Why are Denver mint Sacajeweas and Kennedys so nice compared to Philadelphia minted ones?
jedm
Posts: 3,171 ✭✭✭✭✭
I just opened my 2017 bags today, and as is the case every year the Denver mint coins are so much nicer.
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this has been the case for a long time and for all denominations. Philly coins are typically not very nice by comparison, the Dollars being especially spotted.
It must be the altitude.... something about being 'higher' in Colorado.....
Cheers, RickO
historically, from my searching of coins, Denver tends to produce a better product than the Philadelphia Mint.
"Rocky Mt High" comes to mind:)
I have always understood it to be due to higher striking pressure. I think a stack of d is higher than p due to higher rims.
But I might be wrong....
That is a switch from what it was in the early 1960s. Back then the Denver Mint coins were subpar, especially the half dollars.
I had a chance to go through 2 rolls of 1962-D half dollars that had not been broken out of their papers for many years. They were all Uncirculated, but the best two coins in the lot barely made made MS-63. The problem was not so much the marks, but the sub par strikes. This is reflected in the Gray Sheet bids for these coins in high grade.
Discernible differences in production quality go back to 1838 when the first branch mints were opened. Different facility, different personnel, different procedures, different expertise, &c.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Not on these coins particularly but Philly seems to have more errors too. Where I live there are mostly Denver minted coins. So boring.
I've noticed that also in past years. This year I was lucky and only got a couple out of a 100 that had spots and they were P mint. Already put 50 into circulation in the last couple days.
From a production standpoint, Philly may be doing better. Lower quality coins that are within quality limits are likely cheaper to produce. Though, I have noticed that a lot of errors have come from the Philly Mint in the last 5 years or so. Obviously those would not be acceptable.
I'd like to hear what @cladking has noticed about this as well.
It's been that way for 20-25 years.