Proof/Bu Franklins Over ASEs

jbuck, missed the quotes there. They are one of my favorite coins and it just gets under my skin when people pound the they are only bullion drum.

perfessor one part of me is right with you. I love to be able to put on a pair of cotton gloves and handle my coins directly. But they do need to be protected when in higher grades, so at the least I am putting them in my own slabs or air tights, so that goes out the window anyway. So for some of the coins, why not be graded?

*going back to fondling my 2011 proof ASE that got here today...in the air tight of course*

One thing is that with the advent of the "Bullion Age"; we have seen many coins sell for their bullion value and not their book value. A good example is the 1955 Franklin which, in MS 63 books for $25. Yet for the past year I have never paid more than spot for one. And I now have a couple dozen. The same with the 52S. It books for $70 in MS 63, and I have collected 8; all at spot. I have even collected 5 49S'at spot.

Another really good example; I just picked up a 27D and 26S Peace dollars at $30. A dealer in California has trays of Peace and non-ms Morgans( as well as 21 Morgans) that he sells for $30 each. He does not see any value in holding out any Peace dollar other than the 21s; unless it is MS65 or better.

Just as an aside, here in California where People regularly went to the Casinos on the weekends, you can find bags and bags of mixed Silver dollars. However; try to find any pre-40s Mercs or SLQs. Pretty hard.

Now out in Ohio the town I live in was a Rail Road hub. The bags of coins that dealer gets in typically have dozens, and even hundreds of Mercs. Lots of Barbers( of all denominatins) and a fair amount of SLQs. But his supply of Silver dollars is almost Nil.

I think this is like the time of the Mint Release of Silver Dollars in the 60s, Common and undervalued as coins because of the flood on the market. However; 10 to 15 years from now when the a large number of these coins have been melted and the rest are hidden away agin, the prices will probably skyrocket.

Just my opinion