Would someone please explain the difference between an Eisenhower dollar D and P? The book that holds the coins only has a slot for the 1971 and the 1971-D, but I just googled it to see a picture of the difference and I see there is also a P. Thank you, G
1971 - D is for the denver mint and the 1971 is for the Philadelphia Mint. I believe in 1971 they were not yet putting the "P" on the coin. So 1971 or 1971-P would reference the same coin.
Mark is correct, until 1980 the Philadelpia mint did not use a mintmark on their coins (They did use a P on the 1942-45 warnickels and the 1979 P SBA dollar) Before that time though coins from Philadelpia would often be referred to as "P" coins to help prevent confusion about which mint you were talking about. So you might see Philadelphia coins described as say 1971 dollar, or 1971 plain dollar, or 1971-P dollar, and all three mean the same coin.
Thank you for all the replies. Do you all think it is safe to assume that coins on ebay are good or will I get coins that are all scratched up? G
If you're going to buy from ebay, only buy certified coins. There's alot of 'problem' coins that are cleaned, scratched (like you said), tooled, plugged or other wise problem coins, and alot of fake ones too. But there's even the bigger problem now of fake slabs with fake coins in them! So you have to be real careful..before you buy from ebay you may want to read some books on what you want to buy. First, start out with the red book. It has every US coin in it as well as general information. You may also want to pick up a book like Coin Collecting For Dummies, by Ron Guth. its an excellent book for beginners and anyone, and I've read it myself. Depending on what series you want to collect, you may want to pick up a few more. I think its important to learn how to grade (You can buy the ANA Grading book) and how to spot problem coins such as cleaned coins, or counterfeit coins (The PCGS Guide to grading and counterfeit detection teaches both of these!) I posted in your other thread a thread I made on how to spot cleaned coins, start there and slowly expand your knowledge.:thumb:
You can find lower priced nice modern coins on ebay. Just make sure they have a nice clear picture and a good return policy.
WELCOME TO THE FORUM. As already noted look for that Red Book by Whitman Publishing. Usually available at most book stores, coin stores, coin shows, on the Whitman web site, etc. I used to get mine from the Walmart Book web site. If your just getting into coins, stay away from ebay. Try to find a coin store or coin show in your area. Usually you could find them by just using the Google site.
Good advice. I'd add that you might want to find a local coin club. Most have some sort of auction and sales activity. It's usually a good place to make friends, learn about coins, and find some decently priced and accurately graded items.
Never buy on eBay you can and will end up geeting a better coin Never buy on eBay you can and will end up getting a better coin almost anywhere for less esp. a modern not hard to find coin such as a Ike.
