coinfacts.com has a great site listing the relative rarities of all varieties of the Large Cents (and other coins, I'm sure). I can't seem to find how they define very common, common, scarce, very scarce, rare, and very rare. I can't imagine it isn't on that site someone - I just can't find it. Does anyone know how those terms correspond to the standard 'R' values (or even if that is a fair comparison)?
Thanks for the tip - that really helps. I believe they are using the Sheldon Scale on Coinfacts.com. I just got a large cent rated as 'scarce' on that site that made me look into it further. It has some unique die marks, so I'll post some pictures later. The Sheldon Scale R-1 Common (> 1000) R-2 Not So Common (501 - 1,000) R-3 Scarce (201 - 500) R-4 Very Scarce (population est at 76-200) R-5 Rare (31-75) R-6 Very Rare (13-30) R-7 Extremely rare (4-12) R-8 Unique or Nearly So (1,2 or 3)
Speedy's lists in the other thread are very good information. I believe the numbers (populations) and their relationships to their rarity descriptive term have ties to the number of collectors (read as "demand") for each given series. With tokens, there are many different rarity terms and scales in use, and meanings should be checked regarding the author's intent. For example, if I recall correctly, one of my obscure token references lists populations of 30 or more as "common" and only used 4 or 5 rarity levels.
CLINKER'S GRADING SYSTEM If I found one at face value, it's Common. If I purchased one just over face value, it's Not So Common. If I bought one at twice bullion value, it's Scarce. If I ordered one on a lay-a-way plan, its Very Scarce. If I have to use a credit card to obtain it, it's rare. If I could never afford to buy one, it's very rare. If I only saw one in the Red Book, Krause's catalog, or some other publication, it's Extremely Rare. If one is only available via one of the larger coin auction businesses, it's Unique.
