Howdy folks! Clembo's a bit ornery tonight - what can I say? Figured I'd share it with y'all. It concerns the new Lincoln Cents and SO many modern coins for that matter. Be advised I don't collect these nor do I really plan to. Everyone has their own tastes. Oh, the rant? It's errors and the frequency of same. Is there at least one error on EVERY U.S. coin made these days? At times it seems there are several to me. Usually they are just plain miniscule and mass produced. How many LP2 die doubling errors are there now? This on a brand new coin with state of the art technology? Today my boss asked me why I hadn't mentioned a big die crack on a Lincoln as pictured in CoinWorld I believe. My response? - because I don't care. There are so many "errors" on modern stuff it can make your head spin. Most require magnification. They are minor yet heavily "published" in coin mags. Show me some real errors for a change. The last I remember was the 2008 reverse of 07 silver eagle. At least one doesn't need a loupe to see it. Some type of "error" found on almost every Presidential dollar and coins of the quarter program as well. Now it's the Lincolns. So why don't I hear about teeny errors on the other coins as much? Is it because the buyer base isn't really there as much? The mint is producing a lot of shoddy coins folks. I sell the "big in demand" coins all day and the quality is absolutely horrible IMHO. People will pay crazy money for an MS67 2009 Lincoln and, although I wouldn't, I can actually see why to an extent. True high grade coins are scarce. How many Lincolns will be found with an "extra finger" that one can see at 20x magnification? How much will people pay for that "error". The quality of coins being minted, the coverage of "errors" and what people will pay for them is becoming a joke to me. Give me real errors. A Lincoln I'd like? 1955 DDO. My rant is through for now. clembo
I agree, Clembo. I think it's just the hype of the new coins that drive people to find errors where none really are, and elevate common errors to the point of super-stardom. Like with the multitude of "errors" that plagued every single issue of State Quarter dollar, the fad will die and the prices for such rubbish will die with it. Guy~
One thing to consider is, for example, some people probably said the same thing in 1955. I do agree the modern stuff is not all that exciting, but it has it's place in numismatics, namely for the future. Perhaps in 50 years collectors will be excited about today's moderns and their errors, varieties, die cracks, etc. Perhaps by then, mintages will be in the trillions and it will make these billions seem collectible. Who really knows. Don't abandon all hope for moderns.
If the mint orders for the LP1 ( which I just got from the bank and trades myself) I probably wouldn't have ordered any LP2 from the mint, but I did, and I must admit, had a great time looking for DDR in the P rolls. There were enough to get the adrenalin going! But that was when I thought maybe 3 or 4 different ones, but now that there are 13 or so, the excitement has died down a little.NOw if they just didn't have the spots on them. Jim
To borrow a term from philatelics, I place most of the modern "errors" in the "flyspeck" numismatics category. Extra fingers on Lincoln. Wavy steps, doubled knees, etc. on the Memorial reverse. Extra trees on Minnesota(?) state quarters. Buy one and it will cost you. Try and sell one and no go.
I'm a modern collector. I do most of my shopping at the mint. I like shinny, new, and as close to perfect as I can get. I agree with you, in that if you can not see it with the naked eye, then I don't give it much value. Today's e-bay frenzy is tomorrow's die sets and varieties, and only time will make that distinction. I'm also in the process of renovating a 90 year old house and I say to myself, wouldn't it be cool if I open up a wall space and find a bunch of Morgans or Barbers. But then again, someone has to put them there.
Ah, but look at all the new collectors being drawn to the hobby because of all the "hype" and Shmoderns......
AHHH. So no one is aware of the Mint's latest promotion ideas. In the US Mint there is a new branch or department. It is called MESS. This department is responible for the creation, distribution, notification to the public about Mint Error Coins. MESS stands for Mint Error Secret Service. These people infiltrate coin forums, such as this one, and use all sorts of tactics to promote the error coins thier department has created. Haven't you ever wandered just how it is that the second an error coin is noted, that information pops up everywhere and people scramble like idiots to find them. The MESS department strikes again.
Do you know why ? Because they have to write about something to keep their jobs, and quite honestly they don't have much else to write about.
I agree Clembo. And the worst part is I find myself searching my change for some of these things. I think they are great to find, but would not pay for one. Actually I feel the same about certain varieties on older coins. I will hunt and cherry pick, but have no plans to pay for them.
***** "Give me real errors. A Lincoln I'd like? 1955 DDO." ***** Wisconsin High & Low Leaf? Monroe Dollar/ Quarter Planchet? Adams/ Washington dollars- Smooth edge?
I don't even care about errors. Please don't leave a spot in the coin album for them. They are holes I won't fill and having open spots offends me.
Clembo, welcome to my world. I confess, I have a much more extreme case. I don't even like collecting those little numbers on coins. What do you call them again? Dates?
Clembo it is what I like to call modern crap. You use the term "PROVEN" coin, to describe a coin that has a proven value, and won't just plummet all of a sudden, and has a real collector value to it that will be around for years. These coins will plummet soon, and everybody will be singing the same tune "MODERN CRAP". I will never pay a premium for an 09 coin, and people I will say it for the last time (not really the last time) they aren't rare. These coins won't be making the cover of the 2012 redbook, because we couldn't find them for some 7-8 months, or maybe until 2010 is when we start finding them, I don't know, but what I do know is that these won't be modern day rarities, and certainly won't be a KEY DATE looking at numismatics as a whole.