Are Complete Coin Sets Worth More Than The Individual Coins?

I guess it depends on the rarity of the coin VS the rarity of the set. For instance if you have a set with a key date but the set was more scarce than just the key date coin you get your answer. I hope that helped.

I concur with Lithaniel's observation.

I have also found that the cost of an entire set can sometimes be too much of an "obstacle" for folks. For example, a collector looking to assemble a complete set of the RCM's recent Group of Seven coins may be able to afford one or two coins at a time, but can't afford a one-time purchase of $600 or more for a complete set in the custom box. For that reason, among others, complete sets are sometimes more difficult to sell than one would expect.

On the flip side, I've gotten some good deals on sets (i.e., I paid less for the compete set than I would have if I had purchased each coin individually) because I was able to make the larger purchase.

If you're going to sell a complete set of any type of coin the photos and description will make the sale.
Large cents for example are cheap to buy 1902-1920 often because they are usually made up of worn ugly coins.
Get the right photos and wording and people looking and they can go for a decent price if they are nice.

I took my War Nickels in to be appraised at my LCS
they said it was worth melt plus a little more, So being a complete set didn't help but they also have a full set of Franklin halves in an album, the melt is $250 for them but they want $400... so it's a matter of perspective sometimes, buy low sell high.

It's usually the first coin in the series that gains the biggest value.

It depends on the set in the most of the cases.

If "set" has been issued as single item - it will be probably more valuable rather than coins in separate.

If the set - is series - as people said - it has low chances to be sold for "good" money. People will desire only the "gems" of the series.

1. For years now my observation is that "the sum of the parts is greater than the whole". Look at the five penny "Farewell" sets. I guess that there are probably 30% of the sets sold that have been pillaged. See all the slabbed individual pennies being offered.
2. It is good to be aware of this because it has implications on the long term value of sets. For instance, the mentioned "Farewell" set contains (5) individual coins that each have a mintage of 5,000. This is way different than a set with a mintage of 5,000 that contains only one special coin with that low mintage, i.e. five rare coins instead of one. I suspect that it is more tempting to break up a set with five individual rare coins than a set with a single rare coin.

A perfect example of "if a set has been issued as a single item", is the 5 coin penny set. That set is still selling at a good price. People want it as a complete set rather than single coins, especially since it comes with a nice box.

Personally, I have to sell coin sets that were part of a series at a loss. I lost money on the Bald Eagle set and the Group of Seven set.

Paying for a set that may cost $600 is much more of a financial burden for most people than buying individually.

Also, if you collect sports or other type of cards, you would know that catalog prices for a complete set is not the sum of individual cards. If you add up the cost per card, the cost is higher than the complete set price.