Silver anniversary approaches for the zincolns.
cladking
Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭✭
Another appropriate anniversary will occur next year for the zinc Lincoln cent.
While these coins are a pathetic attempt at a real coin, they do make a great
collectible and one that is grossly underappreciated. They had little buying pow-
er when they were first introduced in mid-'1982 and now actually have a net
negative value. Almost every time one is used we're a little poorer.
While few people bother with a collection of these, tremendous sets can be as-
sembled. Most issues appear as stunning Proof Likes and high grades are rel-
atively common for most dates. You may not find any MS-70's, but MS-68's are
usually common and PL's abound.
The early dates tend to be tough even in choice condition because of plating pro-
plems and otherwise poor surfaces. For instance only about 10% of mint set '85
cents are gems and about the same number are choice. The '84-D in the set is
even tougher and about half already have carbon spots or other problems. The
set coins start getting a little easier in '86.
Rolls of zincolns have been set aside but the numbers are not so staggering as
you might think and these coins tend to be rarely attractive and have the same
problems with corrosion and were often stored under poor conditions.
It's hard to believe this coin will make it another full year in circulation. It's easy
to picture a time in the not distant future that these have been recalled by the FED
and people are nostalgic for them. With the astronomical mintages none of the reg-
ular issues will be anything but common for the foreseeable future but assembling
nice attractive sets in any grade is inexpensive and still challenging. Superb gem
sets are still cheap but there are enough toughies here that only the first several
hundred collectors will find them all that cheap.
I don't believe all the early issues exist in PL but even they can be stunning. Later
issues sometimes look like branch mint proofs.
While these coins are a pathetic attempt at a real coin, they do make a great
collectible and one that is grossly underappreciated. They had little buying pow-
er when they were first introduced in mid-'1982 and now actually have a net
negative value. Almost every time one is used we're a little poorer.
While few people bother with a collection of these, tremendous sets can be as-
sembled. Most issues appear as stunning Proof Likes and high grades are rel-
atively common for most dates. You may not find any MS-70's, but MS-68's are
usually common and PL's abound.
The early dates tend to be tough even in choice condition because of plating pro-
plems and otherwise poor surfaces. For instance only about 10% of mint set '85
cents are gems and about the same number are choice. The '84-D in the set is
even tougher and about half already have carbon spots or other problems. The
set coins start getting a little easier in '86.
Rolls of zincolns have been set aside but the numbers are not so staggering as
you might think and these coins tend to be rarely attractive and have the same
problems with corrosion and were often stored under poor conditions.
It's hard to believe this coin will make it another full year in circulation. It's easy
to picture a time in the not distant future that these have been recalled by the FED
and people are nostalgic for them. With the astronomical mintages none of the reg-
ular issues will be anything but common for the foreseeable future but assembling
nice attractive sets in any grade is inexpensive and still challenging. Superb gem
sets are still cheap but there are enough toughies here that only the first several
hundred collectors will find them all that cheap.
I don't believe all the early issues exist in PL but even they can be stunning. Later
issues sometimes look like branch mint proofs.
Tempus fugit.
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