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1968 mint set cents are now gone.
cladking
Posts: 28,331 ✭✭✭✭✭
Ok, sure it's an overly dramatic title but it doesn't miss the mark by too much.
This set is so cheap that it is sometimes a long period in between seeing them for me. The
last I looked the '68 Philly cent was in pretty bad shape with some 75% showing significant
corrosion and/or carbon spots. I just looked through a large number and was astounded to
see that nearly 95% had severe spotting to the point that most collectors would not be willing
to use the coin in a collection. More astounding perhaps is that every single side of every sin-
gle coin had at least minor spotting under magnification.
The Philly cents in this set used to be among the finest coins the mint has made. They are of-
ten fully struck PL superb gems. Many have no major marks and are fairly clean even under
magnification. While it's entirely possible that coins of this quality were made for circulation, I've
never seen one despite searching countless rolls.
The other coins in this set are also suffering the ravages of time but not to this degree.
This set is so cheap that it is sometimes a long period in between seeing them for me. The
last I looked the '68 Philly cent was in pretty bad shape with some 75% showing significant
corrosion and/or carbon spots. I just looked through a large number and was astounded to
see that nearly 95% had severe spotting to the point that most collectors would not be willing
to use the coin in a collection. More astounding perhaps is that every single side of every sin-
gle coin had at least minor spotting under magnification.
The Philly cents in this set used to be among the finest coins the mint has made. They are of-
ten fully struck PL superb gems. Many have no major marks and are fairly clean even under
magnification. While it's entirely possible that coins of this quality were made for circulation, I've
never seen one despite searching countless rolls.
The other coins in this set are also suffering the ravages of time but not to this degree.
Tempus fugit.
0
Comments
<< <i>What would be the best way to prevent such carbon spotting? Is the only way to slice open the sets and put the coins in an airtite holder or have them slabbed? >>
I don't know, but I used to remove some of these coins and stabilize them in alcohol
or acetone and then store them in humidity and temperature controlled conditions.
I'll be checking on the condition of these coins soon.
What can be done about that?
<< <i>Cool. Let us now how this turns out. Incidentally, a family member has a 68 proof set direct from the Mint and the cent is starting to show some carbon spotting, which is a bummer because absent the spots, it looks to be a beautiful Lincoln, even through the original cellophane.
What can be done about that? >>
Oh well...