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Help on collecting Mercury Dimes...

Started by mintcollector,

13 posts in this topic

mintcollector

mintcollector

Posted
Posted

Hello again,

 

I am trying to put together a mercury dime slabbed set. Are there any tips someone can recommend on doing this? What are the KEY date coins of the series that I should be looking for? I am interested in investment grade MS 64+ grade coins for this set and any advice would be helpful. Thanks again!

 

Sincerely,

 

'mint'

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jom

jom

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Some won't agree and I'm pretty sure it won't be a good "investment" but you might want to try to put together a non-FB set...or...at least the dates that you have to pay a large premium for FB try to get the nicest non-FB. Full band premiums are pretty huge in some cases. You might be better off finding the nicest strikes you can and go with that. Or if you have to have FB try lower grades such as MS63FB or some such.

 

Some dates don't have premiums that are too bad but just make sure the coin is full struck not just full bands.

 

Ultimately, you should collect what YOU like not what someone else tells you to do.....

 

jom

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rons

rons

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Another option is to do a year set which would alleviate buying the very expensive coins. After completing my Whitman I started the short set from 1934-1945 and after 5 years it still is not finished. Granted I am looking for 67fb but it is a long process and not cheap. Good luck in whatever path you choose.

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James_OldeTowne

James_OldeTowne

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I have a set that is destined to be AU/BU .... if I ever complete it :preach: . Since I am not at all pursuing "FB" designation, and have aimed for an affordable grade level (except the 16-D), I'm only doing non-certified coins, and placing them in an album. If I ever get close to completion, I'll undoubtedly pursue a cleaned or otherwise faulty 16-D, since even a messed-up AU is likely to run 5000 - 6000!

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TomB

TomB

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It is my opinion that most, if not all, of the strike qualifiers are not a good value to chase. These would include FB, FS, FT, FH, FBL and any others I have missed. One reason I do not like these qualifiers is because they only refer to perhaps 1-2% of the surface of the coin and are not equivalent to a well struck coin.

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mintcollector

mintcollector

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It is my opinion that most, if not all, of the strike qualifiers are not a good value to chase. These would include FB, FS, FT, FH, FBL and any others I have missed. One reason I do not like these qualifiers is because they only refer to perhaps 1-2% of the surface of the coin and are not equivalent to a well struck coin.

 

This is something that confuses me and I hope more people can help me on this, as I am really confused on this matter. I have Mercury dimes graded by NGC in the MS 66 range that do NOT have the FB, etc. designation. Is this bad overall? Should I be replacing these coins (these are COMMON dates) with ones that do have this 'qualifier'?

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lehigh96

lehigh96

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It is my opinion that most, if not all, of the strike qualifiers are not a good value to chase. These would include FB, FS, FT, FH, FBL and any others I have missed. One reason I do not like these qualifiers is because they only refer to perhaps 1-2% of the surface of the coin and are not equivalent to a well struck coin.

 

It is not often that I disagree with Tom, but I feel I need to in this case. The Full Band designation is the most significant of the strike designations IMO. All of the other strike designations are not good indicators of the overall strike of the coin. You can find countless examples of Full Step Jeffersons with weak hair and Monticello details, Full Head SLQ's with week shield and rivets, and FBL Franklins with overall strike weakness. But it is actually hard to find a Full Band Mercury Dime that is weakly struck. In addition, the bands are right in the center of the coin and impossible to ignore when they are not fully struck.

 

So while I agree that strike designations are not a great value in a general sense, I make an exception for the Full Bands of the Mercury Dime series. In my experience, whenever I tried to sell a high grade non full band Mercury Dime, nobody wanted it. If I was building a Mercury Dime collection with investment in mind, I would buy only FB examples.

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BROADSTRUCK

BROADSTRUCK

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What are the KEY date coins of the series that I should be looking for? I am interested in investment grade MS 64+ grade coins

 

First buy yourself "The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes” second edition by David Lange and spend some time reading this book cover to cover prior to purchasing your first coin. Investment Grade is normally considered MS65 and above, where as all lower grades are considered Collector Grade. So MS64+ would still just be a near Gem collector grade.

 

I mostly collect Merc mint errors, but have picked up a nice semi key date from time to time as one catches my eye. If your focusing on MS64+ to stay under MS65 pricing it would be best to also look at all existing MS63-64's. As it will take considerably longer to find Merc's exclusively in MS64+ since many existing coins need to me re-submitted for plusing.

 

Here's a sweet MS63FB 23-S just as an example of what can be found with lower then MS64+ slab inserts.

 

aczt00.jpg

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jom

jom

Posted
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It is my opinion that most, if not all, of the strike qualifiers are not a good value to chase. These would include FB, FS, FT, FH, FBL and any others I have missed. One reason I do not like these qualifiers is because they only refer to perhaps 1-2% of the surface of the coin and are not equivalent to a well struck coin.

 

I agree with this however I've noticed that non-FB dimes really don't increase in value over time. I've had very nice 18-S and 19-S dimes for about 16 years that have been STAGNANT. The only increase came when I upgraded the 19-S from 64 to 65. Whoop-te-do. However, they have held their value....if you buy at a good price it shouldn't be a problem.

 

The other side of this is that if you were to, in fact, COMPLETE a set of Mercs in whatever strike condition it would be a worthy set indeed. I mean, who gives a cr$p if they are FB or not?

 

This is something that confuses me and I hope more people can help me on this, as I am really confused on this matter. I have Mercury dimes graded by NGC in the MS 66 range that do NOT have the FB, etc. designation. Is this bad overall? Should I be replacing these coins (these are COMMON dates) with ones that do have this 'qualifier'?

 

You seem to be in the same boat I was years ago. You really have to decide for yourself what YOU like. I know how it feels when you are confused and don't know what to do. My suggestion is go to shows and LOOK at as many coins as possible. Go to auction lot viewing especially. They are FREE and you can look all you want...you will eventually find the coins you like. At that point, go find a book on the subject.

 

It is not often that I disagree with Tom, but I feel I need to in this case. The Full Band designation is the most significant of the strike designations IMO. All of the other strike designations are not good indicators of the overall strike of the coin. You can find countless examples of Full Step Jeffersons with weak hair and Monticello details, Full Head SLQ's with week shield and rivets, and FBL Franklins with overall strike weakness. But it is actually hard to find a Full Band Mercury Dime that is weakly struck. In addition, the bands are right in the center of the coin and impossible to ignore when they are not fully struck.

 

When I was looking for Mercs I found plenty of dimes that were FB but had peripheral problems. I agree they are not in the focal area but by comparison the bands take far less area on the coin than, say, the "E" in "One Dime". So if the "E" is not fully struck more area of the coin is weak relative to the bands. However, that is not what the majority of collectors feel as Full Bands seems to be the "know all end all" of Merc collecting. Or, at least, collectors are led to believe this by the "marketplace".

 

So while I agree that strike designations are not a great value in a general sense, I make an exception for the Full Bands of the Mercury Dime series. In my experience, whenever I tried to sell a high grade non full band Mercury Dime, nobody wanted it. If I was building a Mercury Dime collection with investment in mind, I would buy only FB examples.

 

True about the investment side of it as I noted above about my non-FB dimes. However, at some point you have to decide ultimate what is important to you. I gave up on the FB thing years ago because I knew I could never afford the early dates in FB. And, frankly, they aren't that hard to find...you just have to pay out your arse for them.

 

I'd just suggest a compromise: Pick out the nicest overall coins you can find and go with that. Why worry about just the strike? To me, the overall look of the coin is a COMBINATION of strike, luster, marks, color..and for me, wear. All are factors on whether I like a coin...NOT some designation stamped on a plastic tomb...er slab.

 

:blahblah:

 

jom

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mintcollector

mintcollector

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Hello all,

 

I am probably going to 'dump' the NGC Mercury Dimes I already have and just start over! I hate to do it, but all I have in these coins are common dates with no 'FB' designation. I thank you all your help! I have been cautious when buying coins, so luckily I don't have much invested in these...

 

I did pay to have them reholdered though...'rookie' mistake...

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jom

jom

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Hello all,

 

I am probably going to 'dump' the NGC Mercury Dimes I already have and just start over! I hate to do it, but all I have in these coins are common dates with no 'FB' designation. I thank you all your help! I have been cautious when buying coins, so luckily I don't have much invested in these...

 

I did pay to have them reholdered though...'rookie' mistake...

 

Careful doing this. I've done something similar in the past and regretted selling some of the coins later on. A certain 19-D Buffalo comes to mind... facepalm.gif

 

Again, do you LIKE the coins regardless of the strike designation? If so, why sell? hm

 

jom

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