I remember seeing a bunch of tall boy Schlitz cans an uncle had filled with silver coins he pulled from circulation. Those were the days. I had a paper route, worked at a hamburger joint, and worked at a drive-in theatre. I saw lots of change. I also remember how saddened I was when the change in coinage was announced. Collecting clad hasn't even crossed my mind.
Ikes continue to impress the heck out of me. We just added a four-section article to our web site's growing list of articles that introduces a new feature that probably was present on all 1971 and 1972 high relief reverse dies and which survived on about a third of all 1972-S Silver BS Ikes.
"SHADOW IKE" ARTICLE (this takes you to our Articles page: go down to "IV." and you'll see the four articles in red print)
In other words, at least Ikes bring with them a sense of continuous new discoveries that are bringing this series to life. And, this particular clad Ike is 80% silver clad, thickly clad so it looks like and acts like a silver coin, and it's be far the highest quality Ike with maybe 5-10% MS68 by PCGS standards.
Rob
Modern dollars are like children - before you know it they'll be all grown up.....
<< <i>I am older than the OP. I collect 20th century coins, and love clads, mainly because the mint didn't. I also enjoy searching raw stock, having unwritten information others don't based on my own experience. The raw material is not manipulated by investors. Great classic coin collections are built from deceased collectors coins, and the competition to build sets is about who has the connections (who kisses the most dealer butt, or pays the most profit for the longest period) or money needed to acquire them. Classic "investors" worry alot about the coin "market", so much so that they need certifiers to certify certified coins. . If you collect clads, it probably isn't about what you can buy. Collecting clads isn't about whose is bigger, it's about who's smarter. Finding what will be conditionally rare later while you can still find it raw seems perfectly logical to me. >>
Very well said.
As a boy I thought the hobby would be perfect if only there weren't vast numbers of collectors removing everything from circulation of even the slightest rarity. When silver was re- moved from the coinage I thought it was the worst possible thing since now there was nothing in circulation except junk.
It was years before I realized my wish had come true.
Since then the circulating coinage just gets more fascinating every single year as the old coins get thinner every year and the scarcest issues get harder and harder due to attrition.
i was born in the fall of 1964 so i never really seen any silver in change- i guess they was all gone went i got to spend my own money at school. i guess i started coin collecting when i was around 6 because my father collected money from his paper route and it seemed that everyone paid with coins so i had plenty to look thru when he brought them home. i guess someone bought me my first coin book back then.
Just finished my Dansco Eisenhower proof set and currently im worked on my Dansco Roosevelt dime set with proofs. Then after that I'll probably will start on the Washington quarters. i guess i like common coins and now these sets are growing very large.
Just a quick count of clads only since 65 - it looks like 127 count for dimes and 243 for quarters
I was born pre-64... however, I have clad coins in my collection. I like to keep gathering the proof and uncirc sets.... and of course the silver proofs as well. To me, coins are a hobby, if I like them, I then collect them... I must admit a partiality to gold though. Cheers, RickO
Born in 1977, started collecting in the mid-1980's. I don't collect clad coins per se. Then again, I don't silver coins per se. I do have some clad coins as part of my error collection. In fact, since the same error type will be cheaper in clad form than silver form I suppose I actually prefer the clad form. (I also have some silver coins in my error collection, just not as many.) I see nothing wrong with clad coins, and do not view them as any less worthy than silver coins. I do find the studying of hub changes to be interesting, and like reading the threads on them, even if I don't fully understand everything. It's surprising how many we see even in a short series as the Ikes.
<< I do find the studying of hub changes to be interesting, and like reading the threads on them, even if I don't fully understand everything. It's surprising how many we see even in a short series as the Ikes.>>
I didn't realize it the time, but the mint had a monumental task in coining the hard cupro-nickel large size Ikes. (Until 1971 the largest cupro-nickel coin had been the quarter.) This is one of the reasons that they had to go to a new a new die steel. It is also probably the reaon that the initial business strikes had to be low relief.
I think we can divide the clads into several eras or ages. This just occurred to me tonight so further research is needed to firm up some of the dates.
1965-1972 The age of varieties. Different hubs for a particular denomination were in use at the same time. The record is for the 1968 S and 1969 D quarters where the same four different reverse hubs were used on each. Two of the 1968 S were regular issue hubs and two were proof only. This is the only time regular issue reverse hubs were used on proof quarters in the 1937-1972 period and I consider them quite scarce. Counting Lee's prototype, Ikes had 5 reverse hubs in just 1971-1972.
1973 - The age of standardization and increased relief where only one hub per denomination was used. Exceptions to the one hub rule would be the 1976 dollars and the 1979 obverse of the dollar. What a bygone age! - the mint was trying to increase the relief.
Approximately 1990 Now the relief is being reduced. All of our presidents from Washington to Kennedy are becoming hollow cheeked cadavers with spaghetti hair. (Maybe this is enough to discourage collectors.*) This is also occurring in Canada.
1994-2008 Some variations are again occurring in proofs versus business strikes, starting with cents in 1994-2008 and the edge inscriptions on dollars starting in 2007.
1999-2009 Now comes the multiplicity of designs within a denomination - state quarters, Lewis and Clark nickels, Lincoln cents and dollar coins. This is also happening in Canada.
* edited to add - "Gee, I may not be such a fan of the most modern coinage, after all."
I was born in 1975 and I collect both old silvercopper coins and modern coins. I especially enjoy commeratives and halves.
Its interesting to me how folks can say with such conviction that Clad is junk and will always be junk. From what I understand basicly nearly every single coin the US has produced has been called "junk" at one time or another. Perhaps in 50-100 years after the quarter and dime have undergone countless changes (or perhaps discounted allthogeter) collectors will look back on plain clad JFK's and Washingtons and flock to see if they can get MS quality coins in those series.
My guess is there will be a market for it, just as there is a market now for Morgans, Franklins, and Mercs.
Bottom Feeder collector, Happy collector of Moderns
<<My guess is there will be a market for it, just as there is a market now for Morgans, Franklins, and Mercs. >>
Good point. We had a prominent dealer give a speech to our coin club in the early 1960's. He thoroughly denounced the collecting of silver dollars, especially Morgans. I don't think you could have gone wrong collecting Morgans then, unless you specilized in 1898 O, 1903 O and 1904 O. Those took a beating eventually. Franklins didn't excite much interest, then. Afterall they were the current half, although I think there still more Walkers around.
I have 6 or 7 sets of circulating coins in Whitman folders that I've maintained since about 1980, just for fun.
This weekend I took the opportunity (as I do occasionally) to take all of the circulated coins I've set aside and I put them into Whitmans (as I do occasionally).
I've noticed that my Quarters books have numerous AU+ coins that were removed from circulation when they were still "new" and that many of them have developed some nice toning. Many of my 1980-1996 vintage quarters look quite nice, very mellow. This is even true of some recent quarters, including the Nevada.
It'll be a few more years before I have time to sit down and enjoy them, but they've taken on the attributes of a vintage wine, aging in the bottle, just waiting to be opened. It's about the same reason that I've been accumulating OBW Rolls.
Q: Are You Printing Money? Bernanke: Not Literally
Comments
Ken
Ikes continue to impress the heck out of me. We just added a four-section article to our web site's growing list of articles that introduces a new feature that probably was present on all 1971 and 1972 high relief reverse dies and which survived on about a third of all 1972-S Silver BS Ikes.
"SHADOW IKE" ARTICLE (this takes you to our Articles page: go down to "IV." and you'll see the four articles in red print)
In other words, at least Ikes bring with them a sense of continuous new discoveries that are bringing this series to life. And, this particular clad Ike is 80% silver clad, thickly clad so it looks like and acts like a silver coin, and it's be far the highest quality Ike with maybe 5-10% MS68 by PCGS standards.
Rob
Questions about Ikes? Go to The IKE GROUP WEB SITE
<< <i>I am older than the OP. I collect 20th century coins, and love clads, mainly because the mint didn't. I also enjoy searching raw stock, having unwritten information others don't based on my own experience. The raw material is not manipulated by investors. Great classic coin collections are built from deceased collectors coins, and the competition to build sets is about who has the connections (who kisses the most dealer butt, or pays the most profit for the longest period) or money needed to acquire them. Classic "investors" worry alot about the coin "market", so much so that they need certifiers to certify certified coins. . If you collect clads, it probably isn't about what you can buy.
Very well said.
As a boy I thought the hobby would be perfect if only there
weren't vast numbers of collectors removing everything from
circulation of even the slightest rarity. When silver was re-
moved from the coinage I thought it was the worst possible
thing since now there was nothing in circulation except junk.
It was years before I realized my wish had come true.
Since then the circulating coinage just gets more fascinating
every single year as the old coins get thinner every year and
the scarcest issues get harder and harder due to attrition.
and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
Just finished my Dansco Eisenhower proof set and currently im worked on my Dansco Roosevelt dime set with proofs. Then after that I'll probably will start on the Washington quarters. i guess i like common coins and now these sets are growing very large.
Just a quick count of clads only since 65 - it looks like 127 count for dimes and 243 for quarters
<< <i>
Just a quick count of clads only since 65 - it looks like 127 count for dimes and 243 for quarters >>
For the main part the only ones that are "common" are the proofs
and the bicentennials. And the proofs aren't as common as their
mintages might imply.
merse
Lot's of interest in clad coinage
so much that you should send me ALL of yours
Menomonee Falls Wisconsin USA
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistr...dset.aspx?s=68269&ac=1">Musky 1861 Mint Set
Ed. S.
(EJS)
I didn't realize it the time, but the mint had a monumental task in coining the hard cupro-nickel large size Ikes. (Until 1971 the largest cupro-nickel coin had been the quarter.) This is one of the reasons that they had to go to a new a new die steel. It is also probably the reaon that the initial business strikes had to be low relief.
I think we can divide the clads into several eras or ages. This just occurred to me tonight so further research is needed to firm up some of the dates.
1965-1972 The age of varieties. Different hubs for a particular denomination were in use at the same time. The record is for the 1968 S and 1969 D quarters where the same four different reverse hubs were used on each. Two of the 1968 S were regular issue hubs and two were proof only. This is the only time regular issue reverse hubs were used on proof quarters in the 1937-1972 period and I consider them quite scarce. Counting Lee's prototype, Ikes had 5 reverse hubs in just 1971-1972.
1973 - The age of standardization and increased relief where only one hub per denomination was used. Exceptions to the one hub rule would be the 1976 dollars and the 1979 obverse of the dollar. What a bygone age! - the mint was trying to increase the relief.
Approximately 1990 Now the relief is being reduced. All of our presidents from Washington to Kennedy are becoming hollow cheeked cadavers with spaghetti hair. (Maybe this is enough to discourage collectors.*) This is also occurring in Canada.
1994-2008 Some variations are again occurring in proofs versus business strikes, starting with cents in 1994-2008 and the edge inscriptions on dollars starting in 2007.
1999-2009 Now comes the multiplicity of designs within a denomination - state quarters, Lewis and Clark nickels, Lincoln cents and dollar coins. This is also happening in Canada.
* edited to add - "Gee, I may not be such a fan of the most modern coinage, after all."
Its interesting to me how folks can say with such conviction that Clad is junk and will always be junk. From what I understand basicly nearly every single coin the US has produced has been called "junk" at one time or another. Perhaps in 50-100 years after the quarter and dime have undergone countless changes (or perhaps discounted allthogeter) collectors will look back on plain clad JFK's and Washingtons and flock to see if they can get MS quality coins in those series.
My guess is there will be a market for it, just as there is a market now for Morgans, Franklins, and Mercs.
Good point. We had a prominent dealer give a speech to our coin club in the early 1960's. He thoroughly denounced the collecting of silver dollars, especially Morgans. I don't think you could have gone wrong collecting Morgans then, unless you specilized in 1898 O, 1903 O and 1904 O. Those took a beating eventually. Franklins didn't excite much interest, then. Afterall they were the current half, although I think there still more Walkers around.
This weekend I took the opportunity (as I do occasionally) to take all of the circulated coins I've set aside and I put them into Whitmans (as I do occasionally).
I've noticed that my Quarters books have numerous AU+ coins that were removed from circulation when they were still "new" and that many of them have developed some nice toning. Many of my 1980-1996 vintage quarters look quite nice, very mellow. This is even true of some recent quarters, including the Nevada.
It'll be a few more years before I have time to sit down and enjoy them, but they've taken on the attributes of a vintage wine, aging in the bottle, just waiting to be opened. It's about the same reason that I've been accumulating OBW Rolls.
I knew it would happen.