A Very Nice 81 Proof Set Surprise

SarasotaFrank · October 11, 2002 5:38PM

I have been accummulating some proof and mint sets to fill in the later years of JFK, Linc, Jeff, Roosie and Washington sets. It's a sort of "do it as I have time" project.

So at this late hour, I am cracking open sets and filling in the blanks.

I get to the 1981 set (the 81, 82 & 83 are a b*st*rd to get open), and lo and behold a very pristine SBA dollar and Lincoln set are proudly displaying a clear, as opposed to filled "S".

Now, I have a significant investment in this set, as it set me back a full $6.00.

The RedBook shows $180.00 for the SBA and $50.00 for the Linclon in Proof 65, which is a very generous underestimation in my opinion.

Would it be worth grading these two? There certainly seems to be enough value. Is there much upside?

FC57Coins · October 11, 2002 7:42PM

Definitely Frank, those are rare moderns, rather than have them banging around in your collection get them slabbed and that way you'll have them safe and know what they are at all times. Congratulations!

Frank

cladking · October 11, 2002 9:35PM

There are lots of rare moderns. These are just pricey moderns. Mintage estimates
run upward of a quarter million. Demand for these is fairly high so the price is high.
The '79 & '81 type 2's tend to be pretty easy to sell raw. Unless they are very high
grade it may not be worth the expense of slabbing. Varieties are always nice finds.

FrattLaw · October 12, 2002 12:52AM

Having just purchased a 1981 SBA Type II, I would say that you should get them slabbed. I've seen prices on the SBA recently run from $260-$375 for a PR69 DCAM. While raw coins are about $200.

If you have a PR69 DCAM, submit it. You'll have no problems selling that coin on EBay. While I was at Long Beach, I asked probably 2 dozen dealers - no one had one.

As for the Lincoln, I have no idea though.

Nice find! I'm actually starting to look through 81 proofs, most collectors and dealers have a hard time spotting the differences between Type I & II. For a $6.00 investment, you can pocket a nice tidy profit.

Michael

MW Fattorosi Collection

paulheep · October 12, 2002 1:55AM

A couple years ago, I purchased an 81-s SBA proof off e-bay for about $10. I coin I received was a Type 2 which I had slabbed. It made a PR68DCAM which I sold for about $150.

Paul

chiefbob · October 12, 2002 3:00AM

Hmmmmmm. I immediately looked at my 79-81 proof sets for Type 2s. The 80-S and 81-S have what appear to be clear mintmarks, as opposed to the 79-S that look like little s-blobs. I looked at Frank's registry set but I couldn't tell from the scans what the Type 1 looks like to compare it. Does it sound like I have the Type 2, based on my description? Both the Suzies and Abes are heavily frosted, so I will probably send to PCGS for slabbing anyway.

Question: if you don't specify the variety on the submission form, do the graders automatically look for these kinds of known varieties and describe them as such? I've only sent a few coins so far, so I am still new to the nuances of this process.

BTW, I also "won" these on eBay during my search last year for frosted, cameo proof sets.

Bob

merz2 · October 12, 2002 3:09AM

Bob
The 81 type 2 is a little harder to distingish.It appears as a clear S with the top shaved flat.There have been some excellent pics posted on this forum before.

MadMarty · October 12, 2002 3:10AM

Hope this helps with the mintmarks...

Linky to the SBA page...

chiefbob · October 12, 2002 3:34AM

Thanks, MadMarty! The link was great, and it looks like I have Type 2s after examining under 10X power and comparing to the photos on the site. I have bulbous serifs!

Can anyone answer this?

Question: if you don't specify the variety on the submission form, do the graders automatically look for these kinds of known varieties and describe them as such? I've only sent a few coins so far, so I am still new to the nuances of this process.

-----------------------------------------------------
Bob

Russ · October 12, 2002 3:36AM

Frank,

Nice score on the SBA and the cent. The Kennedy is worthless, though, so just go ahead and send it to me so it doesn't clutter up your nice stuff.

<< <i>if you don't specify the variety on the submission form, do the graders automatically look for these kinds of known varieties and describe them as such? >>

No, they don't.

Russ, NCNE

littlewicher · October 12, 2002 3:38AM

Both types of the MMs on the 1981 coins have a clear S.

Russ · October 12, 2002 3:42AM

Oh, here's a thread with excellent scans of the difference between the types:

Courtesy of board member Clark.

Russ, NCNE

supercoin · October 12, 2002 4:03AM

Nice score! A good way to verify, especially since you've got the sets handy, is to compare them to years that have only one type of mintmark.

The mintmark progression is as follows:

Filled S
1978
1979 Ty1

Clear S
1979 Ty2
1980
1981 Ty1

Modified Clear S
1981 Ty2
1982

So you can compare to the 1978, 1980, and 1982 sets to determine where your 1979 or 1981 set falls.

A Very Nice 81 Proof Set Surprise

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