I was flipping through an August 1935 issue of The Numismatist tonight and decided to check out the prices of some of the coins in the advertising section. WARNING!!! The following can be depressing: B Max Mehl advertised: Indian Head Cents 1877 Good to Very Good . . . Rare . . . . $1.00 1879 & 1880 Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.35 1881 & 1882 Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.40 1883 & 1884 Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.35 1885 Proof . . Scarce . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.50 1886, 1887, 1888, 1899 Proof . . . . . . . .$0.35 1857 Flying Eagle Cent . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.25 Large Cents - 2 different dates . . . . . . $0.25 Half Cent Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.25 WM Rabin advertised: Large Cents - 10 different dates . . . . . .$1.00 Half Cents - 5 different dates . . . . . . . .$1.00 2-Cent Pieces - 5 different dates . . . . . $0.45 20-Cent Piece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$0.60 Half Dollar - before 1840 . . . . . . . . . . . $0.65 Half Dollar - before 1830 . . . . . . . . . . . $0.75 Dollar, Liberty Seated before 1850 . . . . .$1.50 Dollar, 1798-1799 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3.50 Gold Dollars, large and small . . . . . 2 for $5.00 1922-D Cent Unc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$0.60 Commemorative Coins Columbian Ex. 1892-1893 Unc . . . . . . . . $0.75 Lincoln 1918 Unc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 Maine 1920 Unc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.00 Pilgrim 1920 $1.25 . . . . . . . . . . . . 1921 $1.50 Grant 1922 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1.50 Monroe Doctrine 1923 . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.00 Huguenot-Walloon 1924 . . . . . . . . . . . . $2.00 Lexington-Concord 1925 . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 Fort Vancouver 1925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.50 Sesqui-Centennial 1926 . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1.25 Oregon Trail 1926 P $1.50 . . . . . . . S . . $2.00 Bennington (Vermont) 1927 . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 Hawaii 1928 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.00 Oregon Trail 1928 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.00 Maryland 1934 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.50 1892 Isabella Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1.75 The Elder Coin & Curio Corp advertised: 1794 Cents - Good, various . . . . . . . each $2.00 1862 Proof 1/2 Dol. Pattern, God Our Trust $7.50 C Mint Half Eagle - fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 D Mint Half Eagle - fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00 1857 Eagle Cent, Brilliant Proof . . . . . . . . $4.50 1922 Cent, D Mint - "Bright Unc" . . . . . . . $0.60 Pittsburgh Coin Exchange advertised: Silver Dollars 1848 Brill Proof, wire edge . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00 1854 Brill Proof, wire edge . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00 1855 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22.50 1856 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22.50 1857 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $22.50 1858 Brill Proof, wire edge . . . . . . . . . . . . $47.50 1859 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 1860 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.00 1861 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.00 1862 Brill Proof, wire edge. . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 1863 Brill Proof, wire edge. . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 1864 Brill Proof, wire edge. . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 1865 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00 1866 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.50 1867 Brill Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4.50 1868 Brill Proof, wire edge .. . . . . . . . . . . . $4.75 1869 Brill Proof, wire edge .. . . . . . . . . . . . $4.75 1870 Brill Proof, wire edge . .. . . . . . . . . . . $3.25 1870 CC Mint Proof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00 1871 Brill Proof, wire edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.50 1872 Brill Proof, wire edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.50 1873 Proof .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3.50 Others advertised: 1830 Bust Half, Unc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1.00 $2 1/2 Gold, Perfect Brill. Proof . . . . . . . . . . $6.25 1882 or 1888 Proof 1c, 3c & 5 c (3 coins) . . $0.95 And Life Membership in the ANA . . . . . . . . . $50.00 This is all too depressing. Now where is my time machine???
I guess this depends on what you want from your coin collection. When I look at this price list, I am happy to know that the coins have appreciated significantly over the years. I hope that my coin collection appreciates like this so that when I retire, I have a nice asset.
No, this is depressing: 1935 United States: Population: 123,188,000 in 48 states Life Expectancy: Male, 58.1; Female, 61.6 Average salary: $1,368 Unemployment rises to 25% Huey Long propses a guaranteed annual income of $2,500 Car Sales: 2,787,400 Food Prices: Milk, 14 cents a qt.; Bread, 9 cents a loaf; Round Steak, 42 cents a pound Lynchings: 21
Thanks for sharing, Hobo, very interesting. I've got a coin book from 1859 that lists some coins for sale as well as some coin auction results. so if you think the 1935 prices were low.....you may wish to make the setting for your time machine just a few years earlier.
Yeah, but I bet they're so cheap because they've all been cleaned - no original surfaces!!! Most interesting for me was the price of Commems. I guess I didn't realize they started life that cheap.
