Circulated 1955 S Lincoln cents, where are they???

erwindoc

I have several folders that lack this coin to be completed. I have only found 1-2 with years of searching rolls. I attended a small local show and no one had any in their cases or in the books around their material. I do imagine that its not a coin that would be brought by many dealers. I did see BU rolls, but that will stick out heavily amongst the circulated ones.

Why is the 1955 S so hard to find in circulation or in circulated condition???

Mdcoincollector2003

Lower mintage. Too low to find often, but not low enough for dealers to separate from bulk wheats to sell individuals.

Danno44

Only minted 44 million compared to a 55 D that they minted 563 million...and the P the lowest at only 33 million...

MasonG

1955-S cent hoarded as the last

The 1955-S Lincoln cent was a coin that had an immediate audience because of one simple factor: It had been announced that 1955 would be the final year of coin production at San Francisco.

https://www.numismaticnews.net/article/1955s_cent_hoarded_as_the_last_s_cent

OldEastside

Relatively low mintage and it was hoarded by speculators and BU Rolls cost a bundle in the 60's Roll Craze, I can't remember off hand but back then a roll may have cost maybe $50 to 100 bucks. However I have found them in change but usually in xf to au

Steve

Jimnight

Very hard to find roll hunting.

koynekwest

It was very difficult to find in circulation in the eastern part of the country even when I started collecting in 1961.

BillJones

I don’t know. I couldn’t find one for my Whitman folder in the early 1960s. I finally paid 80 cents for one at my local Woolworth five and dime. I have never seen one in circulation or during roll hunting in the early ‘60s.

jesbroken

Put one in your pocket for a while.
Jim

joeykoins

Here are 50 of them!

sellitstore

Yup. The low mintage means more survive in BU now then were ever put into circulation, like the 1903O dollar.

It's rarer in circulated grades than in BU.

kevinstang

When I was collecting coins as a kid in upstate NY (late 70's/early 1980's) the 55-s penny and the 50-d and 58-P nickels were three coins I could never find- other than the obvious key date coins and very little silver was seen. I did manage to find war nickels and 40% halves- but they were hard to keep on my $2 a week allowance.

golden

They were fairly easy to find in circulation in the early 1960's.

jesbroken

Neither in the 50's nor 60's was I ever lucky enough to find either a 55 s Lincoln Cent nor a 50 d Jefferson Nickel.
Jim

dcarr

How much would a $50 (face value) bag of 5,000 circulated 1955-S cents be worth ?
I know of one that is available.

OldEastside

I also recall Mail Order Coin Dealers advertising the 55s Cent and the 55s Dime as the last coinage from San Francisco in the early and mid 60's and selling them in a gimmicky Card

Steve

tommy44

@dcarr said:
How much would a $50 (face value) bag of 5,000 circulated 1955-S cents be worth ?
I know of one that is available.

Circulated I'd guess no more than a bag of any other circulated wheat cents. Maybe a small premium just because of its being the last S mint.

joeykoins

mannie gray

They are relatively scarce in circulated condition.
A huge percentage of the original mintage was saved at the time of issue.
Just a guess here...but I would say there are 200 gem UNC 55-S for every XF or lower.
I have never seen one below VF.

Elcontador1

Two of the worst numismatic buys I made in my life were paying $22.50 for a full step 50 D Nickel (maybe an MS 65), and a roll of circ 55 S Cents for $22, both in the 1960s. I sold the latter about 10 years ago for $7.50. I still have the 50-D due to a lack of inertia to sell it.

ricko

I have a couple of '55S cents in my 'special' pile of wheaties.... circulated, picked out of change over the years. Saved them because of the hype.... Cheers, RickO

dcarr

It appears that the going rate on eBay for circulated 1955-S cent rolls is currently about $10.
That would be about 5 or 6 times the usual rate for ordinary mixed Wheat Cents.

tommy44

@dcarr said:
It appears that the going rate on eBay for circulated 1955-S cent rolls is currently about $10.
That would be about 5 or 6 times the usual rate for ordinary mixed Wheat Cents.

Well shut my mouth, much higher than I would have thought.

ambro51

What’s the current lowball? F? VF?

mannie gray

@ambro51 said:
What’s the current lowball? F? VF?

VF35.
As I said in an earlier post, I have never seen one less than VF.

RichieURich

I've found fewer than 10 circ 1955-S cents in many years of roll searching.
Only found one 1950-D nickel which I found in 1977.

jrrgd

I have a BU roll of em

mannie gray

@jrrgd said:
I have a BU roll of em

They are abundant in BU.
Much scarcer circulated.

MasonG

I searched rolls when I was a kid. Aside from the steel cents, 55-S's were harder to find than any other S mint dates in the 40s and 50s and about equal to the mid-late 30s. 54P's were harder to find than 55-S's.

mannie gray

@MasonG said:
I searched rolls when I was a kid. Aside from the steel cents, 55-S's were harder to find than any other S mint dates in the 40s and 50s and about equal to the mid-late 30s. 54P's were harder to find than 55-S's.

I agree about the 1954.
I had to end up purchasing one.

BillJones

@mannie gray said:

@MasonG said:
I searched rolls when I was a kid. Aside from the steel cents, 55-S's were harder to find than any other S mint dates in the 40s and 50s and about equal to the mid-late 30s. 54P's were harder to find than 55-S's.

I agree about the 1954.
I had to end up purchasing one.

Funny. When I was a YN in the early 1960s I read that the 1954-P was a better date and mint combination. I started saving them and accumulated over a roll from circulation.

bsshog40

I have one in my Dansco. I'm also sure I had to buy it off the bay. Lol

mannie gray

@BillJones said:

@mannie gray said:

@MasonG said:
I searched rolls when I was a kid. Aside from the steel cents, 55-S's were harder to find than any other S mint dates in the 40s and 50s and about equal to the mid-late 30s. 54P's were harder to find than 55-S's.

I agree about the 1954.
I had to end up purchasing one.

Funny. When I was a YN in the early 1960s I read that the 1954-P was a better date and mint combination. I started saving them and accumulated over a roll from circulation.

Are you East Coast?
Philadelphia mint coins with face value less than 25c didn't circulate regularly here in the Midwest even in the 1970s.
Mostly D mint coins here.
I can remember how long it took me to find a 1969 cent.

dpoole

I remember when I was a kid, and first got into coin collecting around that time. Finding a 55-S was a BIG DEAL, because the San Francisco Mint wasn't going to make any more, for ever and ever!! My parents and/or grandparents got me one for Xmas for the next year or two. Here's one I still have:

cladking

I found a few '09-VDB's, a '15-S, rolls of '19-S and a few '31-D's.

I never found a '55-S nor did any of my friends.

Rolls of '55-S were advertised in Boys' Life for $40 but circs were unavailable.

Almost as large a proportion of these were saved in BU as '50-D nickels.

thebeav

When I was a kid in the early 60's, this was the only date from the number 2 book that I had to buy from Littleton. I even had an uncle in San Francisco who was sending me little parcels of 'S' mint cents, but never a '55......
Regardless, 60 years later, they're rather worthless......

erwindoc

What an informative post! Love this forum!

johnny9434

i got a roll of 1955 s dimes (not for sale) many years ago for $35. i got it some where and got it from a dealer

BillJones

@mannie gray said:

@BillJones said:

@mannie gray said:

@MasonG said:
I searched rolls when I was a kid. Aside from the steel cents, 55-S's were harder to find than any other S mint dates in the 40s and 50s and about equal to the mid-late 30s. 54P's were harder to find than 55-S's.

I agree about the 1954.
I had to end up purchasing one.

Funny. When I was a YN in the early 1960s I read that the 1954-P was a better date and mint combination. I started saving them and accumulated over a roll from circulation.

Are you East Coast?
Philadelphia mint coins with face value less than 25c didn't circulate regularly here in the Midwest even in the 1970s.
Mostly D mint coins here.
I can remember how long it took me to find a 1969 cent.

Yep, I lived on Delaware, just south of the Philadelphia Mint. That’s why the 1954-P cents were in circulation.

Meltdown

How interesting to guys like me who don't collect or care much about Lincolns. I'd never know except for reading all the comments here.
Good thread.

ambro51

I picked up an Unc in a 2x2 years ago at a coin club auction for a buck. It was a good example of the LIB I ERTY error. Not rare, but uncommon.

Overdate

Even harder to find are circulated 1960 Philly small date cents. I lived on the East Coast in the 1960's and never found one in circulation - found plenty of 1960-D small dates though.

Higashiyama

Here are the Lincolns I pulled from circulation as a kid. Consistent with the discussion above!

ambro51

.....at least Whitman felt the 55S was obtainable, unlike the 1916 SLQ which was only half punched out. I think the 16D dime was half punched too. Geez....have some faith blue folder...

1Mike1

@erwindoc said:
I have several folders that lack this coin to be completed. I have only found 1-2 with years of searching rolls. I attended a small local show and no one had any in their cases or in the books around their material. I do imagine that its not a coin that would be brought by many dealers. I did see BU rolls, but that will stick out heavily amongst the circulated ones.

Why is the 1955 S so hard to find in circulation or in circulated condition???

whole roll on eBay for $11.95

DiggerJim

Here are some I have. If you are interested I can send you a couple if you like. Let me know?

DiggerJim

ambro51

As you look at those BU rolls you realize how many Millions were saved. ••••It’s funny, and I’m sure a lot of older collectors will agree, during the mid 1960s, it was nearly impossible to find UNC wheats in circulation. Unlike today when a glance at your change usually contains bright Memorials. My Whitman’s have only One RD wheat, it’s a 1940. The late ‘50s coins are all well browned.

mannie gray

@Overdate said:
Even harder to find are circulated 1960 Philly small date cents. I lived on the East Coast in the 1960's and never found one in circulation - found plenty of 1960-D small dates though.

I just found a 60 SM DT while roll searching a few days ago.
First one I can ever recall finding.
Don't think I have ever found a 55-S.

braddick

erwindoc

@braddick said:

That one has been in the 2x2 for a while!

cladking

@braddick said:

I tossed a beautiful XF/ AU in my change bucket just a few months ago.

Don't remember where it came from but it wasn't from circulation. I have several rolls of these and they are almost all Gems which is very common for the '55-S.