Name a US Coin that rarely appears on the market within a grade range you would stretch to buy

Mine are mostly hard to find Large Cent types, like an AMERI./With Periods Chain or a decent ‘93 Lib Cap. I would be a buyer for any of these in virtually any grade as long as the color is good and the quality is above par.

Last year I found just such a coin, a very nice raw S-20b Liberty Cap cent, head of 1793, with the flat date. It’s still the most I’ve ever paid by far for a Fine-15, but I couldn’t be happier about it. It was indeed a stretch. I paid nearly a 50% premium for the originality. The color is amazing. Just clean even wear.

Classic Head Large Cents (1808–1814)

Tough to find nice that's within my budget.

1920-D SLQ in MS FH

1793 Chain AMERI. Cent. I would like to buy one in VF-25 to EF-40. Stacks-Bowers had one graded EF-40, which was really better (Old Green Label holder.) They advised me to bid high because of that. I bid way over the price guides and the previous auction results and came in third.

I made offers to three or four people using the Heritage “make an offer to the owner” program. None of them worked. One of them withdrew their coin from program after I made my offer. I was going to try to sweeten it.

One big dealer has one which is marginal for grade. His price is almost double what he paid for it. (It is possible to trace the auction sales history of specific significant coins using the Internet. It has sat for more than a year. When he puts out a “wholesale price list,” he lowers the price on everything except that.

Another dealer had one in Fine with a weak date, which was not as nice as I wanted. His price was $10,000 (30%) higher than its last price realized at auction. That also sat for a year.

I finally gave up and bought other coins, like a 1907 Wire Rim $10 gold in MS-65 and decent, but not great 1797, 16 Star obverse dime instead. The Chain AMERI. is not met to be for me.

@BillJones man, that is a sharp ‘99! The reverse especially.. F15 detail at least I’d say… VF20? I really like it.

@GuzziSport said:
@BillJones man, that is a sharp ‘99! The reverse especially.. F15 detail at least I’d say… VF20? I really like it.

It has VF-20 sharpness, but there are corrosion spots. Hence it has been net graded to VG-10. In the old days (25 years ago) it would have gotten a body bag. The main thing I wanted for the date set was a fully readable date.

You can spot a 1799 cent by the lump (die chip) under the ‘E” in “CENT.” I’ve seen a dealer, who knew what he was doing, pay $1,600 for one of those.

@KSorbo said:
Draped bust or flowing hair coins in lower problem free circulated grades like G04-G06. Particularly a liberty cap half cent or draped bust half dime.

A lot of the early copper coins, and more of the middle date material is in the hands of early American copper specialist dealers. The general inventory dealers don’t have than many of them. This has been true for 20+ years.

Draped Bust silver coins have been challenging for as long as I have been a collector, which dates to the 1960s.

1900 Liberty nickel, doubled-die reverse in any mint-state grade.

@Goob said:
Thought it’s on the more on side, I’d probably say a proof Walker, around PF65-66.

Mine is also a proof walker....but I want a true Cameo.

@TomB said:

@DisneyFan said:

@jfriedm56 said:
Any and all of the last 3 years of the Barber half dollars from Philly from 1913, 1914, and 1915 in PCGS MS65+ with CAC.

Just checked the CAC website. They don't exist...yet.

Does CAC actually publish the number of coins with a plus (+) designation that it stickers? Since they view the + designation as a base grade I would think they might not.

They do not. Only the + grade coins they grade show up in the populations next to the stickered coins in the base grades.

1860-S QUARTER with no holes, scrapes, corrosion, damage, whizzing, graffiti, bends, Tuff
in original condition in any grade. J.P.

@BillJones said:

@WiscKau said:
Classic Head Large Cents (1808–1814)

Tough to find nice that's within my budget.

That really depends on your budget. When I was building my large cent one a year set, I found them all without huge difficulty in grades ranging from VF-25 to AU-58. The AU-58, which is also my type coin, cost me a “stretch price,” but it is really nice. I’ll post a picture later.

But yea, I’ll grant you nice smooth ones are hard to find.

Here is an AU-58 graded piece. I paid a premium for this.

This is graded VF-25. This one came from the collection of the late Dick August, a collector I knew when I lived in the Boston area. The 1811 is a better date.

Thanks Bill for your insight and posting great examples!

The finest 1885 trade dollar that I grade 66 raw

1824/2 Bust Quarter in F15-VF35 with a circulated cameo appearance