why are some coins worth more out of a set than in a set? some proof and ms coins are worth more out of the mint or proof sets than the sets themselves,why???????makes no sense to me.
Good question, probably many reasons. I think in general, the coins that are worth more out of the sets are higher grade coins, but not always. There are collectors that want a high grade example of every coin in the set and it's next to impossible to find a set with all high grade coins, so they'll buy the coins individually. Then there are series collectors that are not interested in mint or proof sets, but want the unique coins in the sets to complete their collections, so they're willing to pay a premium for one or a few coins rather than buy the whole set. . As most know, for modern coins, I like satins and silver proofs. I figure at some point down the road, most of the satin mint sets will be broke up to complete collections, as these low mintage sets contain the keys to most modern circulating series. Some of the silver proof sets should be broken up, but I like the OMP. I've found that as time goes on, most of the higher grade coins are broken out of sets and the original sets that remain are pretty "junky". But, that’s not always the case - a nice original set may be worth more than the individual coins. Okay, so there's probably ten more reasons why.....
i noticed it was harder to find a nice '88 mint set, i am guessing its because of what statequarterguy said. i looked at a bunch, till i found one that i was comfortable with. its such ashame what they let end up in some of the mint sets, its not even right!
If a particular coin from a set is considered scarce and of a higher grade, it may be best to have it certified. One example would be the 1987 P&D Kennedy half dollars. These were only produced in the Uncirculated Mint Set, and none were made for general circulation. On the other hand, some of the "No S" proof sets sell for lofty prices in the OGP, so someone might consider selling these "as is" rather than submitting them for grading. Chris
The simple reason why even average coins are sold for more separately than the price of the set is because it is a lot more trouble to do it that way. If you sell a set it is a one shot deal. If you have to break them out an sell them separately you may have to find from five to 18 different collectors who want them. Each coin has to be individually holdered and inventoried. The time and effort to sell the coins separately is considerably greater, so each individual coin has to be sold for more to make up the difference.
I always thought it was because some collectors collect halves, other pennies, etc. To break up a set a dealer needs a premium to just sell one since he will be stuck with the others. Since more people collect cents and halves, that is why those coins are usually more expensive. Dimes and nickels are usually the least valuable.
As I said, the dealer has the problem of finding multiple people/ multiple sales in order to get rid of everything. More trouble, more time, more expense. So he has to get a higher price per coin to make up for it. That makes the sum of the parts greater than the whole. Another way to look at it is a collector of an individual coin will be willing to pay a little extra for it if he doesn't have to take the rest of the coins he doesn't need. Five collectors each willing to pay a little more for his piece once again equals more than the price to one person willing to take the whole thing. Look at it either way you want it has the same result.
