By Kathleen Duncan – Pinnacle Rarities

The new breed of collector wants the coin regardless of price. I envy them that luxury, but hope they are not made complacent by their equally exuberant under-bidders. The extremely strong prices for the Husak collection of large cents is understandable. These coins are truly rare and may not surface again for years.

Some of the other items experiencing extremely spirited bidding, however, are replaceable. These coins, or their equivalents, have sold recently for far less.

Here are three examples from the recently concluded Heritage Long Beach sale:

1867 25c PCGS MS63 $86,250

It has a PCGS population of 3 with 2 higher. Greysheet is a misleading $1,500 (wake up guys!), but I doubt there are any dealers who would have bought this coin for more than a quarter of the price without having a ready buyer.

1860 50c NGC MS67 $63,250

We purchased an 1863 50c NGC MS67 two and a half years ago out of a Heritage auction for $17,250. It is only a slightly more common date. Has the market for this type of coin increased? Certainly, but not by 300+%.

1906-S 10c PCGS MS67 $19,550

This is a fairly plentiful date in grades up to MS67 as there are 5 so graded by PCGS, 6 by NGC along with 1 MS68. The last trade was in August of 2006 for $5,750.

These are great coins and exactly the type which I want my clients to buy. But I also want to see them make a tidy profit one day. Yes, you have to stretch to buy the best, but not with disregard to reason. In auction rooms today, for collectors seeking a return on their investment, simply buying the right coins is no longer enough.

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