Gold Liberty Head Dime: More Disappointment than its Worth

Once again the dark cloud of disappointment has cast a shadow on coin collectors across the nation. Angry letters fill the editorial pages of Coin World and other periodicals.
   "I'll never buy from the mint again!"
   "It is unfair!"
   "The dealers are crooks!"
   Yes, I have heard it all before. Such misery. And anger.
   The new Winged Liberty Gold Dime sold out in less than 45 minutes on April twenty-first; all 125,000 pieces gone! The household ordering limit was ten. And, as you can imagine, many coin hogs (collectors and dealers alike) ordered the limit.
   Of course, they were not really gone in 45 minutes, as EBay sellers were offering them straight-away the next day (at twice the issue price of $205).
   So why the upset? This is what most folks wanted - a rare issue. Exciting isn't it!? But here's the thing about rarity: not everyone can have one. You have to be lucky. Lucky folks have found 1909-S VDBs in circulation. Lucky folks will receive a gold dime in the mail at issue price.
   The rest of us will have to pay premium. That's life. Go buy one if you want one.

Remember when?

   Now what is it about this gold dime? Part of it is nostalgia. The baby-boomers are retiring and looking back: they are chasing after retro Mustangs and gold "Mercury" dimes. Part of it is art. The modernists are following the mint playbook: they are chasing after MS-70 pieces in order to boast about their connoisseurship. And finally, part it is speculation. The quick-buck guys are fattening their wallets.
   All three groups got what they wanted. Well, some of them anyway.
   That is how the world works. You can stomp your feet if you want to. Yell at the dog. Kick something. Babies!
   A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that a letter writer opined that the mint should produce some rarities for collectors (remember the "double beaks"). Well, you got your wish.
   No one should be angry about what happened on April twenty-first. Nothing unusual happened. Nothing unfair happened. Rare coins -- produced that way or not -- are just that. Not everyone can have one.
   But this necromancer has a suggestion.
   Forget the gold dime. Get the real thing! Go out and get some real "Mercury" dimes. They are better struck for one thing. Also, they were part of the action. Old dimes have stories. If you want to soothe your nostalgia, a old dime will take you there.