Quarters: '60s and '70s
David1940
Posts: 64 ✭✭✭
I know to most people it's just common pocket change, but I've been sifting through my pre-1999 quarters and saving the best ones for about a year now. I just got this one recently but am still missing 1968(D), 1969(D), 1972(P,D), and 1975 (P,D). Not surprisingly, I've never seen any before 1965. I like that these coins are so much older than any circulating note you'll likely find.
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There are no 1975 quarters. Because they wanted to get a head start on the Bicentennial quarters, they continued striking 1974 quarters until mid-1975, and then started striking the 1776-1976 quarters.
Coins do last in circulation. When I started collecting around 1960, it was common to find cents from the 19-teens and dimes and halves from the late teens. Nickels and quarters from the teens were scarce because their dates were high on the coins and tended to wear off, but they were plentiful from the 20's and on.
I did get a few Indian cents and Barber coins out of rolls, but they were very scarce.
I find it interesting how circulating coins change over the years - much like CaptHenway said.... what was frequently found in change when I was a kid, has long since vanished.... now, even coins from sixties and seventies are scarce ...the early sixties, obviously, because of the silver content. However, @David1940...You are building sets much as we older folk did when we were young...from change. Good luck... Cheers, RickO
I have a couple of young grand kids (6 and 4). Their Mom saves her change and then every now and again hands me a bag full of it to take to coin star. Well, I tell her I did and give her the proper money a few days later. But, if the truth gets out she'd laugh. I've been rolling it and saving it for her kids to go through some day (they might get a kick out of Mom's change, 'eh?).
So, I understand the looking through change syndrome! Been there and doing that (for them at a later date anyway).
Keep looking!
bob:)
When my son was about 4 (about 2007), we decided to see what we could find in change. We quickly discovered that nickels delivered the biggest bang for our searching buck as far as dates and variety. Over a couple of years of casual roll searching (maybe $1,000 total), we found all but 13 of the dates/mintmarks, including most of the wartime nickels. It was huge fun. Later, I went for post-1964 clad quarters. With them, it was all about finding them in great condition. I keep waiting for CladKing to write a book about all of this, because the attrition and other aspects of surviving clad are fascinating--and almost entirely overlooked.
It's still possible to assemble quarter sets in nice attractive VF condition. This isn't going to last much longer though because people are beginning to collect these and there just aren't as many as there once were. Nearly half of the mintage of the early '70's coins are just gone now and the surviving half are mostly in poor condition. It just doesn't take many collectors to beat down the incidence of the better coins in nice condition. Indeed, some of the lowest mintage coins are getting a little tough even lower grades and tend to be seen mostly in awful condition.
I'd guess there are around half a million serious collectors of these coins from circulation now days. Another million and another five years would make the key dates available in only in nice attractive VG condition.
One way or the other the older version clad quarters are going the way of the horse and buggy.
Always great to hear your insights on clads, CK!
Thanks.
I'm actually a little surprised just how fast everything is starting to happen. It's happening a lot later than I ever expected but now that it's started it's proceeding apace.
The rate of wear on these coins slowed a great deal more than I had expected. This was, no doubt, caused by the advent of electronic transfers which now account even for most retail transactions. Also the introduction of vast numbers of new quarters, and in excess of actual economic need, has also served to slow the velocity of the older quarters reducing new wear. The Fed has apparently been removing a lot of mutilated and heavily worn coins significantly impacting attrition and the incidence of older coins in circulation. This especially applies to the oldest clads that were worn extensively "back in the day". The mechanism for removing coins seems to be banks so very poorly struck coins are more likely to be removed since they look more worn meaning specific dates like '66 and '68 are suffering even higher attrition.
I think the grade spread of clads is going to be similar to Barber half dollars. F and VF are somewhat tough but XF and AU can be almost impossible. Indeed, clad quarters may prove tougher in AU. Of course there are far more Uncs than Barber half dollars but most of the Uncs will be ugly coins. Roll coins which aren't very common are poorly made and mint set coins which are "common" are scratched up a lot.
Nice clad in any condition will be a little elusive. Obviously though none of the regular issues will be rare or truly scarce except in higher grades starting at nice well made MS-64.
It remains to be seen if the low grades will remain common. At some point the government will melt these coins and many will remain "in the woodwork" or the hands of the general public. Much will depend on their value at the time they are demonetized or withdrawn.
Nice coins are disappearing from circulation. Ten years ago there were three or four nice collectible old quarters in every roll. Now days you need a couple rolls to find one and the one you do find will be lower grade. It would hardly be interesting searching rolls at all except for all the new quarters, varieties, and watching the older coins disappear. I've almost given up on improving my collection with any quarter older than about 2014. Of course I started the collection in '96 so most of the '95 and later are in nice gemmy condition. Even AU's are getting tough before '01.
David1940: Congrats on building a "modern" set from change! I'll keep my eyes open for the dates you need. In the meantime, if you don't mind "cheating", maybe get a few rolls or a box of quarters from a bank and check thru them. You can always return the ones you don't need to your usual bank......... Good luck!
I've recently moved from the Baltimore area to an hour north. In Baltimore, I would see eagle reverse quarters 25-30% of the time. After moving I receive them about 75% of the time and they look very poor. My new area is fairly rural so I suspect many of the coins have been trap there for many years.
My Jefferson Registry:
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/alltimeset/191115
+1
POST NUBILA PHOEBUS / AFTER CLOUDS, SUN
Love for Music / Collector of Dreck
That's a great grandfather right there!
My grandfather gave me the bug too. Your grandkids are very fortunate!
@cladking So do you thin there's a possibility I could retire off my MS-66 graded 1965 and 1966 quarters?
I do spend time at shows going thru a bunch of 2x2's for the 1965 thru 1983 dates, and many times come up empty for very nice ones.
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
I don't know.
They're finally getting some attention so prices will head higher but how high is anyone's guess. I used to be sure they'd just go through the roof before the 1970's were over but you see how that worked out!
None on the MS-65's are truly rare except for varieties and nicely made '82 and '83 issues so they probably aren't going to fund your retirement.
Agreed. Any U.S. quarter dated 1975 is a counterfeit or has an altered date.
Funny ... I posted this right before I went to visit my dad for Father's Day. I found out he's been saving coins, all that he receives in change, for about the last 20 years. We went through just a handful of his quarters and found a 1961 quarter. I'd say it's VF. He asked how much it was worth, and I said, "At least three dollars, just for the melt value." He smiled.
So... father/son exchange here, so maybe he salted it, but I don't think so.
I'll get a picture up soon...
Here's the quarter I referenced in my previous post.
Nice quarter! I love little finds like this
That is the World's nicest VF !!! Great piece out of circulation!
Drunner
Reading about the grading of the silver quarters, I see that the hair around the ear and the cheeks are the high points. Is this the same for quarters after 1965?
There is some variation by date but, yes, all the eagle reverse clads quarters are supposed to have their highest point in this area near the center of the obverse.
Just tip the coin between your eyes and a light source to see the high point on any coin.
I sent in that 1961 quarter above to get graded. AU58.
https://www.pcgs.com/cert/35212483