Here is the response: https://forums.collectors.com/discu...ddo-discovery-piece-census-in-1st-post#latest Nice, I'll assign them 44,45 and 46 in the census this evening. They do all look AG. That guy must have had a ball looking through 1850 1919P dimes - who would have thought someone would have that many! Thanks TypeCoin971793!!
Congratulations on your find. I recently found one (#43 on the PCGS list), after many years of searching. While I don't disagree with your statistical analysis and I do believe there are more to be found, I think the survival rate may skew the numbers. It took almost 100 years for this variety to be discovered, and so I believe many have been lost to time. If you don't mind me asking, how does one come across 1,850 1919 Mercury Dimes to search?
All but a few are junk bin grades, suggesting that they were in a batch which circulated heavily. In addition, the coin was not a cent, and the variety did not affect the date, both of which are major factors as to why it was not discovered for 95 years. Honestly, I am not 100% sure. It just happened, and I took the opportunity to search for the DDO. The first one was vindication for my efforts. The second was exciting. The third was data.
Well, there were about 100 more 1919 P’s that were in batches of a different date. In the 1917s, I found a fourth DDO. That increases the level of occurrence to about 0.20%, or about 1 in 500. @Treashunt could you update StrikeOut on the CU thread? Many thanks in advance!
That's pretty astounding, that you found exactly what could be predicted from an even distribution from 521 different dies.
They recorded your #4 https://forums.collectors.com/discu...ddo-discovery-piece-census-in-1st-post#latest
It is quite possible that the original minted batch was distributed in one geographic area. The 1982 No Mint Mark dimes were primarily distributed in and around Sandusky, Ohio, and I have heard that the 1955 DDO cents that did not end up in cigarette packages came out primarily in one New England state. I have reason to believe that the 1942/41-D dimes were distributed in the Chicago area, though of course I cannot prove it. Which begs the question, where was this hoard accumulated?
I found the 521 obverse die number in the 1920 Mint Report. I was hoping that it came from the lost Philadelphia Mint die register. I have a scan of the Denver Mint die register for this time period, and I was hoping to see the Philadelphia one as well. TD
I did! I found one at a show not long after they were first discovered. It was sent to James Wiles and then to ANACS. It was graded at XF-40 and has since been crossed to a PCGS XF-40.
My word... Look I get it if you don't want to share the details. I don't tell people where my favorite hunting or fishing spots are either, but good grief. If you don't want to or feel comfortable sharing the details just say so. It's okay to say it's none of our business.
I agree not snarky, but very evasive IMHO. Don't get me wrong no one has to share anything they don't want to, and I can respect that but just say so. I asked how one comes across 1,850 1919 Mercury Dimes and CaptHenway asked where the hoard was accumulated and/or searched. You can read the replies for yourself. I even prefaced my question with "if you don't mind me asking" fully expecting the possibility of a reply to the effect of yes I do mind. I respect and understand why someone would not want to share that type of information. What I find peculiar is why one would answer with I have no idea... I find it hard to believe that one searches that many dimes, but has no idea how they obtained them, where they came from, and is not quite sure where they themselves are currently located. Edited for typo and grammar.
I'm not sure why it matters. If there was an unusual number of them in this hoard, you might have a theory about where they were distributed. But the number found is almost exactly what you would expect from a random distribution.
In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. Of course nothing we discuss on this message board really matters does it? That doesn't stop people from post though thank goodness. Accordingly, I'm not really concerned with where the coins were distributed, that was CaptHenway's question. I was more curious about how one gets an unsearched hoard of 1,850 Mercury Dimes all dated 1919 and all from the Philadelphia Mint. However, I fully understand why someone wouldn't want to disclose that information. If someone asks me where I caught my 8lb bass I tell them sorry I'm not going to tell you. On the other hand I don't tell them I really don't know or in the mouth.
FWIW, many years ago when I was working at a coin shop in Chicago, we got in a deal where there were multiple boxes of coin tubes, 100 tubes to the box, where some old coin collector/hoarder/whatever had sorted average circulated stuff into for many years. Looked like the kind of stuff you got out of rolls in the 1950's and early 1960's. In the Mercury dime boxes there would be maybe half a tube of 1916 plains, a third of a tube of 1916-S, 3/4ths of a tube of 1917 plain, etc. Starting in the 1930's there were multiple tubes of each date and mint mark. Maybe 6 to 7 rolls of 1942 plain and about 3-1/2 rolls of 1942-D's. Before I dumped stuff into the coin counter, I checked them for overdates. Did not find any 1942/41-P, but I found two average circ. 1942/41-D. From this I would speculate that at least part of the mintage of the 1942/41-D were released in the Chicago area, though of course I cannot prove it.