Serial numbers on US coins
erwindoc
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If US coins had serial numbers, like our dollar currency, do you think early serial numbers would be more popular/collectible?
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ricko
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Interesting idea... for discussion purposes. Reality says it is impractical and would serve no purpose. Cheers, RickO
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I think one would run out of usable space....Maybe we could eliminate the religious motto ?
I'd also want to know what kind of cereal....Wheaties? Frosted Flakes? maybe just "Flakes?"
Most have the numbers on the rim
They we could play the currency games like radar notes, repeaters, etc....
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Yes, I do.
They would be more collectible to a specific audience who want to play that game.
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Imagine all the new errors.
You can play poker with the serial numbers on currency as well
It would be interesting !!!
NOooooo!
They struck 1.2 BILLION dimes and over 4 BILLION cents in Philly last year. That's 10 numbers on a really small canvas.
What do you think that'd end up looking like?
And before anyone brings up the "on the rim" argument, what kind of press could put changing numbers on half of the edge of the coin? And good luck trying it on a dime...)
Yeah, I was just thinking outside the box. For circulating coins, no way. However, it might be an interesting prospect for a LOW mintage commemorative coin or something similar.
I have to admit, it would be pretty neat to get #1!
What if they used letters?...Thinking....
My Saint Set
Goodness. Let me pull out my base 26 calculator...
You would still need 7 letters to cover the cents. (zzz,zzz would only be about 320 million (in decimal), but z,zzz,zzz is just over 8 billion. m,zzz,zzz would be about 4 billion. Someone check my math.)
I believe that would cover just about every dirty word in the English language, in multiple positions. Some phrases, too.
I'm beginning to like it. (Hopefully, no one from congress reads this forum...)
Typically you get 32 (or fewer) values from a non-confusing set of alpha-numerics...
Definitely exclude 0 / O and 1 / I (zero, oh, one, eye) also sometimes 2 / Z and depending on font (plus orientation confusions like) 3 / E and 7 / L also 6 / 9
Anyway that gives you 30 reasonably distinct values
30^6 is 729,000,000
30^7 is 21,870,000,000
So yes, you would need 7 characters.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
I wonder how much the "DOGFART" coin would go for?
(I wonder why that was the 1st thing I though of)
My Saint Set
Would seem that would require a totally new definition of "First Strike" from what we have now.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
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@ReadyFireAim "I wonder how much the "DOGFART" coin would go for?"
I can help you with one of those.
It would be good if the numbers had to be registered.
Would replacement coins have a star at the end?
I was trying to avoid numbers, since spelling random words becomes much more difficult.
It would be a lifelong search looking for your name...
Now that someone mentioned alpha-numeric serial numbers, not unlike license plates, why not for a small fee, a custom alpha-number. Like on license plates.
Let’s not forget the annual registration fee. Oh, BTW you’ll have to register every coin that comes into your possession and held for over 24 hours with the your States’s Department of Coinage.
Which leads to your possession licenses for coins. There are two types, concealed coin carry or open coin carry. Background check mandatory to check for coin frauds. An annual fee is also required.
A special federal coin license will be required for all coins valued more than FV and you’ll need to be Federally licensed to obtain and/or posses such coins.
This post was a joke and not at all serious. Who knows, another creative form of revenue stream for State governments along both coasts.... LOL!
Hexadecimal comes to mind
Image what that could do for FirstStrike?
On a different note....in the mid-late 1800's Great Britain placed Die Numbers on some of their coins. And Yes! there are collectors by Die Number in those series.