1964,1963,1960-Get graded?

[Chevygrl64]

Do you think getting the best of theses 1963, 1964, 1960 pennies graded? I've heard the 1964 in a high grade can be valuable.

[eaxtellcoin]

Hello Chevygirl64,
Slabs are very expensive. PCGS slabs 1965 to date are $17 a piece, plus shipping. If I remember correctly ANACS slabs are about $12 a piece. You are risking putting alot of $$ in slabs that may not bring at auction $1.00 - I would suggest looking at e-bay and see what they are asking there. Then I would look at Great Collections and see how much they sell for before - Archive Sales - and see if risking the price is worth while to you.

Remember grade is everything. If you are not great at grading, you might be taking a great risk with your $$$.

Eric

[Chevygrl64]

I think what I perceive as High grade is probably not. Hers some examples. So all the little imperfections bring the grade down. Basically near perfect may get good grade. Thinking out loud.

[jcuve]

This type of thing has to be done in person. I'd find a local coin shop that submits coins to PCGS for patrons and can help you. Slabs are expensive and pointless if you think it's going to get a MS66 and it comes back a MS64. Or you think MS67/68 and it comes back MS65.

I'd also consider the date. Some years there is a plentiful supply of higher grade Lincolns vs other years where there are very few.

[MintErrors]

I have some suggestions as well. I don't like to step on the Forum's people toes, But I have been collecting Lincoln Cents for over 45 years. Let me try to be blunt and to the point.

Jason is absolutely correct - the Lincolns need to have the potential to come back as a MS-67 in order to have a chance at getting some really high value. Bear in mind, although these coins "may" say they can fetch a lot of money, do some home work. There are two grading companies to look at, NGC (ngccoin.com) and PCGS (pcgs.com). Check out the prices they quote, they are typically high in most cases.

PCGS and NGC also have a "population or census" area on their site. It shows how many coins have achieved a certain grade. Its important to note this. If the numbers are small, then that particular year may have had some serious issues with producing top notch MS grades - many in the 60's had really bad planchets (coin blanks before they became coins) so the overall appearance may suffer greatly, thus, a low possibility to hit a home run on a submission. The best chances are identifying a year which has a medium level of population of coins up to say MS65, a lower number in MS66 and hardly any in MS67. Then check the prices and see if it is worth it.

Then, go to Ebay. Type in the coin year and the type of coin and ms67 eg; 1964 Lincoln Cent MS-67 and see what they are being listed for. If you know how to do an advanced search on Ebay, you can look up sold listing as well. The prices they are trying to be sold for may be a lot less than what they are listed as due to no one wanting to pay the big dollars for a Red Lincoln cent in MS67 or 68, when a MS66 would do.

Lastly, if you just have to send some coins in a cheaper way, I suggest sending them in to ANACS. They offer specials quite a lot, but the turn around time on the economy side of the specials can take up to 7 weeks - maybe more in COVID times. On the ANACS.com website you can register your email address and become an ANACS insider and they will send you an email when there is a new special. Specials can be good, some offer return postage for FREE which is a HUGE savings. Typically return postage can be $40.00 or so since ANACS has to properly insure the full value of the package. The slabbing fees at ANACS is typically 11-15 dollars each. IF you have a variety or error, insiders get the additional fee at a lower price.

Depending on where you live, you may be able to visit a coin show soon and there may be an ANACS rep at one of those shows. There is a spot on the ANACS website which you can pick your state and scroll down to the middle or bottom of that page to see the shows that ANACS will attend. If your in the Mid-Atlantic States, Geoff may be the rep that has a large area of coverage.

The three coins above might grade ms65 or so. It depends on the grading team. Typically 3 graders look at the coins, sum up a grade. if there is any disconnection on the grade, then a senior grader will make the call. Everyone's mood changes from day to day, and it applies to grading coins as well, so that is why some say it is a "subjective" service. Its a great idea if you don't want to have 2 people try to determine the grade of a coin who aren't ANA certified graders and they cannot come up with a equal and proper grade for a coin.

Have a look here, especially at the MS67 and quality it will take to get a MS67, its got to be nearly perfect.
http://www.lincolncentresource.com/L...ing_Guide.html

I should add this - I suggest looking at the mintmarks on the Lincoln Cents and see if they have an Re-punched mintmarks. A ten power loupe may suffice. some of the RPM's may fetch a good premium. I have a boatload of them.