Hi all, Well this has been on my mind for quite some time, As many of us know certain series of coins has special designations that denote a strong strike and that adds value to the coin. such as the full head on the SLQ and the full torch on the mercury dime. So i propose that for the Seated Quarter the "Full Split Fingers" designation. most dates you find in the series do not have full seperation in the fingers of liberty where she is holding the liberty pole. This is just a thought from someone obsessed by the series, what do you fine folks out in CT land think?
I think that focusing on any detail on a coin -- whether it be a bell line, step, head, or finger -- is rather arbitrary and doesn't necessarily speak to the coin's strike overall. To wit, I think that collectors should focus on the entire coin's strike rather than a detail (particularly if they are going to pay a hefty premium). QDB calls it "full details", and I like that idea. But that's just me.
I have said before I am not a big fan of strike designations. Why should a Full Bands merc be worth so much more than one without if the obverse of the two coins is comparable? If you find the full split fingers desirable for you, collect them as such. Others might find a full head to be more desirable for instance.
It is my opinion that all the currently used strike designations (FH, FBL, FB, FT, FS and whatever else) are ill-conceived and should be done away with entirely. Why should one concentrate on approximately 2% of the coin when detail in that area does not necessarily correspond to a good overall strike? The only answer I can come up with is that there was lobbying by a then-influential group and the change was made. I think strike designations as currently used and suggested are not good for the hobby-industry.
What about the other seated half dimes, dimes, half dollars and the seated silver dollars. Gee, l almost forgot about the twenty cent piece. Will these need to be included into the "Full Split Finger" category? Happy Collecting Russ
Agreed. I found myself concentrating on the horn for Buffalo nickels. I was basing a coin's grade just on that feature. It's still the first thing I look at but I'm learning to continue on to the rest of the coin (hard habit to break).
I agree 100% with Tom, and I also agree with Leadfoot that if there should be any designation at all, it should be "Full Strike" or "Full Details". Chris
I guess I'll be the odd man out here and say that the designation sounds like a good idea. Just because most series have such designations doesn't mean we have to collect them as such, as most of us don't. Whats the harm in it? If you don't want to pay more for say a FBL Franklin, then don't, problem solved. For those that want to collect this nich, why not? If we all collected the same things the same way this would be the most boring hobby of all time. Guy~
Along those lines - a group of well known names, including Bowers, Bressett, Garrett (and another that I cannot recall) have been searching known examples of later date SLQ's that have been slabbed and designated FH - looking for just one that had a full strike. So far, they have not found a single one.
As i am not n active collector of those denomonations i didnt include them in the post but sure why not. I was just sticking to what i know
Nope, the OP was not throwing you a "sinker" man, those are hard to hit, anyway, this was an attempt to get someone with a dino-light & camera to show us what Russ is referring to...hint hint.
lol would love to post some pics but as of now i'm packing for a big move (less than 3 weeks til the army sends me to Gulfport Miss. for a while
