Is it worth the effort and expense to buy red Lincoln cents?

I decided to try to collect a complete set of Lincoln cents in MS condition. I bought a collection of BU red Lincolns 1934 to 2008 on eBay in a Dansco and now I am going about collecting the rest. IMO the red ones look better than the browns. But they are hard to find and cost a lot more. My question: are my red Lincolns going to turn brown anyway in a Dansco album?

 

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The short answer is, "Yes".
Even in an Intercept Shield album they'll tone. I think their advertisement says that they're good for something like 10 years, then they need to be replaced.
Slabs are better, but not 100% either.
The ultimate protection would be slabs kept in a controlled environment. Constant temperature of about 65-70 and humidity below 30%.

Anyway, if you get older cents in MS Red, you'll probably be buying them in slabs.
So all you'll need is the temp and RH controls.

 

I would prefer not to buy slabbed coins. Ijust like the look and format of a collection in an album. So if that's the route I am taking, does that mean I shouldn't try to get all reds. Obviously, millions of unslabbed 80 or 100 year old red linclons are out there, so they don't all turn brown outside of slabs, right?

 

Save yourself a ton of money and learn that red-browns have character. They can be gorgeous and save you a ton of bucks.

If you insist on reds, I recommend loads of learning first, attending shows to view the higher end auction lots, so many these days aren't full red and you'll pay for a label. Oh yeah, and don't forget....bring your Visa card, you'll need it !!

Good luck with the set, Lincoln enthusiasts are always welcome here !!

 

yeah listen to Kanga and AJ. the only disagreement i have is that yes you can keep your coins red in intercept shield never had a problem but yes u will need to replace those every 10 years and the coins better be worth it. now with most of the costly ones slabbed will it be worth it you decide.

 

I only said that because he was going after the 09-33 set, and that is one tough-A set in full red...the 34-58 is very acheivable and affordable in RD.

A huge clarification I hope

 

absolutely its an exercise frought with danger if the op doesnt understand actual RD and is going to use the slabs to determine it.

My advise get hold of a reputable dealer tell them your requirements and let them help you get the best coins for your money and also tell you about copper coins so u dont feel disappointed for any reason in the future

since we are talking pennies here AJ would be the best person to go to. I would get hold of him after working out your budget and see what can be done.

all the best

 

I have a dealer that I work with and he is very honest and has taught me a lot. he seems like a very honest grader and he is candid about helping me spot coins that have been cleaned or toned, etc.

But the 34-08 set is so red and lustrous, i'd like the earlier coins to have a similar look. Not sure that is economically feasible, but I'm not in any big hurry.

 

09-33 all mints in full red....I hope you have a truck load of money. As already mentioned, you'd better know Lincolns VERY well because there's a lot of cleaned/diped/altered surface coins on the market. Collecting fully red cents is difficult AND expensive.....unfortunately, it can make for some very expensive lessons too.

 

Patience is the key almost all the coins that are expensive are in the 09-33.

 

The problem comes when you go to sell.

You have a rack of Reds.....according to the label. But trust me, the dealer buying the set is going to ignore the label. How would it feel to sell when half of them are actually RB and you get a fully discounted price offer? 30-50% is not unheard of.

There is no Eagle Eye photoseal for Lincolns so be careful, if it were Indians, a different story as photoseal coins have been judged and approved by the king of Indians....nobody has yet steped up to the plate to do this sort of thing with the Abes. I would do it but I am far from expert and lack the experience that the true pro experts have.

Next best thing is the CAC sticker. Laugh all you want. I have yet to see a dog with a sticker.

 

I agree with Jack - red browns save you a lot of money and have some beautiful toning and character!

 

If i saw a dog with a sticker thats when i would start laughing People who submit to CACS might or might not be smart. People at CAC are smart they wont ruin their business.

BTW whats with photoseal for indians?

 

The photoseal coin, is one that RIck Snow personally has approved of, guarantees the grade, and offers a buy back price....I THINK. I can no way endorse or say what the PS means other than it carries the big weight with the majors out there.

All the big ones will recognise it, Ira, Andy, Laura, Charmy, Brian ...the list goes on. When you buy a photoseal Indian or Flying Eagle, you can be assured of an added value, and that is an experts opinion who is a specialist in the series.

 

Here Spock, browse Ricks site for yourself:

www.indiancent.com

 

got it. its the lil logo sticker like cac. i was aware of it but didnt know it meant anything other than good quality. Thanks.

 

The Penny Lady said the same thing.
I'm looking at getting a short set of IHCs, either 1900-1909 or 1895-1909 (minus the "S" mints which I already have).
And I specifically asked MFD to quote a ballpark figure for RB's.
A quick look at Coin Values showed me I'd be paying about 3x for Red's.
That was enough to make up my mind.

 

I would not put the rest of the set in a Dansco if you decide to go with all red. I did this years ago and today many have turned. I didn't really loose anything because of the price levels at that time but they would be worth much more if I had picked a better form of storage. Today I won't put any MS copper in any type of album.

 

Please heed the others advice,

Please heed the others advice, you are going to need as $20,000 to $40,000 do exactly what you said and that's if you can even find them.
You left out many fine points of things to consider.
1, Are you going to want to get the 14-D, 22-NO D, and the 55 doubled die in full Red mint state? What about the 26-S, 24-D, and 15-P?
Those 6 coins would cost $30,000 in MS-64 Red. Not to mention the early proofs.
What you may want to consider is keep you set. Read, read, read and learn, learn and learn. Find a comfortable middle ground say MS-64 RB or Brown for the earlier dates. Select them slowly and find what pleases you the most knowing that will probably change as time goes on.
Get Capital holders and keep them in a controlled environment - that's the best you can do.
Each month people bring me early Lincoln's that they bought as mint state red coins and they have all been cleaned or colored even from the "big" dealers in Coin World so be very careful.

 

.....red is nice but eventually the coin WILL turn brown. it may take a long time, but it will get there. it's the nature of the element. just collect what appeals to you and don't get an ulcer worrying about something that is inevitable.