What series has the most damaged coins? C's, graffiti?
pennyannie
Posts: 3,929 ✭✭✭
I see a lot of bust halves from 1808 to 1836 with a lot of X's and graffiti why? People were bored or whatt? What series do you think have the most damaged coins? Exclude gold that has been mounted in bezels
Mark
NGC registry V-Nickel proof #6!!!!
working on proof shield nickels # 8 with a bullet!!!!
RIP "BEAR"
NGC registry V-Nickel proof #6!!!!
working on proof shield nickels # 8 with a bullet!!!!
RIP "BEAR"
0
Comments
Seated Dimes as Love Tokens.
Ken
That and bust dollars. I've seen more with graffiti than without.
The large cent series. Almost everything imaginable happens to these...
..
Trade Dollars. Since the majority of circulation strikes were destined for China, and chopmarks were an extremely common means of determining the authenticity of circulating coinage (regarding their base metal anyway), most of the mintages received such marks. Additionally, what examples did remain domestically were demonetized and worth only bullion value, which was less than face, inspiring considerable mutilation of those examples that stayed on this side of the Pacific (resulting in the trend of 'Potty' Dollars). I\
Half dimes.
Agree with TLeverage. If you count chop marks (especially), potty dollars, "opium" dollars, and various other defacements as damage, then I think Trade Dollars have the highest percentage of damaged coins.
BTW, welcome to the Boards TLeverage!!!
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
In terms of shear numbers, my guess is bust halves. They were minted in quantity for many years and were the largest denomination available...more real estate for love token design, mutilation, and counter stamping, and more precious as gifts than smaller silver but not as unaffordable as gold.
Large cents is another possibility. No doubt they suffered juvenile damage due to their size and small value, and their scorned nature.
Lance.
I tend to agree with Ikeigwin. Anyway, as far as graffiti on bust halfs is concerned, sometimes I find it very intriguing almost. As a case in point; a year or so ago, I purchased an 1836 bust half. It's a very common date and this particular coin was very low grade. Someone had smeared what appeared to be black shoe polish on the obverse left field. I'm SURE it wasn't the dealer! I could see that something was hiding beneath the black smear. I over paid for it and I'm sure that the dealer thought I was quite a sucker. When I got it home, I immediately cleaned off the smudge, and there it was. "Clayton loves Amy." Hey, as it turns out I didn't over pay after all! I "love" that coin. Who was Clayton? Who was Amy? I wonder how it turned out for old Clayton? Did he get the girl? I hope so. For Clayton's sake. And Amy's too.
Going by total numbers I'd guess Lincoln cents. I trashed my share when I was a kid...... sidewalks, pliers, train tracks, vise grips, as a source of copper in chemistry class, etc. There are a half-trillion of them. Even if only 1/10 of 1 percent were abused, that's still 500 MILLION damaged coins. If you include all dates and the reeded edge coins, only 91 million CBHs were ever minted.
O.k. I take back my first post. BryceM has got to be right! Just considering my friends and myself, how many pennies did we lay on those Santa Fe tracks? Lots!
That's a great point, Bryce. I didn't even think about pennies. Certainly there was little done to them in a romantic or creative way. But the public certainly put them through the grinder (and literally!).
Lance.
I can remember sitting in English class, bored to death, carving my initials into Silver Dollars with my pocket knife.
Looks like we have multiple opinions.... Love tokens certainly were the rage for a while...and cents were what kids could get and either buy a penny candy or put them on the tracks... not sure it is possible to define one particular denomination or type as the most damaged/defaced.... Cheers, RickO
Destroyed: hands down winner the Lincoln. We used to take ROLLS of them, and use them for bulls eyes on targets or just as a single target by itself.
If it is damaged and used, I vote Trade Dollars for the above comments
For "artwork" Seated Dimes. A local B&M used to put all the "art worked" coins in the scrap silver bucket. I grabbed over 85 love tokens or art work coins along the way, mostly seated dimes. They brought good money on ebay.
Yeah, small cents, specifically Lincolns.
Penny stretching machines, RR tracks, Mercury, shop class, gun practice etc. They lead a life worse than C3PO thinks his is!
three cent silver
I guess the OP should have included if they meant sheer numbers or percentages. If percentages, I will go with Trade Dollars, if sheer numbers, the stats would inevitably lead us to think the lowly cent.
In my 60-years of playing this is an easy question...... Seated halves.