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Replies: 48 / Views: 4,506 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4132 Posts |
Well, I'm willing to take all the photographs. I'll just need the coins. I'll gladly take them in lieu of payment for this valuable service to the collecting community.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
548 Posts |
I've got exactly the opposite problem. A bunch of Mercs, many of them in good shape, that it seems ebay just doesn't value. As much as I look a coin price guides, and compare these to ebay prices, it sure looks like the market just doesn't care about these coins. It got so frustrating for me, that I put 49 of the 1930's and 1940's Mercs (+ 1 Roosie) on ebay last week. It's gonna go for melt, I'll bet... 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
548 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10635 Posts |
Quote:Here's the source of my frustration. http://www.ebay.com/itm/22087718664....m1423.l2649A nice 1939 S Merc that went for $2.25 + $0.99 shipping. Lobby, is this your ebay listing? I can tell you exactly the problem: tiny photos. If you have a nice coin with nothing to hide, the enlargement should fill the screen to show off the coin. Good photos bring in buyers. Fuzzy photos or tiny ones turn off most buyers.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
548 Posts |
Nah, that one's not mine. I was merely watching it because I had (have) a 39 S that I thought was worth something, but I couldn't find that anyone on ebay was paying much above melt for it. So I said to heck with it, and included it with the roll of Mercs that I'm auctioning. Oh, these are the coins in that auction, give or take. 1928 1930 s 1930 1931 1934 d 1934 d 1934 1935 s 1935 1935 d 1936 1936 d 1936 s 1937 s 1938 1938 d 1938 s 1939 1939 s 1939 d 1940 s 1940 1940 s 1940 d 1941 1941 1941 1941 1941 s 1942 1942 s 1942 1942 1942 d 1943 1943 1943 1943 s 1943 s 1943 1943 d 1944 s 1944 d 1944 1944 s 1945 s 1945 d 1945 1945 d
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4132 Posts |
Those later date Mercs were saved in roll-quantity in uncirculated condition so there's not much demand for circulated grades. Some, like the '39-S are less common, but they still have to be AU or so to really be worth much. Even in XF they won't usually fetch much over melt once you factor in shipping. The price curve for some can be steep - melt in XF40 and hundreds of dollars in MS65FB.
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Valued Member
 United States
466 Posts |
wow! tons of great information here, I never thought I would get such responses you guys are great. I will check out some prices at the next coin show I attend and really need to get my hands into a scrap or junk silver bin! I must find a shop with something like this. I just don't know if there are any that are big enough around me. It seems to me that people around my area are all tight with their silver right now. Out of about 20 dealers I asked last coin show only about 4 would even give me a price on scrap silver. They were all holding onto it until prices got high. Oh well. A hunting I will go, a lot more educated on the series lol
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4132 Posts |
Everybody loves Mercs and don't need much encouragement to talk about them.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Lobby too is correct about the lack of interest in the Mercury dime for sales. Many regardless of grade go for melting and I do mean melting, not just a terminology expression. One jewler I know took a bag of them and actually did melt them for the Siver. One jewler I asked if he ever looked at the dates on them. His answer was "they have dates?" At coin shows almost every Mercury dime is priced really high yet on ebay, many coin stores on line, flea market sellers, the Mercury dime is just not that popular. Think about the numerous web sites on just Lincoln Cents. Even some on Jefferson nickels. Anyone know of a web site that specializes in the Mercury dime? As another example there is presently another post about the Walking halves. And naturally someone referenced this Quote:Here is a resource that should be able to help: http://blog.davidlawrence.com/index...alf-dollars/ Just one more example of things written about every coin except the Mercury dime.
Edited by just carl 10/29/2011 2:15 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4132 Posts |
Well, that web site with The Complete Guide to Walking Liberty half Dollars also has The Complete Guide to Mercury Dimes. As for the melting thing... I think as numismatists we have some responsibility here. A lot of collectors invest in silver, for instance, and we really should favor bags or rolls of junk silver over new rounds and bars. If there is less demand for new rounds and bars, there will be less demand to melt old "junk" coins. 90% junk US coins are just as good an investment. It's an alloy people use outside of coinage, so it will always be in demand as is without refinement. It's a well known weight and fineness, which makes it more trustworthy than privately minted bars or rounds. Also, it would be nice if we could build relationships with melters. I'd happily trade 2-to-1 common silver coins for pre-1934 branch mint Mercs. I'd even volunteer to do the sorting.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
I try to buy excellent examples of anything I find. My passion is Lincoln Wheats...but, I won't turn down a nice coin, especially one that is underpriced. Picked up a 1916 Merc today. Grade?  
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4132 Posts |
I'd call it MS64FB. It's typically a well-struck date, and yours is no exception. Nice.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5832 Posts |
 Would be even better if the reverse had the D MM.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
This one has two "D"'s on the reverse...problem is, both D's have letters on one side of them. :)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1590 Posts |
Lobby, one of the "problems" is that because of all the Melting, there are tens of thousands more Mercs on the market than normal. And you have to realize that well, the melt price is at or just a touch better than the RedBook value on these coins. With so much to choose from most people tend to buy the earlier dates.
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Replies: 48 / Views: 4,506 |