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Replies: 16 / Views: 3,477 |
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Valued Member
United States
190 Posts |
This is not the first time someone has asked how many collectors exist, but this is probably the first time someone is asking how many exist in a particular niche. For the purpose of this question let us assume that a collector is a person who collects by date, strike type, and/or variety. So, a person that wants to buy a coin to put it into a coin folder or into a collection that has some kind of order to it. Let us exclude people who are just interested in buying the rare coins as investments to be sold later. Let us also exclude hoarders meaning people who just keep all the copper pennies or whatever, but could care less about quality or any order or reason beyond metal content. Let us include only people living in the United States and Canada for the purpose of this post to make it more manageable to determine. If someone has more information based on world wide collectors that would be okay, but please specify. Please give guesses based on actual data collected or educated guesses, and please specify where your numbers are coming from or what you are basing your population counts on. About how many people in Canada and the USA collect Canada Small Cents? About how many people living in the United States collect US Large Cents by Sheldon and Newcomb Variety? I am hoping someone actually has some very accurate data collected somehow for some reason, but please feel free to post an educated guess that you believe is very close to the actual real number of people who collect Large Cents by variety. Please try to justify your answers to explain what your numbers are based on. Thanks! 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
I've got a date set of Braided Hair Large Cents (1839-1857). I'm in the process of identifying the Newcomb number for each. I'm using Grellman's book. Many of the diagnostics are so small that they disappear if a coin has much wear. All my coins are VF or better so I think there's a reasonable chance I'll be able to ID them.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11951 Posts |
It will be interesting to read .. if someone can come up with a educated guess.
For me I can't imagine how anyone would know.
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Valued Member
 United States
190 Posts |
I found for the Braided Head Types that the key to attributing them has more to do with the position of the date than anything else. It is not impossible to attribute coins as low as Almost Good for Braided Hair Types; however, for some dates with many Newcomb numbers, it helps to have the denticles visible. I use the attribution guide books too, but probably my best attribution guide has to be ebay. For me, a photo is really worth a 1,000 words. When you can compare high grade coins side by side using photos, it helps to find those differences that are sometimes not mentioned in attribution guides that help with identifying lower grade coins. If you get stuck go to ebay. Type in the date and go through each Newcomb number. Pay close attention to the date position and the curls and everything around the date. You can rule out most varieties very quickly this way. Next, look at the stars, and see where they point. It helps to have a coin with denticles for this part of the diagnostic. Sometimes there are die breaks or doubled or repunched numbers or letters that help too. Normally, the reverse does not help much for attributing Braided Head Types, but sometimes it does. I normally use the reverse to confirm or as a last resort. Finding a die break can help a lot, but make sure it matches all the other points first. Sometimes a die break is visible or not or may form later. The dies state of wear can actually throw you off because something might have worn off or broken off causing two Large Cents to look different even though they both were minted using the same die. For earlier Large Cent Head Types, you normally can determine everything from the Reverse even in low grades. This is because these coins were mostly made using hand made dies. However, I do have some problems with certain dates for Classic Head Types especially in lower grades. I also have had a lot of trouble with attributing Modified Matron Head Types (1836 to 1839) even in higher grades.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12477 Posts |
It's a valid question but, I don't see how anyone could know or even make a close educated guess.  What about people living in Canada who collect U.S. large cents? If anyone wants to compile the data from this topic, I currently collect neither. 
In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020 In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020 In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10034 Posts |
I know growing up close to the border, Canadian coinage was common enough in change that it was easy to collect sets of the coinage. From circulation, starting in the late 60s and on, I was able to collect a complete set of small cents (except the oldest keys). Although in other denominations, it was difficult to find coins made before 1937.
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Valued Member
United States
271 Posts |
I have casually collected Canada small cents from what I was able to pull from circulation both when I lived in the Republic of Panama and the United States. At some point I may consider filling in the holes through purchases.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
I collected a set of large Canadian cents, no varieties in presentable condition and a complete set of the circulation small cents to 2012. I have a few oddballs in with the set. While I put these sets together I went a bit crazy on as many different pre decimal copper coins that circulated in Canada. I just got my coins back from a guy who thought he had them sold for me. I would guesstimate that I have 325 different half pennies, pennies, tokens, Half Cents, large cents and one cent coin shaped Canadian stuff in that binder and am pretty well satisfied as it sits.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
As for US large and Half Cents, I have my type set candidates and would love to get the very early flowing hair large cent and a 1793 Half Cent someday. I like a nice flying eagle or Indian and won't part with the small stack I have but I only have a handful of Lincolns left. Just the type set and a couple dazzlers, but I am not a huge fan of the Lincoln series. Funny how myself being in the US, I chased after Canada coins with more effort than our copper coinage.
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Valued Member
United States
338 Posts |
I have a set of Canadian small cents.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I collect everything that is a coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
I keep all the Canadian cents I find in change, just for the novelty and because they aren't made anymore. I probably have 75% of a date set for QEII, and I have a few from KGVI.
I have maybe 5 very low grade large cents. US Classics don't really draw me in due to the prices involved; much cheaper to collect world or even ancient coins.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
I collect early date large cents, and some of the middle dates, by die variety. EAC, an organization for collectors of early copper has around 1,500 members. I find they are somewhat evenly split between the early, middle,and late date series with the middle date group being a little larger than the others.
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
I have the US coppers only for the type set that I can afford. I did at one time have what I thought was a full set of Canadian small cents, all 93 years 1920-2012. Was quite proud to have completed it, but alas, one of our Cannuck friends informed me it wasn't complete, I lacked the over 50 different varieties! Became disgusted and sold the darn thing with all the nickels I had started as well, wasn't willing to pay the exorbitant prices for those missing varieties and keys! At least it went to a good home, someone who appreciates them. 
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Moderator
 United States
187862 Posts |
I have a very incomplete set of Canadian cents I started when I lived up north an pulled them out of change a lot. The only US Large Cents that I have are the ones in my 7070. I do like them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7273 Posts |
I have a full set of Canadian Small cents and a few Canadian Large cents but not a complete set of large cents. Maybe, they are doable compared to US Large Cents.
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Replies: 16 / Views: 3,477 |