Just picked up $17 in Kennedy's(earliest being 1971) at face value. They were unprotected and just handed over to me by handful . surprisingly in relatively ok condition considering. I placed them all in paper holders. Only one that is currently standing out is this 1983-P. Been searching cointalk for some info but not getting anything definitive. Can I please have some opinions and info on coin condition and scarcity if at all? Photo not representing the true shine Thanks for your time and thoughts
This particular coin is circulated based solely on its general appearance. They're still in circulation and very common. Value: 50 cents.
@MMarco102 the fabulous thing about coin collecting is exactly this. You can collect and admire whatever suits you. I think the JFK halves were one of our nations most inspired coin designs and yes, that is a fine specimen.
I agree it's probably worn and only worth a dollar or two in that condition. However with these bad strikes and photos like this one can be fooled. Try soaking the coin in alcohol or acetone and taking a photo at a steeper angle. If the edges are shiny it might be an unc under that crud.
as mentioned in my earlier post, the coin is much shinnier then what the photos look(have to up my coin photography skills ). I don’t trust myself cleaning coins at this point. Although the video isn’t the best quality, this should give a better look. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17n0j975Hvj7KVLaqWle8dzQhknxWppp2/view?usp=drivesdk
It looks like it's probably technically Unc because the luster is unbroken but it has a few miles on it; it has accumulated some of the marking typical of circulation. It's a $4 (wholesale) coin but if you had a quantity of these they'd be impossible to sell. Wholesalers know they'll get a few coins like his but they want nice fresh coins with some nice chBU coins in it and once in a while an MS-64. In the past coins of this quality have been called 'commercial uncs". This coin does not really need cleaning as the first picture suggests. In the future if you ever do get a coin needing cleaning it is almost always safe to soak them in pure acetone or 91% isopropyl alcohol as available at most pharmacies. It requires anywhere from a few hours to a few days and they need to be rinsed and lightly patted dry afterward. Cover the bowl while soaking and beware the liquids are highly volatile. Do not dilute. Avoid cleaning extremely valuable coins until you have some experience. Also avoid cleaning zinc and aluminum until you have some experience. It's very difficult to hurt coins doing this but I've managed it.
I appreciate your information and thoughts. Thank you. *thumbs up* Guess I will clean several recent foreign coins to see how I do. I have literally hundreds of Peso’s from the 30’s 40’s and 50’s to play with a few. ‘thank you again.
Quick questions, if one were to clean a coin that still holds its luster with acetone, would that take away any appeal? Just asking before I might get carried away. Is the luster seen by the coins ability to project a sharp cartwheel reflection. ….just asking for a friend(not).
Acetone will not clean a coin. It may remove organic material. The result of which could be positive, negative, or neutral. Nothing special on the circulated 1983 P. It would be a spender but some places won't take them.
Most of the battle is learning what coins are helped with a soak. Soaking circulated coins usually won't help or hurt. There are other processes to use on them.
