I'm new at this and was wanting to see if someone could help me identify the 1968 no mint mark dime. How to tell if it's worth anything or not. Thanks
Yep. The 1968 "no S" dime that's worthwhile is the proof. This coin you posted here is a regular business strike dime made at Philadelphia, so it was never supposed to have a mintmark in the first place. Proofs were supposed to have the "S" mintmark since they were struck at San Francisco. But a few proofs struck there that year didn't get it. So to determine this variety, you need to be able to tell the difference between a business strike and a proof. This is understandably confusing to a lot of new collectors. Here- the illustration below deals with 1971 nickels, but it should give you some idea. When you see a proof in hand, it has a very different appearance from a regular circulating (business strike) coin. It has deep mirrors and very squared-off, sharp edges. It's sometimes hard to convey with pictures, but once you've seen a few proofs in hand, side by side with regular business strikes, they stick out like a sore thumb. At least with this modern material. 19th century proofs are a different topic entirely. Source
Awesome! Thank you so much for that. I tried to look it up online but was still having a difficult time trying to find what to look for, the info you replied with is so helpful! Thanks!!!
If you would like to have something other than “on line,” which dependent upon the need to Google the right phrase, you could buy a copy of A Guide Book of United States Coins which also known as “The Red Book.” No other source has as much information for the money. The pricing is always out of date although the relative numbers are useful. For example, an 1877 Indian Cent is valuable, the price there might not reflect the current market. A new copy lists for $17.95, but a not too old copy costs a lot less and has much of the same information. Get one that is no more than six or seven years old if you go the used book route. The book is now in its 73rd edition.
Just wanted to take a second to congratulate the respondents in this tread, and other threads. I stopped reading MUCH of Coin Talk because 90% (well, at least a very high %) of respondents just ridiculed anyone asking for help and then when the OP'er stood up for themselves, it got worse. Nice to see that this blog is back to helping the hobby. Again, nice job all.
Buy a Red Book (A Guide Book of United States Coins) and read it from cover to cover. Be sure it's a recent one (2018 or 2019), and you can get it for a low price on eBay or Amazon.
Cant overemphasize what Mike and Condor say. The Redbook is every collectors bible. You can get year old editions often at overstock outlets for pennies on the dollar. And that’s fine because the reference material doesn’t change. It is the price guide that changes from year to year and the price guide is not very useful info.
