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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cladking, post: 8391938, member: 68&quot;]The number of nice collectible specimens is rapidly dropping to a point where collectors will be able to just scoop them all up.&nbsp; Due to high attrition and degradation of circulating coinage most 1969 dimes are in abysmal condition.&nbsp; They are heavily scratched by coin handling equipment and are heavily worn from so many years in circulation. Add in the fact that nice examples have been selectively removed by collectors since 1999 and the vast majority of the few &#039;69 dimes remaining are unattractive.&nbsp; People don&#039;t realize that these coins were only designed to circulate for 30 years and the oldest clads are fast approaching double that.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>There are only some 30,000,000 of these existing but try finding one among the 80,000,000,000 circulating dimes.&nbsp; Then remember that to find a nice F example for your collection will require you find about 12 of them!&nbsp; You can still do it today but in ten years we&#039;ll see rolls of avg circ &#039;69 dimes on eBay and none in circulation.&nbsp; These rolls will look worse than barber dimes in most ways because they aren&#039;t merely worn but they are scratched and were poorly made.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Long answer short.&nbsp; Current trends will have them gone in less than 10 years.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A lot of the problem with clads is the metal wears like iron.&nbsp; Silver coins abraded away and scratches were worn off as fast as they accumulated.&nbsp; But clad wears very slowly so most coins are actually lost before they wear down to Fine.&nbsp; Those which beat the odds simply accumulate scratches as they age.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Concurrently there&#039;s something else going on and my research hasn&#039;t turned up the answer.&nbsp; Apparently the coins are getting mangled in counting operations and have been for years now.&nbsp; It shouldn&#039;t be too hard to figure out where because almost every coin coming out of the facility will be scratched.&nbsp; It is getting rather difficult to find unscratched clads in circulation.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Attrition is relentless and once a coin is lost it&#039;s lost forever and a new coin is made to replace it.&nbsp; People won&#039;t even stoop to pick up a dime any longer so they get into the garbage stream and then incinerated with the municipal trash.&nbsp; Truckloads of burnt coins are delivered to the FED for destruction and recoining.&nbsp; Millions of coins are recycled with the automobiles in which they were lost every year.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Old clads are simply coming to an end and it&#039;s happening in a world where BU rolls never were set aside and mint sets have suffered nearly as high attrition as coins in circulation.&nbsp; Couple all this with the fact most 1969 dimes in mint sets are now tarnished and one wonders where a collector will be able to find a pristine 1969 dime in 10 years in ANY condition.&nbsp; Circ rolls will not be answer.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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