I bought a few "uncirculated" South Dakota quarters to put in my album which arrived today. As I was putting them in, i was pondering..."Are these still considered 'uncirculated' or have they been 'circulated' since they were passed on to me in this transaction?" Or does circulated only mean if the coin has been used as actual currency at some point? I guess the ones I bought were probably taken right from a roll or mint bag and put into a flip to send to me. I'm not trying to be a wise-ass, it's a legitimate question I was wondering about. Hey, I'm a newbie...
Uncirculated is defined as a coin that shows no wear - it's just that simple. You can get unc examples of coins in change at the grocery store just as easily as you can buy them from the mint directly.
They are still uncirculated once they are sold to you, and if you sold them they could be called UNC as long as they remain in the same condition.
