Penny Collecting

Hey Guys, I've been lurking this forum for a while now and figured it was time to post a question I've been thinking about for a while. I just got through collecting all the years of LH Nickels (I even have a 1913 an friend got for me). While I was trying to think of another specific coin to collect I thought of a great, if a little ambitious, challenge. I want to own one of every penny the US Mint has ever made. My question for you is: is this possible? Are there any uncollectable pennies, or is it feasible?

 

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Hi Mr_Sandman, I'm new to this forum too. What do you mean by "noncollectable pennies"? There will be one challenge to your endeavor, getting a 1856 Flying Eagle cent. It had a mintage of 2000 and they sell for quite some cash. Good luck!

 

By non-collectible I mean like the 1913 Liberty Nickels, just coins that don't exist in a large enough quantity to actually get one for yourself.

 

First, to the best of my knowledge your "penny" collection is complete.
Why?
Because the US doesn't strike pennies.
Therefore there are none to collect.
They strike CENTS.
Just look at the reverse of any of them.

I would get VERY frustrated if I tried to collect such a large category.
I suggest starting with a subset.
Look in your Red Book and find a design that appeals to you and start with that.
Most people start with Lincolns.
They are inexpensive (with a few exceptions) when compared to other cent sets.
And it's a good place to start learning about the general nature of copper coins.

 

Also, you will never have the aluminum cent. And it will be near impossible to get the rest. Sorry but the series would be very expensive... 1856 1877 1909 S 1909S VDB 1914 D

 

Don't forget 1922 no D and 1931 S, 1793-1807 LC's will be a pain to get all the varieties :bigeyes:

 

If you mean what I think you do, and you want one of every date and mintmark, it will probably be almost impossible if not prohibitively expensive. I'm assuming that your endeavor would also include some of the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial issues as well. Would you be considering varieties, too?

Chris

 

How about the 1943 copper cents or the 1944 steel cents. The 1944-S steel cent (single and only) is the most expensive Lincoln ever sold at $375,000.

 

Hey Sandman. To answer your question the cents are no different than any of the U.S. coins. There are several key dates thate are very pricey and demand patience to acquire but it is a very enjoyable hobby collecting the ones you can get your hands. You can own a very nice collection but I do'nt think it is possible for the everyday joe to own all of them in his collection.

 

If you mean by year, then it's doable. If you mean by date and mint, it's also doable. I you mean by variety, then you can't even get past the early dates where the most complete collection ever assembled was sold last year and was short one example (1793 NC-5) that is unique and in the ANA Collection. It included several unique varieties which are unlikely to ever be reassembled. (ie 1793 NC-2, 1794 NC-7, 1794 NC-2, 1794 NC-10, 1795 S-78c, 1795 NC-1a, 1795 NC-4a, 1795 NC-4b, 1797 NC-7 and 1797 NC-8. There are fifteen others which are nearly unique; 2 or 3 known)

Each of these are rarer than the 1913 Liberty 5 Cents and that doesn't include the R7+ where 4 are known and of which there are several.

Now if your nickel doesn't have a pedigree back to those 5 known coins, I would be HIGHLY doubtful of it's authenticity since these were probably the only ones actually minted and even those under circumstances that weren't quite above board if I am not mixing it up with the 1804 Silver Dollar or many other of the most highly desired coins which do not appear to have been authorized for production.

 

Depending on date set versus complete type/date/mm set. I don't think the aluminum and/or 1943 copper pennies count, or 1944 Steel cent count - those are NC's to me. I think a date set is very possible. The type set would be costly with the 3 1793, 1877, 1909 S VDB, etc. It will be interesting and challenging no matter what you decide.

 

I think he knows it is a reproduction and that is what the smiley face represents.

 

All these are expensive, but could be acquired easily if you have the money to spend. There are some which are just not available unless you are there at just the right time and under the right circumstances. Like the 1933 St Gauden's Double Eagle wherein only a KING could obtain legal title, even though 12 others are known and NOT legal to own.

 

I think it's also important to know if you consider varieties important as well...as there are tons of them. There are also patterns. Patterns include the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent which is hard to come by and expensive (but out there) and the 1974 Aluminum Cent, which is like the 1933 St. Gaudens...just not available. Of course, there are also errors that are extremely expensive. Any of the 1943/1944 cents on the wrong type of planchet (copper for 1943, zinc for 1944) have commanded 6-figure prices in the past.

But, if you are talking about "regular issue" cents, I believe that it is certainly obtainable if you have the money...at least for small cents (I don't collect large cents so I don't know).

Come on, can we please just let this go. I have been reading this same thing here for years. Some new person calls a cent a penny and someone has to say something. Face it, although not technically correct...many people refer to US cents as "pennies." It's a nickname handed down to us from across the pond. Let's just accept it.

 

You are of course correct.
BUT
Let someone say Double Die instead of Doubled Die and they are quickly corrected.
I don't see people coming back saying "give it a rest" when this happens.
And yet I see both mis-statements as equal.

 

6TH gRADE

mANY YEARS AGO....WHEN i WAS in the 6th grade....
I recall a teacher saying~

"Never use a preposition to end a sentence with."

I cracked up and could not stop laughing and had to be sent out of the classroom.

By the next grading period I had received an "A" in that class.

Made cENTS to me, but not everyone can get past their past.

If you provide a penny for my thoughts, I'll provide my 2 cents worth.

 

That is a good point, but IMHO they are slightly different. The cent/penny thing is something a layperson would say. "Penny" is a commonly used word in normal speech. It's kind of like the word "filling" in dentistry. That's what everyone I have ever spoken to in the real world calls it...but you say the word "filling" at my school and they jump all over you because it's a "restoration."

On the other hand, "doubled die" is a techinical term that a collector or someone interested in coins would use. A layperson wouldn't even know what we are talking about. So, there is no nickname/tradition attached to it...it's just incorrect.

 

That is because "penny" is just slang for "cent" where "double die" and "doubled die" mean two totally different things. Double die would literally mean "two dies" which could describe every modern coin, an obverse die and a reverse die. Doubled die refers to a single die with a doubled image. One is just the use of slang where the other is the improper use of a technically descriptive term.

Richard

 

Probably because doubleD die is the correct wording, double die is a mistake. Calling a cent a penny is merely a nickname. A commonly accepted one at that.

In fact, i have 2 box of cents in my car and everyone of them has the words "50 pennies" on it lol

as far as a complete set, I too am on the long road to collecting a complete of every regular issue small cent ever produced. I don't consider unintential die varieties and errors part of the set, so no 22-plain, no 43 copper/44 steel, no 55 DDO or smaller varieties.

The key dates are expensive enough!

If that is what you meant in the first post, it is by all means possible, and fun too!

 

I think this is a great way to collect the series. The regular issues are hard enough and that's what the mint intended to produce. If you want to add a few of the varieties in there, go for it. I personally define a complete set as all the "regular circulation issues" including the large and small dates from 1960 and 1960-D, all 1982 types, and all proofs 1950-Date. On top of that, I also include a few errors/varieties that I find interesting: 1922 No D, 1936 DDO, 1955 DDO, 1983 DDR, 1984 Doubled Ear, and the 1990 No S Proof. Of course, I am no where near to completing this set.