I'm in the market for a nice NT BU mercury dime for my collection. I will probably end up getting a certified one, but I was wondering what your opinions were on these raw mercs? Are they AT or NT?
Both look completely natural to me. But I'd choose the second because it doesn't have the fingerprints.
Is it just me or when a coin's toning is unattractive does that tend to make it less suspect for AT? Would someone that artificially tones purposefully make their coins a bit unattractive in an effort to fly under the radar so to speak?
Certainly possible Mike but unlikely that it is intentional. I've seen some very ugly AT coins but always figured it was due to the doctor screwing up. He'd be cutting his own throat to make them ugly on purpose because few will pay a premium for an ugly toned coin. 'Course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I agree that both of these coins are NT, but I wouldn't settle for a raw toned Mercury Dime minted after 1934. They are just too common in BU and not worth a whole lot unless they are a premium gem. My advice would be to buy a common date toner MS66+, preferably FB graded by either PCGS or NGC. If you really want a raw Mercury Dime, I would look for a 1916 or something minted in the 20's. In my experience, most raw uncirculated Mercury Dimes are not gem state which explains why they are still raw. By looking for a better date, you will ensure the coin has some value. I recently purchased a raw common date toned Mercury Dime for $8 (see photos below). Now there is nothing wrong with this coin other than the fact that it is always going to be a cheap MS63/64 common date Mercury with nice peripheral toning. I have no idea what your budget is, but if I were interested in buying a toned Mercury Dime, I would buy this coin. http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=1121&Lot_No=8124#photo This coin has it all. An MS68 with inherent rarity, a very low price tag for such a high quality coin ($300-$400), and uniquely beautiful toning. And before you guys tell me that I am crazy and that toning is nothing special, remember this. That is a Heritage photo you are looking at and the coin very well might look like this! I don't think this coin will drive a hefty premium for several reasons. First the coin is in the Final Session of the signature sale which is internet bidding only, no floor session. Therefore, nobody can actually see the coin and then bid on it. They must use the photo, just like you. Secondly, the photo is atypical of Heritage and while of good quality, does not IMO accurately portray the colors on this coin. Lastly, both date and type collectors of Mercury Dimes prefer full band coins which helps explain the affordability of an MS68 coin minted in 1937. Wow I think I just convinced myself to bid on this baby! Good luck with whatever you decide and let us know how it turns out, Paul.
thanks guys. Good advice Lehigh. I see the value in buying a slabbed coin, but the thing is that if I buy the coin, I will be removing it from the slab to be placed in a type set album. I am focusing my collection on nicely rainbow examples of each type. I am not good at determining the value of these coins in the upper grade range especially with the toning factored in as a premium. Here is another nice slabbed example I was considering: http://cgi.ebay.com/1945-S-PCGS-MS6...tZCoins_US_Individual?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116 is it worth the money?
Here is the picture. PCGS MS-67 1945-s merc. This is one of the prettiest ones I have ever seen imo(though I admit, I haven't seen all that many). What do you guys think?
