Are any of those dealers in Southern California? I'd sure like to meet them. Are those offers (links please!) or just some kind of TV shop-at-home sites?
Until you compare the terms of his listing with this example of his feedback: $2.80 including S/H for 3 steelies of unspecified grade strikes me as one huge ripoff. There is no statement regarding grade, clear indication that the coins pictures are not the coins you will receive, no claim that you will get coins equal in grade to the ones posted, and most of the information in the listing clearly aimed at people with no knowledge of numismatics. IMHO that all adds up to Shop at Home type hype.
Many of the "starter sets of 1943 PDS steel cents are actually reprocessed coins that would just disgust many of us.
You are absolutely right Shortgapbob. My local dealer has the nicest jars of the shiniest 1943 cents you will ever see. They are actually a beautiful chrome silver/blue and I am quite sure he promotes them as being uncirculated to buyers that don't know any better. He sells them for .30, .40 and .60 ea. I must admit that I do pick up a few every now and then. They make the prettiest elongated cents you will find anywhere! I don't feel bad "smashing" these because IMHO, they are already ruined. Anyway it also keeps them out of the hands of unknowing buyers who think they are actually buying uncirculated steel cents.
I've always had a soft spot for steel cents. My dad gave me a bunch when I was little and I used to win bets in school because nobody believed me that cents were made of steel. He's been collecting wheat pennies in change since I was born and I'm now up to 4 steel cents. I'd really like to have a whole roll but most people don't 7 at a time for a very good price and I don't want to buy rolls of them. One of these days I'll just break down and pay $7.50 on eBay for 10 decent ones because although that's a horrible deal, it'd fill my roll (I doubt I'll find 7 more in circulation anytime soon.
I'd like a roll as well. I'm up to 7 circulated steelies and 1 pretty decent cent that may be Unc. Haven't looked it over closely enough really.
