Any advice on purchasing Walking Liberties for a 1941-47 short set?
gscoins
Posts: 301 ✭✭✭
I decided a little while ago to begin a WL PCGS-graded short set (1941-47). I had one many years ago (sold to help buy a house 40 years ago) and have always loved the design.
One of the forum members kindly sold me 5 raw WLs (four of which were in the 1941-47 range) a few months ago and seeing them in hand reignited my interest. My goal is MS 67s for the more common Philadelphia mint coins (1941-45) and MS 66s for everything else (i.e., all of the Denver and San Francisco issues and the 1946-47 Philadelphias). While I would like to complete this set, I am not competing for anything like the top rung of the Registry set.
I have been able to obtain a few (mainly through Great Collections), but as I researched other possible purchases, I came to the conclusion I could use some guidance before I invested a lot more time (and money).
So, I am hoping some of you can weigh in, either in general or in response to some of the questions below:
- The 1941-42 SF coins at 66 seem to be pretty expensive if they have anything approaching a full strike. Is the same true for the 1943-46 SF issues? Or, any others?
- Are there any other WLs which are tough to find in reasonably full strikes? Conversely, are there some issues that are typically well struck?
- The 1946 and 1947 Philly coins have dramatic price differences between 66 and 67, which led me to lower my target for them to 66. Would it make sense to aim for a 66+ instead of a straight 66?
- Are there any Denver or SF coins which have relatively small differentials between 66 and 67, such that paying for a 67 might make sense (i.e., not break the bank)?
Any opinions and thoughts will be much appreciated.
Thanks.
Comments
While I do not collect this series, if it were me, I would place eye appeal (the wow factor) above all else. If that resulted in a 65 vs a higher grade, so be it.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
I put together a raw Walker short set. I wanted the coins in MS-63 - 64. I bought three pieces in slabs and cracked them out. The rest came shopping the shows, especially at Summer FUN.
I can’t relate to paying the prices for MS-66 and 67 grade coins. I would much rather spend the money on something that is rarer and more interesting.
I played the registry set game for a while. Aside from posting pictures and comments about the history of each coin, I really didn’t see it becoming very satisfying.
There are plenty of them so take your time.
1943 and 1944 San Francisco Coins are also tough to find with a good strike. Taking your time and searching diligently will pay dividends.
Some of the Denver coins are tough to find with a full strike, but most Philly coins are struck well.
Premiums for 67s have really come down and are more affordable now than they used to be. That being said, I did just that which you mentioned. I have a 66+ 1947 and a 66+ 1947-d coins in my set. I also have a 1946 in MS 66+. So yes, that is a very good strategy And exactly what I did…If you don’t wanna pay the extra money for the 67s.
Yes, there are a few 1943D 1944D & 1945D come to mind.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I have worked intermittently on my set with a goal of MS66. There is a REALLY steep curve from 66 to 67 that I didnt want to ride on. I would agree with other members that you can find very nice coins in MS65 holders.
I might suggest trying to get a sticker on your purchases too.
I love walkers, but have always felt the late dates were rather ubiquitous.
But, if I were assembling only those, I would look for exceptional strikes and attractive toning, to help them stand out from the other average looking pieces.
I have a raw short set in a Dansco album and a PCGS hodered set. The raw set is 63 and 64's with a couple 65's and the PCGS set is mostly 65's with a couple 64's that were nice for the grade. I find toned walkers to be scarce so I opted for uniform looking sets. I think "Walkerfan" is right on the money (no pun intended) with his answers about the higher graded issues from what I have seen.
Louis Armstrong
I finished this set recently and to add some challenge I did them all in PCGS old green holders (OGH) and tried to find examples with CAC stickers when possible. I did them all in 65 with a few 66s here and there with the thought of working to do an all 66 set in OGH as well, but I think many of those OGH 66s have been cracked. It was a fun set and I keep looking for what I consider to be upgrades in either eye appeal or strike, but finding them in the OGH does present a challenge. The S mints were surprisingly difficult to find in OGH and I imagine many of the 65+ examples were also cracked. Take your time and have fun with it.
Seated Dollar Collection
My general advice is to be patient. Many of those coins are reasonably common and you’ll have plenty of opportunities.
Have you decided whether you're going to assemble a matched set in terms of color - as in all color-free examples vs. both toned and untoned?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I have the short set. If you have access to major shows, I’d go look and only buy coins I’ve had in-hand. To me, that’s the best way to be sure you can see what you’re buying.
Make sure the thumb shows. That means a very well strike. Takes some looking but they are out there.i know because I have a 33-47 set in PCGS 65 .