what are the chances...

1907Quarter

of hitting on a 1981 Susan B. Anthony is a SBA roll?

jtryka

I would think pretty slim, though I once got an 81-P in change from the PATH station in Hoboken.

fcloud

It would be like hitting the lottery, so if you got one go buy a lotto--lighting could strike twice?

wingedliberty

Very low


Brian

FC57Coins

I don't know about the lotto - but maybe the pick 3 or a scratch off - I got two 1999's in change once - kid probably swiped them from his dad's (or mom's) collection.

DRG

The 1981 SBA$ were not made for circulation. They were only available in mint sets and 3 coin SBA$ sets. I suspect very few were put into circulation as quite a premium had to be paid for them.

The 1999 SBA$ were released for circulation so finding them is not uncommon.

If you go to your local post office and buy stamps from the machines you will get dollar coins in change, usually a combination of SBA$'s and Sac's. I have never found a 1981 SBA though.

jtryka

For SBAs, the 1979 PDS, 1980 PDS and 1999 PD were all released into circulation, but the 1980 and 1999 dates are tougher to find, and the S-mints are a little harder to find. The 1981s would be really rare to find, but it happens, I found one. The same is true of 1987 Kennedys, I've found several of them over the years, as well as S-mint proof only issues. So it happens, but if your time is valuable, you'll just buy an 81 mint set for $14 like I did today to get the coins for my new whitman folder of Ikes and SBAs.

fantasiize

1907quarter,

Highly unlikely, but you never know.

I personally, have received a 81s (not type II) proof and a 81p in a stamp machine. Now the disclaimer ... they were on 2 separate occasions. Overall, I have probably put in $20, gotten my book(s) of stamps and got the change in SBAs about 100 times or so (that's probably about $1,000 in SBAs, when they were readily available, between early 1998 & late 1999). First thing I thought when this happened, each time, was what kid did this to their parent's collection to get a soda, cigarettes or whatever.

Bottom line, do what jtryka advised you to do.

1907Quarter

still looking for the 99-D and 79-Pwide rim from the stamp machines! Looks like I will have to buy the 81 set.

jtryka

I think I might have a couple 99-Ds from circulation but not a 99-P (not sure though I have to check), let me know if you want to trade!

cladking

There were an excess number of 1981 mint sets produced to the number ordered.
These sets were dismantled by mint personnel and the coins placed in circulation and
at least some of the dollars sold at a premium. The smaller denomination coins were
mixed in with current coinage which was 1982. (It would be a substantial loss to open
a 1982 roll and find 1981 coins). The dollars went into 1980 bags. During the mid 90's
the price of h 1981 mint set dropped as low as $5.40 on the wholesale market. This is
less than a five cent premium for each coin in the set. No doubt many sets were cut up
and the dollars spent. There were substantial quantities of the other SBA's in compar-
ison to the few 81's that got into circulation but the 81's would have been much more
likely to actually circulate and be seen.

CouchP

I had no idea that SBA where collectable, the 81S you guys are talking about, what is so colletable about it in your opinion?

braddick

Very low, but better than finding one in a roll of 1981 Kennedies. . .

DRG

CouchP; The SBA 1981 coins all sell for about $5 each in avg. uncirc. condition. The 1981S is very difficult to find in high grade. In MS66 it sells for over $500. If a 1981S is ever graded in MS67 it would be a $5-10,000 dollar coin. The current POP of MS66 coins is 68 having gone up from 66 about a year ago. Not a steep rise for a $500 "common" modern coin.

jtryka

Man I never knew I could be throwing away so much money pushing that 81-S into my Whitman folder this evening!

Conder101

Yes the mint did have a small over production of 1981 mint sets and yes in 1982 the lower denominations went into 1982 bags but the 1981's did not go into 1980 bags. First, by that time all of the 1980 bags were long since sealed and probably all sitting in Fed reserve vaults and second, The surplus 1981 dollars were put in storage and later sold off to collectors on the mint mailing list in the annual catalog around 1989.