1825 Bust Dime For My 1796-1840 Dimes Set

Seems like a really good price. Probably the ANACS holder held the price down a bit compared to PCGS, but the coin also appears pretty darkly toned which probably contributed to lower buyer interest.

So, you're going for the complete date set! Quite an ambitious project, especially if you expect to maintain around an AU grade level. I'm looking forward to future posts as you add to the set!

Unfortunately I cannot afford the rare dates in AU condition, so I'll probably have to settle for slightly damaged F-VF's. I'm a college student : (

It is indeed a tough set. I've been looking at some 1804's and the prices are off the charts. I'd agree about the ANACS holder but I want to see how the toning looks in person. The $900 coin looked pretty dark too... I had bid about $125 higher for my final bid (if you include the BP) and would have gone even higher if not for some other things.

Much nicer than most AU53 pieces. It looks like ANACS was a touch conservative with that one.

ShadowCreator: Since you are collecting/and are knowledgeable about early dimes, I have a question for you. I would like to add a dime from 1838 to my collection (why this date and denomination is a long story that I'll spare you from). I am considering getting a really nicely toned PCGS certified 1838-O dime in EF(40) off ebay. The problem is that it will set me back $800 if I go for this one. Have you been in the market for an 1838-O dime before? What would you say is a decent price for a nicely toned certified EF example? I do like the 1838-O because I think the Seated Liberty design is prettiest without the stars. Is the coin so scarce in this grade that it will be a solid investment? Would it be better in the long run to get a common with stars variety in an MS grade instead?

Hi Adam, I meant to respond to you earlier, and I also got your email...

I too really like the design, which is probably why I bought my slabbed example awhile ago. I would say $700 is about right if you really want the coin, maybe $800-850 if its really, really nice for the grade (an undergraded 45 or 45+). I see this date/mm some of the time so you might want to try for $600 if its just a decent coin since the economy is pretty weak right now. They aren't super scarce or impossible to find nice like some other seated liberty dates. I've been trying to get $600-$700 for my blue toned PCGS VF-35 (In my opinion and others' a 40 or at least 40-) so I think that is pretty much in line with what I said before.

As for investment, it seems like only the scarcest Seated dimes or the popular key dates (1846, 1844 etc though 1846 is actually much much tougher to find in any grade though they start out relatively the same) will really increase in value much in the next 5-10 years, particularly with the bad economy. This is because the series is not collected much except for type, so unless that changes my assessment will probably have to stay the same. Shame though, I really like both the seated and barber series', even though they're relatively unpopular compared to Buffalo nickels or even capped bust halves. Common date MS coins seem to be doing even worse and may have even dipped in the last few years. Really, I'd just say get what you like.