Twenty Cent Piece Values

Thanks very much, Dave. But I also flubbed my first post. I did not mean to include the S mint mark of the 1875, but, rather, include the Philly minted 1876. That total mintage of only about 14k would seem to be even more rare and highly desirable.

Are there any other words I should be aware of describe coins with a higher grade than around MS-63?

And thanks for the welcome.

Prethen, I agree. The 1875-CC is somewhat over-valued considering it's mintage and general availability and the 1875 and especially the 1876 Philadelphia coins are genuine "sleepers" that are harder to find than you might expect based on their published values. I would love to pick up a nice, choice AU or better 1876 but they are few and far between. I'm keeping my eyes open!

Fmtaxguy, Welcome! My opinion is that "select" BU theoretically means an MS-60 coin which is likely to have lots of bagmarks and limited eye appeal. "Choice" BU should be an MS-63 coin with good luster, few to moderate marks, and good appeal. In practice, both these terms are very often applied to "slider" coins that are actually lightly-circulated AUs that have been cleaned, polished, scratched, or otherwise abused. Some of the big advertisers in Coin World and other publications are the worst offenders, often trying to pass problem AU coins as select or choice BU. Be careful!

The term "Gem BU" is also used, intended to mean a coin that would grade MS-65. "Superb Gem" would mean MS-66 or MS-67. Again, these terms are often applied to coins that don't come close to deserving them.

fmtaxguy,

Grading skills come from lots of practice. We have a thread on the forum dedicated to grading practice and assistance. If you have some pictures of a coin you are contemplating buying, post them first and let us have a hack at the grade. We try not to just post a grade (that's bad form), but try to explain why we feel it should be graded that way. This helps you learn what to look for. And the best part ... we don't charge nuttin'

I think the pricing on the 75CC is affected by several factors beyond mere mintage numbers. In coins, as in most collectables, price is a function of scarcity and demand. While I only know one person who collects 20 cent pieces by date and mintmark I know dozens of collectors that have CC type sets. Since you need a CC 20 cent piece to complete the set, it puts undue strain on the supply. Also remember that for the most part CC coins (with the exception of the GSA dollar hoard issues) are very scarce in undamaged, uncleaned condition because they were made and released into circulation and they saw lots of circulation. Silver was the coin of choice in the western US during that time period. That is why if you go to local coin shows and small dealers you will find low grade circulated CC coins but very few (or no) high grade CC coins. Demand for CC coins far out strips the supply, the exception being the previously mentioned dollars. The good news here is saving up and buying high grade, undamaged CC coins can be a great long term investment. The demand will probably always be there and the supply isn't getting any bigger at this point. And FMTAXGUY, by all means read all you can and go to coin shows and look at coins, that is the best way to learn, unless you can land a job in a coin store like Clembo has.

Can you "right click"? If you see a picture online, just right click and choose "save as". Select a destination file for the picture and name it anything you want (avoid special characters in the name) and make sure it ends with ".jpg". For the purposes of grading here I don't think copyright issues will come into play. There are plenty of tutorials on posting pictures here ... just use the search function at the top of the page. If it proves more challenging than a coat hanger, let us know and we'll do it step-by-step.