U.S. Circulation Issues with the Least Collector Interest

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

Speaking strictly in terms of the regularly issued U.S. circulation coins (the cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dols, and dollars) which series would you say holds the least collector interest, both modern and classic?

 

Not which series holds the least interest to you as a collector. But, in general, which series do you think are most uninteresting to collectors? For example, I collect the Roosevelt dime. And even though it has interest to me, I know that most collectors aren't especially interested in the FDR dime.

[orifdoc]

This gets asked every so often. The usual answer is dimes, mostly because the standard presbyopic collector can't see 'em. It doesn't help that Rosies have been around since just after the dinosaurs moved on. At least some of the other designs have been re-worked now and again.

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

3cs.

[RWB]

Agreed. Either 3-cent and Roosevelt dimes.

[johnny9434]

3 centers, there butt fugly. just saying

[mumu]

to me 3 cent silver is cool, though I don't own any. I think they represent old wild wild west more than morgans do.

[RWB]

...but 3-cent pieces were rarely used in the western territories.

[World Colonial]

I started a similar topic once but didn't define my point as well as I should.

 

My interpretation of your question is which one is the least preferred which I distinguish from "popular" which others here seemed to define as the size of the collector base.

 

From what I know, it is easily either the FDR dime or small dollars collectively.

[mumu]

...but 3-cent pieces were rarely used in the western territories.

 

Maybe represent was the wrong word. Maybe exude the feel of? I always think of a marshall's badge when I see one.

 

[physics-fan3.14]

The fact that the 2center hasn't even been mentioned proves that it is the most unloved.

[cladking]

Clad dimes and clad eagle reverse quarters are just about tied for being the most out of favor and least collected US coins.

 

They're so far out of favor many people don't even think of them as "coins" so they get left off of lists like this. It doesn't help that they are all percieved as being common and the price guides list even those pieces that bring high prices as being nearly worthless thus perpetuating the myth that they are common.

[RWB]

The 1920 2-1/2 cent Roosevelt pieces are rarely mentioned ....maybe because none were made.

[World Colonial]

Clad dimes and clad eagle reverse quarters are just about tied for being the most out of favor and least collected US coins.

 

They're so far out of favor many people don't even think of them as "coins" so they get left off of lists like this. It doesn't help that they are all percieved as being common and the price guides list even those pieces that bring high prices as being nearly worthless thus perpetuating the myth that they are common.

 

How do you conclude that 1965-1998 quarters are below small dollars?

 

I just looked up the presidential dollars. The population counts are higher but going by the prices, its almost exclusively because 99%+ of the collector base is obtaining them at face value and paying the grading fee. The Heritage archives certainly don't support that hardly anyone who collects them is willing to pay any premium since every one in the limited sample I reviewed was an error. This is why I rank them last along with clad dimes.

 

Collecting out of pocket change also disproportionately explains why the presidential dollars are more "popular" than these clad quarters. In other words, they are almost certainly not actually preferred.

 

The quarters are a lot harder to find in equivalent quality but since they are still near the bottom of the preference scale, this is why those who can afford to pay market prices or a lot more buy something else instead.

 

Neither is a mystery as it is entirely consistent with how collectors actually act.

[World Colonial]

I'm not sure that 3CN or 3CS are as low as many might believe. I agree that they are at the bottom among classic US coinage (excluding silver FDR dimes if defined as classic) but not compared to moderns.

 

Going by the prices and the presumed availability, more collectors prefer higher grade moderns to average or lower circulated coins from these series but this is a generic preference across US coinage. In better grades, the supply is a lot lower and specimens a lot more expensive.