Common date coins that are hard to find
Bob1951
Posts: 268 ✭✭
I have found that some supposedly common date coins are very difficult to find problem free in the grades that I am looking for. Here are a few examples from my experience:
1846 seated liberty quarter VF- XF (took awhile)
1885 liberty seated dime VF-XF (just found one the other day!)
1882 liberty seated dime VF-XF (still searching)
1878 liberty seated dime VF-XF strong reverse strike. (still searching)
Some of these I have been looking for for quite some time now. Some common coins are not that common after all.
What supposedly common coins have you been searching for a while for and just cannot find the right one?
1846 seated liberty quarter VF- XF (took awhile)
1885 liberty seated dime VF-XF (just found one the other day!)
1882 liberty seated dime VF-XF (still searching)
1878 liberty seated dime VF-XF strong reverse strike. (still searching)
Some of these I have been looking for for quite some time now. Some common coins are not that common after all.
What supposedly common coins have you been searching for a while for and just cannot find the right one?
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Comments
I can't think of any common coins I couldn't find...unless it included finding those common coins in gem condition. The above seated quarters are all rare in gem condition.
If you start adding qualifiers to common date VF-XF coins you can make a lot of them RARE. An 1846 quarter in perfect problem free XF, great strike, excellent eye appeal, orig surfaces, no observable bag marks or scratches, no spots/streaks/stains....than coin could easily be an R6 or R7.
Common coin- difficult to locate.
peacockcoins
it took me over 5 years.
[URL=http://s57.photobucket.com/user/coinsareus10/media/morgan 1886 0 MS63CACObverse.jpg.html]
1970-D Kennedy half in a circulated grade.
Common coin- difficult to locate.
1960 Philadelphia small date cent in a circulated grade.
Nearly impossible to locate even though all were supposedly released to circulation, while the 1970-D halves were released only in mint sets.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
Yours is a better example as you're correct, none were released into circulation.
Why do you suppose the 60 small date is so difficult to locate circulated?
peacockcoins
1970-D Kennedy half in a circulated grade.
Common coin- difficult to locate.
1960 Philadelphia small date cent in a circulated grade.
Nearly impossible to locate even though all were supposedly released to circulation, while the 1970-D halves were released only in mint sets.
Has anyone found a circulated small date P mint? I have found 60-d small dates in change or going through quantities, but don't recall ever finding a P mint.
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
It's also funny to see 1938D (the theoretical "key" to the later dates), just about everywhere.....while I search for 1934D through 1937D Denver coins.
And not pay with all your extremites.
I've found many of the early Walkers, in mid-circulated grades, are harder to find than you might guess. You can find the (in theory) tough 1921 p/d/s in just about any show/auction.....but 1918's, 1919's, and mid-20's just don't pop up with regularity.....even if you ignore quality.
It's also funny to see 1938D (the theoretical "key" to the later dates), just about everywhere.....while I search for 1934D through 1937D Denver coins.
Up for auction. Not mine.
Tougher then the price guides indicate. Considered pretty common until you try to find em.
I found it tough pull 1971 P Jefferson's here in the west from circulation. I was putting together a set from circulation and aside from the 39d, 50 d the 71 was the most difficult to find. I could of bought one for almost nothing but wanted a real found one from the wild.
1970-D Kennedy half in a circulated grade.
Common coin- difficult to locate.
1960 Philadelphia small date cent in a circulated grade.
Nearly impossible to locate even though all were supposedly released to circulation, while the 1970-D halves were released only in mint sets.
Has anyone found a circulated small date P mint? I have found 60-d small dates in change or going through quantities, but don't recall ever finding a P mint.
I found a few 1960-P small dates in the mid-1960's while roll searching but not many, if any after about 1970.
I have found that some supposedly common date coins are very difficult to find problem free in the grades that I am looking for. Here are a few examples from my experience:
1846 seated liberty quarter VF- XF (took awhile)
1885 liberty seated dime VF-XF (just found one the other day!)
1882 liberty seated dime VF-XF (still searching)
1878 liberty seated dime VF-XF strong reverse strike. (still searching)
Some of these I have been looking for for quite some time now. Some common coins are not that common after all.
What supposedly common coins have you been searching for a while for and just cannot find the right one?
The first dime I thought of was the 1878.....then I open the thread and see it on this list.
You just don't see them in nice and original condition.
1970-D Kennedy half in a circulated grade.
Common coin- difficult to locate.
1960 Philadelphia small date cent in a circulated grade.
Nearly impossible to locate even though all were supposedly released to circulation, while the 1970-D halves were released only in mint sets.
Has anyone found a circulated small date P mint? I have found 60-d small dates in change or going through quantities, but don't recall ever finding a P mint.
Yes-back in 1963 or '64 in a coffee can of several hundred cents.
1970-D Kennedy half in a circulated grade.
Common coin- difficult to locate.
1960 Philadelphia small date cent in a circulated grade.
Nearly impossible to locate even though all were supposedly released to circulation, while the 1970-D halves were released only in mint sets.
Has anyone found a circulated small date P mint? I have found 60-d small dates in change or going through quantities, but don't recall ever finding a P mint.
As best I understand it, about 2,000,000 1960-P small date cents were made in early January, then production stopped for a while to facilitate the changeover to the large date. The existing small date cents were shipped to banks, where most were intercepted by knowledgeable collectors and investors/speculators before they could be distributed into circulation. The Denver Mint reportedly made about 65,000,000 so they were of less interest to investors, although many of them were saved in uncirculated condition also.
I lived on the East Coast in the early 1960's and actively searched cent rolls, found many 1960-D small dates but never any 1960 Phillies.
During the 1963-64 roll mania, rolls of uncirculated 1960 small date cents topped out at about $450 per roll and 1960-D rolls topped out at about $22. That's equivalent to about $3600 and $175 per roll in today's money.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
I have found that some supposedly common date coins are very difficult to find problem free in the grades that I am looking for. Here are a few examples from my experience:
1846 seated liberty quarter VF- XF (took awhile)
1885 liberty seated dime VF-XF (just found one the other day!)
1882 liberty seated dime VF-XF (still searching)
1878 liberty seated dime VF-XF strong reverse strike. (still searching)
Some of these I have been looking for for quite some time now. Some common coins are not that common after all.
What supposedly common coins have you been searching for a while for and just cannot find the right one?
The first dime I thought of was the 1878.....then I open the thread and see it on this list.
You just don't see them in nice and original condition.
The dime I thought of was the 1875-S with the mintmark above the bow.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
I have found that some supposedly common date coins are very difficult to find problem free in the grades that I am looking for. Here are a few examples from my experience:
1846 seated liberty quarter VF- XF (took awhile)
1885 liberty seated dime VF-XF (just found one the other day!)
1882 liberty seated dime VF-XF (still searching)
1878 liberty seated dime VF-XF strong reverse strike. (still searching)
Some of these I have been looking for for quite some time now. Some common coins are not that common after all.
What supposedly common coins have you been searching for a while for and just cannot find the right one?
The first dime I thought of was the 1878.....then I open the thread and see it on this list.
You just don't see them in nice and original condition.
The dime I thought of was the 1875-S with the mintmark above the bow.
That is another tough one Rich.
Even in MS it is not considered a 'tough' early Walker but I really struggled with finding a nice one.
'Easy early Walker' is an oxymoron IMHO.
The one that I settled on was over 2 years ago and a better example in MS 64 has not turned up, since, at least not that I have seen.
I've only seen two nice near gems in 5 YEARS!
They are impossible to find well struck up and with decent luster.
I paid a huge premium for mine and was glad to finally be able to fill that slot and move on.
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I have no idea where they are now. True Uncs are much tougher though, as evidenced by the prices. An older fellow that attends our local show
cherried a mint state 17S rev last year, by a dealer who had it listed and priced as a 17P. The fellow didn't even realize it himself until he go home.
I can understand why most except the most common seated coins are tough to find problem free in better grades - they just aren't around.
A couple of buffalo nickels have surprised me - the 18S and the 26D in XF/AU....at one time I owned FIVE nice 18D's, but had two customers both
wanting an 18S, supposedly more common and cheaper and cheaper than the 18D. I still see nice 18D's around at shows. The 26D is just flat out
tougher in better circ grades. I'm guessing because many were poorly struck, they quickly wore down to F/VF details.