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Post a sleeper date!
renomedphys
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Bought and sold a super sweet RED 1918-D Lincoln last week. Got me thinking: Lets post some tough coins that are strictly under-appreciated price wise. I’ll start:
The 1798/7 cent is the first overdate for US cents in the redbook. They are listed as R2+, and very difficult above VF. They come up for sale very infrequently in XF or better, which seems to hold the price guide value down.
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1871 IHC’s are underappreciated in general when considering how rare they are. This one has two additional “kickers”. One, it’s a rare subset Shallow N variety. Two, it’s a rare subset of the rare subset - a S-4. Most are S-5.
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
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I am not a US coin collector I collect Latin America I would go with any milled 1732 from 1/2 real up to 8 reales the very first machine made coins of the Americas. Very few exist of the 1/2 to 4 reales (fewer than 10 of each denomination per Yonaka more if you count varieties in certain cases but still less than 20 exist) and about 40-50 8 reales exist in all grades.
If ever there are more collectors of Mexico that would be the date I would think that would have a great chance of exploding in value (other coins as well there are many many very rare Latin American coins).
Image taken off the internet this is not my coin just an example so people here see what I am talking about:
Coin collecting interests: Latin American early pillar 1 reales
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To the best of my knowledge, these are the two rarest coins in my collection.
I like both of them a lot! Very original, very choice.
My YouTube Channel
1875 mintage = 38,500
1875-S mintage = 1,155,000
PCGS price guide values for an MS64 example of each issue are within just $100 of each other
PCGS pop for the Philly coin is 64/35, and for the SF 485/335
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
It's early, but I can already anticipate this thread will be profiling coins that aren't actually "sleepers". It's not like any US Mint coin or series is "undiscovered", unless it's supposed to be some specialization which outside of a few series, has limited to virtually no interest.
The examples you used (same series but different mint to those I collect) bear no similarity to what you are going to see posted here. Most Latin coinage also lacks sufficient prominence and doesn't exist in the quality correlating to much higher US prices either.
That’s some sexy, crusty gold Smudge.
Just showing members here that Latin America offers many sleeper coins. To me the milled 1732's stand out for obvious reasons but there are many sleeper coins of Mexico and other Latin American countries. Will see with time as of now in 2024 the US population is made up of 25% of people with a Latin American heritage that is up 6% from only a few years ago. If ever these citizens decide to collect they may one day decide to go after their ''home countries'' and that could turn the tide easily been so many of the coins from these countries are scarce to extremely rare. Maybe it will happen and maybe it will not only time will tell.
Coin collecting interests: Latin American early pillar 1 reales
Sports: NFL & NHL
Successful Transactions with the following board members: Pruebas & SimonW
1840 in general is a sleeper.
This is the first year of issue for the liberty head quarter eagle. Maybe more were saved being first year of issue but they don't show up.
Branch Mint New Orleans get all the press but the Philly version is way more scarce
I am able to explain why this thinking is unlikely to materialize (and have elsewhere repeatedly) but it's off topic.
1900 P Half is a bit tougher especially in gem and above. This one is MS-66+ and a pop.3/3
We have talked this over on the world coin side some say it will never happen and others it may happen. We will see with time as anything else in life. I will leave it at that since this is the US part of the forum.
Coin collecting interests: Latin American early pillar 1 reales
Sports: NFL & NHL
Successful Transactions with the following board members: Pruebas & SimonW
Almost any $5 gold half eagle from 1858 through 1877 with the exception of the 1861 P and maybe the 1873 Ps are sleepers in my opinion. Underrated and probably under priced. Try to put together a set and they will be the last holes to get filled.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
That’s exactly the one I have! But in 63.
You almost always see the S mint version.
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Got this one for a song back when gold was around $400 an ounce, priced the same as common gold back then. The 1880 $20 hardly ever shows up anywhere; its mintage is very low, but all the attention is on the 1881 and 1882 Philly dates. This one is in an old NGC holder and grades AU-53.
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
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In MS66 the unpopular Washington Carvers with low market values dominate the scarcest 20 commemoratives in the 144 coin set. Within that group, a MS66 1935-D Boone doesn't get any respect. While recently increasing in value, a MS66 with a population of 134+9 coins and a $450 value, is still a bargain compared to the believed key Boone, the 1934/35 -S with a MS66 population of 143+6 and a $950 value.
1801 dime mintage 34,640 PCGS pop in VF30 is 1, value $5000
compare to:
1916-D dime mintage 264,000 PCGS pop in VF30 is 107, value $6750
The only 1801 dime in PCGS VF30:
It's probably because the prices for bust dimes are most influenced by type collectors. That's what the Heritage archive data indicates.
As for the 1916-D dime, I too think it should be worth less than bust dimes, because I think the price should be much lower than current market.
1909 Lincoln Cent 66 RD Pop is 600. 1909 VDB Lincoln Cent 66 RD pop is 2870. Basically same price.
Since the OP likes sleeper large cents, as do I, here’s a few.
The 93 was purchased unattributed in a details holder. The vast majority of wreath cents have the vine and bars edge.
The 95 lettered edge cents are all scarce, as the coins were switched over to the thin planchet plain edge early in the year, due to high copper costs.
The 15 stars 1817 was a mint anomaly, and very few exist above VF grades.
Most people lump the Bust Dollars with the Heraldic reverse together. The 1801 is a bit tougher.
Ditto for the 1801 half dime
Both coins are graded EF-45. The half dime is a late die state piece. It is really and AU-50.
When you look at the populations of MS and MS FB coins combined for the Mercury Dime series, the 1926-S has the lowest pop. Now go find a nice example with a CAC sticker. That's a bit more difficult. Everyone is in love with the mintage figures printed in the Red Book and that's where the demand comes from for a 16-D. Reality is a different story.
Everyone should wake up and take their blinders off. Will this actually ever happen? HA HA HA NO. It's not the date that is sleeping. It's all the humans.
https://greatcollections.com/Collections/1120/The-Keyman64-Mercury-Dime-Collection/2024-07-07
There was talk about the 1803 dime as a sleeper. Love this one -
Wait! I’ve got one of those!
Empty Nest Collection
Matt’s Mattes
This one is kind of low, also:
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The 1875 proofs, with a PCGS pop of 430, may be helping keep the lid on the price. In 65 and higher, the proofs are actually less expensive than the uncircs.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
I think both 2022 uncirculated gold commems would qualify as sleeper dates. Mintages well below 2000, bullion value $564 each, available for under $900 each.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
Here's my 1842-O Half Eagle.....
Super clean surfaces for a 42-O. Second rarest of the O mint $5 Libs with PCGS estimating 60 survive. Hard to find in any grade and underrated in my opinion.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
I had a heck of a time finding a nice 1825 Large Cent for my Middle Dates set. The vast majority are worn, heavily corroded, or other problems. ex-NGC VF35
edited to add: pardon the crappy pics... this was one my my first with the new camera set up and I was struggling with white balance... sound familiar?
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This gives a better context of rarity for those not familiar with this series. In last 4-5 years I have seen this many 1732 milled coins from Mexico sold:
1/2 real = 1 (dealer pulled it so did not sell)
1 real = 2 sold
2 reales = 0 sold
4 reales = 3 or 4 sold
8 reales = 8 to 10 sold (40-50 known in all grades starts at about 12 000$ up to over 100 000$ depending on grade) they seem to show up about twice per year based on the last 4-5 years
Coin collecting interests: Latin American early pillar 1 reales
Sports: NFL & NHL
Successful Transactions with the following board members: Pruebas & SimonW
Population of MS 1895 O Barber Dimes is often over looked.
Without looking at the prices of each coin posted to this point, I can infer why these coins aren't perceived as those who posted it think it should be:
*The series has too many coins making it too expensive for practically all collectors and it's not bought for type sets.
*The series is composed of an above average or disproportionate number of (somewhat) scarce or (somewhat) rare coins diluting the significance of any individual coin.
*The scarcity and/or price difference isn't meaningful to most collectors. Usually, neither the "sleeper" or the alternates are actually hard to buy.
*The coin or series has a below average or low design preference.
*The coin isn't actually a "sleeper" based upon general perception of its collective attributes.
Even with the size of the US collector base, there may be a "sleeper" somewhere, but I'd find it easier to identify "anti-sleeper" candidates, those more likely to lose substantial proportional value in the future.
If you're looking for a "sleeper from this series, try the 1770 Mexico 2R. It almost never sells (to my knowledge) and it's one few know is quite scarce. Anyone who knows anything about pillar coinage is aware of the current perception for all 1732 Mexico denominations.
I collect pillars (it's about all I buy), but I'm not sure any of them qualify as a "sleeper". For this to be true, it concurrently means too many other Latin coins must be too, creating the situation where too high a proportion of the existing collector base could or will be priced out of what they want to buy.
That's never happened at this scale in coin collecting with anything to my knowledge.
Possible sleepers I am not saying 100% sure just simply maybe one day possible is all and possibly not as well. As mentioned before I do not care if my coins increase in value or not I simply enjoy collecting what I collect. You are correct WCC there are to many possible sleepers in Latin American coinage. I just wanted to state the obvious about the milled 1732's to those who may like to learn about such coins and see what some of us other collectors are up against in terms of rarity on the world side of things. I like learning myself so I figured there are people on these boards that would appreciate learning new things about other coins outside the USA. Again maybe I am wrong.
I could be wrong but my gut was that not many here know about what is obvious to us the milled 1732's coins of Mexico. I had no idea of them until I started collecting Latin American coins 4-5 years ago.
Coin collecting interests: Latin American early pillar 1 reales
Sports: NFL & NHL
Successful Transactions with the following board members: Pruebas & SimonW
It's the key coin for the set; but, definitely at $24,000 in PCGS MS64 not a sleeper. There are 21 of them between PCGS MS64 & MS67. Contrast that with 30 1899-0 @ $2,000.
If there are anti-sleeper candidates within a series, the converse is also true.
In theory, except that I can make a much better case for "anti-sleeper" candidates than anything I have read here.
Of the coins profiled so far in this thread, the best candidate to me is the 1894-O dime but it isn't from a series with a high preference. It's somewhat below average at best, and this coin isn't inexpensive now.
The question is "sleeper" compared to what?
The same coin in a different grade? Other dates in the series? Versus coins in other US series? Versus non-US coinage?
Every collector has their preference, but most collectors (very few proportionately) will completely ignore similarly priced alternatives. Practically every coin is competing against something else for collector budget since almost no one can buy everything they want. Unless the entire market or market segment is also increasing, any substantial increase will usually make a candidate "sleeper" uncompetitive with the alternatives collectors are most likely to buy.
Since we aren't discussing physics or chemistry, there are no absolutes, but I used to tell South African collectors a similar thing I'm telling you now. Yes, maybe the very low number of highest quality or most prominent coins will increase substantially and materially but it's very unlikely to be much more than that. Any substantial increase in one coin or series will make it uncompetitive with competing alternatives. Everything scarce or rare is also unlikely to go up simultaneously because it would price out practically everyone who currently collects it out of everything they actually want to buy.
Did you mean to say 1895-O? Or are you changing the subject to a 1894-O? I was referring to the 1895-O.
We agree about the 1895-O. But what about the 1899-O Barber Dime?
Someone above posted the 1894-O.
I think you combined quotes from my posts with someone else's. I don't have an opinion on the 1899-O.
It might actually be one.
Sorry - I can't find the posting you are referring to of a 1894-O and your statement "It might actually be one." is confusing.
Agree.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide