I have a real general question. I am in contact with a dealer who is selling a Lincoln Penny collection from 1934 to present. I will not see the actual pictures until Monday but his description is all coins are ms65-70. Collection includes proofs from 1968 to present as well. Coins are in a professional display case which alone is probably worth over $100. I know this is a real general description and I will post pictures when I get them. But if you had to give a real ballbark worth for this collection what would you give it? I piece mealed all the coins from the pcgs price guide and came up well over $1000 just to get to 1959 and not counting any proofs. Any help would be greatly ppreciated
We think alike,lol--I forgot to ask the dealer that--just sent him an email. I know he has been in the business since 1961--so I trust him--for what that's worth. Will let you know the answer as soon as I get it
Sounds like a very nice set been working on a red lincoln set 1909-2015 myself a little at a time. But laying out that kind of money for raw coins sounds crazy to me. Finding nice carbon free Red coins is the hard part and they do command premiums. You can get them graded in MS65-66 for less then $15 each.(time/patience) The tough ones are the 30's early 40's mm coins 35,36,37,38,39,42 seem to be the toughest though and might have to pay in the $5-$8 (raw) each depending on how bad you want them.(meaning if you can't wait for a cheaper one). But have bought and seen most of them at shows/shops for a buck or two each. For the most part 1968-2008 proofs can be had for about $1 each or less. And the 2009-2015 can be had for $2-$3 each. When buying raw coins you shouldn't price them out using graded coin prices. You can pick up a complete set of 1959-present red lincolns on ebay in the $30-$35 range (sometimes cheaper). I have seen partial sets 1934-2015 on ebay in a dansco sell for about $100-$150 or less. Hope this helps.
I think he is looking at a price of around $400 for the whole set--again it depends on what it actually looks like. The early 30's if they are truly ms65 or higher are a lot more than $15 each. I've also been watching for several years now. A good example--I have almost a complete Washington Quarter set. Just missing the 1936D in an ms65. I have been looking for that one coin for over 2 years. I've only seen a couple at coin shows--and neither have ben close to what I would call an ms65,lol. I'll be sure to send the pictures when I get them--hopefully on Monday. Thanks for the reply--every opinion helps. I may submit the collection to get graded if I end up buying it. Time will tell
I would think that the grades are probably in the 63-64 RB range. MS-67-70 RD is pretty unlikely for business strikes. Not that they don't exist, but too expensive to put into a set to sell for $400.
I'm thinking--again without seeing the photos yet--that the higher grades will be for the later coins.
