Unique Finish - 1983 Philadelphia Mint Souvenir Set

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Pawstruck, Jan 28, 2021.

  1. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Has anyone heard of any special finishes on these sets? I picked this up in its original packaging.
    • The coins have a glossy, bright finish and unusual eye appeal. This includes the 1983 1C, which displays no orange peel effect in the fields or on the devices--obverse and reverse. There are no bumps or blisters, just 2-3 carbon spots on the obverse. (It looks similar to a 1984 1C planchet)
    • 5C - Very nice but no FS
    • 10C - Full bands - nick-free fields and devices
    • 25C & 50C - Beautiful fields; no visible nicks, scratches (applies to all the coins)
    • I compared these to another set of 1983 uncirculated coins that I own (private company) and they are not even close to the quality of this particular souvenir set.

    I'm thinking of sending the entire set in to NGC to conserve them. You can view the 1C obverse here but very difficult to capture the finish through the cellophane--fields are not dark at all, it's just the lighting:

    1983 1C Obverse 1.JPG

    Thanks for reading...
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jan 28, 2021
    capthank and Wizank like this.
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  3. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    Thanks for sharing , but couldn't you directly upload your Pics straight to your CT thread ? It would make it easier for everyone . Thanks . :)
     
  4. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Tried that but it asked for a link?
     
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  5. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    Click upload file , then choose you file,click open , FULL IMAGE,click post REPLY . Done . blob.jpg
     
  6. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Fixed...thank you SensibleSal66 :)
     
  7. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    Your welcome . Anyone else need help with Pics @ Me . Thanks .
     
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  8. thomas mozzillo

    thomas mozzillo Well-Known Member

    IMO the 1983 Souvenir sets are worth more in the original packaging. If they were mine I wouldn't take them out unless I was sure they'd get a very high grade. (MS 68, 69, or 70). Looking through the cellophane it's hard to tell if there's any distracting marks or anything that would prevent them from getting high grades.
    Edit. Other than proof coins, no special finish coins were made in 1983. You do have a very beautiful looking set. :)
     
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  9. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Thank you, Thomas. :) They look proof-like but no proof sets were made in 1983...so I was surprised by the quality of the coins. I'd like to conserve them--otherwise, I would leave them in the cellophane. I'm going to check with NGC tomorrow to see if they would note on the label that they're a Philadelphia Souvenir set.
     
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  10. thomas mozzillo

    thomas mozzillo Well-Known Member

    I had to look in my Redbook. :). Over 3 million proof sets were made in '83. They didn't make any Uncirculated Mint sets
     
  11. Wizank

    Wizank Well-Known Member

    Pawstruck, I love your pic - it looks like one that my daughter would use. She's a survivor as well.
     
  12. Inspector43

    Inspector43 Celebrating 75 Years Active Collecting Supporter

    What you are showing is part of the 1983 Souvenir Set. I would do more research before I broke it out of the original packaging.
     
  13. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    I would leave the set as is. Not that many around anymore. In 1983 the mint did not make the normal mint set.
    They did make the Souvenir sets. Many folks have said they bought them from the mint gift shops. I have a few of these sets but the coins are not all that great as far as quality goes.
    As Thomas said the coins would have to grade really high to cover the grading fees.
     
  14. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    I appreciate the comments everyone--and yes you're right, Thomas. That's what I get for posting here at 1:39 a.m.--brain was sleepy, I guess. :) There are 1983 proof sets but no uncirculated mint sets.

    I agree, Idhair, that there are not many sets around--I'm just concerned the 1C is degrading, so hard to know what to do...

    And Wizank...thanks so much. :)
     
  15. Pickin and Grinin

    Pickin and Grinin Well-Known Member

    How about a couple pics of the reverse side of the coins.
    Those coins look exceptionally nice!
    @cladking
     
  16. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Yes...I will post tomorrow. They are beautiful coins--very surprising for 1983. :)
     
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  17. cladking

    cladking Coin Collector

    There are a few really top notch cents in the souvenir sets. Especially the Philly. I have an '82-P cent that is very PL and mostly clean.

    The '82-P quarters rarely come without marking but those that are close are invariably poorly struck. The '83-P is the toughest to find clean so this coin might be something if it is. Strike isn't as big a problem on this coin usually.
     
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  18. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Okay here are more pics of the 1983 Philadelphia Souvenir Set--difficult to get the lighting right through the cellophane. They are very clean coins and any noticeable dark lines/spots/dings in these pictures are either packaging, lighting or over-magnification--under a lamp with minor magnification, it's hard to see them--which is why I thought they were nice enough to try and conserve.

    PCGS has the 10C Full Bands at 7/547 million+ and this coin has well-defined FB as you can see in the photo--so, a condition rarity? 25C has pristine fields and devices, minor chatter near neck crease at low mag. Thanks for looking... 25C Obverse Fields and Devices.JPG 1983 Philadelphia Souvenir Set Obverse.JPG
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jan 30, 2021
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  19. cladking

    cladking Coin Collector

    It's a nice enough set but it's not "unusual" or truly special. The quarter will grade 65+ or 66 (maybe even 66+ but I'd need a better picture and both sides) and the dime might be FB. It is the kind of set I used to pay a big premium to acquire.

    It's hard to tell FB from a photo. The split must go all the way to both edges. You'd need two good photos to show it.
     
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  20. Pawstruck

    Pawstruck CoinTalk Survivor

    Ok thanks for looking, cladking--I appreciate it--enjoy reading your posts. I did have the 25 C Reverse up but got deleted, I guess. The split does go to the sides on the 10C--will try to see if I can get better pics.
     

    Attached Files:

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  21. thomas mozzillo

    thomas mozzillo Well-Known Member

    @Pawstruck. I won't even hazard a guess as to the grade of your Quarter but it is much better looking than most that i've seen. You should also be aware that the top 2 TPGs now add Full Torch (FT) to the Dime if it meets their criteria. From what I can see from your photos IMO it looks like it is a FT. I'm attaching a photo of one graded FT:
    upload_2021-1-30_23-21-37.png
     
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