modern coins and commemoratives

Good afternoon. Is there a definite date or definition for modern coins and commemoratives? I can usually find answers by searching but not this time. I appreciate the help.

 

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I believe the grading services classify "modern" coins as anything from 1955-current.

 

The "Modern" commemorative series started in 1982 and are still produced today.

 

Actually, some consider anything after 1965 to be in the 'modern era'. Modern commems commenced in 1982.....

 

Here's the best online source for modern commemorative info I've found: http://moderncommemoratives.com/

 

Hey, thanks for that link Yo Yo, I just bookmarked it. Nice to have everything in one place and not pull my hair out searching all over the place for a particular 'modern' commem.

 

PCGS and NGC consider modern 1955-present, this is from their sites.

PCGS:
[TABLE="class: horizontalTable servicetable, width: 99%"]

[TR="bgcolor: #ffffff"]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]ULTRA RARITIES[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]N/A[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$600[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]None[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]2 - 5 days[/TD]
[/TR]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]RARITIES[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]N/A[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$250[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$200,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]2 - 5 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]WALKTHROUGH[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$100[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$125[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$100,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]2 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]EXPRESS[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$50[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$65[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$20,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]5 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]REGULAR[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$30[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$45[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$3,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]15 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]ECONOMY(Non-Gold, Non-Hammered)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$18[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$25[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$300[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]20 - 30 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]MODERN (1955 to date)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$14[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$20[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$1000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]20 - 30 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]MINT ERRORS[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$50[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$65[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$20,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]25 - 35 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]SPECIAL ISSUES (U.S. Coins only)
(Colonials, Fractional Gold, Patterns, Territorials)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$50[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$65[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$20,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]25 - 35 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]GUARANTEE RESUBMISSION
(Fee refunded if coin downgrades)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$25[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$25[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]None[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]up to 60 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]REHOLDER[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$10[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$20[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]$20,000[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]10 - 12 days[/TD]

[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: left"]REHOLDER[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$30[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA, align: center"]$40[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]over $20,000 or
PCGS MS70 or PR70[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #F1F6FA"]10 - 12 days[/TD]
[/TABLE]




NGC:
[TABLE="class: infotable, width: 760"]
[TR="class: tableHead"]
[TD="width: 80, bgcolor: #003399"]Grading Service[/TD]
[TD="width: 80, bgcolor: #003399"]Fee
(per coin)[/TD]
[TD="width: 100, bgcolor: #003399"]Turnaround
(Est.)[/TD]
[TD="width: 100, bgcolor: #003399"]Current
Turnaround[/TD]
[TD="width: 160, bgcolor: #003399"]Requirements[/TD]
[/TR]

[TD="width: 80"]Unlimited Value WalkThrough[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$600[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]Same-day service[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]24 hours[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All U.S. coins. No max value.[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]High Value WalkThrough[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$250[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]Same-day service[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]24 hours[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All US coins valued at $500,000 or less.[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]WalkThrough[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$125[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]24 hours[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]48 hours[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]US coins valued at $100,000 or less.[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]Express[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$60[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]48 hours[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]4 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]US coins valued at $10,000 or less.[/TD]

[TD="class: tdblue, colspan: 5"]↑ All tiers above include Scratch-Resistant Holders for no additional fee.↑[/TD]

[TD="class: tdblue, colspan: 5"]↓ Upgrade to Scratch-Resistant Holders for the following tiers for an additional $5.00 per coin. ↓[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]Early Bird[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$30[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]12 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]12 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]US coins valued at $3,000 or less.[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]Specialty Gold[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$30[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]5 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]5 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All California fractional, $1 gold, $2.5 gold, $3 gold, $5 Indians, and all better-date US gold. Maximum value $3,000 per coin. Five (5) coin minimum[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]GoldRush[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$25[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]5 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]5 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All dates for $5-$10-$20 Liberty; $10 Indian, $20 Saint Gaudens. Also accepting $5, $10, $25, $50 U.S. gold bullion. Maximum value $3,000. Five (5) coin minimum[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]Economy[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$17[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]21 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]21 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All non-gold US coins valued at $300 or less per coin and $5, $10, $25, $50 US gold bullion under $300 per coin (no Colonials). Five (5) coin minimum[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]Modern Special[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$20[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]12 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]12 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All US coins 1955 to present requiring a special label, including Releases designations, Eagle 20th and 25th Anniversaries. Five (5) coin minimum. Note: Five-coin minimum waived for America The Beautiful 5-ounce silver quarters.[/TD]

[TD="width: 80"]Modern[/TD]
[TD="width: 80"]$14[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]12 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 100"]12 working days[/TD]
[TD="width: 160"]All US coins 1955 to present. Five (5) coin minimum Note: Five-coin minimum waived for America The Beautiful 5-ounce silver quarters.[/TD]
[/TABLE]

 

I agree, 1965 clad started the "modern age".

I started collecting around 1960.....I was once a CLAD-FREE collector...

 

logic would dictate 1965- therefore it will probably not be 1965.

 

The problem is there is no clean break for modern coins. Many people use 1964 but that causes problems with the cent and five cent. A 1965 cent or five cent is modern but a 1964 with the exact came design and composition is classic? The TPG's split at 1955 makes even less sense because it creates the same problem with EVERY series.

Some modify it using the 1965 date but push the cent back to 1959 with the start of the Memorial design. But for the nickel that pushed that "modern" all the way back to 1938.

Some accept a staggered date approach and use the switch from Liberty to real person portraits as the divider. SO cent go modern at 09, five cents at 38, dimes at 46, quarters at 32, halves at 48 and dollars at 71.

Me, I consider modern to be once we started using the steam press in 1836. Before that date dies were hand made and individualistic, after that date they were hubbed and nearly as indistinct as buttons.

There is no argument about modern commemoratives though, they started with the Washington half dollar in 1982. The first not for circulation commemorative in almost 40 years. And there have been commemoratives almost every year since then.

 

I'm of the opinion that the terms Modern and Classic refer to coin design.

Classic design revolved around LIBERTY with the exception of the Buffalo Nickel. Modern coin design revolved around people's busts and ALL were or are Commemoratives.

The Lincoln Cent Design Commemorates Lincoln.
The Jefferson Nickel Commemorates Jefferson.
The Roosevelt Dime Commemorates Roosevelt.
The Washington Quarter actually started out as a Washington Commemorative.
The Kennedy Half Dollar Commemorates Kennedy and the Eisenhower Commemorates IKE.

All Modern coin designs which are intended for circulation go exactly against what George Washington wanted. The displaying of our countries Leaders on our coins instead of what the country itself stands for.

Most collectors today like the idea of a simple dividing line. A black and white sort of thing where silver was no longer used for coins. Thats an easy enough date until you stop to consider that two of the coins didnt have any silver. As such, does the Modern era begin with the 1965 Jefferson or Lincoln? They were, with exception of the date, essentially the same coin as the previous year.

For that matter, the Roosevelt, Washington and Kennedy's were essentially the same coins with the exception of the date and metallic content.

I break it down as follows:

1909 for the cent
1938 for the nickelJefferson
1946 for the Roosevelt
1932 for the Washington
1948 for the Franklin
1971 for the Eisenhower

 

I always thought modern meant any coin that is currently in circulation. I thought even silver Kennedys, Roosies, and Washingtons are modern. I guess the definition is subjective? I consider coins that are not modern to be coins that have been discontinued but Ikes, presidential dollars, and Susan Bs meet the definition of non-modern coins. I always thought non-moderns would be coins before and including the Mercury Dimes, standing, buffalo nickel, IHC, and walking liberty series. I would agree that the coins that commemorate someone are modern where the classic coins all include a fictional character whether it is an Indian or an interpretation of Miss Liberty.

 

ROFL

Guess they missed out on that valuable first strike market.

 

ROFL

Guess they missed out on that valuable first strike market.