Can you recognize an S mint coin w/o seeing MM?

barbershopper

49 years ago, in 1959, I convinced a bank to sell me 1 bag of dimes
or 2 bags of nickels 5 times a week based on the promise
to do all my banking with them when I started selling the coins I was keeping.
These all came from the bus co. and parking meters.
They went along with this for 3 months, keeping track of the ones I'd seen so I didn't get
the same ones twice. After 3 months, they weren't seeing any money being added
to my account and began telling me they didn't have any I hadn't looked at.
This went on for a couple of weeks and I finally gave it up.
I was getting a little tired of it anyway. My social life was zilch.
Anyway, at some point I realized all the S mint coins had a certain look to them
if they had mint luster. This was the same for both silver and nickel.
It's difficult to describe but there was a sort of sheen on the S mints.
I guess I've lost the ability to tell the difference after so many years.
I had found nearly 3 rolls of 1939-D and 1 roll of 1950-D nickels.
The other key dates were in proportion to those numbers.
I sold the Jefferson nickels to one man but kept the buffalo nickels and Mercury dimes.
I made good money when I sold them and still have the buffs & Mercs.
Has anyone else ever noticed this? Or maybe there isn't the difference now as there was then.
JET

COALPORTER

I've heard people say they can tell the mint on Morgans by looking at the front only. Maybe they can for certain VAMs, but I've never witnessed it done. For the most part, I think it is typical coin guy talk (i.e b.s.). I'd like to see it proven in a "double blindfold test"

Stella

<< <i>I've heard people say they can tell the mint on Morgans by looking at the front only. Maybe they can for certain VAMs, but I've never witnessed it done. For the most part, I think it is typical coin guy talk (i.e b.s.). I'd like to see it proven in a "double blindfold test" >>



Actually, this can be a true statement IF the individual in question knows enough about that specific issue. For example, the typical O-mint strike and luster will differ from that of an 1882-CC. Because of this, it is actually sometimes possible to look at the obverse of a Morgan dollar and determine what mint it probably came from. I have witnessed this more than once.

For example, I once had a supposed 1894-P $1 brought to our bourse table which had an obverse that looked very similar to an 1894-O. We noticed that the obverse appeared like that of an O-mint rather than a P-mint. We later determined that the "O" mintmark had been removed from the coin, and the mintmark area had then been tooled to hide this.

nicetoning42107

I have heard that some Morgan enthusiasts can recognize the mintmark of the Morgan based on the luster/strike quality of the obverse. I believe it.

I can sometimes tell an S-mint dime and other S-mint coins like a Booker based sheerly on the strength of the luster.

tradedollarnut

Yes, to a degree. San Francisco silver dollars have a 'look' to the luster.

Coinosaurus

Harry Forman once told me that Walter Breen could tell the date of a large cent just by looking at the reverse.

DennisH

<< <i>Yes, to a degree. San Francisco silver dollars have a 'look' to the luster. >>


Especially the early dates (in Mint State grades). After you've looked at a LOT of Morgans this become fairly distinctive... just as the O's and CCs do, which means that through the process of elimination the P-mint coins tend to stand out as well.

This doesn't work with all coins, of course, and toning makes it more difficult.

ProofArtworkonCircs

Newish modern Denver clads seem shinier than Philadelpia ones do.

messydesk

<< <i>I've heard people say they can tell the mint on Morgans by looking at the front only. Maybe they can for certain VAMs, but I've never witnessed it done. For the most part, I think it is typical coin guy talk (i.e b.s.). I'd like to see it proven in a "double blindfold test" >>


Aside from seeing certain VAM diagnostics, the look of certain coins is occasionally different from that of coins of the other mints in the same year. Issues for which this tends to be true include 1880-S, 1881-S, 1887-O, 1889, 1890-O, 1891-O, 1892-O, 1896-O, 1897-O, 1901, and 1921-S. This, of course, assumes you're looking at coins that are mint state.

OKbustchaser

I have no problem at all telling the mint from the obverse only on each of the the series I collect.

cmerlo1

To me, 1921-S Morgans as well as Peace Dollars from SF in the 1920's have a more beveled rim than the P or D mint coins...

LanLord

<< <i>Harry Forman once told me that Walter Breen could tell the date of a large cent just by looking at the reverse. >>

I can tell the date just by looking at the little numbers at the bottom of the front!

ziggy29

I'd say you could probably do it for Morgans dated 1879 through 1882.

crypto79

Peace dollars are easy to tell although the 26s and 34s don't fit the patten

kryptonitecomics

<< <i>Yes, to a degree. San Francisco silver dollars have a 'look' to the luster. >>



agreed.....with regards to Morgans I can almost always pick out the S-mints.....I have never tried with the other mints but the early S-mint pop on the 1878-1882-S coins is unmistakable

MrHalfDime

If I could count the edge reeds I could do a pretty good job of identifying the mint of origin for most Liberty Seated half dimes. And as OKBustchaser says, for the Bust half dimes I could do it just from the obverse alone.

Raybob15239

I can only do it with the 1921 S VAM 6A and 6B Morgan Dollar.

ambro51

You sure can see a difference in MS 1909 Indian and Lincolns from SF mint. They are more goldish red than the Philadelphia coins.