Great Worn Coins

Nysoto

There is a lot to appreciate with worn coins that have done their duty in commerce. I tend to like nice well-circulated coins as much as AU and MS coins. Coin collecting should be enjoyed by all.

Post your favorite worn coins! Let's see those great looking circ-cams and other worn coins, slabbed or raw.

I'll start with a 1794 half dollar T-11 PCGS G4 CAC that I purchased from the Newman collection. Eric Newman was a great researcher, author, and collector. As a compleat numismatist, Newman collected coins in all grades, and he liked 1794 half dollar die varieties:

Nysoto

A few raw coins from my favorite chief engraver:

AlexinPA

So much history in those coins. If only they could speak.

PQueue

Very honest, wholesome 1794 half dollar. Indeed, it is as great as any G4 can be.

CCDollar

I'll bump it up a century...

CC

Eagleguy

SiriusBlack

topstuf

koynekwest

NSP

Here’s a newer acquisition, my 1820 B-5 (R5) quarter. Graded G04 by PCGS.

MWallace

Aotearoa

Speaking of '89-CC Morgans...

ms70

1794 Half Dime FR02

1794 Half Dime FR02

1800 Half Dime PO01

chesterb

I love this old worn CBH. It's perfectly smooth with just honest wear. I sometimes look for these old worn coins as there is a charm about them.

BryceM

Here are a few:

ricko

It is a pleasure and an honor to own these old coins...Their history and use in commerce reflects those years of toil, war and achievement. We hold history when we hold these coins. Cheers, RickO

Nysoto

Thanks also for posting the late 1800's and twentieth century nice worn coins, I have no doubt they were a challenge to find.

This 1795 T-15 PCGS VG8 is a legitimate R-6 very rare variety with about 20-25 known in all grades and condition. There is one wonder coin at MS64, and the rest of the Tompkins condition census is 25, 25, 15, 12, 12. So my VG8 is well worn but just outside of condition census:

Nysoto

The 1807 T-2 DS 3, 1, PCGS VF25 is interesting as the obverse die has sunk, with weakly struck centers obverse and reverse. JA liked it and bestowed a CAC sticker:

TennesseeDave

1801 Half Dime PO01

That's definitely 1800

jabba

Anymore wear and no date would be visible!

jabba

Here’s another

Kliao

What does FR stand for? Fried?

Walkerguy21D

@Nysoto said:
The 1807 T-2 DS 3, 1, PCGS VF25 is interesting as the obverse die has sunk, with weakly struck centers obverse and reverse. JA liked it and bestowed a CAC sticker:

I have her twin sister:

stevek

@AlexinPA said:
So much history in those coins. If only they could speak.

That is part of the coolness about coins.

Anyone could have had some of these pictured coins in their pocket at one time, including George himself.

ARCO

@Nysoto said:
A few raw coins from my favorite chief engraver:

No plastic. Sort of like seeing a young person with no tattoos. Wow, how refreshing.

CircCam

lkeigwin

ms70

@TennesseeDave said:

1801 Half Dime PO01

That's definitely 1800

Yes, that was a typo. Thanks!

Nysoto

ARCO{

No plastic. Sort of like seeing a young person with no tattoos. Wow, how refreshing.

Some explanation of the image background: "Scot Philad" is the signature of Robert Scot on a 1791 copperplate engraving from Dobson's Encyclopædia (I love typing æ!). Robert Scot and Thomas Dobson, both Scottish immigrants, joined forces to publish the first encyclopedia published in the US. I have one of the few sets remaining of Dobson's Encyclopædia, which came out of a nineteenth century library of a women's prison in Massachusetts.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and David Rittenhouse all had sets of Dobson's Encyclopædia. Robert Scot created historically important engravings for Washington and Jefferson during the American Revolution, and Scot was a highly sought after and respected engraver during that time. A common numismatic myth is that Scot was a watchmaker with little engraving talent, but that is simply false information - Scot was well known for his engraving talent by Washington, Jefferson, and Rittenhouse many years prior to the establishment of the US Mint.

1630Boston

Baley

Here are about half of my AG-Fine early quarters

Old images I've shown many times, really need to take this collection out and take new pictures some day. Now have almost all of the marriages and many additional die states.

Topstuf's 1796 would be right at home 😁

Meltdown

I've got a few slicks that I just love...

Meltdown

Meltdown

DDR

DDR

DDR

Ronyahski

Market Analysis: Well-worn Proof 1837 quarter eagle, recent discovery, brings $7,800

By Steve Roach , Coin World

Published: Sep 17, 2019, 9 AM

1837-gold-lead
This Proof 1837 Classic Head quarter eagle has lost its reflective fields, but can be identified as a Proof by die diagnostics. Graded by NGC as Good Details, Mount Removed, it sold for $7,800 on Aug. 13.

A Proof coin can still be a Proof piece, even when it has lost its reflective fields and frosty devices. This 1837 Classic Head gold $2.50 quarter eagle offered in Rosemont Aug. 13 is one of only five confirmed examples.

NGC graded it Good Details, Mount Removed. Remnants of the mount are visible at the top of the obverse, and the cataloger writes, “Obviously a former jewelry piece, both sides of this piece are curiously glossy in texture with numerous handling marks peppering the surfaces.”

John McCloskey’s study of the series shows that the subject coin’s specific die marriage (McCloskey 3) was produced as a Proof strike. Diagnostics, including two pale gules in the stripes of the shield on the reverse, as opposed to three as seen on circulation strike quarter eagles of this date, remain visible despite significant wear.

Its exact mintage is uncertain since Proof coins weren’t sold in an organized way directly to general collectors until 1859, and this coin was only recently discovered and confirmed by Stack’s Bowers prior to the coin’s consignment to the firm's auctions at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money.

tommy44

I was wondering when the gold would show up. Here's a picture of a 74-CC $5 that has seen its share of commerce. It's in a PCGS VF25 holder.

ChangeInHistory

Nysoto

There have been great circulated sets formed by board members over the years here - Baley's collections of quarters and half dollars, including a new die marriage discovery, Mr. Half Dime's reference collection now on NNP, Stone's, and others that took considerable numismatic knowledge to form.

That 1837 quarter eagle is fascinating, as a proof only die marriage that can still be attributed with that much wear.

Here is a mid-circulated 1806 $5 PCGS XF40. Finding early gold in XF or lower grades with originality is more difficult than AU-MS early gold (1795-1834):

NSP

@Baley said:
Here are about half of my AG-Fine early quarters

Old images I've shown many times, really need to take this collection out and take new pictures some day. Now have almost all of the marriages and many additional die states.

Topstuf's 1796 would be right at home 😁

If you do take new pictures, you should post them all in a dedicated thread to showcase your set! Given my love for lower grade bust quarters, your set is “the ultimate collection” in my eyes.

HoledandCreative

topstuf

I forgot this one.

topstuf

I'll...... s t r e t c c h........ for "eye candy" but I will also pick up any coins that I want for type in a lower grade.
Works for me.

topstuf

@Baley said:
Here are about half of my AG-Fine early quarters

Topstuf's 1796 would be right at home 😁

Walkerguy21D

I love this one for the honest wear and smooth chocolate surfaces:

Wahoo554

Small 0, B-4 VG8

spacehayduke

ms70

There are some really nice coins in this thread.