Ready to buy or sell on 2016 date?

Some collectors are already anticipating the prospects of 2016 U.S. Mint reproductions of 1916 designs. But rather than spending nearly two years just waiting around, now might be the time to actually collect the original Mercury dime, Standing Liberty quarter and Walking Liberty quarter series.

If the Bicentennial of Lincoln in 2009 taught us anything, it is that as the anniversary year approaches, interest in a series grows and prices jump higher. The earlier buyers got into the market, the more money they made.

Some of the Lincoln price jump was due to dealers anticipating higher demand and entering the market to buy in advance of it. Another part of it was due to smart collectors who did the same.

Naturally, the great influx of attention will come in 2016 as the anniversary of the three 1916 series arrives and new Mint issues are offered.

More collectors, but most especially the general public, will jump in at that point, but the price hikes will all be pretty much baked into the cake, because when 2017 rolls around, collectors and dealers looking for the next big thing will have left the series.

So who should jump into this market now?

Those of us who grew up in the circulation finds era and who might still have partially finished sets of one or all three of these types are good candidates to reactivate that interest immediately.

A smaller number of long-time collectors might even have completed one or more of these sets years ago and then simply enjoyed owning them ever since. They might proceed to acquire the sets that they don’t already have if they have a fairly long time horizon for ownership.

Perhaps there is a smaller band of collectors who simply would like to speculate by buying up coins from these three series immediately.

Collector interest based on an anniversary date eventually diminishes, so not only should potential purchases of coins in these three series be contemplated soon, but so should sales.

If you already own these coins and are looking for an advantageous time to sell them, perhaps 2015 and early 2016 might just be the proper period to maximize their value on your behalf.

Prepare now. Get any coins that need slabbing done now. Make arrangements to consign for auction top-grade pieces.

The best time to sell is when you have a lot of people clamoring to buy. It might seem unnatural to sell when something looks so popular, but that is how the market works. If you have owned these coins for a long time, you have had your fun. Someone else should have a turn. You will get your numismatic payday. If it is hard to let go, just look at what Lincolns have done since 2009.

What will you do with the money you raise by selling? The 100th anniversary of the Peace dollar arrives in 2021. That is also the 50th anniversary of the Ike dollar. A little advance scouting in these two series might prove rewarding.

This article was originally printed in Numismatic News.
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