1979 P Susan B Anthony 1 1

[Big Buu]

I'm a newbie to getting coins graded.

This coin was given to me and I'm debating if I should grade it.

What are your thoughts? This is my attempt to see if its worth it and I believe this is an uncirculated coin.

[Coinbuf]

Welcome to the forum, the answer is simply no, it is not worth the cost to submit.   Your coin does not appear to be uncirculated from these two photos.

[Big Buu]

On 11/17/2023 at 12:51 PM, Coinbuf said:

Welcome to the forum, the answer is simply no, it is not worth the cost to submit.   Your coin does not appear to be uncirculated from these two photos.

Thank you.

I've been wondering which coins are worth getting graded. In your opinion, how you determine which coin should be graded versus one that shouldn't?

[Greenstang]

Unless a coin has a value of at least $200.00, it is not worth the $65.00 or so to get graded.  
Usuallly only high grade or rarer coins get graded unless you have a personal reason.

  Out of curiosity, what is it with “newbies” that they want to get regular business strikes graded?   
Please don’t say you saw it on YouTube that they are valuable.

[dprince1138]

Uncirculated \ Mint State grade has about 10 sub-categories (MS60 through 70), which includes additional considerations, such as level of mint luster.

From the images, right off hand, I would say that the grade may be AU (almost uncirculated), rather than UNC.

On ebay, the value varies.  Here is an ebay search for 1979 P MS 62, 63, 64, "buy it now"

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_oaa=1&_fsrp=1&_from=R40&_nkw=1979&_sacat=11982&LH_BIN=1&Mint%20Location=Philadelphia&rt=nc&Grade=MS%2063|MS%2062|MS%2064&_dcat=11982

General value for a normal, high MS, dollar is about $30.

I would say that it is not worth the investment to have it submitted for grading\certification.

(Images are MS64)

Edited November 17, 2023 by dprince1138

[Coinbuf]

On 11/17/2023 at 10:54 AM, Daniel Crain said:

Thank you.

I've been wondering which coins are worth getting graded. In your opinion, how you determine which coin should be graded versus one that shouldn't?

Most people have a dollar threshold that they use to decide on sending a coin for grading, that number can vary depending on each individual.   But often that number is $250 or more, remember that sending a single coin in to be graded will cost around $50-$75 depending on the grading tier and any addons.   For individuals that are trying to make money or a living by buying raw coins, having them slabbed and reselling for a profit, it is all about will the final sale price for any given coin in a slab be higher than the cost of the coin and grading costs.

However, there are other reasons that people send coins in for grading, including but not limited to, family memento/heirloom, or registry set needs.   In situations like this the cost or value may be a secondary consideration.

In general if you are new to collecting coins sending coins for grading should be the very last thing on your plate, you need to learn how to grade and spot issues/problems with coins before you ever spend money on grading fees.

There is an old saying, "buy the book before you buy the coin", put simply read and learn before you just burn money and receive disappointing results.

[Big Buu]

On 11/17/2023 at 1:07 PM, Greenstang said:

Unless a coin has a value of at least $200.00, it is not worth the $65.00 or so to get graded.  
Usuallly only high grade or rarer coins get graded unless you have a personal reason.

  Out of curiosity, what is it with “newbies” that they want to get regular business strikes graded?   
Please don’t say you saw it on YouTube that they are valuable.

No. I've been looking at the price guid on NGC and seeing the insane prices on eBay. I also have sports card that I've debated about getting graded for a while. So I'm doing research to see how to go about selling and collecting coins.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Daniel Crain

[dprince1138]

On 11/17/2023 at 11:54 AM, Daniel Crain said:

Thank you.

I've been wondering which coins are worth getting graded. In your opinion, how you determine which coin should be graded versus one that shouldn't?

Personally, I would consider submission for grading\certification on a coin that I suspect may have some significant value.  A submission seems to cost between $40 and $59.   If I had a coin that seemed to have an unrecognized die variety, such as an undocumented die clash or double die, then I would consider submission.  Also, many coins have a very low count of high minst state coins, for example, a 1917 D buffalo nicklel.  The value increases exponentially and is worth 1,000s of dollars at a high MS grade..

Edited November 17, 2023 by dprince1138

[EagleRJO]

On 11/17/2023 at 12:40 PM, Daniel Crain said:

I'm a newbie to getting coins graded.

Why are you getting the coins graded?

On 11/17/2023 at 12:54 PM, Daniel Crain said:

I've been wondering which coins are worth getting graded. In your opinion, how you determine which coin should be graded versus one that shouldn't?

There are several legit reasons people have coins graded including increasing the value, authentication, ease of resale, and to use the coin in a registry set.  For increasing the value the coin generally must be worth several hundred dollars just to hopefully break even.  There is very little chance that a modern clad coin without a valuable variety is counterfeit and ease of resale is not a concern with very low value coins.  In addition, for registry sets with modern coins you are usually better off just buying the coin already in a grading service slab.

About submitting coins to increase value the key is being able to roughly grade the coin yourself first in order to look up values.  There are many topics on the forum concerning how you get started doing that.  That 1979 dollar coin would not be worth much even in uncirculated condition, which I don't think it is, so you would lose money submitting it.

https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/united-states/dollars/52/

On 11/17/2023 at 1:14 PM, Daniel Crain said:

I've been looking at the ... insane prices on eBay.

You are probably just looking at listings with ridiculous asking prices.  Go to the advanced search to look at sold listings, keeping in mind that the old adage of "a fool and his money are soon parted" sometimes applies.

Edited November 18, 2023 by EagleRJO

[dprince1138]

On 11/17/2023 at 12:14 PM, Daniel Crain said:

No. I've been looking at the price guid on NGC and seeing the insane prices on eBay. I also have sports card that I've debated about getting graded for a while. So I'm doing research to see how to go about selling and collecting coins.

I do not know what date range of coins that you are looking at, but coins minted in the 1800s seem to have a wide variety of die issues.  These die issues can be rare and not indicated on the pricing guide.

United States Categories | VarietyPlus® | NGC

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

In almost every case, you will be better off buying SBA dollars already graded.  The TPG membership, grading fees, shipping and insurance all add up.  Having someone else eat that cost will (almost always) give you a better price.

[EagleRJO]

Ignore any clueless references to die varieties for your coin, which looks like a 1979-D SBA $1 coin, with a "D" mintmark indicative of the coin coming from the Denver mint by the way, where there are no major or valuable varieties.  You can also ignore any replies relative to a 1979-P $1 some have incorrectly referenced following the initial post, where at least the op indicated they are a newer collector.

Edited November 18, 2023 by EagleRJO

[Sandon]

On 11/17/2023 at 12:54 PM, Daniel Crain said:

how you determine which coin should be graded versus one that shouldn't?

   You are confusing grading coins with submitting coins to third-party grading services!  Any coin that you want to collect should be graded--BY YOU, once you have learned the necessary skills. In addition to learning how to grade coins, you must also learn how to identify and otherwise evaluate them. Respectfully, this includes elementary knowledge, such as how to distinguish a "D" from a "P" mintmark. Without these skills, which will take you some time to acquire, you should not even consider submitting coins to grading services.

    The vast majority of collector coins are of insufficient value to warrant the cost and other complications of third-party grading. They can be enjoyed and protected in coin albums and other appropriate holders. (Coin collecting goes back for thousands of years, while third-party grading and encapsulation of coins only started in 1986 with PCGS, fifteen years after I started collecting.)  The 1979-D Anthony dollar you posted is lightly circulated or at best low-end uncirculated and at best not worth much over its $1 face value. If you enjoy having it, that is what is important after all.

   Please refer to the following forum topics to find the print and online resources that you will need to enjoy and become successful as a collector:

  You should also attend such events as coin shows and coin club meetings, where you can examine a variety of coins and learn from experienced dealers and collectors.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Sandon

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

To the OP, please ignore the posts made by dprince1138. Also, please do not use eBay as a reference for grade or pricing. Without proper knowledge of self grading coins, eBay will lead you down the wrong path with sellers who don't know coins themselves making listings, and those looking to scam an unwitting buyer out of their money.

As was incorrectly stated, there are not 10 SBA varieties for business strikes for the 1979 P SBA. There are only two (which is in reality only one). There is a narrow rim and a wide rim, the wide rim being worth more than the narrow rim. Yours is a 1979 D SBA which all have the same rims.

From what I can tell in the photos you provided, your coin will get a details grade for cleaning. I can see the darkened spots inside the lettering of IN GOD WE TRUST on the obverse which indicates to me someone cleaned the coin (they can't get at the small spaces inside the lettering) as well as the "spotty" appearance on both sides. This condition even if the coin was uncirculated will negate its value down to face value.

While you may see some healthy prices for SBA's in price guides, those prices are only for the top graded specimens. Being the surface of your coin is impaired, it is not worth those premiums and also is not worth the cost of submission.

Edited November 18, 2023 by powermad5000

[JKK]

On 11/17/2023 at 9:54 AM, Big Buu said:

Thank you.

I've been wondering which coins are worth getting graded. In your opinion, how you determine which coin should be graded versus one that shouldn't?

It depends what the motive is for grading. The most common grading motive is financial, sometimes accompanied by a motive to authenticate. If it's purely financial, the question is whether the best foreseeable outcome might add $50-60 to the coin's value. New collectors rarely have those sorts of coins.

Authentication is another story, but that's a lot of money to be told that one's modern worn coin is only a modern worn coin worth face value. It starts to make more sense with heavily counterfeited issues and rarities.

For some, it's sentimental: this was part of Bampaw's collection and while it turns out Bampaw wasn't the numismatist everyone assumed he was (in the land of the blind, the one-eyed person is king), he was a pretty good guy who left them a nice stash of junk silver plus a couple of LHNs he overpaid for, and they want to honor Bampaw. Fair enough. He was probably a real good guy and honoring him is easily worth the money.

The most misguided reason, though, is the assumption that this is the "right" way to collect. A part of me greatly admires that outlook because one of my pet loathings is people who cut corners, do things wrong, just don't care. Pretty much includes 90% of contractors, about that percentage of people at four-way stops, and shippers who cannot be bothered to pack correctly--everywhere that it either matters now or will matter later. It doesn't apply to coins unless you're planning on limiting your collection to just a handful. If each slabbing costs $50, by the time you reach twenty coins, you have wasted the amount that could have purchased a 1909-S VDB penny. I personally would rather have the coin than all that plastic. At our coin show, less money than that bought me a beautiful Athenian tetradrachm in great condition. So imagine I'd forgone the tet in order to get eighteen common modern coins graded, all in the belief that I was "doing it right." Yeah. There's such thing as taking "doing it right" to insane extremes, such as if one mowed one's yard with a ruler and a nail clipper.

One thing that really impresses me about NGC is that they stand aside and permit us to spend all day and well into the night telling people not to send their coins to NGC--not because NGC isn't a good place to send them (consensus is that they are at least one of the two top grading services), but because NGC evidently understands the economics well enough to realize that collectors who waste money on stupid grading decisions are likely to drift away from collecting. There are businesses that would ban anyone who even suggested not buying from the business. In fact, the main reason NGC would be my grading choice (if I ever sent a coin in, which I never have and probably never will) is because of that permissive outlook. While some of it might just be there aren't enough hours in the day (if they were, some chronic trolls and misinformers would be banned a lot sooner), I have to think part of it is policy. Enormous respect for that policy.