Type vs. Variety Question

On 3 Feb 2005 10:47:00 -0800, wrote:

I have a question. This probably has been asked many times, but
what is the distinction between a type and a variety? For example, is
the Silver Washington Quarter a different type than the Clad Washington
Quarter? What about the Wartime Nickels? Is the Copper-Plated Zinc
cent different from the pre-1982 cents? etc. etc.

In my opinion, a variety is based on differences in individual
dies used.

A type is based on differences in design, metal, and perhaps
edge. How to differentiate a type from a sub-type will be based
on your personal preference, and how many types of a certain
meta-type of coin are present will also be.


--
Ed. Stoebenau
a #143

On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 21:35:37 -0600, (Jim
Roberts) wrote:

The redbook seems pretty confused about large cent types. In the over-
view section before the listings begin, a box of type coins has entries
for "Coronet Head 1816-1839" and "Braided Hair 1840-1857". That seems
pretty clear!

And is probably as good of a division into the middle and late
date large cent types, in a simple way, as you can get.

But a few pages later these categories are combined in a
section labeled "Coronet Type 1816-1857".

Which is made up of many types, and at least two major ones.

This is then divided into two
parts, "Matron Head 1816-1835" and "Young Head 1835-1857".

Which is a horrible division. Matron Head 1816-1835 is certainly
acceptable. Then at the other end of the series you have the
Braided Hair type (or meta-type) of 1840-1857 (and 1839 N-8).
This can easily be divided into the Petite Head of 1840-1843 (and
39 N-8) and the Mature Head of 1843-1857. Plus there was a
change in the reverse lettering in 1843, which does not exactly
correlate with the obverse head change. Then, between 1835 and
1839, you have a bunch of transitional head types. They've been
mentioned elsewhere in the thread.

Or you could just use "Middle dates 1816-1839, Late dates
1840-1857" EAC traditional characterization. (With a long
1835-1843 transitional dates.


--
Ed. Stoebenau
a #143

Bob Flaminio wrote:

(snip)

It's bizarre to me that so few collectors recognize Zincolns as a
separate type. PCGS does not even differentiate between the two metals
when slabbing them. I know people who still consider the so-called
"shell case" cents of 1944-45 a "type", but not Zincolns. For my part, I
recognize four separate types in the Lincoln cent series:

1) Wheat reverse, copper
2) Wheat reverse, steel
3) Memorial reverse, copper
4) Memorial reverse, zinc


Amen, Bob. There's a great deal of portrait difference as well between
a 1954 and a 2004 Lincoln!

Alan
'Abe was never so shallow'