A 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent

A key date is a term used in coin collecting and it refers to a date (or date and mint mark combination) of a given coin series or coin set that is harder to obtain than other dates in the series. A key date coin is usually one with a lower mintage total and it is more valuable than others in the series. Many coin collectors collect coins to fill out a complete set of a series.

There are also semi-key dates in coin collecting. A semi-key date coin is typically one that is not as rare as the key date. The semi-key date often sells for a premium over common date coins, but less than the cost of a key date coin.

Background

A key date is the term for a coin which is scarcer and harder to obtain in a series.[1][2][3] Often coins with certain years or Mint marks are key date coins.[4][5] Some factors that influence whether a coin is a key date include: demand, quantity of coins struck, the population of surviving examples and rarity of mint sate examples. The cost of the key date coins in a series are usually the most expensive to obtain.[6] The coins are also often referred to as the rarest in a series.[3]

Key dates are an important component of coin collecting because many collectors collect coins which fill a coin set: key date coins are the most important. They are valued by collectors because they are needed to complete coin sets.[7]

For the United States collectors of the Lincoln cent series, the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent is the rarest and most expensive of cents.[8] The 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent is considered to be a key date due to its low mintage of only 484,000.[9]

The United States 1893-S Morgan dollar is known as the key date in the Morgan series.[10] The 1893-S Morgan dollars were struck at the United States San Francisco Mint. Only 100,000 coins were struck making it the lowest mintage of any business strike Morgan Dollar.[11]

Semi-key date

The next level of difficult to obtain coins in series are often referred to as semi-key dates or simply semi-keys.[12] The semi-key date coins are scarce and sell for a premium but they are not as scarce and rare as a key date.[6][13] There are not rules which determine which coins are semi-key dates. Some coin collectors the coins in the series with lower mintage figures to be semi-key dates.[6]

Counterfeits

Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) produced a list of counterfeited coins: many of them are key date coins. One of the most common methods of counterfeiting involves adding a mintmark to the coin, in order to turn it into a key date coin.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Coin Term Glossary". United States Mint. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  2. ↑ "key date (noun)". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  3. 1 2 Nason, Deborah (January 10, 2015). "How—and whether—to invest in rare stamps and coins". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  4. ↑ Barman, Scott (2 September 2019). Coin Collector's Handbook (91 ed.). United States: Lu lu. ISBN 978-0-359-89184-9. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Treasures in Your Pocket (PDF). Colorado Springs, Colorado: American Numismatic Association. 2023. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "What Is A Key Date Coin? How Are Key Dates Different From Semi-Key Date Coins? And What Are Better-Date Coins?". Fun Times Guide. 2023. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Reynolds, Greg (22 April 2015). "Classic U.S. Coins – Key Date Coins for Less Than $2,500 – Part 1: Copper". Coin Week. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. ↑ Garrett, Jeff (6 June 2023). "Jeff Garrett: The Case for "Key Date" Coins". Coin Week. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  9. ↑ "1909 Lincoln V.D.B. Cent". Coin News. CoinNews Media Group LLC. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Key Date 1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar Offered at GreatCollections". Coin Week. 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Reynolds, Greg (15 October 2015). "CAC buys Eliasberg 1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar for $646,250 at auction in Las Vegas". Coin Week. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. ↑ Susan Headley (21 June 2017). "What Is a Key Date?". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  13. ↑ Barman, Scott (2 September 2019). Coin Collector's Handbook (164 ed.). United States: Lu lu. ISBN 978-0-359-89184-9. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "Top 50 Most Commonly Counterfeited U.S. Coins". NGC Coin. Numismatic Guaranty Company. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.

Further reading

  • Pasek, Matthew (2017). US Key date coin hand-e-book 1892-present. Independently Published. ISBN 978-1549547751.
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