Tag Archives: pocket change

2026 Privy Marked 25c Rarity

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To celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial–250 years–the US Mint produced 250,000 Declaration of Independence Quarters featuring a special “July 4th” privy mark. These quarters were sent with regular business strikes to banks and now has become a desirable variety, typically selling raw for $100 and several hundreds more if slabbed in high mint state.

In introducing the coin, Mint Director Paul Hollis said, “We hope Americans enjoy the search for these iconic quarters as they’re meant to be shared, saved, and remembered as part of this historic anniversary.”

No Washington Quarter has such a low mintage. The key dates 1932-D had a mintage of 436,800 and 1932-S, 408,000.

Let’s show where you can find the privy mark and display it next to a regular issue.

As you can see, the obverse side displays a profile of Thomas Jefferson and the reverse features the Liberty Bell. The privy mark reads “July 4th. Unlike other business strikes, these rare quarters bear no mint mark, making the privy mark the primary indicator of its rarity.

You can find raw and holdered examples on eBay and other online venues.

If you know how to grade and have an exceptional high mint state example, like this one below, then consider holdering it.

Among the highest graded examples have been MS67, as above. Gem Grades (MS65 to MS66+) have been found in rolls and also go for hundreds of dollars.

As you can imagine, counterfeits, replicas and altered coins are making the rounds. The Better Business Bureau has put out an alert about this.

Scammers have done the following:

  1. Altered Mint Marks: Criminals use standard 2026 Philadelphia or Denver quarters, grind off the “P” or “D” mint mark, and engrave or stamp a fake “July 4” text onto the field.
  2. Misplaced Privy Designs: Some fakes feature poorly defined text or put the mark in the wrong spot.
  3. Forgotten Mintmark: Scammers put a fake July 4th privy mark but forget to shave off the mintmark.

The best place to find these rare privy marked quarters, apart from pocket change, is securing or buying bank rolls … and hoping you’ll get lucky.

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Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Get-rich Quick with Coins?

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Coin collecting has endured many threats. The U.S. Mint banned private ownership of gold in 1933 and later removed mintmarks from coins between 1965 and 1967, believing collectors were hoarding coins. China starting flooding the market with counterfeits. But now the biggest threat is social media, promising huge rewards by finding ultra rarities in pocket change.

Consider this ludicrous post:

Let’s dispense with that get-rich prospect for now so we can focus on some of the daily rubbish veteran hobbyists see across Facebook coin groups.

For that, I am going to need machine intelligence because human intelligence has failed.

Iowa State Virtual Realty Lab.

I work at an institution of science and technology. In addition to being a collector, I am a distinguished professor whose research expertise includes artificial intelligence. I have access to top machine intelligence. I asked about odds of finding ultra rarities–copper war cents, 1982-D Small Date 3.1 grams, 1969-S DDO–and created the chart below.

You will have better luck winning the Power Ball lottery.

Clickbaiters make their money off of newbie ignorance. Let that sink in. The more you visit their sites, the more gullible they can make you, believing their outrageous lies, the more money they make. And they make it by deceit, exaggeration and manipulation.

To understand the effectiveness of that ruse, what in the world would prompt a person to think the coin below is an error?

Before social media, hobbyists would look at this coin and become upset because it no longer fits in a pop machine. But today’s so-called “collector” sees the same coin and thinks it left the U.S. Mint that way and could be worth thousands.

Worse, hopelessly damaged coins like this are being offered for crazy amounts, fueling the ruse. This is an example from Etsy:

What is the impact of all this?

Collectors are drawn to the hobby because it teaches history, culture, art, science and metallurgy. Facebook newbies have no desire to learn the hobby. They have been trained by Google and now AI to get answers on demand without doing any reading or study.

That impulse is the antithesis of numismatics.

In our time, a few decades ago, the intent was to collect, not to enrich, but to learn; so when we asked questions, we did so knowing proper numismatic terminology. There was never an intense interest in error coins because it was an unpopular facet of collecting. But those few who embraced the genre knew what they were looking for, researching errors that third party grading companies actually would holder. They also knew that a mere few error coins required microscope magnification to see. All they needed was knowledge and a loupe.

Daily we see on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, eBay, etc., ridiculous posts like this that constitute the majority of photos and ads across coin groups.

As a result, we get questions and photos like these:

I am triggered by the constant parade of damaged pocket change. I try to think of ways to inform newbies who post such coins:

Many coin group moderators remind their members to be civil–a good rule, actually; but veteran hobbyists also have a breaking point. The vast majority of photos across FB groups feature some of the ugliest coins in circulation, an affront to our love of the hobby.

Some examples:

Gone is the beauty of coin collecting as well as learning about art and culture. The above coins say something about the current culture of the United States: We’re bored. We need a pastime. Instead of Wordle, let’s look for error coins and get rich trying!

In a word, these newbies want affirmation, not information. The best we can do is offer fact-based opinions–whether civil or not–to enlighten or startle these error-hunters out of their malaise.

Sometimes I lose patience and become snarky, as in this exchange:

Typically I end articles with recommendations to address the topic or problem of the post. I can’t do that here. I am flummoxed.

So you tell us: What can be done?

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Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

The Hunt for “W” Mint Mark Quarters

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The hunt for West Point quarters promotes the hobby of coin collecting with real incentives to search for 2019/2020 “America The Beautiful National Park” W-mint examples often found in pocket change and quarter rolls.

In 2019, the holdering company PCGS stoked collector interest in offering a $5,000 reward for the first Lowell West Point Mint Mark Quarter sent in for grading, promising special labels for those submitting this coin for grading in the first 45 days of the initial discovery.

In April 2019, PCGS wrote: “Two avid coin collectors, one in Kansas and the other in Virginia, have agreed to split the $5,000 bounty offered by Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) for almost simultaneously submitting the first 2019 ‘America the Beautiful’ Lowell National Historical Park quarter-dollars with a West Point mint mark. Both submissions arrived on the same day at PCGS headquarters.”

The West Point Mint, typically used to strike silver dollars, produced 10 2019/2020 W-Mint Mark Quarters with a meager mintage of 2,000,000 for each coin of each year. This is an incredibly low mintage for the Washington Quarter series, with only the 1937-S Quarter with a mintage of 1,652,000 within the same low range.

Moreover, the Mint mixed up the W-mint quarters with ones from Philadelphia and Denver, tempting collectors to find them in pocket change.

Ever since, social media–especially YouTube and TikTok–have hyped the value of these coins in numerous videos. Here’s one of them:

You also will find videos and posts promising hundreds and thousands of dollars for a W-mint quarter. That is for super high grade examples such as MS67+ or even MS68. Again these rank as condition rarities, and only a handful have ever graded at that high level.

Nevertheless, the W-mint quarters have some real hobbyist potential.

Here are retail values for each year:

Keep in mind that these retail values are for PCGS graded coins at MS65. The cost of grading almost always will be as much as the value of the coin. Auction hammer prices are typically two-thirds of the retail values. Also if you find a W-mint quarter in pocket change, technically it is considered circulated. That said, you can find near gem examples distributed mistakenly from rolls or deposited in banks from stores and coin machines.

You will find highly exaggerated “buy now” examples on eBay, like this one with a few bag marks from circulation:

Always check the “sold” button on eBay. If you do, you will find that ungraded 10-coin sets of W-mint mark quarters sell typically for between $150-200.

If you are going to spend time roll and coin hunting, the search for W-mint quarters is worth the time and hobbyist fun.

Finally, if you would like a video version of this article, with more information, see:

2019/2020 West Point Mint Quarters

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Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Damaged coins are not valuable errors

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I’m a member of several Facebook coin identification groups, and consistently we see inquiries about the value of damaged or defaced common coins, with amateurs asking if they are valuable errors. Here are just three in one 20-minute session on the platform, all common, all damaged, all worth face value:

All of these common date coins have significant damage, mostly caused by the environment.

There may be no way to stop beginners asking value questions about damaged coins. The thinking seems to be along this line: (a) I know what this coin should look like. (b) This coin doesn’t look like that. (c) Ergo, it must be valuable, (d) That’s what the internet states.

YouTube and Facebook feature many sites that hype error coins, stating they are worth millions. Here’s an example:

Chances of finding a copper 1943 cent in pocket change or any of the other extremely rare errors are close to zero. If you are interested in error coins and varieties, see Proxiblog’s comprehensive illustrated directory.

Another way to check is to use PCGS CoinFacts. Go to the denomination and date and click on the link that states “varieties.”

Let’s take the damaged 1983-D cent featured above. It has PVC damage, by the way: Go to Coin Facts. Find the date. Click on the link for errors and varieties:

Compare your coin with the varieties and errors: You will find that some of the copper planchets from 1982 somehow got fed through the press to create a copper 1983 D cent. You’ll have to weigh the coin. Copper cents weigh 3.11 grams. Copper plated zinc weighs 2.5 grams.

You’ll also find this error: https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1983-d-1c-ddo-fs-101-rd/569360

As you can see, identifying errors requires special skill sets as well as time and effort. So when you ask a Facebook member to do the work for you, you may get a disappointing reply. Best advice is to assume your coin is not valuable, consider whether it has environmental damage or other flaw, and ask your question after some research.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Missing v. Philadelphia Mint Marks

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Missing mint marks on US coins occur on a handful of proof coins and one business strike dime. Billions of business strike coins with no mint marks were produced in Philadelphia, as at one time, it was the only manufacturing facility. Later, other facilities were added across the country, thereby requiring a mint mark.

The Philadelphia Mint did not use a mint mark on coins until 1980, with the exception of the 1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar, 1942-45 35% silver Jefferson war nickels, and the 2017 Lincoln 225th anniversary cent.

Social media click-baiters have confused the terms “missing” and “no mint mark.” Let’s correct the record with this article, starting with this chart, so you can see why these are ultra rarities unlikely to be found in pocket change or rolls.

Let’s explore these individually.

1968 No S Proof Dime

A 1968 proof set sells for less than $20. However, about a dozen 1968 proof sets escaped the Mint without an S mint mark. They are worth thousands. Here’s an example of such a proof coin.

1990 No S Lincoln Cent

Fewer than 200 examples:

1970 No S Roosevelt Proof Dime

Fewer than a dozen:

1975 No S Roosevelt Proof Dime

Only 2 known examples:

1983 No S Roosevelt Proof Dime

Several hundreds exist:

1971 No S Jefferson Proof Nickel

1655 believed minted and released:

1976 No S Eisenhower Proof Dollar

Only 1 known to exist. To read about this coin, go to CoinFacts: https://www.pcgs.com/top100/coin4

The only business strike to leave the mint is the 1982 No P mint mark.

1982 No P Mint Mark

8,000-10,000 released by the Mint:

Given the billions of coins that have been minted since the late 18th century, as well as the billions still in circulation worth face value, the odds of anyone finding these coins in pocket change are extremely low.

Misleading social media posts and scam coin sites, especially on Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, lead people to believe that any coin without a mint mark is valuable–worth tens of thousands of dollars. Here’s an example:

So let’s put the issue of missing v. Philadelphia mint marks into perspective. You have close to zero chance of finding a proof S coin with missing mint mark in pocket change and a near 100% chance of finding a Philadelphia minted coin every time you make a cash transaction.

We hope this post clarifies the situation.

Below is more information from Heritage Auctions about mint marks:

  • C: Charlotte (Gold only, 1838-1861)
  • CC: Carson City (1870-1893)
  • D: Dahlonega, Georgia (Gold only, 1838-1861)
  • D: Denver (1906 to date; easily distinguishable from Dahlonega because of the different timeframes in which the mints operated)
  • O: New Orleans (1838-1909)
  • P: Philadelphia (Silver “Nickels” 1942-45; Dollar coins 1979 to date; other coins except cents 1980 to date. Although the Philadelphia mint has been operating continuously since 1793, most Philadelphia coins do not have a mintmark)
  • S: San Francisco (1854 to date. Now mints collector coins only. The last circulating coin to bear an ‘S’ mintmark was the 1980-S SBA Dollar)
  • W: West Point (1983 to date; collector coins only)

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.