coin attrition rates

coloradobryan · Apr 4, 2015

The treasury did keep records of obsolete coins turned in. Would be interesting to see what came out of hiding in the great depression.

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Pickin and Grinin · Apr 5, 2015

doug5353 said: ↑

I think, statistically, there's NO good sample size, and that it's impossible to "nail down" anything, and that the usefulness to roll hunters is zero. A roll hunter finds random coins that for all practical purposes have already been "searched" by the public at large (at least on the basis of silver vs. clad, or Wheaties vs. non-Wheaties) and this additional constraining factor precludes any statistical calculations.

You may be able to demonstrate mathematically that the odds of finding a 1916-D Mercury in a roll are 0.000000000000037%, but I will reply by asking how long you are willing to work for 3 cents per hour...

You also have the problem that some HUGE percentage of (U.S.) coins ever minted is no longer in circulation, thereby skewing your numbers into post-1958 or post-1964 coins. Now the grading companies can compute a Condition Census, and an average grade for submitted coins of a given date, but that has nothing to do with roll finds.

When I buy bulk silver (most of which appears unsearched, because bullion dealers don't have time to search it), I don't try to calculate how many Barbers I expect to find; if I find one, I think "great," throw it in my mayonnaise jar of Barbers, and move on. From buying considerable numbers of silver dimes, I have put together a set of Mercuries missing only the 1916-D and 1921-D, with many AU's after the middle 1930s; but I would no more do any calculations on those two dates than I would climb our flagpole and trill Cuckoo, Cuckoo.

Sorry, this is an idea whose time will never come.
Click to expand...

I found a 1921 D at a pawn shop the other day. D was definitely fake and the coin was cleaned and overly pollished. I did tell them so. they pulled it from circulation.

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coin attrition rates

coloradobryan Well-Known Member

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