Quick question I kinda want to know: When did the US stop punching the mintmark into each die? jcakcoin
It varies with the series but basically by the early 90's, the mint marks have been a part of the ,master hubs and the single squeeze die creation process. I'm not exactly sure of the time frames.
Hand punching of mintmarks on proof dies ended in 1985. After that they started phasing them out on the business strike coins/denominations. They were completely switched over by 1990 and the cents were the last denomination to have punched mintmarks. (Which seems odd to me because since that was the denomination that had the most hand punching to do, you would think that it would have been the first denomination they would have switched over to mintmarks on the master hub.)
I also have a question about mint marks. How can you tell what mint mark the coins inside a new roll strait from the feds has on them? Can you ever get a new uncirc roll with coins from more than one mint?
The "new rolls" such as from a bank are not straight from the mint. The mint only makes certain collectors rolls for sale and they are marked as to mint mark. The rolls from the bank boxes come from the associated armor car company making the delivery, although some financial companies can get the bulk bag. The bulk bag is 400,000 cents as I recall and has to be moved by forklift. When the coins are wrapped and boxed at a facility, new cents can be mixed with returned change, so it is pot luck. Jim
Well since the only thing you can tell about a roll is what the coins on the end are (If the obverses are showing, and for cents through halves you can tell the mint as well.) But the only way to be sure of what is in a roll is to open it.
So when the new 2011 coins come out, the banks wont get whole rolls of 2011 coins? It will be mixed rolls of 2011 and later coins?
Newly-minted coins are shipped to a contractor who wraps the coins before they are shipped to the banks. Those rolls will contain all new coins. Once the coins enter circulation they mix with older coins; rolls of circulated coins may contain coins of various dates. Coins dated later than 2011 won't be released until later.
Ha, you know what I ment (earlier-later) Depending on how you look at it. I understand the whole circulation thing but am curious as to where these new 2011 coins end up after the contractors wrap them?
When the contractors wrap the coins there can be some older coins already in the hopper, and it is possible to have older coins dumped into the hopper after the new ones. In either case rolls at the begining or end of the run may be mixed rolls. Also once the new coins go into circulation and then come back and are rerolled you could end up with a roll with new coins on each end and mixed in the middle.
From my time working as a cashier in high school and college, I saw a lot of rolled coins. I don't think I ever came across a roll with 2 BU new coins on the ends and had mixed coins in the middle. I've only seen rolls of circulated (with the occasional new, BU coin) and rolls of BUs that aren't straight from the mint, but pretty damn close.
