good coin to hoard

[dimefreak]

Basically everybody here has a go to set they specialize in. What's that one coin that you think is under priced and harder than heck to find? I'm not talking condition rarity either. Just plane hard to locate!

[coinman_23885]

Many will think I am nuts, but the 1939 PCGS PF65 CAM Liberty Walking Half Dollar. Only two coins for this date were ever designated by any of the top four grading services and both reside in PCGS holders (a proof 64 and a single proof 65). There are only 17 designated coins in existence for all dates combined although this would likely include crossovers and resubmissions. The coin is listed at $3500 in the PCGS Price Guide, and it appears to be based on the prices for the much more "common" 1942 issue. To me, $3500 for a top pop when only two exist is a good buy. And unlike a lot of areas of the market, I think cameo Liberty Walking Half Dollars have increased a bit in value the last year or so (although sample size is obviously limited). It hasn't been hit by the large price adjustments that I have seen in other segments of the coin market and the coin is legitimately rare (at least for the designation). I also think the proof 64 example would be a good buy.

 

 

[dimefreak]

Your not crazy! But its a condition rarity :-)

[coinman_23885]

Your not crazy! But its a condition rarity :-)

 

 

Thanks!

 

Also, aren't condition rarities based on the grade alone or do you consider designations to be condition rarities as well? I had never thought about it in that context. There are only two 1939 cameos in any grade.

 

 

[dimefreak]

Your likely right Kenny. I just didn't explain well enough. No square bases, over dates, DD's etc. Just hard dates to find. I'll give my example.

 

1797 dime. 13 or 16 stars. 13 stars is harder to locate but regardless that date is so stinking hard! Yet its cheap!!! Why? Because nobody cares to collect a set of early dimes. They grab a 1796 and they got there type coin!

Less than 100 problem free examples beleived to exist! Less than 50 have been graded and NGC or PCGS. I'd say that's hoardable!

 

 

Now I want to hear yours?

[mtnstyne]

Here is the way I look at a rarity vs condition rarity.

 

How difficult is it to find a 1939 WLH? A quick search finds over 1,000 I could buy right now with the right amount of money.

 

A rarity to me means something like an 1880 dime.

[moneyhoney]

I been reading the posts for this thread. It's amazing how you guys know which coin is rare and if that particular coin has been found. To me this is a good indicator if any of the coins I have are worth anything over the face value. Are there any rare coins that are "out there" that hasn't been presented?

[DaveG]

moneyhoney,

 

There are some rare coins that are "out there" (that is, they're unknown to the numismatic community), but someone has as much chance of winning the lottery as finding a truly rare coin.

 

A few years ago, there was an estate sale at an old farmhouse and someone bought a trunk full of papers and other stuff that had belonged to a man who died around 1900. At the bottom of the trunk the new owner found one of that man's pay envelopes that had never been opened, so the contents (several pieces of currency) were in pristine condition.

 

The four pieces of currency sold for big money - but, as I said, the odds of finding something like that are like winning the lottery.

 

 

edited to add: The key thing about that discovery is that the pieces of currency were in pristine condition. If, instead, the new owner had found the same bills, but they were well-worn, they likely would have only been worth a "few" dollars each.