I recall living in Puerto Rico in the late 1950s and routinely receiving change from shopkeepers in Liberty Heads.  These had been introduced into circulation as soon as the U.S. had occupied the island and had never been withdrawn.  I'm no numismatist, but for keepsakes I wish I'd saved a few, although by that time they were pretty well worn.

Morgan Rieder, RPA

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: geoff carver<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
  To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
  Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 2:43 AM
  Subject: age of coins in circulation


  i heard a lecture recently, in which someone mentioned a small experiment, where he tallied the dates of the coins in the pockets of his acquaintances, and i was wondering if anyone has seen reference to anything more systematic? i know philip barker makes reference to the problems of trying to date the contents of someone's pockets based on the coins he tried to use to make a phone call, but i was wondering if there might have been a more systematic study done somewhere, sometime, and not necessarily by archaeologists (banks or mints, to guage the age of coins in circulation?)