Mercury Head Dimes

One bit of advice---don't tell the dealer you don't know anything about coins---some dealers are always looking for a fast buck and so just ask him if he will send some coins to PCGS---now PCGS is going to cost you more than NGC...maybe $35-$40 per coin if not more...

Speedy

 

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Ok, here is what I was told in a nutshell.

He said, first, not to break the set and have the rares graded/slabbed. He said he would recommend it only if there were a question about the grading that would make a difference in the value of the coin or set. He said since this entire set is circulated coins with little variance in grade quality, there's no value to be gained by having the rares graded separately.

He also said, aside from the four obvious rares, I have at least three other coins in the set that are the rare version/quality of their particular year. He wouldn't elaborate further without doing a paid appraisal of the full set coin by coin. He did say that I would probably shortchange myself by selling online or sight unseen because of the three other rares. I'm aware that might be dealer talk for "OMG if she sells it online I'm out my cut!"

He said, even though this collection is all circulated coins, the person who put it together obviously had an eye for flow and continuity because there's very little grading difference between the best coin in the set and the worst, which boosts the overall value of the set slightly due to how pleasing it is to look at. This was another reason he recommended leaving the set as is.

His final recommendation was that I put it in a safe/safety deposit box and keep it. If I wanted to sell it, he recommended I take it to at least three dealers for a rough estimate, then have one dealer do an official appraisal. He said most, including him, do free appraisals if you end up selling it to them..otherwise you pay for the detailed appraisal.

 

I totaly disagree about not slabbing the coins.
Here is the reason more than likely he didn't want you to get them graded.
Grading is an Art and most of the time people will grade a coin unlike the guy next door---I might have a coin I think is VF but the dealer thinks it is only F while the guys on here think it is XF.....now lets just say that the coin in VF is worth $800 while in F it is worth $500 and in XF it is worth $1000.....now if I send the coin to NGC and it comes back VF the dealer can't really move around that fact and so he will be more willing to pay the VF price whereas before he would only pay F....
You see what I mean?...grading is subject to each person---and while the grading companies aren't always 100% right they take that chance out of the question and in most cases you get more money---if the dealer doesn't want it slabbed you can sell a slabbed coins easy on the internet---where as a raw coin isn't going to sell good online....slabbing makes a coin marketable---and you can almost buy a coin sight-un-seen when it is slabbed....
I do agree with the dealer that you should keep the set---or if you must sell it take it to more dealers---

Speedy

 

As someone who owns both slabbed coins and works on sets in Dansco albums, I understand what the dealer is saying by stating that a set with continuity and excellent eye appeal should be kept together. Generally, I use the often stated motto "buy the coin, not the slab," and am careful not to place too much emphasis or extra vale on a coin just because it is in a graded holder.

However, especially for the 1916-D, a high level of risk exists for potential buyers, as the date is one of the most counterfeited coins in the US series. This results in a risk premium associated with a raw coin due to questionable authenticiy that will lower the selling price of an unslabbed 1916-D Mercury Dime without any sort of guaranteed authencity. Of additional interest, there were a few different reverse dies used for striking the 1916-D dime (I believe four different dies), so even authentic specimens will exhibit some differences in the mintmark, making it more difficult for the average collector to authenticate.

Of course, if you decide not to sell, you could always keep the set complete the way it is, as the resale value would not matter. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I hope you catch the collecting bug, decide to keep the wonderful set, and share a newfound hobby with your daughter.