Sleeper Coins

Any coin at all can be a sleeper and for practical purposes the term "sleeper" is just a coin that might experience large increases in demand. Of course future demand for a collectible is always unpredictable. One can merely look at current trends and project forward.

Barber coins and dimes are highly desirable coinms from an era that has never gotten as much attention as might be warranted. The coins mostly just got worn out in circulation and would be rare in nice condition today except many were set aside in unc. But the decades of attrition has reduced and degraded these coins so that the main thing standing in the way of higher prices is just that demand isn't as high as the older or newer coins. One of their weaknesses is that the keys are very high priced even in lower grades which will discourage some from attempting sets.

I'd agree they are sleepers and probably will have their day eventually but it may not be soon. The dimes are easier so they might be more affected though it has the '94-S stopper.

 

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People vote for all kinds of reasons. I voted for Hillary in hopes of a 4-coin set: Bill/Hillary, Hillary/Bill.

 

First, there is the this crazy idea that coins are an investment vehicle. For the current issues (Roosies, Washies, Frankies, etc.) silver melt is the selling price. If you think otherwise for the next 20 years, please get over it.

Secondly, prices for Barber coins are way, way overpriced. I don't know how many articles I've seen about Barber coinage and it's all related to mintage figures. The big PROBLEM is that NO ONE is collecting them any more. So WHO cares if only 100,000 were minted if no one wants them?

It's a poison pill. But some people don't want to hear it. And unfortunately, the barber coinage represents the "classic" US coinage.

Boys and girls, the collectors just aren't out there.

 

Good points, but I gotta say...(imho) there is no coin more beautiful than the reverse of a Gem BU Barber dime. Whenever I see one on eBay at a reasonable price, I scoop it up! ...can't help myself.

 

Took me awhile too, but I found a 1909-D that I liked... now I just need to find a nice 1909-S and I'll be really happy. I think Barber Dimes in the higher grades are much more affordable than Barber Quarters or Halves that have comparable populations, but I would not call them sleepers.

Here's my 1909-D dime, not the best pic though:



I would have said the 1908-S Indian Cents were sleepers if you asked me 12-18 months ago, but those have really caught fire and have basically doubled in price in the past year in many grades. Still an undervalued coin in my opinion, but no longer a sleeper.

I like the 1996-W dime, but there are so many of them and they are all in great shape; it'll never be worth a ton because of that... same story for the 1994 and 1997 SMS Nickels and the 1998 SMS Half.

I think high graded Brown Wheat cents could still be in the sleeper category if you can find them priced right at a show, but in an auction it can go either way and if the wrong folks are watching the auction, they can go for moon money!!!

 

I think Condor Tokens are sleepers. They have incredible designs and most are from the 1700's. Additionally, they are readily available in mint state grades and are extremely affordable given their age and condition. It would not take a huge boost in collectors to cause the prices of these tokens to start to rise. If anyone in a position of power in numismatics started an ad campaign, I think they could skyrocket in price. Personally, I hope they don't. I consider them a numismatic treasure at their current prices.

 

1982 No "P" dime

 

from the mouths of babes ...

I would agree with a couple of previous posters in this thread:

Sacagawea
2004 P ,D & S through 2005 P , D & S

Plus they are pretty and people with bad vision mistake them for quarters

 

I agree, but have only found them in lower grades on eBay. I really like the ones you've posted...where do you find them?

 

i believe half cents are. theyre about as historic as any other us coinage yet theres many high grade pieces to go with low mintages. the "perfect storm" if you ask me.

 

how about the three cents coin? Has anyone heard anything about them??
I would say 2 cent coins ha dhigh mintages not much interest.
Three cent coins also had some low mintages.
But the real kicker would the three cent nickel. early dates had a couple million minted. later dates had less minted,
And looking at it haklf of the years it was minted it had less than 100,000 minted!
Im leaning toward these puppies, plus I have only found a few three coins nickels, but when I do see them I snap them up ASAP.

 

A while back, I reviewed a number of Red Book price guides going back to 1953. I plotted coin prices over time for a few series. One trend I noticed was that there seemed to be a price spike for most coins in a series around the seventy (70) year mark.

In 2005/2006, I found I could buy OBW rolls of silver coins from the late '50s and early '60s for melt! ...which I did! They've seen a pretty nice price jump due to commodity prices...but I expect to see another, even greater, price jump in the next 10-20 years.

That ship has pretty much sailed so I've been looking for the next "sleeper"...which is why I've been spending time lately cherrypicking the very highest grades of early ('60s and '70s) clad coinage.

These coins have been the "red-headed step children" from Day #1. Clad coins don't hold their value like silver coins and there just weren't as many premium, business-strike clad coins saved.

This might be an area worth investigating for some of the younger collectors...2035 is just around the corner! (2035 - 1965 = 70) :thumb:

 

I believe a good sleeper coin would be 1914 Barber half 124,610 minted! PCGS prices it at 160 in G4 today. The 1916-D is 1,100 in G4 264,000 minted that year.

 

Conder tokens were definitely sleepers but judging by the recent Goldberg auction results they appear to be wide awake now. Rats!

I think that Swiss Schutzenfest (Shooting) Medals from 1900-1935 are sleepers IF you can find them.

Imagine a silver US coin with super high relief details and a mintage of less than 100. Thousands of dollars probably.

Here is a medal with a mintage of 78 struck. Not 78000. 78.



Here's another with a mintage of less than 300.



Just my opinion.

 

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That's why when I bought mine it cost a little more but I got a PCGS MS66 FB.

 

All right now we're up to:

96W dime - The Noost
No S dime - The Noost
all the Roosevelts in higher (reasonably high) grades - Art
31D Mercury - Just Carl
1998 SMS silver Kennedy - TopcatCoin
nothing - Pocket change
1990 NO S Proof Lincoln Cent - bhp3rd
1999 Proof Anthony Dollar - abe
1997 P Jefferson Nickel in matte proof - JJK78
2009 p dime in ms66 - davemac
Modern commemorative, Specifically Dollars - BUBAGS
Deep mirror proof like morgan - cerdsalicious
'82-P quarter in near gem - cladking
Anna Harrison First Spouse gold coin (proof or unc) - yakpoo
Liberty Quarter Eagle from 1890 to 1895 - omegafactor
Any bulliion nickel - sunflower
1880-1888 Philly minted Seated quarters - PFCBEGA
Non-U.S. coins from 1950 and back - dctjr80
pre 82 commems w/ low mintages - ddoomm1
1994 and 1997 nickels - bqcoins
Barber dimes 01s and 13s nice ones - Victor
1994 and 1997 nickels - Paddy54
Poo Poo'd it all - Pocket Change
Brown Wheat Cents - Illini420
Conder Tokens - LeHigh96
1927s SLQ - Duke
1982 No "P" dime - ML94539
Sacagawea 2004 P ,D & S through 2005 P , D & S - kangayou
Half Cents - Lugia
3 cent nickels - cerdsalicious
early ('60s and '70s) clad coinage - yakpoo
1914 Barber half - Breezo
Swiss Schutzenfest (Shooting) Medals from 1900-1935 - hiho

Well now...that alot of sleeping going on
After relooking at the posts I'm thinking that we all are believers in sleepers as it's looking as most of us collect what we think might be sleeping.
Just a theory that I threw together!!

Lets see some more people chime in...

 

How come I didn't make the list? The holders I recommended do have coins in them!

 

.....1927-p peace dollar
.....1935-p peace dollar
.....1926-s buffalo nickel

 

The way from which I think on determining a "Sleeper" is to very closely watch what is "NOT" on the dealers tables at coin shows. Keep a mental note of these coins that you are not seeing. Then when they start to show up taking up space that means people are asking for these coins. Because if people are not asking for a certain series of coin they will not take up space on a dealers table. because that table "Real Estate" is limited and it all needs
to make money for the dealer.
I have been seeing a certain series showing up in Large numbers on dealers tables at shows and in displays in coin shops in the past year,that I have never seen in these places in large numbers ever. So I have been picking them up in the higher grade conditions. It has been quite an adventure.
My son and hopefully one day grand kids will be very happy in the years to come. For me I'm just feeling like a kid in a candy store and having fun:eat:

Stewart