A numismatist's blast!

[EZ_E]

I had my land-lady's 97 yr old boyfriend bring over an assortment of old coins today. Nothing great but it sure was fun goin' through them. He did have an 1866 w/ rays shield nickel and an 1867 no rays nickel, both grading VG. Had a dozen Indians. One bronze 1865. All G-VG. Lots of wheats with a couple of 1927's in F-VF and a couple of low grade 1919's. He did have a 1904 O Barber quarter that had been cleaned but would grade VG. Also had a couple of low-grade V nickels, a couple of common Mercs. and only a 1936 Buffalo nickel.

 

He has some more coins at the bank that he's going to bring by for me to look at next week.

 

Regardless, it was loads of fun!!! And you never know what may be in there.

 

Remember the Coin World article a few weeks ago where a grandma had an 1893 silver dollar (forget the mint mark but it's the rarest one). She had saved it since she was a kid.

 

Kind of cool, eh?

 

[LucyBop]

you hit the nail on the head Daddy-o, loads of fun!!!!

 

Thats what the hobby should be... Loads of fun!

 

Happy searching!

[Wihlborg]

Victor,

 

I have checked coins for people a number of times. Family, friends, people at work, you name it. It seems like as soon as someone finds out that I collect coins, either they or one of their family members has some coins they would like me to check for them.

 

Most of the times the coins have not been worth much, but once one of my wife’s friends asked me to look at some coins that her father left her. She came over with three baggies of coins. After looking through the coins I found that she had about $350 worth of Morgan dollars and another $150 or so in other assorted coins. This has been the most valuable hoard of coins I have looked through so far. She was very happy to hear that the coins were worth as much as they were, but she decided to keep the coins for sentimental reasons rather than sell them.

 

It is fun to look through these little hoards of coins from time to time, sort of like being on a treasure hunt!

 

John

[chinook]

The other day I was at a friends house and noticed a large jar of change. I asked him if I could look through it, he said yes. All I found were two wheaties but it was still fun.

[TomB]

Those are cool experiences, aren't they? I have done this on a number of occassions and one time the first coin I picked out of a jumbled maze of change was a 1909-S VDB in VF!

[EVillageProwler]

My old landlord up in northern NJ told me that he has this large-ish coffee can filled with change that accumulated from when he was much younger. I'm not sure how old he is, but I figure he's probably in his early 70's by now.

 

Anyway, he told me that he has a lot of SLQ's in there that he just fished out of circulation as loose change.

 

I have never seen this accumulation, and I don't keep in touch with him anymore. Too bad, 'cuz I sure would like to have rummaged through that can!

 

EVP

[Hoot]

I just love stories like this! An '09-S VCB cent, Tom! That was one of the great objects of the hunt when I was a kid, but never found one.

 

I recently took on a little hoard of darkside material that my brother-in-law found in the basement of an old house in Lewistown, Montana. The best stuff in it was two 1934 uncirculated East Africa 10 cents. They are large copper/brass pieces - about the size of a silver dollar - with a holed center. One is full red and one is red-brown. Neither are valuable, but they are both at NGC right now. One will go to the owner and one is for me for having searched the collection, de-greased the coins, and placed them in flips with identification on inserts. Lots of other East Africa material, some Egyptian and Italian stuff as well - even a few Canook pieces, all from before 1940.

 

Hoot

[michael]

neat victor

 

keep us informed what other coins you come up with

 

 

i think that 1893 dollar you mentioned had an s mintmark

that is the key for the whole series

 

 

michael

[EZ_E]

Cool stories, everyone!

 

Wow, an '09 S VDB. That would be a sweet find, Tom.

 

John, any good dates amonst all of those silver dollars?

[Wihlborg]

Victor,

 

While I don’t remember the exact dates and mintmarks, I do remember that there were no really rare dates. There were no ‘CC’ or ‘O’ mint coins, most of the coins were ‘P’ mint coins and a few ‘S’ mint coins, and they graded from fine up to choice AU.

 

John

[Coinosaurus]

My father-in-law turned his "hoard" over to me a few months back. Lots of junk silver, copper pennies from the early 80s (when there was, briefly, the idea that you could make money by pulling the coppers from change). The most interesting this was an "irradiated" dime from one of those Atomic Exposition thingees.

 

Oh, and one Columbian half dollar which was probably pulled from circulation in Chicago a long time ago. And finally two Kennedy silver halves in cardboard holders which had the coolest rim toning going. Those I'm keeping in the holders for sure!

[spy88]

When I was 11 or 12, I spent most of my free time almost every day at our local bank up on an island in Puget Sound. That would be around 1960/61. Back then, the banks didn't have walls and bars separating the customers from the tellers or the officers desks. I would go in, they would open one of those waist high double-swinging doors that led to behind the tellers or just wave me in after they got to know me, plop myself down @ a vacant desk, and I would go thru each and every penny roll they had. They were 95%+ all wheats back then! Best I ever found was a '09 VDB and a '55 Libierty with the extra i metal. Ah, those were sure good times! Wish I could go back knowing what I know now! (Don't we all?)

 

And like all of you, I have people in the poker room that know I collect coins. I've done several fellow employees and a few customers little stashes. A player indicated that he had a bunch of Buffs stashed somewhere that I said I would TRY to evaluate for him. Hope he brings them in! What is interesting is that quite a few of the regular players have a special coin or medal they use to "protect" their cards while in a hand. They range from Morgans to Darkside stuff!

 

One elderly gentleman uses a token that he originally designed and had several thousand stamped. I just happened to mention my interest in it, lo and behold, he brings me in one from his few he still has! WOW! Bout the same size as a silver dollar, with a "military" theme and special meaning to him alone as I didn't ask for specifics of them.

 

Here it is.

 

 

Would make for a nice reverse on Nevadas quarter due out in 2006, eh?

[Bruceswar]

I think that it would make a nice one... either side would bo... but the war side is much better

[Trime-migration]

I have 2 SD boxes of hand selected US and Canadian circulated coins put away 50 years ago as a boy's collection taken out of Whitman folders and stored in yellow envelopes. Many IH and early Lincoln cents, Liberty and Buffalo Nickels,

lots of Barber dimes, quarters and halves. A stash of Morgan Dollars. Maybe a few dozen bank rolls of uncirculated Roosies, Lincolns and Jeffs. Time to take them out and see what they look like. These are the roots of a collectors fancy that turned to slabbed MS and proof Gem 19th Century purchased coins as the resources allowed.

The value of the newer acquisitions are much greater but the fun was the highest when searching rolls of circulated coins in the back room of the local bank as a kid. Most valuable from circulation you ask? I suppose a 1901-S Barber quarter hidden in one of those rolls. Nostalgia? Definitely!