Full Talon SBAs

[physics-fan3.14]

I know there are at least a couple of us here who collect SBAs, so I thought this article might interest you guys. It is from the May cover story of the Numismatist, I can't remember which. And before you cry copyright theft, it is available as a free pdf on the ANA website.

 

I have heard Full Talon being thrown about before, but I never heard any real descriptors. This is also the first time I've heard any guesses as to quantity. So, take a look. This is a great article with lots of pictures (be patient, it takes a minute to load).

 

Full Talon SBAs

[HaydenTubbs]

Neat read,I wonder if any of the services will every use this designation?

[cladking]

Neat read,I wonder if any of the services will every use this designation?

 

Can there be any doubt? The only reason that they haven't is that there's no big call for it and that's because there are few people collecting post-'64 coinage, or at least collecting it seriously. While there are large numbers of very avid rapidly advancing collectors, most are not yet extremely knowledgeable.

 

Some might point to FS nickels or FT dimes as refutation but consider that these were ongoing series and neither of these were widely collected from after 1964 until recently. FS nickels after '64 tend to be virtually non-existent for many of the later coins and probably wouldn't have caught on if not for the fact they are an extension of an earlier series. FT quarters haven't caught on because a high proportion of the silver issues are FT and it's only the clads which can be tough.

 

FT dollars works very well for the SBA's because it does tend to separate the nicer coins from the lesser ones on most dates.

[pendragon1998]

Hum...for some reason I'm having trouble getting that pdf to load properly on my computer. I suspect that the information is the same or similar to SmallDollars.com's guest article.

 

I've noticed several sellers on eBay offering coins as "full talons" coins (although whether the coins actually were is somewhat hit-or-miss, as is often the case with eBay). I tend to make a point to go for the sharpest strikes I can find in my personal collection, and one of the gauges that I use for strike is the presence/absence of full talons. I also suspect that eventually, the TPG will start designating FT SBAs.

 

One issue that the author of the SmallDollar.com article mentions is that of the 1999 P and D circulation strikes vs. the 1999 P and D Special Mint Set strikes. His conclusion is that TPGs can't tell the difference between the strikes. I rather disagree with that conclusion. I think it's probably possible to tell at least some (if not all) of the SMS from regular circ. strikes, on the basis of the chrome-like finish the SMS coins tend to have. Below is a bad photo from one of my current eBay auctions for you to see what I'm talking about. I was trying to capture the surfaces, and this one highlighted the differences the best, but wasn't aesthetically the most pleasing photo. This photo was taken with the coins side-by-side, no editing except to crop. Excuse the top photos of the SMS I'm selling, as I don't feel like cropping the image at the moment.

 

[jason888]

I started a set of these a while ago, all are full talon. i wont buy one if it isnt.

[physics-fan3.14]

Actually, pendragon, the two articles are by the same two guys. The ANA one is much more polished, and more detailed, but they say roughly the same thing. The point he was making about the SMS sets, however, was that there is a much higher percentage of FT coins in the SMS sets, and especially the D mint coins. He says 95% of the D mint SMS coins are FT.