Unopened box of 10 1967 SMS purchased at an antique show
Cocoinut
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This morning was cloudy, and slightly rainy, so instead of washing the car as planned, I went to an antique show. I've been to them before, and never had any luck finding coins at decent prices, but today was an exception. First, I found a box of 10 1967 Special Mint Sets in an original, unopened box. They were marked $125, but I asked the vendor if he could do better, and got them for $100. I haven't opened them yet, and feel a bit like a kid on Christmas morning. Will there be any cameos? Do I dare hope for a DCAM or two? Maybe a doubled die? I think I'm going to wait a day to check them.
Another booth had a few coins, mostly late date proofs and some lower grade circulated type coins, but one stood out from the rest, a 1930-P Standing Liberty quarter that I consider to be an AU58. This coin was marked as $45, and I was able to pick it up for $40. It should easily be worth twice that amount.
Here are pics of today's haul:
With different lighting:
If I'm lucky enough to find any cameos, I'll post them.
Jim
Another booth had a few coins, mostly late date proofs and some lower grade circulated type coins, but one stood out from the rest, a 1930-P Standing Liberty quarter that I consider to be an AU58. This coin was marked as $45, and I was able to pick it up for $40. It should easily be worth twice that amount.
Here are pics of today's haul:
With different lighting:
If I'm lucky enough to find any cameos, I'll post them.
Jim
Countdown to completion of my Mercury Set: 1 coin. My growing Lincoln Set: Finally completed!
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Recipient of the coveted "You Suck" award, April 2009 for cherrypicking a 1833 CBHD LM-5, and April 2022 for a 1835 LM-12, and again in Aug 2012 for picking off a 1952 FS-902.
...........Nice
Now open the box or sell it to me................
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Originally shipped to Findlay OH, I see......I lived there from '84 to '2002, and was just back there briefly over the holidays - small world!
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Jim
Sure, I know in advance there won't be any DC's since they are scarce enough to
defy the odds but there might be some Cam's if you're very lucky and there will usually
be some nice almost Cam's. There are endless possibilities for varieties and very high
grade coins can be found. The '67 set comes extremely nice so there's "certain" to be
something eye catching.
What makes the SMS's so special to find unopened is that they are one of the only mod-
ern mint sets to be pretty heavily picked over for Gems. Other mint sets tend to be de-
stroyed after searching for Gems so they don't contaminate the survivors but the SMS's
have always had enough premium to prevent much wholesale destruction (except today
and briefly in 1980). This means that the unopened sets are far more likely to contain
Gems and DC's than other sets.
Best of luck.
Good luck with DCAM/CAM and high grade coins in that box.
<< <i>From the pics, that quarter looks a whole lot better than an AU! >>
Agreed. More like MS63-64 and potentially full head if there's an ear hole visible. I love finding AU's like that....even better when the seller let's you nibble down another 10%.
Set #1 The cent has mellowed so that it's RB now (were these stored in a humid environment?) The quarter is a nice CAM. The half has minor doubling on UNITED STATES.
Set #2 Another RB cent. The other coins are average.
Set #3 The dime is exceptionally clean and free of the typical tiny imperfections, but not a CAM. The half has strike doubling on HALF DOLLAR, so it's nothing special.
Set #4 Another RB cent. The half has very slight cameo obverse.
Set #5 All coins are nice, but no CAM's.
Set #6 The half has more of a cameo (obverse and reverse) than the one in set #4, and the fields are as watery as a proof. The initials FG on the reverse are barely legible. The remaining coins are good, but not spectacular.
Set #7 Another RB cent. The other coins are OK.
Set #8 Yet another RB cent. The half has the same strike doubling as the one in set #3.
Set #9 Very nice dime, but not CAM. The half is a twin to the one in set #6. Overall, this is the best set of the group.
Set #10 I was hoping to save the best for last, but this was the worst set. The cent was not only RB, but spotted. The half also has a small spot on the obverse.
To recap: Five of the cents were RB. All of the nickels appear to be from the same dies - reasonably good strikes, but none with full steps, and uniformly glossy surfaces. Two dimes were better than the others. One quarter could be a full CAM; a couple are almost too glossy. Two of the halves are really nice "CAM-ish", but may not be quite good enough to earn the CAM designation.
So, I ended up with 10 sets at a reasonable price, with a few coins that are definitely above average. No complaints here.
Jim
one thing to remember, since there's a date from the PO on the box it's reasonable to make a judgement on when the coins may have been struck, especially if you're one of the big searchers like Val Webb. dated boxes help them to determine when the highest probability for certain Varieties and Cameo/Deep Cameo coins might be.
<< <i>
So, I ended up with 10 sets at a reasonable price, with a few coins that are definitely above average. No complaints here.
>>
The irony is that the seller likely just wanted to capitalize on the silver value. These
wholesaled at a much higher price for years though.
You''re absolutely right. When I bought them, I thought they were about $12-15 per set. The '67 set has historically carried more of a premium than the other SMS sets. I wasn't really looking for coins, and didn't have a Greysheet with me.
Jim