Seems like 1983 dated quarters are difficult to find in BU on eBay. All I seem to see are circulated XF's. I suppose I could get them and use them as "fillers". Or I guess I could pick some out of pocket change...$^T%^^# the mint for not making mint sets in '82 and '83! haha David
In 1982 I didn't believe the US mint would ever again make mint sets. There was remarkably little interes in the mint sets that had already been made and it seemed the large mintages were caused strictly by momentum rather than any real demand for current coin. One never met anyone who collected the current coin and never saw discussion about them anywhere. Even stock photos for publishers of all types in those days were of the old silver coins. If K-Mart ran a picture of coins in a circular or there was such a picture in the paper it would invariably be of the older coins. It was as though as far as coinage went, time had simply stopped in 1964. In fact, this didn't really ease until well into the 1990's and didn't stop until the states issues appeared. Much to my surprise it wasn't unusual to see people walk into coin shops and ask about new mint sets in 1982. They probably just figured they missed the order period and went to the shops to get one. Few would have been told that the mint was producing souvenir mint sets still or that the coins could be assembled from bank rolls or purchased as a set made by private concerns. One of the most popular of these sets at least in this area was a white envelope with blue and red in the corner and including the ten coins made for circulation and packaged by Paul and Judy's coins of Arcola, Illinois. These sets sometimes contain some of the finest gems for the dates. They also are one of the best sources for some of the varieties for these two years. The sets normally sold for around $4 but didn't appear to be very big sellers. The souvenir sets had mintages of only ten to twenty thousand and are only now becoming well known. Good quality coins of these two years are very difficult since most high quality moderns come from the regular mint sets which weren't made. Souvenir set quality is not as high and by chance some of the gems of these twenty coins appear to have not shown up at all in these sets. Uncs are still readily available but there is enough demand that the few available specimens will generally cost $30 or more. Finding nice choice quality will prove far more problematical because so many quarters of this year are poorly struck and banged up. One also has to be careful of buying coins with rubs or whizzing. It was known early on that the coin was greatly undersaved so many were pulled from circulation in the mid-'80's. These coins are sometimes doctored up and sold as uncs. This is one of the few moderns that you might want to buy slabbed even in only MS-63 since the odds of stumbling on one is not good. But, yes, this is a tough coin to find raw or slabbed on e-bay and it seems likely to get a great deal more difficult as time goes on. Th number of modern collections being busted up or sold is minute and the growth in the number of collectors is great. This makes finding the tougher coins extremely difficult. Since there are unlikely to be any big hordes of any regular issue moderns coming on the market in the future the implication is that these will remain difficult until the market growth stops or subsides.
Maybe I will check around for slabs. I want at least MS60. My quarter collection is all BU and I'd like to keep it that way. Though I question the grade of my 1982 P&D though they look pretty decent. The majority of my quarters came from mint sets. David
Are these from the mint or were they privately put together? I saw some of these on eBay but they are rather pricey. David
I can't say for sure, about the quarters, but the best '82 and '83 nickels, I have, came from aftermarket "mint sets".
I've found that the put-together sets are just as popular as the souvenir sets. Both can be found fairly routinely, as ND stated. Nick
Here is what eBay has to offer: http://search.ebay.com/1983-souveni...Z2QQsosortpropertyZ2QQsotrtypeZ1QQsotrvalueZ1
Now you know why so many sell on Ebay. Getting 3 to 4 times the price doesn't sound that bad for the seller.
There usually aren't any shows in my area unfortunately. The shows I read about in Michigan are 3-4 hour drives. David
http://coinshows.com/michigan.html Shows are an important part of collecting. While a few hour drive isn't necessary for the random purchase, it should be taken advantage of for large or multiple purchases. Take one or two days a year to visit a large show, and pick up those hard to find items. Make sure to leave time to join in on any seminars, and take advantage of any club meetings. A wonderful place to make new friends, and see many beautiful coins.
David - You just need to take that link one step further - '82 sets '83 set As you can see - there is a wide variance. Both of these sets can be purchased rather easily for around $30 or less on ebay.
If you can find a souvenir set for less than $40 it's a good idea to jump on it. While the coins in this set are usually not even choice unc, MS-60's wholesale for more than $40 total. There are few enough of the sets that a premium is hardly unlikely even at the current time. GDJMSP's links didn't work for me but I can't remember the last time I saw an '83-P souvenir set go for less than $50. Most of the shows I've been to don't have any unc '83-P quarters. There are often a few sliders to be found priced as uncs, but not many uncs. Talk to the dealers with a good selection of moderns since sometimes they can steer you to one. It is still possible to pick all the later date coins up for a song since most dealers don't pay much attention to any of them and will just put the coins out at a price they think is market. Couple this with the thinness of the maket and it can make for some great deals.
Try the links again clad - they are to completed auctions on ebay for the '82 & '83 sets. Trust me - there are several of each for both the P & D mints under $30
All I get is a sign-in page on the link. If they've been selling these cheap then I guess I'd better get registered.
Most on Ebay have been selling in the $90 range. Seems to be a hit or miss item. At the shows and on the dealer networks, these sets have been in the $25 range.
