Legionary1

Quite so; our sets are at such a stratospheric level in the registry that opportunities for improvement will be both very spendy and few & far between. For example, my three '40 Jefferson nickels are all NGC MS67 6FS. The '40-D in NGC MS67+ 5FS is actually worth fewer points than my '40-D NGC 6FS specimen.

Opportunities to upgrade my set are going to be few and far between, as the really high-grade stuff is very expensive. Examples are that 1940-D Washington quarter NGC MS67+ at L & C Coins for $2,900.00; they also have a 1940-S quarter NGC MS68 at $8,504.00. Trying to find a 1940-D cent in the grade of NGC MS67+ CAC; all I have seen are PCGS-graded, and I don't trust NGC to cross one over at the same grade.

You're quite welcome, sir.

As those coins were business strikes (though never intended for general circulation), shouldn't they have been included in the 1976 mint set?

Why does the 1976 mint set only include those clad issues? There are business-strike silver issues of the quarter, half dollar and dollar...

I have considered that, but if I dropped $1,500 on a .40-S Lincoln in PCGS MS67+ CAC, send it to NGC for a crossover and have it come back as a lower grade, I'd be wrathfully annoyed.

So, it sounds like my specimen is as high as I can expect to get

I see what you mean about your '40-S Merc. I've never been a fan of toned coins; I've always considered toning to be a form of environmental damage. My own specimen of the '40-S issue has the green bean; the stone-white brilliance on the obverse and reverse is why... I've been looking for a specimen of the issue with both the CAC sticker and a '+' grade, but have had no luck.

You're quite welcome. What coin did you want to upgrade?

Ouch. Remember what I said about stupid money? My congratulations on snagging that '40 Washington in NGC MS68; the way things are shaping up, I'll not be able to beat you even if I did get a '40-S Walker in NGC MS67...

Again, your kind words are much-appreciated. Shouldn't that be 'reveal' (unless you're talking about the hit to your wallet)?

Coinbuf: My pursuit continues, as I just won the GC auction for a 1940 Mercury dime in the grade of NGC MS67+ FB CAC, thus matching your own specimen of that issue. The previous specimen in that slot was a '40 Merc graded NGC MS67 CAC. I paid a significant premium over the coin's fair market value. To me, the expense was worth it as it was the only such specimen available. Whence the next upgrade to my set comes, I know not; I'll keep looking.

Your kind words are gratefully received, sir. I am in complete agreement with you about the '40-D Linc not being worth the cost; now, if the point value were in line with the '40 and the '40-S, that would be a different case

Though your 1940 set has overtaken mine in the NGC Registry standings, your position there and in the combined NGC/PCGS Registry is not secure as I'm continuing to snap at your heels. Earlier today, I had the winning bid at Great Collections for a '40 Walker in the grade of NGC MS67+ CAC (thus matching your own specimen). Elsewhere on GC, I had put in what i thought was a safe bid of $250.00 for a PCGS-certified '40-D Linc in the grade of MS67+ CAC; oh, how wrong I was. I thought my bid was safe because of the relatively-low point value of that issue (when compared to the '40 and '40-S in the same grade). By the time the hammer fell, there had been a total of 27 bids, and the winning price was $1,006.00...

As I write this, there's this little gem for sale over at Great Collections: https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1156294/1940-S-Walking-Liberty-Half-Dollar-PCGS-MS-67-CAC-Rollo-Fox-Collection It's a '40-S Walker from the Rollo White Collection; the piece has the grade of PCGS MS67, and it's got the Green Bean from CAC; this piece is certain to go for stupid money when it sells.

Before I had to downgrade my 1943 Mint Set for financial reasons, I had all three of my steel cents in NGC MS67+ CAC for the very reason you mention

Congratulations. This acquisition means your 1940 set has dethroned my 1940 set from the #1 position that I have held in the NGC registry for seven out of the last eight years... Might I enquire as to what that one set you back? The only realistic chance I have to reclaim the #1 position is to get that '40-s Walker in MS67...

Agreed

Your kind words are gratefully received. Speaking of upgrades, I received an offer to purchase that '40-S Walker in NGC MS67. The guy dropped the price by $900.00; still way out of my range. If I had the $8,500.00+ to spare, I'd do it in a hot second.

I'm beginning to creep up on the #1 slot, as I've upgraded my 1940-D Merc from NGC MS67 FB CAC to NGC MS67* FB. My 1940 nickel has been upgraded from NGC MS67 5FS to NGC MS67 6FS

What keeps me from buying a PCGS coin in the grade I want is that there's no guarantee that it would cross over to NGC with the same grade. I'd be mightily annoyed if I dropped several hundred bucks on a '40-D Linc in PCGS MS67+, only to have it become a -67...

Understood. You're right about that fingerprint; this (and the unattractive toning) is what keeps me from pulling the trigger and buying it.

I'm looking on Ebay right now, and I don't see a '40-D cent in MS67+ by either NGC or PCGS....

You're quite welcome. It's a pleasure to compete with someone of your quality. As regards the census for the 1940 cent, the census is 24, with none graded higher than NGC MS67+; for the 1940-D cent, there are just 5 examples graded higher than NGC MS67. Lastly, for the 1940-S cent in NGC MS67+, the census is just 7, with one graded higher. If anything, the point value for the 1940-D issue in NGC MS67+ should be equal to the others. As far as upgrades are concerned, there's a 1940-S walker in NGC MS67 for sale on E-bay right now; at $9,795, that's outside of my price range. Ditto, for the 1940-D quarter in NGC MS67+, at $2,904.

Coinbuf: My congratulations on the upgrades to your 1940 and 1940-S Lincoln cents; getting the '40 in MS67+ CAC was a real coup. While we're on the subject of the 1940 Lincolns, I'd rather like to know why there's such a discrepancy in the point values between the '40 & '40-s and the '40-D. For example, the point values for the '40 and '40-S in NGC MS67+ are 2,341 points and 2,307 points respectively; the value for the '40-D in the same grade is just 595 points, despite a census of just 5; this doesn't make sense to me.