| BETTER-DATE U.S. COINS
Here is a list of many better date U.S. coins that collectors popularly seek. Their values will be based on their condition and their mintage (the number of coins made for this date and mint mark). Problem-free examples command better prices, while coins that have scratches, digs, holes, rim bruises, or have been subjected to cleaning do not qualify for such values and are discounted accordingly.
HCC Inc. wants to purchase any and all coins that you wish to sell and will gladly give you a price quote on anything that you may have.
CENTS
1856 Flying Eagle: The 1856 Flying Eagle Cent is technically a pattern, however due to the number of known circulated examples it appears the coin nevertheless was used in commerce. The exact mintage is in question, but appears to be about 2,000 pieces.
1866 Indian: Post-Civil War Cent production was reduced dramatically due to the massive 74 million Cents struck during 1864 and 1865.
1867: A challenging date Cent from the post-Civil War period.
1868: The 1868 Indian Cent is a challenging lower mintage post-Civil War date to collect.
1869: This is lowest mintage Cent of the 1860s, with a mintage of only a mere 6.4 million coins.
1869/9: A desirable re-punched digit Cent on which a second 9 can be seen to protrude from the top of the 9.
1870: Another better-date post-Civil War Indian Cent.
1871: Poor-quality business strikes make this low-mintage issue challenging to collect.
1872: Another post-Civil War low mintage year. Many of the cents of this date are believed to have been later melted to be re-coined.
1873: The 11.6 million Cents struck during 1873 is significant compared to the immediate years prior to this, but 1873 remains a challenging date in the series to collect.
1874: Still a significant date to find, however the number of Cents issued annually between 1873 and 1875 increased significantly, partially due to the recall and melting of Half Cents, Large Cents, and Two-Cent coins.
1875: The mintage of Cents during 1875 was just below that of the 1874 emission.
1876: The numbers of Cents struck between 1873 and 1875 satisfied the demand for the denomination, leading to fewer Cents being struck during 1876.
1877: The need for new cents during 1877 was low due to the larger production of 1873 to 1875. This created what is now recognized as the key date to the entire Cent series. Beware of counterfeits made by altering the date on more common Indian Cents.
1908-S: This is the first year in which a branch mint facility struck the Cent denomination. It is also a lower mintage date in the series.
1909-S Indian: 1909 is only the second year in which a mintmark appears on the Cent, and as such is one of two key dates to the Indian Head series. This coin has a mintage of only 309,000 pieces. Beware of counterfeits.
1909-S VDB: The initials of the designer, Victor David Brenner, appear at six o’clock on the reverse of coins struck early during the year, however later dies discontinued these initials. The 484,000 1909-S VDB Cents struck is the lowest mintage of any Lincoln Cent. This date is notorious for being counterfeited.
1909-S Lincoln: The San Francisco minted Lincoln Cent of 1909 without the designer’s initials is not as rare as is the variety with the designer’s initials, but still a very desirable first year of issue Cent.
1910-S: Perhaps the 6 million plus Cents struck at San Francisco during 1910 is significant as compared to the 2.3 Lincoln cents struck at that mint a year earlier, but this is still an important date to be collected.
1911-S: Only a little more than 4 million Cents were struck at San Francisco during 1911.
1912-S: The 4.4 million 1912-S Cents produced makes this a desirable date to collect.
1913-S: The S-mint is the scarcest of the 1913 Cents.
1914-D: This is one of the most important dates in the Lincoln Cent series, a coin with a mintage of only 1.193 million pieces. For this reason it is also a highly counterfeited coin.
1914-S: A coinage shortage brought on by World War One and other factors resulting in few examples of this date escaping circulation.
1915-S: This is the scarcest of the 1915 Cents, with a modest 4.8 million pieces having been produced.
1922 No “D:” The Philadelphia Mint was directed not to strike Cents during 1922 due to demands from Silver Dollar production. There are three “No D” varieties, however only Die Pair Two is recognized as being rare. It has the important prominent Ts in TRUST, mushy WE, and final 2 bold as diagnostics.
1924-D: This is regarded as a semi-key date Cent, the mintage being a mere 2.5 million pieces.
1931-S: The mintage of this date is lower than that of the 1914-D Cent, however the 1931-S Cent was saved in numbers while the earlier 1914-D Cent was not. Nonetheless, with a mintage of only 866,000 pieces this is an important date in the Lincoln Cent series.
1955 Doubled Die: This is the error coin that launched modern coin collecting, with many non-collectors beginning to examine their pocket change for the first time. Double struck coins are different from those examples resulting from the doubled die. Doubled die examples have well pronounced doubling on the obverse visible without the need for close examination, with a faint pair of raised die polish lines extending downward from the top of the left side of the T in CENT.
NICKELS
1885 Liberty: The demand for higher denomination coins interrupted production of minor denomination coins beginning Feb. 16. The 1.47 million Nickels produced earlier in the year make this the key date in the Liberty Head Nickel series.
1886: For a second year the mintage of Nickels was sharply reduced due to priorities set on mint manufacturing, making this an important date in the series.
1912-S: The 1912-S Nickel is the first Nickel struck at San Francisco. It also has the lowest business strike mintage in the entire history of the denomination, at 238,000 pieces.
1913-D Buffalo (Plain): Despite the mintage from the same mint being similar to that of the 1913 Nickel on which the buffalo stands on a mound rather than on a plain this variety is considerably scarcer today, commanding a much higher premium.
1913-S (Plain): With a mintage of only about 1.2 million pieces, the Variety Two San Francisco minted Nickel on which the buffalo stands on a plain rather than on a mound is the lowest mintage of the denomination for the year.
1914-D: The survival rate of this better-date Nickel is significantly lower than appears from its mintage of more than 3.9 million pieces.
1918/17-D: This always popular over-date was caused by the haste made when preparing the working dies during World War One. It can be identified by the 7 underlying the 8, with the right side of the upper loop and the left side of the lower loop of the 8 being filled by the 7 on genuine examples.
1921-S: Only 1.557 million Buffalo Nickels were struck at San Francisco during 1921, making this an important date in the series.
1937-D “3-leg:” This is one of the most popular 20th century variety coins, a mint error caused by the over-polishing of a reverse die. Watch for what appears to be a stream of raised dots between the belly and the ground as important diagnostics on genuine specimens. Altered four-legged buffalo 1937-D Nickels exist.
DIMES
1895 Barber: During 1895, for the first time in 14 years, less than 1 million Dimes were struck at the Philadelphia Mint. Production of the Quarter and Half Dollar increased modestly during the same year, while the Silver Dollar of the same year is so scarce it is the key to the Silver Dollar series.
1895-O: This is one of a series of low mintage dates for the New Orleans Dimes between 1894 and 1897, with only 440,000 10-cent coins being struck.
1896-O: This is one of the better dates in the entire Barber Dime series, with a mintage of only 610,000 coins.
1896-S: This is the third lowest S-mint Dime in the Barber Dime series. Just more than 575,000 Dimes were struck.
1897-O: The O-mintage Dimes for 1897 rose to 666,000 pieces, however this is still a scarcer date in the series.
1916-D Mercury: The Denver-minted Mercury Dime of 1916 is the key issue in the series. The coins were released in November 1916 due to the mint having been committed to producing Quarters. Caution is the watchword since this is one of the most highly counterfeited US coins of the 20th century.
1921: A modest 1.23 million Dimes were struck at Philadelphia during 1921.
1921-D: Just as with its Philadelphia cousin of the same year, this Dime was struck with a modest mintage (1.08 million pieces).
1942/41: This is a popular mid-20th century over-date rarity, the die having been made by accident by counter-marking the date digit. The 4 appears to be notched at the base on genuine examples.
QUARTERS
1896-S Barber: This is the third lowest mintage Quarter in the Barber series, with a mintage of only 188,039 pieces. It appears the need to produce 5 million Silver Dollars may have been at the cost of producing additional Quarters.
1897-S: This is one of the more desirable “S” year Barber Quarters, with a mintage of just more than a half million coins.
1901-S: The 1901-S Quarter is is the second lowest mintage Barber Quarter in the series from the San Francisco Mint. For this reason it is also the second lowest mintage coin in the series. Watch for added mintmarks, especially if the coin has been cleaned.
1913-S: This is the key date coin in the Barber Quarter series, a coin with a mintage of only 40,000 pieces. The year 1913 is also a low mintage year for San Francisco Cents and Dimes.
1914-S: Only 264,000 S-mint Quarters were struck during 1914. Only modest quantities of other silver denominations were struck at this mint during the same year. At the same time the bulk of gold coin production was dedicated to the $20 Double Eagle.
1916 Standing Liberty: The Standing Liberty design for the Quarter was introduced in December in small quantities, making it a rare and important date in the Quarter coinage series.
1918/17-S: This classic over-date was the result of a re-worked die from 1917. A lump will be present above and right of the date, with the underlying 7 forming a squared-off top to the 8 on this variety.
1921: The year 1921 was a low mintage year for many coin denominations, excepting the Morgan Silver Dollar. Only 1.916 million Quarters were struck at Philadelphia, few of which have survived in Mint State conditions. It is, unfortunately, a coin sometimes encountered made by altering 1924 examples for this reason.
1923-S: The about 1.3 million Quarters struck at San Francisco during 1923 makes this an important key date in the series.
1932-D Washington: Branch mint Quarter production has never been below 1 million pieces annually since this date. Due to its rarity and key-date status collectors be aware counterfeits exist. Genuine examples have a square, tall and, angular mintmark.
1932-S: This along with its Denver Mint cousin of the same year this is the key date in the series. Genuine examples must display a square, boxy mintmark with serifs parallel to each other. A die line appears above the D in DOLLAR on most genuine examples.
HALF DOLLARS
1892-O Barber: The 1892 Half Dollar struck at New Orleans is the key date in the 19th century portion of the Barber Half Dollar series. It has a mintage of only 390,000 coins.
1892-S: San Francisco minted Quarters from the first year of the Barber or Liberty Head design are popular, but were not saved in significant numbers despite a reasonable mintage of more than 1 million pieces.
1893-S: This is the second lowest mintage Barber Half Dollar struck during the 19th century. It is a rare date in grades of Fine or better.
1896-S: This scarce date Half Dollar is known for planchet striations originating from worn roller fingers used during the manufacture of the blanks
1914: This is the key date in the series, with a mintage of only 124,610 coins. Ironically although it is challenging to find a circulated example above the grade of Good the 1914 Half Dollar was saved in reasonable quantities in Mint State conditions.
1915: The 1915 Barber or Liberty Head Half Dollar is the second lowest mintage date in the series, being somewhat available in Good to Very Good, but not in grades any higher.
1921 Walking Liberty: Once again production of this “minor” denomination coin was limited in order to produce massive numbers of Morgan Silver Dollars. As a result this is the second lowest mintage coin in the series. A stylized 2 with a flat but slightly curved base is important to note since altered date examples are known.
1921-D: The Denver Mint Half Dollar of 1921 is the key date in the series. The same stylized 2 with a flat but slightly curved base as appears on the Philadelphia strikes is also is an important diagnostic on genuine “D” specimens.
1938-D: This is the third lowest mintage Half Dollar in the Walking Liberty series, and for that reason is always a popular coin with collectors.
SILVER DOLLARS
1878-CC Morgan: All Carson City minted Silver Dollars are desirable, however with a mintage of 2.2 million pieces the emission of 1878 is the second highest Morgan Silver Dollar issued by this mint.
1879-CC: The CC Dollar of 1879 has a mintage of only 756,000 pieces, making it an important date in the series. Most Carson City minted Silver Dollars between 1882 and 1892 would exceed 1 million pieces each.
1880-CC: Many of the Uncirculated coins of this date can be traced either to Treasury bags or to General Service Administration holdings. Only a modest 591,000 Silver Dollars were struck at Carson City during this year,.
1881-CC: This is the second lowest CC-mint Morgan Silver Dollar in the series, however ironically more Mint State than circulated examples of this scarcer date have survived.
1882-CC: For the first time since 1878 more than 1 million CC Silver Dollars were struck during 1882. Most surviving examples can be traced to bags of these CC Dollars released by the Treasury in 1938 or to the additional 605,000 examples made available through the GSA in 1975.
1883-CC: This is one of the four years between 1881 and 1884 in which the Carson City Mint struck just more than 1 million Silver Dollars annually. Many surviving Uncirculated examples originated from Treasury bags and GSA holdings.
1884-CC: This is a more commonly encountered Carson City Dollar due to the 1938 Treasury release and ensuing 1975 GSA offering of Silver Dollars that included a significant number of CC Silver Dollars of this date.
1885-CC: The 228,000 pieces struck at Carson City during 1885 is the lowest mintage date for the CC Morgan Dollar series, but this is a coin that is ironically scarcer in circulated than in Mint State and prooflike grades since few were released into circulation. The Carson City Mint facility was shut down by President Grover Cleveland soon after Cleveland was elected US president, claiming the facility cost too much to operate.
1889-CC: The Carson City Mint was given a reprieve and once again operated during 1889 through the early 1890s issued coins. The facility reopened for business Sept. 9 following a return of the Republicans to the White House. Due to the late date at which production began during 1889 this is the key date CC Dollar, a date often found heavily circulated.
1890-CC: 1890-CC: The mintage of about 2.3 million 1890 Carson City Silver Dollars makes this one of the more affordable CC Dollars in the Morgan series.
1891-CC: Many of the better surviving CC Silver Dollar coins of this date from its mintage of 1.618 million pieces that entered the market at a much later date either through Treasury holdings or through the GSA sales of the 1970s.
1892-CC: By 1892 the number of Silver Dollars produced due to pressure exerted on Congress by the silver mining lobby had resulted in bank vaults overflowing with the unwanted denomination. Silver Dollars were being accepted by merchants at less than face value, while surviving Gold Dollar coins were being accepted at full face value. Silver Dollar production soon slowed, many being melted, resulting in most of the better dates in the series being between this date and 1895.
1893-CC: The significant production of Carson City minted Silver Dollars during 1891 and 1892 filled demand, resulting in only 677,000 Silver Dollars being struck at the facility during 1893. The Carson City Mint closed permanently June 1, 1893. The scarcity of this date makes it expensive in better grades.
1893-S: The Sherman Act through which Silver Dollar production had been mandated was repealed during 1893, the year Grover Cleveland became president, and the year in which a financial panic was caused by the hoarding of gold. The mintage of Silver Dollars was severely curtailed, the San Francisco mint having produced only 100,000 pieces during January, the only month in which the 1893-S Dollar was struck. This is a significant rarity in the US coinage series for this reason.
1894: Contemporary economic and political condition resulting in only 110,000 Silver Dollar coins being struck at Philadelphia during 1894. As a result this is one of the most important key date coins in the series.
1895-S: 1895 was the final year of low mintage Silver Dollars. It was quickly followed by many years in which with one exception in 1899 more than 1 million pieces would be struck annually from each mint. Only 400,000 Silver Dollar coins were struck in 1895 at the San Francisco Mint, most surviving Uncirculated examples able to be traced to the famed Redfield hoard.
1903-O: Anything can and usually does happen regarding rare coins. The 1903-O Silver Dollar was formerly rare date, however it is now readily available in Uncirculated grades due to the release of hoard discovered during the early 1960s.
1928 Peace: The 1928 Peace Dollar is an example of why age is not a determining factor in the scarcity and value of a coin. This low mintage Silver Dollar was produced in low numbers due to the supply of silver at the Philadelphia Mint having become exhausted during the production year.
CARSON CITY SILVER DOLLARS (in General Services Administration plastic cases marked “Uncirculated”). Boxes must be undamaged, with complete documentation.
1878-CC: GSA Silver Dollars of 1878 are less common than are their non-GSA Uncirculated counterparts.
1879-CC: This is the key date for the Carson City coins found Uncirculated in GSA holders.
1880-CC: A modestly challenging GSA CC Dollar to collect.
1881-CC: The 1881-CC GSA Dollar is slightly more difficult to collect than is its 1880-CC counterpart.
1882-CC: This is one of the three years in which GSA Dollars are most commonly encountered.
1883-CC: This is the second most commonly encountered GSA Dollar.
1884-CC: More GSA Dollar coins are known of this than of any other date.
1885-CC: This is a “better” date GSA CC Silver Dollar.
1890-CC: The 1890-CC GSA Uncirculated Silver Dollar is the second most desirable coin in the GSA encapsulated series to obtain.
1891-CC: A desirable GSA Uncirculated Dollar, this coin is only slightly less challenging to obtain than is the GSA encapsulated CC Silver Dollar of 1890.
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