Will the workhorse of circulation become the backbone of numismatics?
cladking
Posts: 28,636 ✭✭✭✭✭
The obsolete clad quarter has a great deal going for it to become far more important
to mainstream numismatics as time goes on. First and foremost is the fact that it has
been ubiquitous in the economy and peoples' pockets for generations. No one paid it
much mind so very few were ever set aside in pristine or even in choice condition. The sup-
ply of the raw coins is virtually entirely tied up in the few remaining mint sets. There are
few remaining because people searched the sets for Ikes and then halfs. Later they look-
ed for varieties, FS nickels, and gem cents. Recently they started searching for FB dimes
and now that a few people are looking for gem quarters, the sets are nearly all consumed.
No one would have believed in 1960 the the silver dollar would ever become the backbone
of numismatics because it was considered unwieldy because of its size. It was extremely
common in unc for most dates, the design was unattractive and the coins were out of pro-
duction for a mere 39 years. At the time recent date coins were all the rage and "investors"
and collectors vied to see who could accumulate quantities of BU coins for display and future
collectors.
Who would have thought it possible that art bars could become important in the early '70's?
Or civil war tokens in the 1890's?
There are tens of millions of people collecting the states issues. Most of the next generation
of collectors are already collecting clad quarters and it's a very tiny step from them to the tired
old coins in circulation. Except for some interesting errors there aren't in really tough state coins
to find in circulation but there are numerous important and rare old quarters in circulation when
the varieties and conditions are considered.
No one can see the future and it's not a safe bet that eagle reverse clad quarters will become
the backbone of the hobby, but those who write off these or any of the moderns are engaging
in some extremely short term thinking. Indeed when you consider that the rarity of many of
these coins has already become recognized (if not fully appreciated), the thinking is truly already
obsolete.
to mainstream numismatics as time goes on. First and foremost is the fact that it has
been ubiquitous in the economy and peoples' pockets for generations. No one paid it
much mind so very few were ever set aside in pristine or even in choice condition. The sup-
ply of the raw coins is virtually entirely tied up in the few remaining mint sets. There are
few remaining because people searched the sets for Ikes and then halfs. Later they look-
ed for varieties, FS nickels, and gem cents. Recently they started searching for FB dimes
and now that a few people are looking for gem quarters, the sets are nearly all consumed.
No one would have believed in 1960 the the silver dollar would ever become the backbone
of numismatics because it was considered unwieldy because of its size. It was extremely
common in unc for most dates, the design was unattractive and the coins were out of pro-
duction for a mere 39 years. At the time recent date coins were all the rage and "investors"
and collectors vied to see who could accumulate quantities of BU coins for display and future
collectors.
Who would have thought it possible that art bars could become important in the early '70's?
Or civil war tokens in the 1890's?
There are tens of millions of people collecting the states issues. Most of the next generation
of collectors are already collecting clad quarters and it's a very tiny step from them to the tired
old coins in circulation. Except for some interesting errors there aren't in really tough state coins
to find in circulation but there are numerous important and rare old quarters in circulation when
the varieties and conditions are considered.
No one can see the future and it's not a safe bet that eagle reverse clad quarters will become
the backbone of the hobby, but those who write off these or any of the moderns are engaging
in some extremely short term thinking. Indeed when you consider that the rarity of many of
these coins has already become recognized (if not fully appreciated), the thinking is truly already
obsolete.
Tempus fugit.
0
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