| Author |
 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,363 |
|
|
Valued Member
Canada
68 Posts |
Let's say a 1905 quarter minted at 800.000, how many do you think are still alive today ?
p.s. I've pick the 1905 for example.
Frank.
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
4911 Posts |
I am kinda pulling this out of my b*tt, but I would estimate that around 20% or more were worn to a state where they had no dates visible.
Feel free to call me Will.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2845 Posts |
I don't have a clue but I'd guess fewer than one might think. In 1905 was King Edward VII, then came King George V in 1911, then King George VI in 1937, then Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. I'd bet that Canadian banks were instructed to fairly quickly withdraw from circulation all currency of any previous monarch each time a new King or Queen succeeded the throne. And then those silver coins were melted and reminted in order to inject into the general public coins displaying the effigy only of current monarch. During those years, Canada's ties to the British monarchy were far deeper than it is now. Therefore I think a 1905 quarter today definitely beat the odds!
|
|
Valued Member
 Canada
68 Posts |
|
|
Valued Member
Australia
138 Posts |
I've heard the 1% survival rate of early silver coins been thrown around but who knows where that number came from.
When the silver content was reduced from 92.5% to 80% there must have been an equivalent to the modern ARP. Would the Mint not have requested that the higher content silver coins be sent in for melting to be replaced with the lower content silver?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2845 Posts |
Edited by wildflowerAB
07/14/2015 11:46 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 Canada
9864 Posts |
In 1908 the mint was a branch of The Royal Mint in London. 1,000 years of producing coins there gave the Brits the right to call it "Royal". The Canadian government did not start to gain control over the mint 'til the early '30's. "Dipping" is not considered cleaning...
-from PCGS website
Edited by DBM
07/15/2015 01:23 am
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2845 Posts |
Quote:1908 the mint was a branch of The Royal Mint in London. 1,000 years of producing coins there gave the Brits the right to call it "Royal". The Canadian government did not start to gain control over the mint 'til the early '30's. Yes you're right and I also notice the Bank of Canada was not created until 1934 so the royal assent from the Brits for its creation would have facilitated the Cdn government's control at that time. It's unfortunate that Canada's relatively short monetary history is somewhat underplayed as opposed to connecting it to the history of the old banknotes and coins that still remain. |
|
Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5394 Posts |
Attrition rates for coins such as the OP is asking about are impossible to figure out due to the lack of records kept. Suffice to say there are more than enough still out there to satisfy demand. A 1905 25 cents is a slightly scarcer coin but readily available in most grades for below trends.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
3049 Posts |
Wildflower... if you can try looking up the book "Striking Impressions" by James Haxby... I think you may find it enjoyable to read, there's lots of info how the mint came to be.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2845 Posts |
Thanks very much AgCoinAu! I notice a detailed description of the book you mention on Amazon.ca and the historical subject matter is precisely what I'm interested in learning more about. I shall find myself a copy! |
|
Moderator
Australia
16836 Posts |
The general rule of thumb is "around 1% of coins are still around after a century". If they're still around by then, they're usually considered "numismatic" no matter the grade, so they've got an excellent chance of avoiding the melt bucket.
The 1% changes with many factors, including culture. Coins circulating in a culture where no-one trusts or has access to banks are more likely to survive, for example.
"Survival", of course, includes coins that are currently lost, and will later be recovered by metal detector (or tricorder, or whatever other fancy hyperscientific widget gets invented in the next few hundred years). So what fraction of that 1% of survivors is currently available on the collector market is another question.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
|
| |
Replies: 11 / Views: 2,363 |
|
Posted 07/14/2015 9:36 pm
