Hi all, I can use some advice. I am looking to invest in a rare key date coin and was curious as to which coin would have the most investment potential as far as increasing in price in the future? I can only afford one of them. 1. PCGS 1893-S Morgan Silver dollar VG-8 2. NGC 1885 Liberty "V" Nickel MS 64 If you decide to respond to this question, please tell me why you think the coin you choose will be worth more in the future. There may be no real way of knowing which would increase more, but I would like to hear some opinions. Thanks, drddm
Take the Morgan as it has by far increased more in value the last 5 years than the nickel. I had both of them but sold the Morgan a few years back and have no hopes, at this time, of ever replacing it. They have made a big leap in value while the 85 nickel is still within range of most collectors. I really wish now I had sold the whole set of Liberty (V) nickels and kept the 93S! I would be money ahead!
I would get the Morgan, it is the most collected series in US coins (or in the same category as Lincoln Cents) so there will always be great demand.
Go with the Morgan. It has a much larger collector base. I wish I had that decision to make! (Hmmmmm, should I go with the 93-S or........)
To tell you the truth we DON'T KNOW....nobody knows what coin will go up and what one will go down....true the Morgan has been going up BUT it might have gotten as high as it will go and the next coin to go will be that nickel. You see investing in coins is risky....buying coins is risky...I would suggest that you buy coins for the love of collecting and not worry if it goes up...or if it falls the day after you buy it. Speedy
That's exactly right - there is no real way of knowing which would increase more. Everything is a guess. If offering my opinion, I would ask you: which one of those would you enjoy owning? At least that is something you know for certain fact - and that can guaranty something as a return on your purchase - your pleasure. The prices may go up and the prices may go down - which one of those actually happens, and by how much - is a pure guess on any person's part.
As for the collectability demand of a coin, as many have voiced, no one knows for sure. I'd say get the morgan, if nothing else, its melt value will always be higher than the nickel's.
Gut feel is the Liberty Nickel. I wouldn't mind one myself. Very scarce. The 1893S is more popular but has skyrocketed in value and I think is due to level off. I agree with the "investing" comments, but that aside, the Liberty Nickel, I feel, has stronger upside potential.
aaack! Did he just suggesst the possibility of one day melting down a 93S Morgan! lol! I don't collect Morgans, but to some that would be heresy
Hi again, Thank you all for your opinions on deciding between the 1885 Nickel and the 1893 S Morgan as far as investment potential. I have done some research on the population reports from NGC and PCGS for these two specific coins and I believe the latest stats are as follows: 1885 Liberty Nickel MS 64 PCGS 68, NGC 43 (Total for all grades PCGS and NGC = 716) 1893 S Morgan Dollar VG 8 PCGS 223, NGC 166 (Total for all grades PCGS and NGC = 5139) From my understanding, and please feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but a coin that is considered more rare is one that is based not only on mintage but also on those surviving examples based on grade. This info is available in the pop reports. And, yes I do realize that pop reports are not always accurate reflections, based on people cracking out coins from holders and resubmitting for higher grades, but in reality, these pop reports are all we have to go by on the surviving examples. Of course, there are other third paty grading companies out there but the two most reliable and trustworthy as far as accurate grading goes are PCGS and NGC. And, looking at the stats from PCGS and NGC, is it not apparent that the 1885 has fewer overall examples graded (in all grades, not just VG 8 compared to MS 64) by these two leading third party grading services, compared to the 1893-S? Granted, the mintage of the 1893-S is only 100,000 compared to the 1885 Nickel which is 1,476,490, but the number of coins graded in each of the grades that I can afford to buy right now, (1893-S VG 8 and 1885 MS 64) are considerably different. In my opinion, the 1885 is more rare as it is a coin seldom seen in MS condition and whenever it crosses the auction block, it usually commands a heafty premium. Please tell me what you think about the above info I just added in reference to my original question which was which coin has more investment potential down the road. I have not completely made up my mind and like some more feedback. And, yes, I do understand about collecting vs investing from the various posts. I may never sell these coins myself, but perhaps one day my kids will and I would like to have more to pass on to them in terms of worth when it comes to my coin collection. Thanks again for all your advice and opinions, drddm
Not sure. I like the fact that the 1885 nickel is in MS 64 and looks very nice. As for the 1893 S Morgan, the detail isn't that great but then again, that's what a VG 8 looks like. drddm
If part of the goal is to make it easier for your children to realize the future value of your investment, I'd go with the Morgan. It will be easier to find buyers for this popular series to compete for the coin, so the kids may (may, not will) get a better price on a quick sale. Personally, I think both coins are collectors' coins, not investment coins. My opinion (don't mistake any of this for fact, or fall into the trap of believing that it is true, even though I believe it ) is that to be an investment, a coin has to meet one or more of the following criteria. Sometimes you can satisfy one, sometimes all three: 1. It should sell reasonably close to the face or melt value of gold or silver, so you have inflation working in your favor. 2. It should be presently unpopular, but have some characteristic of rarity or condition that might make it more popular in the future (i.e., it is currently overlooked). 3. It should sell below the price of similar coins or far below its own historical highest price level (i.e., it is temporarily depressed). There may be more. Otherwise, you need to have almost psychic powers to determine which coins will sell at huge premiums to current prices. Some long time collectors may have so much coin knowledge embedded in their genes that they have this power. I sure don't have it so I stick with coins that qualify under 1-2-3 above. Most likely, knowledgeable collectors will financially outperform investors because of their deep insight and love for the hobby that can never be overcome by the pure desire to make a buck.
