Breaking Up Mint Sets? - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,074
coinseeker Valued Member United States 119 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 11:03 am I am at the point in my collecting where my primary focus is on upgrading the coins in my Dansco albums and roll searching is not yielding enough coins for that purpose to make it worth the time and effort. My question is regarding mint sets. Assuming that the minimum grade for the coins in a mint set is MS60 (is that a valid assumption ?), does breaking up a mint set to upgrade individual coins in an album diminish the value of those coins to the extent that it isn't practical? It seems to me that purchasing individual coins in that grade would exceed the cost or value of undisturbed mint sets. I value the opinions of the experts on this forum and you can't offend or embarrass me with those opinions, so if my question is asinine simply tell me so, otherwise I would appreciate any input. Thanks in advance. Report this Post to the Staff

cladking Pillar of the Community United States 2270 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 11:46 am Yes and no. The minimum grade will be MS-60 but a significand number are culls and/ or tarnished coins that won't trade as such. This isn't a consideration for something like a '72 mint set where the vast majority (except cents) are nice attractive coins but it's a big problem for something like a '76 type I Ike where more than a third are too banged up to bring unc money. As a rule the coins in modern mint set actually total more than the set so cutting them is profitable but there are some dates like the '95 and '97 and many later dates where you'll lose a huge set premium if you cut them up. Just check out the total value of the coins and the value of the set. If the coins aren't enough don't cut the set. While the quality in mint sets can be very poor and even avarage quality might not be good, these sets do contain the best coins made each year and quality tends to be far higher than the coins made for circulation. They may often be just as banged up but they are usually well made. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps. Report this Post to the Staff
vermontensium Moderator United States 16677 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 11:48 am It would of course depend on the year of the mint set IMO. Modern mint sets I don't see any down side. swcoin.ecrater.com Report this Post to the Staff
nlp coins Pillar of the Community United States 2373 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 11:55 am I haven't cut any myself but someone sure does. I upgraded my kids Jeffersons and my Lincolns from the drops at a local coin store. $.35 each for anything in the box. Bought about $15.00 worth of drops. One slipped by him, a 64 quarter. It broke the old mans heart having to give that quarter up for $.35. It was priceless. The box was loaded with pennies, nickels, and dimes mostly. He must have sacrificed a pile of sets in order to increase stock level on the higher denominations that he could move for a nice profit. Report this Post to the Staff
Spider5689 Pillar of the Community United States 2269 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 11:56 am The way I see it, whether you purchase higher grade coins from a dealer or break open a mint set, they still come from the same place. One thing to consider is the satin finish coins. I believe the mint started producing these coins in 2005. Report this Post to the Staff
coinseeker Valued Member United States 119 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 12:30 pm Thank you for the opinions. I guess what the common thread is: do my homework and use common sense. The only other question would be what is the best guide for pricing that is current either weekly or monthly rather than the publications that are yearly since prices vary so much over a year's time especially those coins with silver content. The only publication that my local newsstand carries is CoinWorld. Subscribing to it would represent a substantial savings over buying it one issue at a time. Is it a respected publication for the most part? Report this Post to the Staff
cladking Pillar of the Community United States 2270 Posts	Posted 11/09/2008 5:25 pm CDN lists theses every other week. Look at the BU roll prices and divide by the number of coins in the roll. Then there will be mint set listings every week. In almost every case the set is worth more busted up than it is intact. It's a strange situation since these are the nicest coins out there and there aren't any of some of the BU rolls anyway. It really doesn't figure but is probably reflective of the fact that many people want singles and don't want to destroy their mint sets. With the huge destruction taking place there might come a time that the sets get a big premium. Consider that if this day ever comes the coins will have to sell for far higher prices than currently since the mint sets are the sole source for so many of them. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,074

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: US Coins and Currency Forums Forum: US Modern Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.25 seconds to rattle this change.