Off the Beaten Path Lincolns
BuffaloIronTail
Posts: 7,408 ✭✭✭✭✭
There are certain dates and mints that I like that are not the popular (or rare) Lincoln Cents. It's just my personal likes in a series that is arguably the most collected and popular of the Small Cents.
First off I like the 1924-D Cent. It's scarce, a semi-key and overlooked by a lot of collectors. It isn't cheap. but it is affordable. There seems to be lightly impressed mintmarks on some, even bordering on almost barely visible. I always thought this to be Cool.
The majority of the mintage is not well struck, Details are fuzzy and lightly impressed, but nice ones can be found if you look long enough.
Next is the 1930-D. The date and mint are the only U.S. denomination to be struck at Denver. Depression doldrums stunted the mintage, and what was finally released languished in stored bags until needed as the economy improved. this was probably at least three years or so. From sitting so long, a lot of the Cents acquired an off-colored red which I think is neat.
1932 Philadelphia Cents have a lower mintage because of the depression. This is also shared by its cousin, the 1932-D. What is cool about this one is that Denver out produced Philadelphia for one of the first times, and we all know how Denver overtook Philly totally in the following years.
1934 Lincolns have a correct '3" in the date with the long tail, and it really makes the date look real cool. Can you just imagine the rest of the 1930s with that 3? WOW.
I'll end this with the 1973 Lincoln Cent coins. They are truly a one year type coin. 1973 came with a new reverse. Mint officials thought that the initials "FG" at the lower right of the memorial were too large, and ordered an entirely new reverse for 1974.
Check it out. It is kinda large.
This is it for now, this is already too long. Hope you enjoy and agree with my selections,
Do you have any to add? Remember that these coins are off the beaten path, and worth mentioning IMHOP.
Pete
Comments
I fully understand how you came to like certain select Lincoln Cents, or groups of them.
I've got the complete date range of Lincoln's, 113 years LoL!
There is a lot of them I really like, but as a single group, I'd have to say my favorite entire album page is the 2009!
The album sleeves holds 20 total coins, if you have all of the 2009's its 20 coins, and the Satin's are LOW mintage.
I think the 2009 series is sleepers coins.
I'll go to that album page before I'll go to the 55DDO or the 09's I just I find them interesting
"I Prefer Dangerous Freedom Over Peaceful Slavery"
Thomas Jefferson!
Aren't the 1924-D Cents an expensive aguirre aquire in higher grades with a well defined strike?
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
They are. I'm a big fan of the 1921-28 S mints in XF and better. Especially if you can find them with nice strikes.
"You can't get just one gun." "You can't get just one tattoo." "You can't get just one 1796 Draped Bust Large Cent."
That is a nice selection and some very compelling reasons for each one. The 30-D is interesting because as you pointed out it was the only Denver coin minted with that date.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Lincoln cents are certainly widely collected, and for those of us who have been in the hobby since we were kids, likely the first coins we started to collect. When I was a kid, IHC's were still occasionally found in change - I had a paper route and also sold in front of the markets, so lots of change was taken in (8 cents a paper - weekly edition). Cheers, RickO
I have my favs. I run with the 1922 D crowd, the 36 Satin Proof, Feel the 1925 D and 1918 D in Red are more scarce than they may appear and laugh out loud at the asking price for any 1969 s DDO.
A few years back I sent suggestion to PCGS to do a Lincoln TYPE set. It would consist of one example in all the changes over the years starting such as MPL, VDB, Non VDB, 1917(VDB returns), Steel, 36-58 proof, Memorial. - You get the idea. It was shot down - they claimed there were already two many Lincoln Sets. I think it would be widely pursued and very competitive.
WS
I agree with the '24-D and '32-D being overlooked.
The '73 is a good date but it will be common for a very long time because mint set packaging is relatively stable for this date.
The best modern dates are the '68 and the '84. There are several that might prove to be scarcer than the '24-D but these are going to be really tough; the '68 because of tarnish and the '84 because they were made so poorly they evaporate in circulation, BU rolls, and mint sets. The '68 has carbon spots and the '84 has unattractive surface, bubbles in the plating, and plating breaks.
Some of the other "common" cents will surprise collectors like nice pristine '71-S or the '79-D that isn't all scratched up. Collectors are still thinking that coins made in the billions don't need to be saved so very few did and very few have been protected from degradation. There aren't many left and the attrition is still sky high because they still aren't being saved. I couldn't put together ten rolls of '84-D's the other day from 20 rolls of original rolls and mint set rolls. I didn't quite make it because so many coins had carbon spots. These were really nice rolls but more than half the coins were ruined. I'd guess about 60% of mint set coins are no good and 90% of BU roll coins. This date is pretty nice when they aren't tarnished but the '84-P didn't look nice when it left the mint and time has not been kind to them.
The '74-S sm dt might not have been saved in sufficient quantities but this is unknown since the demand isn't there.
@cladking:
Thanks for adding those. It's a nice roundup for the newer end of the series.
Pete