Official Thread - Sacagawea Dollars - lowballs, elusive grades, errors & different varieties

Ted 1

Let's see if this gets any traction. I want to meet some like minded collectors who have an odd interest of locating Sacagawea's with elusive grades. Perhaps you have a large collection of many, many coins & just happen to have a few of these laying around. I mainly collect notes, but these are the only coins I really collect.

Among other things, I like the dark patina on the circ examples, and the challenge of finding a hard to locate grade. For instance, out of 40,000+ graded by PCGS, less than 15 are graded between AG3 & VF30. Only one MS60. Only one AU 53 Wounded Eagle. Only one PR63DCAM.

Very, very narrow field of interest...But it's MY interest. And maybe yours...

Ted 1

-

Ted 1

VG08.

Of the 45,000 graded...

3 at this grade for all years/mints. This is the only 2000-P at this grade.

Only lower for the series are (1) G6, (1) G4 & (1) AG3.

Ted 1

VF35.

6 at this grade for all years/mints,
5 of which are 2000-D.

Ted 1

VG10.

2 at this grade for all years/mints!
This is the only 2000-D at this grade.
Nice darker brown color.

OAKSTAR

Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Ted 1

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

OAKSTAR

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

No laughs from me.

Ted 1

@OAKSTAR said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

No laughs from me.

Excellent! Modern coins in difficult grades are very tough to find.

CaptHenway

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Not I. I only have one slabbed Sacagawea dollar. It's a CHeerios pattern. The DeLorey Specimen.

jmlanzaf

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

No laughs from me.

Excellent! Modern coins in difficult grades are very tough to find.

Except many of those grades are actually easy to find. The reason a VF coin seems hard is that all the VF coins are raw because they aren't worth submitting. They aren't lowball enough to have value.

And a PR65 DCAM might be elusive but only because no one submits a proof with a few hairlines or contact marks. All you need to do is gently mishandle the 69 or 70 in the set and you can make as many 65s as you want.

This is really, in my opinion, a case of putting too much stock in the grading census. There are thousands of VF to AU coins, probably millions, but no one bothers to submit them.

ricko

People collect many different things... and among coin collectors, there are literally thousands of different niche areas to focus on. Whatever lights your torch!! Have fun... Cheers, RickO

OAKSTAR

@jmlanzaf said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

No laughs from me.

Excellent! Modern coins in difficult grades are very tough to find.

Except many of those grades are actually easy to find. The reason a VF coin seems hard is that all the VF coins are raw because they aren't worth submitting. They aren't lowball enough to have value.

Unless they are straight graded slabbed PO-1's.

Ted 1

@jmlanzaf said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

No laughs from me.

Excellent! Modern coins in difficult grades are very tough to find.

Except many of those grades are actually easy to find. The reason a VF coin seems hard is that all the VF coins are raw because they aren't worth submitting. They aren't lowball enough to have value.

And a PR65 DCAM might be elusive but only because no one submits a proof with a few hairlines or contact marks. All you need to do is gently mishandle the 69 or 70 in the set and you can make as many 65s as you want.

This is really, in my opinion, a case of putting too much stock in the grading census. There are thousands of VF to AU coins, probably millions, but no one bothers to submit them.

While I do partially agree, the same could be said for any note/coin. There may be thousands upon thousands of better dates for all coins involved that haven't been graded. My focus is solely on what's been graded, not the dollars that are currently pocket pieces, or being used in the transit system. Solely PCGS or NGC tougher grades that you can't easily come across.
It's just my interest.

CaptHenway

I think that a legitimately circulated Cheerios Dollar, in any grade, would be a rare coin.

Mr_Spud

FYI - I did an experiment to see if I could get a Sacajawea slabbed as AU by carrying it in my pocket for a month and making sure I rubbed it between my fingers and thumb multiple times a day for that month period. I then submitted it to PCGS and it came back as MS64. Here’s the TrueView

I was going for an AU58, but would have been happy with an AU anything. I wanted it to match the grade of my circulated Everyman Type sets.

Point is, it’s harder than you would expect to get a coin to become a targeted circulated grade.

Tramp

Wouldn't it be easier to roll hunt and submit to TPG?

I'm curious to who's submitting a $1 Sacagawea in G - AU in hopes they find that one buyer to make a couple of dollars? I have the full set in MS in a Dansco but never contemplated sending them in to be certified. Not being critical just curious.

Mr_Spud

@Tramp said:
Wouldn't it be easier to roll hunt and submit to TPG?

Maybe. For the one I tried to turn into an AU, if I found it in a roll I think I would expect it to grade AU because if you examine it carefully you can see “rub” on the high points. Most likely it would be easy to find a lower grade circulated one that it is obviously not MS, but then it probably won’t be the grade I was targeting which was 58

jmlanzaf

@Ted 1 said:

@jmlanzaf said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
Bookmarked!

I'm with you. I'll get back to you.

In the meantime..

@MWallace
@CaptHenway

Much appreciated.
I know I'll get some laugh reacts, but oh well. I like the challenge!

No laughs from me.

Excellent! Modern coins in difficult grades are very tough to find.

Except many of those grades are actually easy to find. The reason a VF coin seems hard is that all the VF coins are raw because they aren't worth submitting. They aren't lowball enough to have value.

And a PR65 DCAM might be elusive but only because no one submits a proof with a few hairlines or contact marks. All you need to do is gently mishandle the 69 or 70 in the set and you can make as many 65s as you want.

This is really, in my opinion, a case of putting too much stock in the grading census. There are thousands of VF to AU coins, probably millions, but no one bothers to submit them.

While I do partially agree, the same could be said for any note/coin. There may be thousands upon thousands of better dates for all coins involved that haven't been graded. My focus is solely on what's been graded, not the dollars that are currently pocket pieces, or being used in the transit system. Solely PCGS or NGC tougher grades that you can't easily come across.
It's just my interest.

I partially agree. I don't think the census on any coin is totally accurate. However, the percentage submitted increases with the cost of the coin.

I throw VG clad quarters in the coin star all the time. Almost no one would ever submit them for grading. The total VG8 pop for Type 2 quarters (1965 to 1998) is 1. The total pop in Vg8/10 and F12/15 is 28. I guarantee there are a million of them out there raw.

OAKSTAR

@Tramp, @jmlanzaf-

I also believe people submit common (zero value or face value) coins for personal or sentimental reasons.

OAKSTAR

Here's an elusive grade. Found CRH'ing, not bought. Although, I did pay for grading.

OAKSTAR

@Ted 1- Can you get any better close-up detail pictures of your coins?

Ted 1

@OAKSTAR said:
@Ted 1- Can you get any better close-up detail pictures of your coins?

Will do. I've been stuck with my 12 hr shifts, when I get a chance I'll send much better pics.

Jannifer

Everyone is performing, now it's my turn

OAKSTAR

@Jannifer said:
Everyone is performing, now it's my turn

Very nice! But what are we looking at?

jmlanzaf

@OAKSTAR said:
@Tramp, @jmlanzaf-

I also believe people submit common (zero value or face value) coins for personal or sentimental reasons.

I agree, but that's a little beside my point.

OAKSTAR

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
@Ted 1- Can you get any better close-up detail pictures of your coins?

Will do. I've been stuck with my 12 hr shifts, when I get a chance I'll send much better pics.

Always loved shift work and those 12 hour days. Made the week go fast! 👍🏻

Coinscratch

@OAKSTAR said:

@Ted 1 said:

@OAKSTAR said:
@Ted 1- Can you get any better close-up detail pictures of your coins?

Will do. I've been stuck with my 12 hr shifts, when I get a chance I'll send much better pics.

Always loved shift work and those 12 hour days. Made the week go fast! 👍🏻

Yea, and it went so fast just look where you're at now
I'm trying to slow things down a bit here watching the grass grow I'm thinking about playing in the sprinkler today and making my own rainbows

OAKSTAR

@Ted 1- Are you alluding to something like these? My non-professional grading skills say "maybe" FR or AG. To much meat on the dates.

Manifest_Destiny

These actually circulate in El Salvador

Ted 1

Some of the tougher grades for the series.

Ted 1

@OAKSTAR said:
@Ted 1- Are you alluding to something like these? My non-professional grading skills say "maybe" FR or AG. To much meat on the dates.

The bottom coin would likely grade G6

OAKSTAR

Ted- Not that it will happen but I'm looking for a PO-1.

Ted 1

@OAKSTAR said:
Ted- Not that it will happen but I'm looking for a PO-1.

Andrew Edelman has an AG3. That is THE lowest. I asked if he wanted to sell, to no avail. But his takes the cake at the moment. He told me if he upgrades (downgrades) to a fr2, he'll sell. There is 1 G6 floating around as well.

Ted 1

A 2013 quarter that would likely grade FR/PR

Kurisu

If someone wants to be my sponsor and submit a bunch of lower grade proofs...

From roll hunting I have about 3 rolls of various proofs, including a collection dump I ran into a couple years ago from some customer rolls

Ted 1

@Kurisu said:
If someone wants to be my sponsor and submit a bunch of lower grade proofs...

From roll hunting I have about 3 rolls of various proofs, including a collection dump I ran into a couple years ago from some customer rolls

How much? $?

Jzyskowski1

Curious
With all the handling and such why are these coins not getting a details grade? Thanks 🙏

Ted 1

@Jzyskowski1 said:
Curious
With all the handling and such why are these coins not getting a details grade? Thanks 🙏

That's what makes a Lowball a Lowball ) Just well worn, evenly circulated, no rim damage, no dents, etc. Just like a Lowball note.

Just a fun subset of collecting.. Here's a Good 4 from 2013 -

Jzyskowski1

Couldn’t I just wash a note and put it under a sun lamp? Now if that’s the case and creating em is all good, then perhaps you would be interested in learning to create some error coins. Seriously, it’s a hobby. Couple coins placed between two leather straps. A hammer and my trusty anvil, few taps and a new error is created.
But perhaps I digress 🤠

OAKSTAR

@Ted 1 said:
A 2013 quarter that would likely grade FR/PR

Do you have better close-up pictures? That coin looks more detailed from here.

Ted 1

Ted 1

The AG3 $1SAC is on the top row.

PerryHall

@Manifest_Destiny said:
These actually circulate in El Salvador

The Sacagawea dollars circulate in Ecuador and the US Dollars is used as their currency. They particularly like the Sacagawea dollars because it looks like a native Indian woman and her child.

OAKSTAR

You might be on to something here @Ted 1

Ted 1

i love that ag 3 . zero detail on the faces

Coinscratch

@Ted 1 said:

Never seen a CAC on a “1” so now that’s technically a 2 and worth less

mr1931S

I like Sacajawea dollars. All the pieces in my collection are uncs or proofs. I recently gave up a Sac, a circulated one, to make a purchase. The clerk asked me if I really wanted to spend it. I said," sure, I want to spend it." I was happy she knew it was a dollar coin, not a quarter.

Mr_Spud

I found this AU58 on eBay recently and got it for my slabbed circulated type sets

OAKSTAR

@Coinscratch said:

@Ted 1 said:

Never seen a CAC on a “1” so now that’s technically a 2 and worth less

Coinscratch

@mr1931S said:
I like Sacajawea dollars. All the pieces in my collection are uncs or proofs. I recently gave up a Sac, a circulated one, to make a purchase. The clerk asked me if I really wanted to spend it. I said," sure, I want to spend it." I was happy she knew it was a dollar coin, not a quarter.

Unless it said Quarter on it.