and then looking to sell may be the way to go.
The fact that a local dealer has offered what some are deeming to be a good price is telling that there may be something really nice about maybe some of the coins.

Are any toned?

Anyway, careful you don't get yourself in the middle too much....doesn't always turn out the best (ie...if you end up offering to help sell.....someone may do something to cause a problem).

He could sign up on the forum and list you as a reference. However, that would be best AFTER getting good pics and getting them CACed. Besides, if he got them CAC'ed, maybe JA would offer to buy them

Amigo

. He looked at hundreds of coins to buy those 20. It seems like that part of the story is worth beans to the majority opinion here.

So have many of us. I have had picked rattlers from 20yrs ago of various type coins sent for stickers. Getting a gold bean is a lot more difficult than you think.

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>Thanks for the replies. Goes to show that how poor my coin instincts tend to be. I was telling the guy that $5k would be a low retail asking price at specialty dealers for that kind of set. What do I know? Apparently not much about Walkers.

It is revealing that only a few think it worth the trouble and expense to send the coins to CAC, even though a good number of the 20 coins might get gold beans if the guy has any skill with grading Walkers. Again, it is a hand picked set from 20 years ago. He looked at hundreds of coins to buy those 20. It seems like that part of the story is worth beans to the majority opinion here.

Thanks again. I'll defer to those with more experience and I'll pass along the news. >>



For $240 plus postage it seems worth it to send to CAC IMO.

291fifth

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that your friend is about to find out what happens when you try to sell what are essentially very common coins.

If he gets a decent CASH offer, he should take it and move on.

So far as trading goes, he should do it only if the coin he receives in trade is one that he really does want and is fairly priced.

roadrunner

If some of the coins can get gold beans, that's a huge plus.

I don't agree with the majority that these are common coins, even if really strong for the grade with potential upgrades sitting in there. MS66 walkers are worth a bunch more
than MS65's. The set is getting dissed without anyone having even seen it. If it's a really strong set in old holders, those aren't common imo. What is common are people
thinking they have PQ or upgradeable coins. The set needs to be looked at by someone with a good eye. Anytime I hear of a set assembled in the early 1990's or late 1980's by
someone who knew what they were doing, my ears perk up. I don't care if they are generic Walkers, Morgans or Mercs. Have him get the coins looked at the next time he goes
to the Long Beach show. Standards for MS65 Walkers in the early 1990's is not far from today's minimum standards for MS66's.

oreville

I agree with roadrunner.

I am a fan of these old slabbed walkers especially when they are truly PQ for the grade.

Jcarney

<< <i>
You should really watch the Coin Vault to get an idea of what the most you can possibley get for stuff. Last night the were selling the short set for $899.95 with a box all PCGS MS-65. You should check the price of the $7000 coin it is probably overpriced as well. >>



There's no way anyone is selling an MS65 Walker short set WITH an MS65 41S, in PCGS holders, for $900.00.

Justacommeman

<< <i>I agree with roadrunner. >>



me too. MJ

Sonorandesertrat

<< <i>

<< <i>I agree with roadrunner. >>



me too. MJ >>



Yep

RYK

I admit that I was initially excited by the set when learning of it in the OP, then jaded after hearing from Wei and Greenie, then lifted up again by Roadrunner. Now, I am coming back to earth.

Chances are, they are nothing spectacular, but if the friend is willing to do some legwork (showing to dealers at LB, sending to the CAC, getting some good photos, consigning to Legend-Morphy (if they will take them and sell them as a group), and/or resubmitting them to PCGS for reconsideration, he might be able to maximize his take. It is hard to believe that there would be no 66 upgrades and perhaps a handful of 65+'s.

Then again, these are very common coins, and the market for these is not especially robust at this point in time.

RYK

<< <i>

<< <i>I admit that I was initially excited by the set when learning of it in the OP, then jaded after hearing from Wei and Greenie, then lifted up again by Roadrunner. Now, I am coming back to earth.

Chances are, they are nothing spectacular, but if the friend is willing to do some legwork (showing to dealers at LB, sending to the CAC, getting some good photos, consigning to Legend-Morphy (if they will take them and sell them as a group), and/or resubmitting them to PCGS for reconsideration, he might be able to maximize his take. It is hard to believe that there would be no 66 upgrades and perhaps a handful of 65+'s.

Then again, these are very common coins, and the market for these is not especially robust at this point in time. >>



Hey I appreciate RYK's reality based thread, afterall he knows the market and is telling how it would likely unfold. But without seeing these and knowing what happened when I recently purchased also an ole time collection, all in older holders, all conservatively graded, all hand picked from what was out there over 25 years ago and the fact they ALL blew me away with their eye appeal, I just can't discount the hope or the possiblity that these may all be winners. So without seeing them it is realistically unfair to write them off, the fact is the most important fact that is missing is the fact that no one has seen them, coupled with the fact that they were put together 25 years ago and have not been out on the market and are still in their original holders should mean something, can you spell FRESH! >>


I think that you are looking at these from the perspective of your seated/bust half dime acquisition, and if these were seated coins, I think that everyone would be singing a different tune. However, gem Walkers are so ubiquitous that it is much easier to write them off. It does not mean that you should, but the dealer types have probably seen this same or similar "deal" 100 hundred times or more in recent years and are conditioned to being disappointed.

Strat

I wouldn't be so quick to denigrate this deal either, because it is a fresh set of Walkers that has been off the market for many years. Short set Walkers might be common, but the series is considered a staple of the coin market, because there is normally considerable demand for these coins. However, if the idea is to buy low and sell high, the timing is completely wrong. The short set Walker market is down now, so it is a good time to buy and hold these coins if one believes in them, but it is not a good time to sell them. A patient evaluation and submission to CAC is appropriate to protect your friend's investment, but it is definitely the wrong time to max his profit potential with a sale. The real question is how willing is he to take a lower price in order to trade for the rare coin he is considering. Carefully review that coin for its rarity and appeal, and possible negotiate a lower price for that coin, which would make up for the Walker set not doing as well as expected. Best of luck, but I would advise patience.

RYK

In that last couple years, Legend had a couple of very large Walker deals, one was a literal truckload of an old accumulation of Walkers (along with Mercs and Morgans), many in older holders, and the other, more recently, was proof Walkers. Both groups seemed to sell well. The point is that they can be effectively marketed and sold, but it might require the right timing (as Strat suggests) along with a strategy.

Justacommeman

I really would consider placing these in a Legend - Morphy auction. They could send them to CAC and properly market them to collectors. Perhaps this would create the best net. MJ

illini420

I actually think sending the set to CAC first has the potential to hurt the value. Of course, if the set scores a few gold stickers and the rest of them get green stickers, then sure, it works out... but that isn't a guarantee. What happens if only half the coins get green stickers and the other half don't pass (and you have to pay CAC too)... then all potential buyers know the set has been reviewed and there are no possibilities of striking gold... I think selling the set as one that has been put away for 15+ years and hasn't been reviewed for upgrades might draw better attention and offers from the speculators who want to try to get those stickers and upgrades themselves.

Even though the green holders are common and a short set of them could be built pretty quickly, it's still cool to have a short set that is ready to go. I had a set in OGH that were all MS64 a couple of years ago and I was able to easily get a premium over greysheet for the set by selling on the BST. I think there were probably a couple of upgrades in that set, but I didn't want to put more money into the set on that gamble.

rhedden

I have a feeling that the best way to sell the group is as a complete set, in one lot, at a highly visible auction venue. The coins will generate excitement because of three factors:

* they were-hand picked by someone knowledgeable a long time ago

* they are all in OGH; get them all in one shot.

* some bidders will inevitably speculate that they will "score" by getting gold beans on half of them, or by upgrading half of them to MS66


Put those things together, and you will get a lot of competition for these very pretty, if common, coins. I think you may be surprised how high they go when the upgrade/bean speculators beat each other up a bit...

Now how to go about doing this? I strongly suggest that you reconsider eBay! I would locate a full-time, reputable eBay seller with real strong feedback who takes consignments for a low fee and gets strong money for their coins in true auctions. There are even a few dealers on this forum who would likely sell them for a low commission, but make sure it's someone who gets full blown retail for their coins in auctions. Let someone with a crowd of followers auction them off, and give them something like 4% commission for handling the set. There is a good chance that if you let them ride in a true aucton, a couple of "nuclear" snipes will hit at the last second, making your friend forget about the auction fees!

Good luck to your friend in any event.

BAJJERFAN

We don't know the nature of the old holders other than that they are old holders. What if most or all of them were doilies? Kind of hard to pooh pooh what we really have not seen.

au58

I won't denigrate a Walker Short Set either. They are very nice to look at. I put together 3 or 4 of them myself.

But here is my experience:
Most dealers have seen many premium sets. Very few will be very interested unless they can get it at a price that will allow them to turn it quickly for 10 percent, maybe less.

To get full value requires finding a buyer who is looking for just this set and just this quality. That won't be easy.

It will sell, but expectations will probably have to be lowered.

BryceM

Lots of wise people chiming in here.

I'd just add that if he decides to trade them, don't be suckered into getting X credit toward Y coin when the dealer's profit is all figured into selling Y for more than it's actually worth. Trades really favor those who do them all the time..... probably not your friend. OTOH, if he's really in the market for a $7k coin, a fair deal might be very attractive.

If they were my coins, I'd show them around a bit and get some ideas about how nice they really are. If you're getting consistent feedback that they're quite strong, I'd consider the regrade, reconsideration, or bean factory idea. If you're not getting "Oh Boy!" vibes from people, I'd look at selling the lot together, as-is. As has been said, I think a few people would be looking at a fresh set of "beanless" OGH Walkers with considerable interest.

I wouldn't worry so much about them being "common" coins. They're also a very popular series. Even if they're a bit slow at the moment there is still more activity in Walkers than in 75% of the other series out there.

leothelyon

He has a superb Walking Liberty half short set (1941 to 1947, 20 coins), all MS65

Superb = MS67 Gem = MS65

My first thought........have you seen the coins? I'm asking because, who is able to say if any of his coins stand to upgrade? That's what he most likely wants to know before his collection is thrown to the dogs.

GRANDAM

OGH hand-picked 20+ years ago. To me it is a no-brainer. At $12.50 ea to submit to CAC the up side is huge and the down side is what,,,,,, $12.50 x 20 coins = $250 + shipping so $300 - $350 MAX total. I'd be headed to The Post Office ASAP.

Even if none of the coins get a Gold Bean I would bet a fair number will green bean and it is well worth sending the coins. It will pay-off when you sell them.

Sounds to me like the guy knew what he was doing 20 years ago but if it makes you both feel better about putting $350 more into the set take them to a show and get a couple dealers opinion on the quality of the coins before you send them off.

You are in CA so there should not be any trouble finding a dealer to look at them.

No guts,,,,,,, No glory,,,,,,,,

JMHO, GrandAm

ColonelJessup

<< <i>Short set Walkers are almost entirely comprised of generic dates and high grade examples in old holders are very common. It doesn't take long at any given coin show to locate a few gem Walkers housed in green label holders. Consequently they are generally not worth a premium and they have been difficult to sell, especially in MS65 and MS66. >>


Been this way for more than a year.

Try an online auction. Someone somewhere might be willing to pay a premium for the old holders. >>



Or, to me more likely, a premium to paid to buy a complete set for a series in one swell foop.

Semper bean in toto SPQR

breakdown

Plenty of good advice here, although not necessarily consistent. One piece of information to consider is a major reason for the depression in prices is that two major hoards of later date Walkers have been either eased into or flooded the marketplace in the last two years. The European hoard was essentially a dump, and it gives many pause as to how many more hoards will be dropped in from the sky. 64s and 65-graded material took the biggest hit, but 66 and 67 prices were not immune. I mention it just so you can explain to your friend why prices have dropped appreciably in the last few years.
A fresh set in OGH holders might nevertheless tempt some, as MJ and others alluded to. Good luck and hope it works out.

ColonelJessup

Upon reading a bit more, my thinking has changed.

Despite semper bean in toto SPQR the set should stay as it is. The green labels and completeness of the set provide all the homogeneity that you can give. The disruption of uniformity (in that some will bean and some will not) and the simple lack of value added vs. cost ($12.50 per coin) are two reasons to bypass this process.

illini420

<< <i>

<< <i>Upon reading a bit more, my thinking has changed.

Despite semper bean in toto SPQR the set should stay as it is. The green labels and completeness of the set provide all the homogeneity that you can give. The disruption of uniformity (in that some will bean and some will not) and the simple lack of value added vs. cost ($12.50 per coin) are two reasons to bypass this process. >>



You don't know if some won't bean, if most bean I believe that would be far better than not submitting any for beanage. If this set is a winner, it could all go bean and then you will have everything. Most of everything is fine too. I agree if only one beans that would be a disruption but one's eye should know the minute it gazes upon the set if it will green bean. >>



And that is why sending them in for stickers at $12.50 a pop doesn't seem that beneficial. If one's eye should know the minute it gazes upon the set, then why bother in the first place. The chances of the entire set getting stickers is near zero. Undoubtedly there are a couple that will not get a sticker and that might detract from the perceived "freshness" of the set, especially if several do not sticker. If they are nice looking coins for the grade, most dealers worth a darn will spot that immediately even without the assistance of a little sticker.

roadrunner

I'd have to agree with ColonelJessup that stickering has a better chance to hinder value than to increase it. This is the same mindset that pushed raw auction coins to very strong
prices in the past. That is, a couple of bidders will push the coins to the highest prices possible as they will perceive higher grades (and beans) above what the vast majority thinks.
It only takes 2 or 3 people out of 100. As long as a couple of bidders think that upgrades or gold beans are fairly likely....mission accomplished. Most people don't realize just how
hard it is to get a gold bean. I saw a large submission of $20 Libs and Saints in rattlers, ogh's, and old fatties go to CAC: no more than 50% of them stickered....<5% gold beaned.

Walkerfan

IMHO I would not pay much of a premium for OGH later dated coins. I also think that adding CAC stickers would likely be a waste of time and money. I, myself, would NOT buy them unless I could see them first. One person's idea of 'hand-picked coins' may not be as good as another collector's. Some are more picky than others and in different ways.

RedTiger

There is a lot to digest. Again, I don't play with stickers, so am out of my depth. I guess the trick is getting an auction to bundle all the coins with the story. The catch is, how can that story be verified? I mean, it seems that the OGH holdered coins are common in dealer inventories. Any body could patch together a short set today, get a green box, and make up the same story, no? Unfortunately, most of the current OGH coins in dealer inventories are picked over dregs, that are near the bottom of the grade, because dozens of dealers and collectors have combed them for upgrade or sticker candidates. This would explain the uniformly negative dealer sentiments towards the set and its prospects. They probably have heard the song and dance before, probably 80% of the time with skiffers that put together their OGH set yesterday with the left over coins that no one who can grade wants today.

Maybe the first instinct to trade the coins is the simplest and best way to go. Unless a high percentage get gold stickers, there is no real way to verify the story, or the quality of the coins. These are common coins, so computer images may or may not give much indication. No one is going to take a real close look at these coins, because they aren't part of a famous collection. If they get mixed in with other OGH coins, including many of the dregs that can't be moved, they may well go for sheet, as the dealers suggest they might. So the cake is gone, along with auction fees.

Anyway it seems it is a complicated question. The simple solution is to take the trade offer or hold on to the set and hope the market gets better. Getting more than $4k in cash seems to be a long shot at this time. After paying sticker fees and auction fees, they would have to hammer at $5k or over to net $4k to the seller. With PCGS guide at $4390, that would be difficult. The $7k price for the other coin is full boat retail and then some, but it is a hard to locate coin that may not come up for sale again for several years.

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>There is a lot to digest. Again, I don't play with stickers, so am out of my depth. I guess the trick is getting an auction to bundle all the coins with the story. The catch is, how can that story be verified? I mean, it seems that the OGH holdered coins are common in dealer inventories. Any body could patch together a short set today, get a green box, and make up the same story, no? Unfortunately, most of the current OGH coins in dealer inventories are picked over dregs, that are near the bottom of the grade, because dozens of dealers and collectors have combed them for upgrade or sticker candidates. This would explain the uniformly negative dealer sentiments towards the set and its prospects. They probably have heard the song and dance before, probably 80% of the time with skiffers that put together their OGH set yesterday with the left over coins that no one who can grade wants today.

Maybe the first instinct to trade the coins is the simplest and best way to go. Unless a high percentage get gold stickers, there is no real way to verify the story, or the quality of the coins. These are common coins, so computer images may or may not give much indication. No one is going to take a real close look at these coins, because they aren't part of a famous collection. If they get mixed in with other OGH coins, including many of the dregs that can't be moved, they may well go for sheet, as the dealers suggest they might. So the cake is gone, along with auction fees.

Anyway it seems it is a complicated question. The simple solution is to take the trade offer or hold on to the set and hope the market gets better. Getting more than $4k in cash seems to be a long shot at this time. After paying sticker fees and auction fees, they would have to hammer at $5k or over to net $4k to the seller. With PCGS guide at $4390, that would be difficult. The $7k price for the other coin is full boat retail and then some, but it is a hard to locate coin that may not come up for sale again for several years. >>



Any chance of getting some typical pics?

WTCG

Doesn't surprise me how dealers think one way in virtually complete agreement while people of the retail public have differing opinions.

Most short set Walkers have great luster and good details. As for upgrade potential, the value differentials between grades are generally so insignificant ($59 in MS64, $91 in MS65, $131 in MS66) that even if the coins can be upgraded most people wouldn't even bother.

RedTiger

Sorry Realone, the short set is 1941 to 1947, 20 coins. They are common as WTCG's last post quoting the sheet prices in 64/65/66 shows ($59 in MS64, $91 in MS65, $131 in MS66 for the common dates, the 1941-S is worth more, as are a couple of others). My comments on the actual coins are near useless. I can't grade MS65/66 Walkers, certainly not to a quarter or half a grading point. Like WTCG said, all of them likely look nice. How nice? Only a trip to the bean factory will mean much. Sorry, pictures are unlikely. In any case, unless an expert coin photographer takes the photos, no one would be able to do more than guess at which are likely upgrades on white MS65 coins from photos. The owner, of course, thinks the coins are nice. Hard to say how well he grades Walkers. We all like to think we are super graders, but the reality is only maybe 5% to 10% of coin collectors have that kind of grading skill.

Again, anyone could put together a set today, with the left over, low quality OGH coins that dealers typically have in inventory, get a green box, and tell the same story as my buddy. Without beans to back the coins, it may be that they get lost in a typical auction at one of the big auction companies. If they get mixed in with some of the low quality dreg coins that are now typically come up for sale in OGHs, and it is hard to say what they sell for. They are common coins, without the story, no one would take a second look, and anyone can tell the same story. How can that story be verified by would-be buyers without beans to back them? Images only show so much, and few will pay 66 money for a commonly available MS65 coin based on an image. Virtually no one will take the trouble to view such common coins live. A coin with no bean at auction may could mean one that has already been rejected by CAC. These coins are relatively low value per coin, so no one would take the leg work to see if that was the case. I'm not sure if it is even possible to see the reject list. Again, anyone can say their coins are fresh.

Then there is math. $3600 greysheet ask, $4390 PCGS guide price, a $4000 trade in offer. With auction fees, bean fees (without the beans there is no way to verify the story), $5k hammer would be needed to net $4k cash. Those are long odds on common coins.

BAJJERFAN

It twas me, I'd send them to CAC and if the Lion's share beaned either green and/or gold I'd offer them as a set for a modest premium over whatever price guide I was using. If only a few would bean, I'd request that CAC not put any stickers on them and take the $4K trade-in if it was still on the table.

BAJJERFAN

Is this the set?

JBN

IIRC, when Legend was selling the big Dakota collection of WLHs, a couple of PCGS MS66 CAC short sets were available for $4k each.

RedTiger

<< <i>Is this the set? >>



No, my friend is not on Ebay, is not a PCGS forum member.

Thanks for all the input, and all the private messages as well. The different perspectives are interesting and informative and I sent a link to the thread, and my summary to my friend.