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 Replies: 15 / Views: 4,253 |
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Valued Member
United States
397 Posts |
Can a coin truly be uncirculated if it is found in circulation?
In other words, if I find a truly pristine, fully red, not a spot of wear anywhere on it, 2010 shield cent while searching a Brinks roll is the highest it can grade AU? Or is it still possible to for it to be considered MS or BU? To be in a Brinks roll, it had to have gone through a few hands and at least one coin sorter - but you can't tell by looking at it.
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Valued Member
United States
462 Posts |
I think that is why I prefer the term "mint state" as in the coin is in the same state as you would find fresh from the mint. Just because a coin was found in "circulation" doesn't mean that the coin has the look of a circulated coin. As so much in life, its all about looks.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19948 Posts |
This is a popular question. The answer is YES, you can find coins that grade "uncirculated" or "mint state" in "circulation". Just because a coin has seen some light duty, doesn't mean it's automatically an AU coin.
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Valued Member
United States
376 Posts |
Waredu, I think your looking at this literally when really it's a matter of semantics.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19948 Posts |
Yea, just remember....grading is grading, it doesn't matter where the coin came from. I've pulled a TON of MS-BU coins from circulation.
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3283 Posts |
 I also like the term MS because your actually referring to a coins state of preservation, not it's history. Although I freely use the term uncirculated it's the condition I'm talking about. I would say the vast majority of "uncirculated" coin saw some circulation before they were put away. |
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New Member
United States
43 Posts |
+1 on MS being the appropriate term, for reasons stated above. It takes a bit of handling to produce visible wear.
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
This post then begs the question. If everyone and their uncle collected their 2009 cents (4 varieties) because of Lincoln's birth year and the manner in which they collected them were in BU/MS sets and rolls, are the 2009 cents that are left in circulation going to be in greater demand and priced higher due to their rarity?
Will an AU55 2009 logsplitter eventually be worth as much as a 1909-S or 09-S VDB?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19948 Posts |
They produced a lot of cents for 2009 and millions were put away in mint state by collectors. None of the 4 issued types will ever have much value unless they are conditional rarities. An AU LP2 cent will always be worth one cent for this reason.
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2120 Posts |
Remember, Grading refers to the level of preservation that a coin is in. not where it was found or how it was obtained. Take for instance this scenario; I put an MS Walking Liberty half into a dansco album the I purchased directly from the mint. I then (over the course of 30 years) take the coin in and out over and over again, causing the mylar slide to rub ever so slightly each time on the obverse of the coin. Over time this has caused a small, but noticeable, amount of wear on the highest points of the coin. This coin would now be graded as an AU, because of its state of preservation relative to when it left the mint. Even though I got it directly from the mint. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
Quote:
Will an AU55 2009 logsplitter eventually be worth as much as a 1909-S or 09-S VDB? No. However, decades from now, AU 2009 Cents might actually be rare. There will be lots of MS 2009 Cents fifty years from now, but if today's collectors don't save any AU examples right now, those same coins won't be AU in a couple of years, due to the inevitable rapid zinc Cent deterioration. No saving of AU's = Ten years from now, 2009 Cents will be "MS or rotted trash". This is why I save the best-looking AU 2009 Cents I find. I have a perfectly browned LP1, looks like an old Copper Cent. Does anyone on CCF think you could find something like that in circulation fifty years from now? (assuming Cents are even circulating by that point?) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1691 Posts |
great idea DNA!  Edited by atlashealth
09/09/2010 6:35 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2120 Posts |
hmm great idea, except that I can take any coin and make it a lower grade. Just carry it around as a pocket piece for a bit and behold. AU.
lol
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
From my experiences with carrying BU Zinc LMC's in my pocket change: Pocket-pieced 2009 Cents would not take on the toning of real 'circulated-down-to-AU' cents. (especially not my perfect brown LP1!) Pocket pieces are not constantly handled like real circulating coins. Copper (plating) gradually tones and turns to brown from the handling. My pocketed BU LMC's end up worn to AU, but not toned. Edited by DNA
09/10/2010 10:14 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
620 Posts |
Yes, you can find true MS coins in circulation.
Most all the cents,nickles and dime I save a re MS ones I get in change.
And in the winter I do a bit of roll searching mostly Half dollar rolls from the bank.
A few years ago I found a very nice MS Proof Kennedy in a roll, it was in fact nicer than the one
I had in my Album that came out of a proof set. \great finds are still out there, no doubt in my mind.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36744 Posts |
Yes, you can pull an MS coin out of circulation.
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Replies: 15 / Views: 4,253 |
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Posted 08/27/2010 01:04 am
