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

I totally agree AJ. My recent acquisitions have been RB , with the exception of CAC Red certified.

 

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yes. very very expensive. remember most westward nickels series were down heavily.

 

If you want to put together a RD set...it is possible but as has already been said it is crazy expensive. So, be ready to spend a fortune. I would highly recommend slabbed coins for this because of what AJ said. He is completely right when he says a dealer will look at them and probably pay RB prices just to be safe. There is a lot more security with the slabbed coins.

Also, with the RD coins there are new keys. You look at a Lincoln set and think the 1909-S VDB is the key. Well, the true key for a high grade red set is the 1926-S. That is a challenging coin. Good Luck!

 

Great post guys. I am seriously thinking of RB's more. Leeg's toned coins are 10x better looking than any red Lincoln I have ever seen. I almost regret buying some RD coins as they are toning- get this in a less than 30% humidity environment, in PCGS slabs, in IS holders in the IS box, in a zip lock that sucks out the air with fresh modern pennies to get oxidized first (same thing IS technology does- removes sulfur and contaminantes- Coin CHemistry book proposed this), with rechargeable dessicant, in constant temp of about 60-75 degrees. Go figure??

 

The last 26 S MS 65 RD went for like 104 K or so if I remember right. It was Jack Lee's coin. Was bought for like 140K or something. ON SALE??

 

2 weeks ago I picked up a Brown 1933 D on ebay. The seller called it Unc. Pic was iffy,the bid was low so I put in a bid of $15 hoping it was decent and I would flip it. When I got the coin it was beautiful!. It had a flawless finish and very sharp strike. Took my Red 33 D out of the Dansco and replaced it with this beauty!

 

Yep, exactly as Jack said. I have collectors who will only collect Indian cents that have the Eagle Eye Photo Seal (EEPS). EEPS coins come with an Eagle Eye sticker and a laminated photo card of the coin with Rick's signature. And you might wonder since Rick sells only Indian cents, whether he puts his seal on coins just to make it easier to market them, I have to say it's been my experience that it doesn't matter whether he owns the coin or someone submits it to him, Rick judges each coin independently and without prejudice before he puts his sticker on a coin. Otherwise, Rick and his EEPS coins would quickly soon lose their integrity.

In any event, EEPS coins do bring a premium and are highly sought after among the Indian cent collectors. The CAC people are basically doing a very similar thing by putting their seal of quality on all series of coins they feel are premium for the grade. I now have collectors wanting CAC stickered coins and are willing to pay a premium for them. I have even seen a few coins bearing both the EEPS and CAC stickers!

One of the positive things these stickers have done is simply making it easier for people to buy these coins "sight unseen" (throught the mail or from auctions) with a better assurance that they are getting a very nice problem-free coin. However, relying on these stickers is also making it easier for collectors NOT to have to learn to grade coins for themselves, which IMHO is not necessarily a good thing.

Whether or not you agree with the higher quality of these stickered coins, you have to agree that it is an excellent marketing tool, as long as integrity is maintained!

 

Good point. I didn't really buy the 33-08 set as "reds," but as BU. I do have a lot to learn about that term and may be throwing it around too loosely. I think I would be happy with red-browns--and I probably have a lot of them in my album already. I will continue to read and educate myself and will keep getting advice from you guys and the dealer in my town who has taught me a lot as well.

 

Agree with your post except i feel that Rick and CAC are not the same as rick is personally vouching for the coins and being an expert his vouching has more meaning to someone like me. CAC on the other hand is just a marketing gimmick which will only get stronger as people buy into it and the owners can change behind the scenes and most people will not know.

 

my dear GD were you refering to my brilliant post? i think my stock is going up

 

I rest my case

 

This is very true, however, PCGS has a buy-back policy. If you submit a coin back to PCGS for review and they feel it down grades or doesn't grade at all, they will buy back the coin or pay you the difference and give you back the coin either raw or in a lower-grade holder. As a matter of fact, I recently did just this on a PF65 Red Indian cent that had toned due to an old fingerprint and was no longer red. They even down graded it one grade level. They offered me a fair price to buy the coin outright, and a lower price to buy the coin and have the coin returned in a PF64 RB holder (I took the latter). I think this is one of the reasons collectors seem to prefer PCGS.

 

I thought NGC had a buy back policy too? Does only PCGS have one?

 

I have not heard that NGC has a similar policy.

 

OK, good to know. Thanks. :thumb:

 

They definitely do. I am now in the process of having them buy one back. See http://www.cointalk.com/forum/t44616/

 

OK, I thought they had a guarantee policy of some kind. That makes me feel better.

 

I hadn't heard of anyone sending a coin back to NGC, so that is very good to know. I'd like to know what your results are if you care to post them. Thank you.