Blay 1919 MS69 Sold for $265k + Buyers

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  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    .

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    .

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    .

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Only asking for opinions of others as well.

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • TomB
    TomB Posts: 23,189 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    While I'm neither of the folks that @oreville wants to hear from I will still give an opinion. ;)

    I'd guess the fact that the 1919 was a part of Stuart's massive high end collection really drove participation and a willingness to spend big to obtain the best pieces or those pieces that were squirreled away for many years. This coin lost both of those potential buzz enhancers in that it was not sold alongside those other monsters and it had just appeared on its own very recently.

    Thomas Bush Numismatics & Numismatic Photography

    In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson

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  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I did like posted opinion about the ghost of Blay trying to buy it back at a deep discount.

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @TomB said:
    While I'm neither of the folks that @oreville wants to hear from I will still give an opinion. ;)

    I'd guess the fact that the 1919 was a part of Stuart's massive high end collection really drove participation and a willingness to spend big to obtain the best pieces or those pieces that were squirreled away for many years. This coin lost both of those potential buzz enhancers in that it was not sold alongside those other monsters and it had just appeared on its own very recently.

    @TomB said:
    While I'm neither of the folks that @oreville wants to hear from I will still give an opinion. ;)

    I'd guess the fact that the 1919 was a part of Stuart's massive high end collection really drove participation and a willingness to spend big to obtain the best pieces or those pieces that were squirreled away for many years. This coin lost both of those potential buzz enhancers in that it was not sold alongside those other monsters and it had just appeared on its own very recently.

    A good start. I realize that these are just opinions.

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • Walkerlover
    Walkerlover Posts: 1,029 ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 31, 2026 8:49PM
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    @oreville said:
    Only asking for opinions of others as well.

    Perhaps the coin was burned as people saw that it didn’t make the reserve at $275,000 I believe when it was offered approximately 6-8 weeks earlier. Perhaps a big mistake to offer it with a reserve

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,046 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Walkerlover said:

    @oreville said:
    Only asking for opinions of others as well.

    Perhaps the coin was burned as people saw that it didn’t make the reserve at $275,000 I believe when it was offered approximately 6-8 weeks earlier. Perhaps a big mistake to offer it with a reserve

    Well, since it sold for 265,000 I'm not sure the 275,000 reserve kept it from getting to 400,000

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • tradedollarnut
    tradedollarnut Posts: 20,754 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Yes

    Early Dollar Set
  • P0CKETCHANGE
    P0CKETCHANGE Posts: 3,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Walkerlover said:
    Perhaps the coin was burned as people saw that it didn’t make the reserve at $275,000 I believe when it was offered approximately 6-8 weeks earlier. Perhaps a big mistake to offer it with a reserve

    No disrespect to GC, who did a great job selling the original collection, but I agree with @jmlanzaf that another venue may have been a better choice. The coin would have been better marketed and publicized, plus I imagine the fees could have been negotiated as any auction house would love to say they sold the highest graded wheat cent.

  • cameonut2011
    cameonut2011 Posts: 10,869 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @oreville said:
    I am only curious as to @tradedollarnut’s and @markfeld’s opinion as to why the Blay 1919 cent in MS-69 sold for much less in the second round than the first round!

    Was it:

    1) realization that the cent was not CAC stickered?
    2) excitement died down in the second round?
    3) venue?
    4) too quick a re-sale meaning no longer “fresh? “
    5) other reasons?

    Wow. Thanks for making the rest of us feel included.

  • cameonut2011
    cameonut2011 Posts: 10,869 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 1, 2026 9:52AM
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    This coin is no different than any other top pop coin. There is a limited pool of buyers looking for the very best coins. Sometimes bidders get too exuberant and end up in a bidding war. All it takes is one underbidder to lose interest by settling for another coin (even a lowly 68 or dare I say 67+ RD), to give up collecting, die, etc., and the entire liquidity of the piece can fall markedly. The Registry set market for top pop otherwise widget coins is thinly capitalized.

  • cameonut2011
    cameonut2011 Posts: 10,869 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 1, 2026 4:42PM
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    I also agree with @TomB that the market dynamics were different this time around. Stewart had the finest known set of Wheat Cents, and the sale was much anticipated. It undoubtedly attracted exuberance and the very top Lincoln Cent collectors with fistfuls of cash to spend. This time the coin appeared more or less alone. That is not a criticism of GC, but "named sales" and hoards frequently bring strong prices because they generate more views.

  • logger7
    logger7 Posts: 9,858 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Great coin, still sold for a mind-boggling sum: https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1745189/1919-Lincoln-Cent-PCGS-MS-69-RD-CAC-Green-OGH-Ex-Stewart-Blay-Red-Copper

  • fathom
    fathom Posts: 2,201 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    GC is a great place for a flip of a 6 figure coin if you need to move quickly. That's the positive, guess what's negative.

  • oreville
    oreville Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @cameonut2011 said:

    @oreville said:
    I am only curious as to @tradedollarnut’s and @markfeld’s opinion as to why the Blay 1919 cent in MS-69 sold for much less in the second round than the first round!

    Was it:

    1) realization that the cent was not CAC stickered?
    2) excitement died down in the second round?
    3) venue?
    4) too quick a re-sale meaning no longer “fresh? “
    5) other reasons?

    Wow. Thanks for making the rest of us feel included.

    I was not trying to pick on Feld or Morelin or anyone else but at near midnight it was not easy to remember everyone else names.

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • wondercoin
    wondercoin Posts: 17,138 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 1, 2026 3:05PM
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    When the highly collectible (Blay) 1972 Doubled Die Cent resold 2 years later, grading a fabulous MS67+RD CAC, I added it to my Top 100 Modern set at “50 cents on the dollar” compared to the price it fetched in auction #1. A great addition to my set! Other great classic cents suffered a similar (pricing) fate. So, I am not surprised about the 1919 and I’m not sure the venue had anything to do with the price. And, of course, many Blay coins upgraded and sold, or likely will eventually sell, for solid profits. I’m sure the sharp upgraders, overall, did just fine in the sale paying record prices for the premium quality coins. The coins that failed to upgrade and got caught up in the bidding frenzy perhaps didn’t fare as well for the collectors or investors who bought them. Nothing terribly different I believe about this great collection as compared to myriad others that have crossed the auction block over the years.

    Just my 2 cents.

    Wondercoin

    Please visit my website at www.wondercoins.com and my ebay auctions under my user name www.wondercoin.com.
  • Swampboy
    Swampboy Posts: 13,256 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @tradedollarnut said:
    This hand wringing over minute semantics is just stupid. Nattering nabobs of negativity. Sheesh

    Glad to see a Spiro Agnew quote take the edge off the petty childishness at play in this coin thread.
    Thanks

    "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Am I not understanding something? Are there a couple of posters that believe this coin didn’t sticker?

  • wondercoin
    wondercoin Posts: 17,138 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    It was, of course, CAC stickered. I read Oreville’s comment earlier (in error).

    Wondercoin.

    Please visit my website at www.wondercoins.com and my ebay auctions under my user name www.wondercoin.com.
  • Walkerlover
    Walkerlover Posts: 1,029 ✭✭✭✭
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    If this coin was submitted to PCGS today raw would it grade MS 69? And conversely if it grade 68 or 68+ would it earn a gold sticker at CAC?

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @Walkerlover said:
    If this coin was submitted to PCGS today raw would it grade MS 69? And conversely if it grade 68 or 68+ would it earn a gold sticker at CAC?

    Buy it next time it comes around. Crack it out as an experiment, albeit an expensive one.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MFeld said:

    @Coin Finder said:
    @MarkFeld

    Thanks captain obvious...

    I agree that what I posted was obvious. And yet, it contradicted something you had posted.
    So, maybe you should be addressed as Captain Obvious(ly) Wrong.

    It's only Tuesday. Too early for Friday Night Smackdown.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 1, 2026 4:50PM
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    @oreville said:
    I am only curious as to @tradedollarnut’s and @markfeld’s opinion as to why the Blay 1919 cent in MS-69 sold for much less in the second round than the first round!

    Was it:

    1) realization that the cent was not CAC stickered?
    2) excitement died down in the second round?
    3) venue?
    4) too quick a re-sale meaning no longer “fresh? “
    5) other reasons?

    Doesn't surprise me in the least with the price of groceries and gas being so high these days.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 1, 2026 5:14PM
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    $265K is a lot of concert money...for sure.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • jmlanzaf
    jmlanzaf Posts: 43,046 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MasonG said:
    That's just silly. Nobody who's concerned about the price of gas and groceries would ever be in the market for a coin like that.

    There's that old saying: if you have to ask what a Rolls gets for gas mileage, you can't afford a Rolls

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • FHcoin
    FHcoin Posts: 7 ✭✭
    edited September 1, 2026 5:45PM
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    Anyone have an opinion on the long term outlook for the spot on the “D” of “GOD” - is this likely to be stable as-is, or progress to something worse?

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MasonG said:
    That's just silly. Nobody who's concerned about the price of gas and groceries would ever be in the market for a coin like that.

    Are you confused or annoyed by my joke? Please give me some more feedback.

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • MasonG
    MasonG Posts: 7,569 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    So- you're confused or annoyed by my joke. Got it!

  • CivilWarBuff
    CivilWarBuff Posts: 25 ✭
    edited September 1, 2026 6:17PM
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    If I may, why would anybody be at all surprised when there is only a downward price change. If it sold for 420k or more nobody would be surprised in the least, but under they are? Doesn't make any sense. I thought $420k for a Lincoln cent was sick and I feel the exact same at a $200k price tag too.
    I will take Bruce's 1794 any day of the week if I had the monies to burn, but a 1919, never.

  • Lakesammman
    Lakesammman Posts: 17,696 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I didn't think TDN was old enough to remember Agnew!

    I looked at the coin closely in Pittsburgh - the best part was the OGH. :smiley:

    Gone but not forgotten: IGWT, Speedy, Bear, BigE, HokieFore, John Burns, Russ, TahoeDale, Dahlonega, Astrorat, Stewart Blay, Oldhoopster, Ricko, Big Moose, Cardinal, CoinsAreFun.
  • alaura22
    alaura22 Posts: 3,963 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @wondercoin said:
    When the highly collectible (Blay) 1972 Doubled Die Cent resold 2 years later, grading a fabulous MS67+RD CAC, I added it to my Top 100 Modern set at “50 cents on the dollar” compared to the price it fetched in auction #1.

    I had a similar experience with my 1954-D Lincoln Cent. The Blay coin sold for $775 hammer on Jan 2023.
    I won it on Feb 2025 for $401 hammer

    Patience pays off

    Mike
    My Indians
    Dansco Set

  • Walkerlover
    Walkerlover Posts: 1,029 ✭✭✭✭
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    @oldabeintx said:

    @Walkerlover said:
    If this coin was submitted to PCGS today raw would it grade MS 69? And conversely if it grade 68 or 68+ would it earn a gold sticker at CAC?

    Buy it next time it comes around. Crack it out as an experiment, albeit an expensive one.

    @oldabeintx said:

    @Walkerlover said:
    If this coin was submitted to PCGS today raw would it grade MS 69? And conversely if it grade 68 or 68+ would it earn a gold sticker at CAC?

    Buy it next time it comes around. Crack it out as an experiment, albeit an expensive one.

    Can you please finance it for me. Thanks

  • cameonut2011
    cameonut2011 Posts: 10,869 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited September 2, 2026 12:08PM
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    Was the cancer spot on the "D" in "GOD" there when Blay/Blay Estate sold it?

    Edited to Add:

    There is also some minor spotting behind the head. Of course you can find imperfections on any coin blown up to extreme magnification, and I realize that it is copper and now more than 100 years old. I would, however, be very nervous about owning the coin with the spots. I sure hope it is stable when the next next grade down (68+) has a guide value of $30,000 and MS68 guide value is $18,500.

  • oldabeintx
    oldabeintx Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @oldabeintx said:

    @Walkerlover said:
    If this coin was submitted to PCGS today raw would it grade MS 69? And conversely if it grade 68 or 68+ would it earn a gold sticker at CAC?

    Buy it next time it comes around. Crack it out as an experiment, albeit an expensive one.

    Can you please finance it for me. Thanks

    I’ll pay the grading fees if that helps.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @MasonG said:
    So- you're confused or annoyed by my joke. Got it!

    Good one!

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • mr1931S
    mr1931S Posts: 7,309 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @cameonut2011 said:
    Was the cancer spot on the "D" in "GOD" there when Blay/Blay Estate sold it?

    Edited to Add:

    There is also some minor spotting behind the head. Of course you can find imperfections on any coin blown up to extreme magnification, and I realize that it is copper and now more than 100 years old. I would, however, be very nervous about owning the coin with the spots. I sure hope it is stable when the next next grade down (68+) has a guide value of $30,000 and MS68 guide value is $18,500.

    :o

    "Two things are infinite: human stupidity and the universe; and I'm not sure about the universe."
    -Albert Einstein-

    Mistakes are natural. But repeated mistakes without reflection are something else. That may be the “stupidity” he was referring to. In research, he admitted uncertainty openly. “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” This shows humility. Even a Nobel laureate accepted doubt. That humility makes the quote less cynical and more observational.

  • cameonut2011
    cameonut2011 Posts: 10,869 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    The GC images from the 2023 sale aren't the greatest, but I don't see spots behind the head. The activity around the D looks worse in the True Views. It could be differences in imaging though.

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