Popularity of the 70-S sm date.

[cladking]

I like the 70-S small date cent but have never understood why it is so popular. It is a tough one to spot for those who haven't seen it before and can even confuse experienced collectors at times. It is relatively common and accounts for more than 10% of the cents in mint sets. (somewhat fewer in proof sets, probably).

Many people find the easiest way to spot this one is the lower loop of the "9". On the lg date it points down toward the mint mark and on the small date it is nearly horizontal. "TRUST" is usually very weakly struck but sometimes is relatively well struck. This coin has always been fairly tough in the higher gem grades due to poor strikes and to a lesser extent, excessive marking. In recent years many of these still in the mint sets have been getting spots and unattractice staining.

So why did it get everyone's attention very early and climb in price ever since?

[Bob P]

Suppy and demand is the answer. The 70S small date is more difficult to obtain than most others (namely the 1960 small date). Even though yur numbers are somwhat accurate at
10%, that still leaves 9 in 10 relatively uncollectable. There are quite a few doubled dies for the 70S, so rolls are searched often. If you don't know what to look for, it is very easy to miss it all together. The letters RTY of LIBERTY are real mushy also on the small date coin. There are few examples where this is not true. So..In a nut shell, if you have a few small dates, chances are you can make some money as the demand is still much greater than the supply.

Bob P