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 Replies: 10 / Views: 4,302 |
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Valued Member
United States
327 Posts |
I haven't been collecting US mint coinage very long so I'm hoping someone can clarify "circulating quality" as it pertains to the National Parks set. I understand uncirculated to mean scratch free. Does this mean that these coins are just pulled from bags or will they be mint state?
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Uncirculated means it hasn't circulated, not that it's scratch-free. The same description applies to Mint State coins. It's almost certain that they'll all be in bags after minting; if I recall, they don't get rolled from the Mint but at the Federal Reserve.
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Valued Member
United States
407 Posts |
From the Mint's website http://www.usmint.gov/kids/campCoin...Finishes.cfm: Quote:
Circulating
Circulating coins are also known as "business strikes." They are made to circulate among people as they take care of their daily business of buying and selling, saving and collecting. These are the workhorses of the nation's currency, and use only the basic steps that produce quality coinage.
Shipped in bags in large numbers, these coins rub against each other and may have some small dings before people even see them. Usually, that's not a problem. Most people don't mind if the coins they spend are a little scratched or dull from use. But for coin collectors, condition is an important factor.
Uncirculated
The United States Mint makes uncirculated coins for saving and collecting. They have the same designs as circulating coins, but they are not meant for daily use. They are for collectors, and are kept in far better condition than coins that have been handled every day.
In the past, after these coins were struck, they were put in special packaging instead of being dropped into large bags. The packaging kept them looking brand new and protected them from the wear and tear of handling.
But in 2005, uncirculated coins began being made with specially prepared dies so the coins would have a beautiful satin finish- smooth, but not as shiny as a proof. This finish makes it easier to tell a true uncirculated coin from a circulating coin that simply hasn't circulated.
So, circulating coins are for spending and uncirculated for collecting. But for a coin that is the best example available of the coin maker's art, there's the proof coin.
Steve |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Thank you, Steve. I'm better informed now. Shows you how much attention I actually pay to Moderns.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Wow, the mint does okay when talking about "circulating", and then they strike out when trying to define "uncirculated." Just horrible.
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Valued Member
United States
407 Posts |
Hey Dave, I saw after posting that I was putting that together while you posted yours. I could have just typed my explanation, like yours, but I figured why not go to the source? That is The Mint's explanation, and it makes perfect sense - coins for commerce and coins for collecting!
Steve
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
John, what SuperDave told you was correct. And the first half of what Steve posted from the mint's website is correct. A coin that is intended for circulation...a "business strike"...is an uncirculated coin. It is uncirculated until it starts to circulate, and gets that first bit of wear that knocks it down to an AU (about uncirculated) grade. As for the second half of what was written, those coins are called "not intended for circulation" by the mint. Oh, Steve, thanks for posting that...  Maybe the mint is trying to keep it simple for kids? But seems confusing to me. Edited by steve199
06/27/2010 01:17 am
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Valued Member
 United States
327 Posts |
Thank you for that explanation. I kind of thought "circulating" meant what it said but I got confused when I read that the mint will sell me an America the Beautiful "circulating" set for $9.95. I just don't get it. I guess even the quarters in circulation will be hard to find? I guess we'll see.
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Valued Member
United States
442 Posts |
Circulating is mint state from new p&d mint sets/rolls called business strikes ,uncirculated coins are satin finish,proof & w mint marks the acronym is nifc witch means not intended for circulation you will here it alot here on ccf hope this helps.
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Valued Member
United States
106 Posts |
IMHO I would not pull the trigger on purchasing the "circulating" set from the mint. My wife has been receiving rolls of both P & D "Hot Springs" quarters for over a month as part of her daily change order. She gets at least one roll every other day. She runs a restaurant. I expect the same for all the other releases this year. Now if you want to get "nicer" circulating examples then I guess it makes sense. I can tell you from first hand experience that the 30$+ rolls of "uncirculated" ATB Quarters look like garbage when you unroll them. The rims on mine were beat to heck and several had some gnarly bag marks. It was enough for me to never purchase rolls from the mint ever again. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11951 Posts |
Johnstac
I think you got it, and what everyone is saying is correct, I just feel compelled to add my thoughts also.
It seems the mint has tried to make their explanation of what they are selling this year as simple as possible, but has caused more confusion. I think they have gotten complaints in the past few years, that collectors have not been able to able to obtain, all the new coins they are putting out, from circulation.
So they are trying to offer all the possible types of coins directly to the collector.
The three basic type are Proof, Satin and business strike. The mint this year is calling them Proof, uncirculated and circulating quality.
What category these coins fall into, depends on how they are made.
Proof - Highly polished die's and planchet / blanks. Double stuck, with high pressure.
Satin/uncirculated - Die's are prepared to give the coin a smooth "satin" finish
Business strike/circulating quality - No special preparation is done to the die's or the planchet/blanks. They will be of the same finish as the coins that are released for circulation.
All of these coins are considered "uncirculated". They can be bagged, rolled or placed in government holders and sold to collectors. A proof can be broken out of the holder and spent, obtain wear and be considered circulated. Of course it will still be a proof
In my opinion, the mint is wrong for using the words, uncirculated and circulating to place their coins into a category. Those words are used in our hobby to describe a condition of a coin, not type.
As for your original question, "circulating quality" In the past when collectors were putting their sets together, if they could not find some of the coins from circulation/roll hunting, they would purchase a mint set to fill the missing coins. Since 2005, only satin finished coins came in the mint sets. This caused a problem for collectors that want to maintain the same look in their sets. So this year the mint is offering "circulating quality" coins, so collectors have the option to purchase any of the three type finishes offered.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 4,302 |
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Posted 06/27/2010 12:50 am
