Today I started into the quarters about the oldest I could find was 1934. However, I ran across this one out of all the 1950's and 60's it's the only one that looked really different. What I mean is that it had the look of a half-dollar and not the shiny style of the rest of the 400 quarters. It just stood out for some reason..
Nope. Uncirculated by it's very nature means it has never entered circulated. Once the slightest bit of wear becomes evident on the coin - even from pulling it in and out of a coin folder - it becomes AU (or Almost Uncirculated, a grade that ranged from AU-50 to AU-58 [AU-58 is also known as a "slider." Oftentimes they can be even more appealing than a true Unc. or MS (Mint State) coin]). The coin most likely came from an brand new roll of '64 quarters many years ago. And it looks different because it has a nice, frosty luster...something silver coins tend to lose VERY quickly once they enter circulation.
A point of clarification - while it is correct that the definition of an uncirculated coin is one that shows no wear, that does not mean that you cannot find an uncirculated coin actually in circulation. For example, you can get a 100% uncirculated coin in change at the grocery store or 7-11. Wear on a coin does not occur instantaneously, it takes a while. Maybe not very long, but it takes a while.
Maybe I don't understand it cleary. So an UNC coin was never made for circulation, but somehow it found itself in circulation. Or does it mean that a coin without any wear or little wear is considered uncirculated even though it was minted and sent into circulation?
An unc. coin has no wear of any kind on it. Might have been made for circ, but just didn't collect any wear for reasons like someone took it out before wear could set in, or etc. Does this help? Phoenix
No, not at all. What I think is confusing you here is a matter of definition and proper word usage. There are basically two types of coins, business strikes and Proofs. Business strikes are the coins made for commerce - the ones that we see in use and that circulate. Proofs are made for collectors only. Now where the confusion comes in is that too many people call a business strike coin an unc or uncirculated. That is improper word usage. Uncirculated is a description of condition or grade, it is not a type of coin. The proper term to use when describing this type of coin is business strike. Yes, it means a coin without any wear is uncirculated. But don't be confused by one the other poster's comment that an MS60 has more wear than an MS70. This is not correct at all. An MS60 coin has no wear whatsoever. The difference is that an MS60 has many more marks and dings, less luster and may not be as well struck as an MS70.
