Key Dates for Business Strike Memorial Cents

Don't you collect Memorials Boss?

 

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Great post, thank-you very much. Just another example of the information mmbers take the time to share with others. My son and I are roll searching these memorials got me interested in them, and now I'm working on a set. To me they are the most under the radar set of coins out there. Again, great post.

 

I'm putting together a BU roll set of Memorials as I search for varieties and errors. For now, it's fairly easy if you set aside all the nice BU's you find. I'm about 80% complete with 1980 up after six months or so, forget anything older. Even the 1980-1990's are TOUGH to find in BU in circulation.

 

No other opinions on Memorials that are "rarer"?

 

There are lots of nuances to these. Like the '72-D is pretty easy in gem. While the mint set coins are often tarnished now days there are still many pristine examples in the sets and these can be stunning PL's with very intricate strikes. This might seem like a date that would never draw a lot of interest in very high grade since virtually perfect examples are "common", but finding these with the tops of the date numerals fully struck is a virtual impossibility. The '79-D isn't so very rare in gem but only about 1% of mint set coins are gem and better examples are almost never seen. These are simply marked up. All of the '69's are often tarnished in the sets so are no longer common. The '69-S roll has been searched extensively for the DDO and the rest of the coins spent. This same effect happens to the other coins with rare or important varieties.

The memorials have a lot of character and they vary on many parameters. They haven't simply sat in bank vaults for decades and then released; rather they've circulated lightly and suffered horrendous attrition. And they did this for decades while being totally ignored by "real collectors". They were set aside by speculators and included in mint sets or they would barely exist at all. Where would you get a '68-S in any condition if not for speculators or mint sets. Well the speculators missed some dates and the mint sets have been whittled away to next to nothing and in some cases, all the cents in the sets are tarnished anyway.

Collectors are finally starting to look at these coins. I think we'll see some big pricing changes for many of these and this means just nice uncs as well as gems and superb specimens. New collectors would be well advised not to get caught up in any big excitement if it ever happens because none of the memorials is scarce in just gem (maybe the '68), but they sure are far scarcer than the price guides imply. Despite being scarcer than some of the old wheat cent key dates they sell for a fraction of the price. If you like these coins then now is the time to put a set together. Someday they won't be cheaper than the more common older coins.

 

You know, it occurs to me . . . perhaps there _is_ something to this Mem Cents as a "sleeper" idea. If the reverse of the penny is going to permanently change starting in 2010, then perhaps the "Mems" of today will start to go the way of the "Wheaties" of yesterday (if that makes cents).

Yes, certainly there are differences (huge mintage compared to wheaties), but, still, with the new design, even non-collectors will start saving Mems as a novelty.

Thoughts?

 

Well, I know a few of us are hoarding pre-82 coppers. I also am trying to find and keep anything BU but it's darn tough to find any... After two bags from the bank I hardly have 3/4 tube full from 59 - present. Those poor zincs are just turning ugly and corroded.

 

I save all pre 2000 au coins that I find in circulation. You never know when a new discovery of a variety and you think of all the coins that went through your hands and may have gone un-noticed. This way if you save the AU/BU examples you can go back through them and check them again another time when something new is found. They are the ones that will be worth keeping if there is a variety found. The rest if they have nothing of interest on them get put back to work!
One of the new finds I've found for this year a few years back!

 

Random comments..
I search around 1-2 boxes of cents monthly.
Use to harvest around 20-30% coppers.. now 10-20%. 20% is getting rarer quickly.

When asking for a box from the bank, roughly 40-50% of the time they use to give me new boxes from the mint back in 04, 05, 06 and 07..... got 0% new boxes in 08 and 09.

I searched roughly 4 boxes each of 04, 05, and 06's,, new from the mint types. Of these I pulled a total 9 coins for my collection. 0-from 04,,, 5- from 05,, and 4- from 06,,, and 0- from 07. There was just too much spotting on all of the others for my taste,, I like no spotting,, NONE. Of the 9 pulled from the 40,000 searched only one 2006 was completely spot free and without any marks under 12x.. (you couldn't buy it from me). It was not full step, I just looked <dammit>
I still have 2 unopened boxes of 07 mint..... Have decided to simply collect the mint boxes when they are given to me by the bank and searching ebay and shows for uber clean memorial to add to my collection < you know how dang long it takes to search a box of cents 1 by 1 under a loop >,,, my eyes bleed.

I purchased 2000 PCGS MS67 and 2005 PCGS MS67 to get a baseline for the modern memorials.,, sight unseen <other than typical ebay pic>..
I would have culled the 2000 instantely if I came across it while searching a box, spotting. The 2005 was a keeper, only my 1 2006 matches it in lack of spotting, but the 06 exceeds it in form.. the 05 had on bubble on the reverse above Unum.
.... so maybe 1/40,000 would net a PCGS of MS68 or higher.... at least from what I can see.,,, or can't see anymore because I'm nearly blind from searching so many to find the one Gem.

Great post and I'm totally in agreement......

 

thanks to all for this thread. Great info!

 

Once again, excellent insight! I've found most of the mint set coins are no better than what you find in rolls or even ciculation. The vast majority are dinged and spotted with irremovable carbon. The attrition comment is DEAD ON CORRECT.

On the 69-S, it's a rare coin. I've searched a LOT of boxes and I think I've pulled a grand total of TWO from them. Also, from a circulation searching standpoint, I rarely see the S mints for 70,71,72,73.

With the design change, I hope that you're correct, as I strongly feel some pricing changes MUST be in order.

 

The reverse change is NOW, in 2009. No more Memorial cents will ever be produced, 2008 was the last year for them.

 

Why not the 82 coppers? I find loads of them....I too hoard copper cents. I'd venture to say the majority of my coppers are actually 82's.

 

Me too coop. I save all nice AU/BU cents I find while searching. I almost have a complete roll set from 1980 to 2008 by doing this. I'm pretty picky though, I only save the best examples.

 

I'm seeing a bit more copper of late. I think a lot of people are emptying the jars with the bad economy. I'm also finding more 80's AU/BU red coins that are worth saving.

Good luck on the 2006 with full steps. I think the master die was horrible to start with and I've searched thousands of 2006's to only find ONE with about 98-99% complete steps....in nearly knocked me out of my chair when I found it.....I had given up hope.

 

And, yes, I am hoarding those as well.... Same thing here, I find about 9 copper 82's for every zincie...

 

Hummm....what happened to my edit button?

 

Right, but all the 2009 designs are temporary, and I don't think the public will become aware that the LMC's are history until the public realizes that the 2010 reverse design, whatever that may be, will be the design into the future.

(I hope that makes cents! err, sense)

 

Note this link - http://koinpro.tripod.com/Articles/1970S1cSmAndLgDtCompare.htm

 

I was looking at some auctions and the biggest distinction I see is that high grade satins memorial cents are way more common than business strike.