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After forty years, shouldn't there be a better distribution of P and D Roosies across the US?

Over the weekend, I started two Whitman Roosevelt dime folders with the kids. I have a few observations (not to mention that my 6 year old just assumed that she gets First Shot™ on all dimes from the rolls, rather than her 4 year old sister or 3 year old brother). The first observation is how many coins from the 1960's and 1970's are still circulating. I am not saying that we found lots of them, but I was pretty surprised that we filled a decent amount of the holes from those eras.

The second observation surrounded mint marks. I am an East Coast person, so I expected to have more P mint coins than D mint. However, I was surprised at the lack of D mint coins that we found. We filled around 50 holes between the two folders, and I would have to say that no more than 3 or 4 were D mintmarks. You would think that after 30-40 years or so, the coins would sort of circulate across the US and there would be a better distribution. Does anyone have any comments on this?
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)

Comments

  • From 1973 to 1988 I looked at almost a million quarters concentrating on 1969D thru 1972D.

    They were few in the Boston area, but the distribution was unequal. The quantity of one date found was not in porportion to the mintage.
    Over the years this corrected itself. 1972 D found divided by 1971 D found became more like the mintage ratio.

    Even though the ratio was correcting itself, the chance of finding either a 1971 D or 1972 D was going down due to the flood of new coinage.

    D's are unusual in this area, except in Sac dollars..
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    East to West coin circulation depends mainly (not totally) on air travel..... Business people and vacationers. Since travelers usually carry little coinage, the circulation is not nearly as high as one would expect. Cheers, RickO
  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,527 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Cladking will probably reply to your post sometime today. He has vast knowledge about clad coinage and will no doubt provide answers to your questions.

    If, through album filling with your children, you become interested in clad coinage, you can learn about same quickly and efficiently simply by searching for "clad" oriented threads. The information posted to those threads by Cladking and others is top notch.
  • pf70collectorpf70collector Posts: 6,724 ✭✭✭
    Not just the dimes. I never find any new issue D's in Baltimore.
  • Steve27Steve27 Posts: 13,275 ✭✭✭
    Coins tend to stay where they're issued because there are no regular mechanisms for moving them. Whenever I find a "D" Mint State quarter in circulation, I wonder if a collector dumped it from a roll he bought. Think about the size of the original mintage vice the few handfuls that make their way here via people traveling.
    "It's far easier to fight for principles, than to live up to them." Adlai Stevenson
  • I'm in Texas and I noticed one time recently that I had 7 "D" lincolns in my pocket and none from Philadelphia. I thought this was strange.
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Here in Seattle, I find the mix a bit more liberal (surprise, surprise)... This being a major travel hub, would, I suppose, account for it. D's are by far more common, but the P's are not difficult to find - not to mention the sprinkling of S's. Cheers, RickO
  • Batman23Batman23 Posts: 4,999 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I traveled to Georgia (from Alaska) for some training this year and of course used commercial Air Travel. I do not travel with any change other than a few quarters in my carry-on, (emergency vending machine use only). I do not travel with change because of the hassel of the detectors. I have learned to make most purchases with my credit card for those air miles. I did spend some paper money there and must have brought a little change home as a result. But I did not contribute any D mint coins to the East Coast though because of my purchaseing habits. I think that change will circulate less and less because of this.
  • itsnotjustmeitsnotjustme Posts: 8,779 ✭✭✭
    Longacre should join wheresgeorge to see how currency travels. If he sends me his bills, I will enter them free of charge in Brussels Belgium. Return shipping not included.
    Give Blood (Red Bags) & Platelets (Yellow Bags)!
  • 19Lyds19Lyds Posts: 26,492 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>East to West coin circulation depends mainly (not totally) on air travel..... Business people and vacationers. Since travelers usually carry little coinage, the circulation is not nearly as high as one would expect. Cheers, RickO >>



    Totally agree! When I travel or expect to travel, especially with the metal detectors you have to go through, I load up with 10's and 20's or ATM Cards and leave all my change at home!

    So unless I'm traveling back east to a coin show, I won't be carrying any Denver Mint Roosies with me to share with the East Coast gang!
    I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.



    The name is LEE!
  • fishcookerfishcooker Posts: 3,446 ✭✭
    Who goes to the coast and spends dimes?
  • Snowman24Snowman24 Posts: 468 ✭✭✭
    you got to find a cross country truck driver

    my father drove for many years and when he was in town i would look an see what he had brought back

    being here in central ny i could find most "D" mint marks very easily in his coin stash - now he doesnt drive the past couple years after retiring
    and so did my source - still trying to have a friend in AZ send me the 2007 coins

    Same here - almost impossible to find "D"s here in central ny or decent ones

    Snowman
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I can't explain it and have to guess the the problem is
    mostly sample size. There probably are no or very few
    coins from some of the tougher early dates where Den-
    ver made more coins and then you just got duplicates
    of the more common ones from the late-'70-s/ early '80's.
    Dime velocity slowed a lot by the late '80's.

    It's not impossible that it was a contaminated sample.
    This isn't common but is seen more and more the last
    several years as collectors sort these more.

    It would be most interesting if you continue to see this.

    Tempus fugit.
  • Hello

    I guess I'm the only one who intentionally took a bunch of D mint dimes and traded them in for dollars and a few quarters on a trip last year to the Boston area. I only took 25 dimes and traded them in at the credit union on Hanscom AFB.

    Are you sure you didn't find them?

    IF I have time on a business trip I will try to get a roll or two of coins and bring them back. The last office I worked in traveled to the East Coast a lot and the change in the office snack bar reflected with a lot of P minted coins.

    Doing the cent count, I run into very few P minted cents. I agree with everyone else. Few coins get to travel.
    Some call it an accumulation not a collection
  • SwampboySwampboy Posts: 13,094 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Doing the cent count, I run into very few P minted cents. I agree with everyone else. Few coins get to travel. >>



    AJ2525,
    I don't know where you're located but my #s doing the Cent Project
    bear out what you say, at least for my small sample taken in the Pacific Northwet.
    How about 205 2000 Ds and 1 2000 P?
    161 2000 Ds and 6 2000 Ps?

    "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso

  • Hello Swampboy,

    My numbers agree with yours
    2006-P 1
    2006-D 219
    2005-P 4
    2005-D 188

    Some call it an accumulation not a collection
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,703 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Hello

    I guess I'm the only one who intentionally took a bunch of D mint dimes and traded them in for dollars and a few quarters on a trip last year to the Boston area. I only took 25 dimes and traded them in at the credit union on Hanscom AFB.

    Are you sure you didn't find them?

    IF I have time on a business trip I will try to get a roll or two of coins and bring them back. The last office I worked in traveled to the East Coast a lot and the change in the office snack bar reflected with a lot of P minted coins.

    Doing the cent count, I run into very few P minted cents. I agree with everyone else. Few coins get to travel. >>




    Whenever I travel east I carry a bunch of Denver coins and bring back Phillys, and the opposite west.

    One trip by me equals about two plane loads of people. image
    Tempus fugit.
  • OverdateOverdate Posts: 7,143 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wherever I travel, I never seem to find any 1965-67 D's! image


    My Adolph A. Weinman signature :)

  • You want some D dimes?



    Jerry

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