Why are 1983 quarters so valuable?

I've seen this for many years - despite 1983's being readily available in circulation and not particularly uncommon per mintage, they're worth a small fortune in MS condition. Other quarters in the early '80s are not worth anywhere near that in MS condition. Why? Is it just that they said these things are valuable and now they are because people think they are?

 

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I guess the mint quality wasn't so good for that year really it doesn't go up until the 66-67 range.Your not going to find any that good in circulation those examples were cherry picked from souvenir sets.

 

For starters, the U.S. Mint didn't produce Mint Sets in both 1982 and 1983. Instead of issuing Mint Sets, the Mint only produced "Souvenir Sets" that were only available at the mint.

 

Sure, but wouldn't that be the same for any year between 1967 and 1983? They're all worn unless picked from mint sets. Isn't uncirculated uncirculated no matter what the mint quality? Fresh out of the sealed roll is MS. I don't get why 1983 would be worth >10 times what, say, 1980 is worth. I don't have my Red Book in front of me right now but I do remember that 1983 was by far the most valuable and only 1982 came close in that general vicinity.

 

Thaaaaaaaat could explain it...

 

Thats what I ment is really the only difference because of that large coin in them otherwise there technically mint sets.

 

There were no mint sets in 1983.

 

In general since the clad coinage began few people have bothered to save rolls of new MS coins and almost the entire mintage of every coin ends up going into circulation and getting worn. If someone wants a MS clad era coin they tended to take them out of Mint sets because rolls of Unc coins don't exist. But in 82 and 83 they didn't make mint sets so today the only MS coins are those from the small number of rolls that did manage to get put aside. This makes the 82 and 83 coins condition rarities in MS. Common circulated, but scarce to rare in MS.

 

Indeed!

All of a sudden in the last 45 days mint set prices are going through the roof. It will be interesting to see what happens to the prices of the other clad quarters.

Most people think there are lots of mint sets somewhere and lots of the quarters that have been removed from mint sets but the reality is mint set prices are probably increasing because so few survive and most of the mint sets already destroyed none of the quarters were saved.

So even though there is still almost no demand for any BU clad quarter we may be seeing a large spike in prices in the near term. ...Finally. No matter what happens it's going to be interesting. Ikes are now driving the destruction of mint sets and half dollars are driving the destruction of sets with no Ikes or SBA's.

 

And have you ever seen what happens at a shop when they buy someone's clad set that was put together by cutting up mint sets? They tend to pop out the unc clads and toss them in the register. Then hand them out as change. All those mint sets were destroyed and now the coins go into circulation and they are lost as well. Some day people are going to wake up to find there are few surviving Unc clads and that most of the mint sets are gone. People have been cutting up clad mint sets for 50 years. At some point they are going to have to start becoming hard to find.

 

I could tell some horror stories about scarce date, Gem, and varieties clad put into the cash registers. Even worse is that many dealers simply refuse to buy later date coins and usually tell the person who brought them in to just take them to the bank. I've seen dealers just cut up mint sets enmasse and put even the choice and Gem Ikes in the register! The reason mint sets are exploding higher right now is that there aren't enough choice and Gem half dollars and dollars but odds are good many dealers are still handing them out in change or telling widows to just take them to the bank.

The only "complete" rolls of 1969 quarters I've ever seen (since '69) came out of the till at a coin shop. The guy had just dumped in four rolls he got from a customer a few days before and I was able to buy about 155 of them to reassemble rolls. They were remarkably good quality and I'd have saved them myself back in the day if I had seen any so nice.

No, the quarters still have no demand and the prices on them aren't budging as their cost soars but this can't last. Higher prices mean the sets will be harder to obtain and the would be buyers will have to go out and look specifically for the quarters. Indeed, what most don't understand is that even the Ikes and half dollars mostly sell at retail prices and these prices are far higher than people think. Wholesale price on BU Ikes is up to $3.50 so finding Ikes at less than seven or eight dollars apiece will be a chore before long.

Higher prices on mint sets is going to transform the way moderns are bought and sold. I believe the most dramatic effect will be on the quarters but this will take a little time. A wholesale market will begin forming but buyers won't find many coins because most of them are gone. This will be invisible for a few months as things shake out, the pipeline fills, and old product disappears. Obviously, though, there are still many thousands of surviving coins and demand will still have to exceed the supply to have much effect on price. My point here though is that even without any real demand for the dimes and quarters there are hardly enough coins for every dealer to create an inventory.

While '82 and '83-P might be the scarcest regular date quarters in Uncirculated condition many of the older quarters will be tougher in gemmy condition. You can find XF and AU '83 quarters because millions were saved but if you can't get a nice 1969 quarter the alternative is a VG or F in circulation.

 

2012 Chaco Culture P and D, 2012 Acadia P.
Now, any of these 3 designs have mintages of less than 22 million coins. and sure some are saved, but try finding any roll of those, if lucky you might find the two roll mint package for $50- $100 or an OBW roll for $30 each or more.

With the coin sets, maybe one day comes where they become in demand.
Mintages for 1982 or 1983 were in the half a billion range for P or D.

Different collectors now vs. then maybe. Perhaps nobody really cared about 1982 or 1983 quarters when they came out. Baseball cards were like that, so were comic books, and toys/action figures, until grading companies came on the seen. maybe these low mintage 2012s will never be more than they are right now, just because the mint sold those P+D rolls along with S mints....

the 1982 and 1983 is just the difficulty of finding Nice BU examples. It's sort of like trying to find a Bicentennial quarter example with a full strike on the drum ribs.... my white whale...

 

My 2020 RB...just a guide, of course...lists an 83-P at $30 in 63...$65 in 65...most others are in the $1 to $10 range, so quite a hike at MS63 and 65. Doesn't list below MS63 and don't know today's real/current values.

 

The '83-P wholesales for $550.00 per roll in chBU.

To actually get wholesale the roll has to be nice and have no discoloration. Buyers will take original rolls as they come but nobody wants rolls of picked over junk at this price.

 

People will be surprised how hard it is to find a lot of moderns. Right now they're easy because nobody is looking. With so little demand the short supply is almost invisible.

Try looking in 1975 regular mint sets for nice well struck quarters. '75 sets are much better for both quarters than the '76 and especially for the Philly. Nearly 5% are very well struck though many now days will be tarnished. Usually the tarnish can be removed with a soak in acetone unless it is very dark. This is a very popular coin but unless it's MS-67 or better it doesn't bring much money.

 

Okay, I'm satisfied. Good question, great post.

 

the 75 bicentenials?

 

The 1776-1976 dated Bicentennial coins were included in BOTH the 1975 and 1976 mint and proof sets. The post was suggesting that better looking bicentennial quarters could be found in the 1975 sets. (No 1975 dated quarters were minted).

Hope this helps.

 

Yes. Exactly.

It's surprising how much difference there is in mint sets between the two dates. The dollars are far better in the '76 set and this especially applies to the Philly. This doesn't matter much because the '75's are Type I and the '76's Type II. The half dollars are about the same (they're all scratched) but it's a little easier to find clean Phillys in the '76. The other coins differ too but they are different dates.

By the same token there are better and worse places to look for the '82 and '83 coins. As a rule the souvenir sets are not the place.

 

from my experience with it, even the 1975 sets are still looking for a needle in a haystack, you might find a well struck drum but it's lacking somewhere else like the shoulder, or the hat area. you are probably right though, there's got to be that 5% or so that worked out, first strikes off die pairs, with a strong full strike. I've just never come across one, P or D and only seen pictures of them, easy enough to find the proof with a strong strike though. but the P+D, I've been close, just not as close as I want to be.

PCGS images Doesn't have a P with a full sharp strike even at MS67, Denver does have some in MS67 or 68, but even then it's few.

this guy here is an absolute stunner, but lacking on the drum rim, and he's a MS68.
41427266

this MS67 has the drum I'm looking for, but missing the depth of strike separation for like Washingtons ponytail, or the torch flame. it's minor, but it's why it's not higher than MS67.
40297772
the Philly's are even worse.

you'd think there has to be "the total package" out there somewhere. I've never seen it though., like the top pop coins, all have the room for improvement factor, that if it just had this or that it would be a 69 even. these top pop coins are the decades of "cherry picking" and it's the best there really is I suppose. But I keep dreaming out there, it's hiding in a mint set in a closet waiting for someone to die to go to a coin shop and hopefully then they realize how special it is, or take it out of the package, and stick it in the register...Hahahaha boohoo hoo.