Market Movers & Shakers

The modern coin market has been holding strong so far in 2023. Nice modern key-dates, low-mintage scarcities, or varieties with low populations in higher grades remain in high demand. Let’s highlight just a few of the coins that have increased the most in price in the past three months, according to the PCGS Price Guide.

The first coin on our list is a 2007 James Madison Missing Edge Lettering Presidential Dollar with a satin finish and noted as a special strike (SP). In the past three months, the coin’s price has gone from $125 to $500 in PCGS SP68, that's a 300% increase. The coin seldom comes up at auction, especially since it has a population of only 25 in SP68, with none graded higher. The coin is also from a fairly popular series. With a low population, no recent public auction sales, and sales of other similar coins in the series revealing strong figures, this hot variety demanded an increase in price.

The second example listed here is the 1977 Washington Quarter in PCGS MS68. With a paucity of auction trades, a population of just one in PCGS MS68, and high demand among collectors, this piece was ready for a price increase. Similar coins in the series with similar populations have sold somewhere in the $10,000 price range. Not to mention, the Washington Quarter series is one of the most popular coin series, and prices for low populations have always been healthy. An increase in price from $2,750 to $10,000 comes to a more than 200% improvement.

The third coin we reveal here is the 1969-S Doubled Die Lincoln Cent in PCGS MS66RD. The 1969-S Doubled Die Lincoln Cents is one of the most popular and famous doubled dies in modern coinage and among the most expensive doubled dies out there. Finding an example in uncirculated grades is almost impossible – especially in higher grades. On January 22, 2023, GreatCollections sold an impressive 1969-S Doubled Die Lincoln Cent graded PCGS MS66RD for just over $600,000. The coin has a population of 1, with none graded higher. The sale pushed the coin’s value as listed on the PCGS Price Guide from $200,000 to $605,000 – a 202% gain.

These are just a few examples of coins with prices that have increased in price significantly in the past three months. There are many other modern coins that have recently gone up in value, and you can see all these price changes if you visit the PCGS Price Guide and click “Price Changes.” There, you will see the day’s biggest gainers and losers, as well as the biggest gainers and losers for the week, for the past month, for the past three months, in the past year, and beyond.