| Author |
 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,453 |
|
|
Valued Member
United States
89 Posts |
Seeing the Barber thread made me think, what about Seated coinage found in circulation? I personally love collecting Seated coinage. I recently read a story that in the rural South, Seated coinage could still be found in circulation as late as the late 1940's. I found that pretty interesting. I would imagine that a lot of Seated coinage hit the melting pots in the 1920's when tons of old coinage was melted down. I wouldn't imagine that the big melt's of 1979 & 1980 did not melt down a significant amount of Seated coinage as it was highly collectible by that point in time. Thanks for your input. |
|
|
|
Moderator
 United States
54280 Posts |
March 13, 1957.
Show your financial support of the Coin Community Family (click here)See my topic on Mexican Numismatic Medals (click here) |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
12057 Posts |
I've never heard an anecdote from anyone from my generation (late 30s) nor my parents' generation (they would have been late 60s) having found any Seated coinage in circulation. I think you'd have to go back to pre-Depression era survivors to have a shot of finding someone who actually saw any Seated coin appear in their change. I imagine that many that might have been saved as curiosities in the teens and Twenties would have been spent out of necessity in the Depression and probably melted during the run-up to the war effort or just to make new coins, but that's just a guess. Silver coinage circulated heavily, and wore out quite a bit more rapidly than the 1964 and later replacement issues. In addition, by the start of the 20th c. coin collecting was booming, and collectors would have been pulling Seated coinage out of circulation when possible, further reducing the odds of seeing it "out and about", a trend which would have accelerated fairly quickly interrupted only by extreme economic hardship and war. Member ANA - EAC - TNA - SSDC - CCT #890 "Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done." -- Louis D. Brandeis Edited by paralyse
10/05/2016 11:01 pm
|
|
Valued Member
 United States
89 Posts |
Wow, how in the world can you remember a specific date? My grandfather who got me into coin collecting was born in 1910. He vividly remembers Barber coinage brand new, as well as SLQ, early date Walkers, etc. He has passed away 20 years ago now, but I remember talking with him, and him saying that Seated coinage was routinely seen in circulation during the depression. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4085 Posts |
I think NSS was being a bit humorous there. It is really just a matter of degrees. I remember a couple of years ago someone got a seated coin in change - a dime I think. Does that mean it was still in circulation at that point? If you are talking regular circulation, my guess is that they started disappearing as soon as the Barbers started coming out.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
164 Posts |
About 1966 I received an 1840 dime as partial payment for a sale at Sears Roebuck where I worked at the time. Obverse was in decent shape but reverse was pretty well gone.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Good point. Almost anything is possible now and then, including the odd Seated coin. These were uncommon but hardly rare in the mid-'50s when I was a kid, when silver was...well, silver. A worn Seated or Barber coin was of little collecting interest. The Red Book would have been the only reference, and I did not own one until I was in high school. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2200 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3101 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3278 Posts |
Well done! Very funny stuff there. I "found" a Seated dime in a shot glass at my father-in-laws house a few years ago, he didn't remember where it came from. The following christmas it was under the tree with my name on it, only one I have |
|
Valued Member
United States
467 Posts |
In 2009 I found a Seated dime in a box of dimes I was searching. |
|
Valued Member
United States
344 Posts |
All these threads about finding old types and here I am searching everyday though change and haven't found a Wheat penny in over two years  |
| |
Replies: 11 / Views: 2,453 |
|
Posted 10/05/2016 10:59 pm
