I've been a long time collector of Eisenhower dollars and have been watching the value of my Ike collection go down in the past two years. It appears to be more of a down turn than what I have seen on my other collections like peace dollars where I have seen the key date go up in price. I guess my question is what's up with the Ike market and what are we seeing out in the market place currently.
Well, considering how far Ikes have come in the past 20 years, a mere 2 year downturn doesn't seem too bad to me. Nice pieces (66 or better, sometimes 65 or better) with good eye appeal still sell for good money.
It's more than just the Ike market that has done that with the exception of the highest grades and really standout pieces in other series
I've been looking to buy a 71,s in ms67 and a 76-s in ms68 for awhile even though ask prices on eBay with bin auctions the ask prices are high but in a real auction a 76-s is almost two dollars cheaper than a couple of years ago. I've been trying to get those coins buy cherry picking and submitting but can't land the grade so I think I'll just now buy them. I've also noticed that there isn't the excitement for the series even on this site like I've seen in the past. The Ike group forum is also dead most of the time.
You aren't going to get a large portion of the people on here interested in anything minted after 1964, or 1933.
Modern collectors got criticized for so long on so many different sites that as a group they mostly went quiet and just quietly assemble their collections
Ikes aren't the only series that has taken a hit. Population trends might shed light on one reason. Too bad this isn't a tool that the TPGs have.
Which series do you feel have taken a hit in the past couple years? I don't have my finger on the pulse of the market because what I buy is usually type coins, classic commems, or really niche kind of things.
Dealers I buy from tell me commems are selling well. One dealer has sold 2 Hawaiians in the past 6 months.
The bottom end of the Ike market has been heating up a lot in the last couple months. I think attention is turning to nice choice examples of BU coins on the low end of the market. Collectors are finally waking up to the fact that nice specimens (MS-62+) of Ikes are far tougher than many Morgans or peace dollars. This is because Ikes are so poorly made that most Uncs are ugly MS-60 unless they've been circulated. This is reflective of a lot more attention from beginners which might in the future greatly bolster the higher end of the market. In any case everything is cyclical and Ike will be back even at the high end.
Toned (particularly monster toned) Ikes are doing fairly well (even in common grades and it helps if it's an NGC coin with a "STAR" designation).
You may be right but I don't know for sure. What I do know, is that collectors of toned coins (which is where I fit as well) pay a premium for the Star and other toned Ikes. For example, a common date pf 67 that sells for $20, can go anywhere from $40-$150 depending on the level of toning. Now this one is a PCGS example, but it is an example of the top end prices for Ike toners (a 35x premium vs untoned) http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm?itemId=302165868417
The right toning in any series right now bring big premiums. There may be a small percentage doing a star collection that would pay up for that designation but overall the modern market prefers PCGS with the one exception being business strikes that get a PL designation. Really wish PCGS would start doing that but as of now they still don't
This is precisely correct. I've missed out on many an Ike because of the feverish bidding on superbly toned specimens, and NGC STAR Ikes are no joke either. I have 4 or 5 in my collection, and they really do stand out from the crowd. There is such a thing as a dull proof Ike. The NGC STARs really are special. A couple of my STARs:
