For the longest time that is what I assumed, the 3 that are known were custom made and if that were the case then I don't see why they should catch any sort of premium other than a few hundred maximum. To me that just looks like a way of taking advantage of collectors with the outrageous price tag, if only those 3 were struck on purpose, then can the really be classified as "Rare".... To me "RARE" is the label you put on something that was once known to have many but is one of the last to survive. If the 1936 DOT is custom and deliberately made for only 3 examples, then this does not classify as rare in my books, but more unique if anything. So my interest in the 1936 DOT penny is really non existent, as I don't look for deliberately fabricated errors/varieties that were made with "profit" from collectors in mind as you would be looking for something that does not exist and is a waste of time because the only 3 known are accounted for and spoken for.
But I did read a few articles stating that more than 3 were minted, and only 3 were known to have survived, given the fact that no other examples have been found (besides the obvious fakes) I'm in the same boat as john100, most likely custom made and only examples known for that exact reason.
So all in all, I don't look at the 1936 dot as rare, I look at it as a unique deliberate 3 of a kind, but nothing more and I would never pay the asking price for one even if I were a millionaire. This is just my humble opinion.
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