I have to think, just how many first strikes can there be and who determines them as first strikes ? Do the third party graders get a COA from the Mint ? The way the mint stores and distributes money makes one wonder how long do they sit there being mixed with first and last strikes. Disregarding the TPG's, why haven't I seen any so called first strike 2015 business coins yet ? Dave
First Strike™ and Early Release™ are designations of PCGS and NGC, respectively that have absolutely nothing to do with which coins were struck first, and arguably little to do with numismatics. An actual "first strike" for the year or for a set of dies can only sometimes be determined, and that's by researching die marriages, die stages, personal minting accounts, and mint records.
It's only a marketing ploy. It means absolutely nothing except to those who want to pay an additional premium. "First Strike" and "Early Release" imply that it was one of the first or earliest pieces struck at the mint. In fact, all it means is that it was one of the first or earliest to be submitted to PCGS or NGC. The first 100 or 1,000 or 10,000 coins could have gone straight to people who hoarded them and never submitted them to a TPG...meanwhile coins above 101 or 1,001 or 10,001 reached a TPG. All the coins are sent out at the same time so there's no way to know which was struck first or earliest unless the Mint or Mint Director certifies it as such (which they don't do). Here's a great article on the practice: http://www.coinweek.com/featured-news/are-ms-70-coins-value-traps/
Nothing more than a marketing gimmick similar to gold plated coins being "desirable" collectibles. or private mints that sell collectibles with a numbered COA and a 9,999 limit on pieces made, such as pocket knives and cheap pocket watches made in Pakistan. Hopefully you will never fall into that trap. They only bring a premium to the seller selling to the unknowing and uneducated.
Tommy, the one caveat to your post is what I said in my Intro to the board: if you LIKE the coin based on aesthetics, that's one thing. As for an investment, that's another thing entirely. I bought a few of the MS-70 and MS-69 Enhanced Proof & Reverse Proof 2013 ASEs. Love the coins....not buying a ton of them, not making a big investment. Conversation piece and coins I love to look at. Plus, now I can see why 1 set is MS-70 and the other is MS-69...so far, I can't tell the difference.
There is such a thing as VEDS or very early die state. These coins can be stunningly attractive as the die isn't even smoothed yet from repeated strikings. Every nuance of a die can sometimes be seen if it's new and well aligned. Cu/ ni clad wears the dies very rapidly so only about ten strikes normally show this die condition. Since dies for mint sets are swapped out after only 30,000 strikes it means about every 3,000th coin is in this condition. With ten coins per mint set figure you'll see one in about every 300th set. It's a little higher than this and cent dies make a few extra so every 250th set might be a good ball park but it also depends on how well you can spot the effect on the 11th or 15th coin from the die. Silver wears dies much more gradually.
I agree with this Cladking, but the actual First Strike/Early Releases labels are based purely on how fast you can send in the coins once they've been released. It has nothing to do with analysing the surfaces for signs of EDS.
Depending on the context of first strikes, the nearest I can think of is a 1954 pre-decimal UK Penny. It is believed that only one was struck, if this is the case does it come in the category of a first strike coin?
The U.S. Mint has a write up on what first strikes and early releases are all about. An excellent read for all and their thoughts on it. It is on the same site used for placing your product orders. I believe it is under news releases. Check it out.
A TRUE first strike coin is the first one struck by the dies. A First Strike from the TPG's simply means it is one of the thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of coins submitted to it during the first thirty days after the mint first made them available for sale. In some cases they were struck months earlier, but the only thing that matters is when they arrive at the TPG, or the packing date inside a sealed monster box of ASE's. As long as it is before about Jan 31st, it qualifies as a "First Strike" for them.
