Why is the 1963-D penny so difficult in high grade?
Dennis88
Posts: 5,797 ✭✭✭
Went through 300 coins from unopened rolls from a bank in San Francisco this weekend. Most were spotted. Those which were not often had numerous small scratches in the fields are a terribly strike. Found one which might be a 65 on a lucky day...although at first glance they didn't look that bad.
Why is this particular issue so tough?
Dennis
Why is this particular issue so tough?
Dennis
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I made a small "hoard" of MS66RD coins from a single roll nearly a decade ago but the well has run dry since then. Tough coin in nice quality 66RD and nearly impossible in solid MS67RD grade!
Wondercoin
I once read that the quality of the strips from which planchets were punched, as well as the manner of their storage, can affect a coin's propensity to spot or discolor, but I don't know if that's true. As for scratches and other marks, I don't know what else the answer could be except that in later years, the machinery used to process a coin from strike to shipment was abusive, especially at the Philly mint. I'd love to hear an authoritative answer to the OP's question.
Whit
I wasn't trying to waste my time in either case.
BTW, I sent 100 of these bulk rejects to NGC and they slabbed 58 coins in MS66RD.
I haven't "made" this coin in MS66RD in the past five years. Without a doubt, the 63-D is by far the toughest Lincoln Memorial Cent in MS66RD and better.
Jaime Hernandez even comments on this issue on Coin Facts. He went through three bags w/o finding a single gem. He, too, made several 66Rd's from a single roll.
(Though nowhere as rare, another Linc Memorial cent I like in MS66 and better is the 1974-S.)
Dennis
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Not really looking for much these days but if I were, it might be a toner.
Common in all grades, although coins with good eye appeal are in the minority. Sharpness of strike
varies: perhaps most of the inferior strikes came from poorly prepared planchets (per David W. Lange).
It is to be remembered that the obverse hub dies, slowly but surely over the decades, lost detail,
with the result that a cent of 1963, or any other year of this era, will not hold a candle in detail to a
cent of 1916 (when details were sharpened). A "good" strike in the modern era is one that, the hub
considered, is good within the context of the era.
(excerpted with permission)
<< <i>Do you have to call QDB and get permission or can you just give it to yourself, being the publisher? >>
I can grant it at my own discretion as Whitman's publisher.
No, I don't think so.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
66, on a good day from your photos, it is nicer than most. I might have a different opinion in hand. If you do submit please update with your results.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I had 10 rolls that were cherry picked out of at least one bag. They were all nice gemmy coins but very few solid MS-65. There was nothing to do except haul the rest to the bank.
From your photos, appears MS64'ish.
I have been sitting with an unopened sewn 1963-D cents for many years. I wonder what they are now selling for. I also have 50 tubes of 1963-D cents that my 97 year old 2nd cousin gifted to me. He got tired of storing them since 1963!
The hit in the field in the upper right of the obverse blows your chance at 67RD, even without that the hit on the reverse pillar and step weakness would preclude the +. Taking pictures of these is tough but I can imagine it looks really bright and alive. It has a great EDS strike with minimal planchet flaws that you would see in the shoulder but it is noisy with what appears to be numerous small hits across the entire coin. I don't know but I would think you may be lucky to get a 66RD with all that noise. Here is a legit P mint 60's 67RD that I made years ago.
This coin is virtually unimprovable! Judging from a picture is tough but there's only the light chatter under the memorial.
The easiest way to tell is by who owns it. If I own it, it's a 67+. If you own it, it's an AU58.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
'68 hubs were badly worn so no '68 cents have good detail, but this one looks about as good as you can get to my eye and it looks like an almost new reverse die. Since they change them together usually the obverse die is probably new but it's not visible in this picture.
It's not relevant to this coin but almost every single coin in the few surviving mint sets of this date and mint are both tarnished and spotted. Spotted coins can not be restored and tarnished coins can only about two times out of three. These coins should have been cut out of the plastic and placed in stable media in 1968, instead they were put into cash registers ever since.
That looks nicer.
I'm still a "no".
Just send it in. Use the express service.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
One of the “world-class” classic graders / upgraders out there (as good as it gets) submitted MS Memorial Cents for the first time to PCGS, looking for MS67RD and better grading results. He got back a pile of 64RD and 65RD slabbed coins. That pretty much sums up the confidence level one should have going into a Memorial cent submission project! Remembering that situation has saved me plenty of money myself over the years; when I think I have 10 winning MS Memorial cents to submit, I submit the best 2 or 3!
Wondercoin.
Clad, you would love this coin and my entire 1968 set. The obverse shows some weakness up at 12 O'clock. Its one of those strike things where the planchet is too thick on one side. You see them in rolls when they have various thickness. Also this coin was graded back in 2003 time frame when PCGS was super tough, I am sure it would plus now. I probably should send in my entire set for regrade but I am nostalgic about the old holders.
Who were you talking to with that comment?
Hit "quote"
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Does anyone else think this table looks familiar?
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I see why you think it might. Send it in and get truview - would love to see it. I wish you the best.