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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,079 |
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New Member
United States
2 Posts |
New to coin collecting I was just curious what "key date" means?
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Valued Member
United States
56 Posts |
A key date is a coin that is usually the last to be placed in a collection, because the date or date and mint mark combination is especially rare or hard to find. It is the coin that most collectors need to complete a certain collection.
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New Member
 United States
2 Posts |
I ask because some of the coins I'm looking at specify that its a key date or a "semi" key date?!?
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Valued Member
United States
56 Posts |
thats good. try looking on pcgs.com for the coin and its value.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2254 Posts |
quote:
I ask because some of the coins I'm looking at specify that its a key date or a "semi" key date?!?
First off, welcome to the forum Dee. Second, I'm not exactly sure where you stand as far as experience with collecting, but my guess is that asking the question you asked tells me you're relatively new to collecting. Having said that, welcome to a great hobby. So, instead of turning this into a novel, I will just tell you what piqued my interest with this latest post. Be very careful where you are looking at things termed "key date". If it's ebay, confirm here first. There are a lot of unscrupulous sellers out there that will label common date coins as key dates. So, in a nutshell, if you are new to collecting, stick around here for a while and ask questions before you start purchasing. Everyone here loves to help. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
603 Posts |
If these coins you are looking at are on e-bay, then don't pay too much attention to the "key date". Many sellers throw that in, in case someone uses that term as part of their search. I am not sure where you could get a list of most issues keys, but I know there were a few threads on here, you could do a search if they are not archived.
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Valued Member
United States
58 Posts |
Key dates & semi key dates are usually the lowest mintage of the series. I would contact a local dealer that you trust, he should help you. Also a good adage is read the book first.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1283 Posts |
In my humble opinion a "Key" has more to do with cost than rarity, although rarity certainly contributes to cost.
For example. A 1909-S VDB penny was produced in very large quantities as compared to many other coins. In fact it is quite easy to find. BUT demand is enormous and that drives up the cost big time. It is, however, the shortest minted coin in the series.
I'm basically making the point that being a Key doesn't necessary mean a coin is rare.
So generally speaking:
- A key will be the lowest minted (or lowest available) coins in a series.
- They will be the most expensive coins in a series.
- They may or may not be scarce/rare, but they will be more rare than the other coins in the series.
Coins are generally set into three categories; Keys, Semi-keys, and Common Dates.
Edited by USArmyParatrooper
04/03/2008 02:27 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1934 Posts |
I'm adding that pcgs.com price list prices are very high. numismedia and the Red Book are more accurate for values of coins. I've never seen a gray (grey?) sheet; however, I watch dealers use them and wrest valuable coins from others at what I often think are unfairly low...dealer or nae. What I like about pcgs.com's price list is that they list more varieties than numismedia.com |
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,079 |
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Posted 04/02/2008 7:41 pm
