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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cladking, post: 2765355, member: 68&quot;]It kindda depends on the date.&nbsp; Each date has its own typical set of characteristics like strike, die condition, planchet marking, or scratches.&nbsp; For instance an &#039;82-P quarter is tough in high grade because they are poorly struck by bad dies.&nbsp; An &#039;83-P is tough because they are usually scratched, and a &#039;69 is tough because they are poorly struck and have lots of planchet marking. </p><p><br /></p><p>As a rule I&#039;d be more inclined to send in coins that &quot;go against the grain&quot;.&nbsp; I&#039;d be more likely to send in a well made &#039;82-P with a little scratching than a scratched up &#039;83-P that was &quot;hammered&quot; by new dies. </p><p><br /></p><p>The services greatly overweight the importance of marking on clad.&nbsp; The old silver coins were generally made to a far higher standard and the primary characteristic that separated the best from the worst was the amount of scratching.&nbsp; But clads are often horribly made by tired old dies.&nbsp; The dies were often set at low pressure to make them last longer so even the first coins from a new die were poorly struck.&nbsp; Most clads, especially the early dates, have severe strike deficiencies that will still be apparent when they&#039;re worn down to AG.&nbsp; Indeed, many of the early dates were technically AG as soon as the luster was broken because there&#039;s no separation between the letters and the rim, especially on the reverse. </p><p><br /></p><p>Any clad that&#039;s head and shoulders nicer than others of its date and Unc is worth sending in.&nbsp; There are lots of interesting and rare varieties and finding these is easier if you have a full set of coins to which to compare. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Like all collecting there&#039;s a learning curve.&nbsp; Just have fun.&nbsp; There&#039;s no need to ever buy a coin but if you do then be sure to sell one once in a while so you know the true value.&nbsp; Right now all the clads&nbsp; can be had pretty cheaply (except very high grades and varieties) because there&#039;s little demand and this might never change but I&#039;m still betting it will.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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