The 1909-S VDB Lincoln, 1914-D and 1931-S are the rarest dates. Of course it all hinges on the coin's condition ranging from Fair to Mint State 70. The Red Book or the internet can be your guides to coin prices.
Coin collecting seems to be evanescent in our cashless society. Everywhere you look there seems to be an utter disregard for pocket change.Recently I noticed Washington Quarters in change trays. Pennies, nickels, dimes and the like are "free." Sometimes I take some.. other times I leave some.
Next on my list of Presidents on coins is the Jefferson Nickle.
The Jefferson Nickle replaced the Buffalo Nickle in 1938. Early issues of the D & S varieties are amongst the rarest Jefferson's today. The 1950-D made some noise with the five step varieties. I didn't get excited about Jefferson Nickels until late 1979 when the Hunt Brothers made my life easy!
World War II efforts saw nickel removed from Nickels. WTN came from the Mints bearing 35% silver, 56% copper and 9% manganese. The quickest way to recognize nickels from 1942 - 1945 is the very large mint marks above the dome of Monticello. If "silver is silver" then the nickels in the war effort prove to be golden. In a roll of $2 the silver value saw a roll of 40 surpass the $70 range! WOW. Some enthusiasts had saved these babies for years and cashed in big time. Today, the silver coin values are much lower. Once again it will depend on the coin's condition. Mint State 70 is the top dog.
1932 was the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. The silver quarter bearing a Denver mint mark has proven to be the most valuable in the long run of Washington Quarters. The new State Quarter series revolutionized the Washington Quarter. The last year of mintage in silver quarters was 1964.
A thin dime is a thin dime! John D. Rockefeller used to give them out to quell the image he was cheap.
The Roosevelt dime made its appearance in 1946 following FDR's death in April of 1945. This dime replaced the Mercury Dime that came along in 1916 when the 1916-D hit the numismatic jackpot.
Roosevelt Dimes made of 90 % silver lasted through 1964. They have been nickel clad ever since. Proof dimes are the most attractive and if you get a "Frosted-proof" you have something worth crowing about.
Recently I was on a JFK Half-Dollar kick. I was sampling rolls of Kennedy's in the local banks and much to my chagrin some banks don't even carry them anymore! This is a sign of the times, indeed. The once ubiquitous half dollar is now the evanescent memory of our slain leader. Evanescent is defines as "soon passing out of sight, memory or existence."
Suddenly a collection of JFK coins numbers well beyond 50. They are melting away....... and boy were they melted down in 1980. I paid $24 for a dollars worth of the 1954 variety.
All good things come to pass and the 50 cent piece is going, going, almost gone!
Today, Eisenhower Dollars seem to be few and far between in change. The coins are big and unattractive in my opinion. You can still "Like Ike" and not favor the Eisenhower Half Dollar. The coins were sold by the Mint in the 40% silver grade. A complete set of IKES would be attractive, however.
The days of silver dollars are long gone in my view.75 years ago it was a different story.
Calvin Coolidge is the only President's image app
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