Does anyone know why in the back of the Dansco Mercury Dime Album it has three dates marked saying there is large and small mint mark varieties? The dates are 1928-S, 1934-D and 1941-S. The only small mint mark I know in the Mercuries is the 1945-S Micro, but that one is not even mentioned in the Dansco Album. Anybody know anything about this?
Ya I don't have a Red Book. I need to get one. Can anyone give a quick run down of what it says about this issue?
simply listed with a footnote: "Large & Small mintmarks". But, they should add the 1916s to the listing. It also has a large & small mintmark. (Found by yours truly, but not given credit.)
So how come on the PCGS website it doesn't mention these? Only the 1945, but it's not even footnoted in the Dansc ablum. Wierd.
PCGS is very picky on the varieties that they will list on their slabs. Others, probably ANACS will list them.
PCGS will slab and note any variety that is in the Red Book - but you do have to ask for the attirbution and pay extra for it. Frank the Red Book says a lot more than that, you just have to look for where it says it. The explanation takes half a page so I'm not going to try an type it all here. But in a nutshell is has to with the mint trying to standardize the size for the mint mark punch. It goes on to explain in what years the changes took place and for what denominations.
Being a Mercury Dime nut I somewhat noticed the differences in the Mint Marks some time ago. I have well over 3,000 of those things. I used to think it was my eyes or my imagination but now little by little numerous reports of differences in the sizes of the Mint Marks on Mercury Dimes are appearing. It is not only on the ones listed in the Dansco or the Red Book but on many of the other ones also. However, like so many other coins, none are noticed or discussed until the Red Book lists them. It is the Red Book that makes many coins valuable or not even noticed. It that book says a coin is a double die, POOF, that coin is now worth a fortune. For example www.coppercoins.com lists a considerable number of double die cents but only the ones in the Red Book ever make the big dollars. There are massive differences in the locations and tilts of the Mint Marks on Mercury Dimes also but that is considered to be normal. Even the massive percentages of reverse rotations in this series of coins is seldom discussed or noted anywhere. I would guess about 30 to 40 % of all my Mercury Dimes are reverse rotated to some degree. Very noticed in an album where you liine up the obverse and turn the page to see the reverses all over the place. I have 10 completed sets of Mercury Dimes and many, many 2x2's of them. Even in a 2x2 the rotation of the reverse if apparent. I've thought about listing all the ones with large and small Mint Marks and sending to Whitman Publishing but unless they want to list them, it would be a waste of time.
Does that mean that I could send a 1955 DDO in and if I did not ask for and pay for the attribution they'd just send it back slabbed as a common '55?
Since they used the same marks for Lincolns and all other coins, look here; http://lincolncentresource.com/San_Fransisco_Mintmark_Styles.html
When you fill out the PCGS submission form, there is a entry for PCGS coin #, for the plain 1955, it is 2824. For the 55 DDO, it is 2825,2826,2827, for BN,RB,RD respectively. If a person fills in 2824, or the correct number, and not the $24 variety and the extra for being worth over $300 if submitted economy rather than regular, I think PCGS would notify and ask if you wanted to change for the additional fee. Even with the 1955/55, the effort to validate as real demands the additional $24 fee. Jim
Yes, you can. Especially Morgan Dollars for VAM designations. Many Morgans have been submitted only for the grading purpose, and the VAMS are waiting for the knowledgeable collector. Also ,watch for 1909-S Lincoln as the mint mark S/S and S/Horiz.S are often missed if not attributed, IHC RPMs, RPD, DD, just to mention a few. Jim
