getting to know a coin

i have been going through a few thousand Lincoln cents for the past few weeks. i have sorted all the coins into bags by decade and then i sort each bag by mint mark and then year. it takes quite a bit of time to dig through the coins, but it is giving me a chance to really know the coin.

last night i tackled the 1960's bag which contains about 200 coins. there were 2 dates for the 1960 dated coins - a large date which is the common issue, and the small date which was at first thought to have a limited number in circulation since the coins were only made in January before the die was modified. in a previous sort of another group of coins and in this one, i was having a difficult time discerning the small date from the large date. in comparing pictures in the Red Book to the coins i had in hand, i felt a few could have been the small date, but i wasn't 100%.

as i was comparing the dates on the 1960-D coins, it all came into focus. before my eyes was a 1960-D small date coin. the difference was very obvious when compared to a large date coin, but only until i could see it on a coin in front of me could i tell the difference.

there are other varieties of the Lincoln cent that have various sized dates or other aspects of interest which have numismatic value. digging through literally thousands of coins since the end of March has given me a greater understanding of the coins. sure i can read all about the Lincoln cent on websites and in books, there is no greater educator for coins than sitting down and looking at them, hundreds of them. once you really know the coin, the varieties will standing out the instant you have a look at them through the glass.

i urge any budding collector to sit down, whether at a coin shop, coin show, or in their own home and look at as many coins of a given type as possible. really knowing the coin will enable you as a collector to see when something extraordinary is before your eyes. identifying coins with the differing 1960 date size seems like a minor exercise until you try it. now that i can instantly recognize the difference, it makes it that much easier to spot coins erroneously marketed.

get to know your coins. your wallet will thank you.

-Steve

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Good post.....I have found countless new (but not of much interest) varieties on farthings since I started collecting them (mostly George I pieces)

 

excellent advice ascibaron ... one should always try to learn as much about the coins he/she are interested in before buying ... this will always lessen the chance of being 'taken' !!!

 

The hard work involved increases the appreciation of the hobby, too!

Clinker

 

Excellent advice, great informative post. :thumb:

 

Wow, awesome advice! Thanks. Like GD's signaturre "knowledge, share it" Awesome find on the small date by the way. :thumb: Any pics?

Phoenix

 

wax on wax off grasshopper

 

Bravo, excellent post. I not too long ago went through the same thing with the 1970-S.

andrew289 wax on wax off grasshopper

LOL, that's good humor

 

paint the fence.

-Steve

 

I assume this expression means something, but what (if anything) does it have to do with coins?

 

It has everything to with coins yet also nothing to do with coins.

Go rent the Karate Kid, come back and read the above post and the fog will clear. You will then know the true meaning of wax on ...wax off