Curiosity Kills the Cat 1 1

[th3onlykr4sh]

I was looking for screws today and found these in my top drawer of my dresser, I just recently picked up my dad's decades long hobby of coin collecting and am curious of what these are? Every time I send coin pics to my dad he keeps telling me it's not worth anything. Even when things show come up worth thousands online. So I've been trying to connect with people to learn about coins. 

What are these? Are they worth getting looked at?

[Sandon]

    Welcome to the NGC chat board. Unfortunately, the contents of your dresser drawer aren't going to make you rich, but they may lead you to an enjoyable pursuit.

   The piece dated 1776 is a crude reproduction (fake) of a 1776 "Continental Dollar", genuine examples of which are rare, but whose weak details and grainy surfaces identify it as one of the countless thousands of reproductions made over the decades and sold at souvenir shops and the like. It has no value.

   The 1976 Bicentennial Kennedy half dollar and the 2000-P Sacagawea dollar are circulated examples of common modern issues. Hundreds of millions of each were issued, and they are only worth their respective face values of fifty cents and one dollar.

   The circulated 1985 British pound has a retail list value of $2.50 in the NGC World Coin Price Guide.

   The last coin is a modern pre-Euro bronze Belgian 20 Franc coin, probably of low value and now demonetized. I can't read the date, which I would need to look it up.

   If you are interested in becoming a collector, the following forum topics will identify and inform you how to obtain some basic print and online resources from which you may learn what you need to know:

    

 

[th3onlykr4sh]

I will definitely look into those thank you! The date to the Franc one is 1981

[th3onlykr4sh]

Those two are perfect forums! Thank you!! And reading the second one sorry for the grouped photos of the coins 😅

[EagleRJO]

On 11/3/2023 at 9:16 PM, th3onlykr4sh said:

Every time I send coin pics to my dad he keeps telling me it's not worth anything. Even when things show up worth thousands online.

Welcome to the forum.

You are probably getting a dose of reality from your dad that it is rare to find anything remotely valuable in pocket change pails or bank rolls.  But it does happen occasionally.

With the high prices you may be looking at some ripoff ebay listings all over that site which try to sell things like regular pocket change for ridiculous prices.  Remember the old addage that "a fool and his money are soon parted".  Look at the sold records for a better idea of what coins are going for, but there are anomalies sometimes that fit the previous addage.

Or you may be watching over-hyped click-bait clueless tuber vids about very rare and valuable coins found with the sole purpose of getting you to watch more vids with the lure of possibly getting rich from pocket change.  We get that alot, and you would have better odds hitting the Powerball jackpot than finding more of the super rare and very valuable lure coins.

If you are interested in coin collecting consider spending some time with your dad if possible going through some coins and what he looks for.  Maybe get a bunch of bank rolls for coins you both may find interesting, and some Dansco or Littleton albums to start putting them in.  He may be very happy to pass on what he has learned over time.

And the links Sandon provided are a good start or continuation as well. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by EagleRJO

[Sandon]

    The 1981 Belgium 20 Franc coin (circulated) has a retail list value of 50 cents or so. See Belgium 20 Francs KM 159 Prices & Values | NGC (ngccoin.com).

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome!

I agree with the above assessments. I think @EagleRJO hit the nail on the head by telling you to start your learning from your dad. Not only will you learn coin basics (and maybe advanced collecting depending on how deep he got into the hobby) from him, spending time with him cannot be put into any price. We only get so long on this earth with our parents.

If you find yourself continuing to be fascinated by coins and still wanting to learn, @Sandon's links are great and if you still continue, we typically recommend to people entering the hobby to avail themselves of at a minimum a "Redbook" of US coins, and I also recommend to get the ANA Grading Standards book (you can still get the sixth edition for around $12 on eBay).

And you can always come here and ask questions about specific coins and other resources.

[dprince1138]

This reminds me of when my brother was in the marines and would send me coins from every port where he stopped at.

Also, I had a 6th grade teacher when I lived in Turkey, who, with his wife, would travel abroad during the summer and bring back coinage from whereever he visited.

[RWB]

RE: "Curiosity Kills the Cat"

Well, the coins aren't worth much, but if they do what the title says, good for you!

[EagleRJO]

On 11/4/2023 at 5:05 PM, RWB said:

Well, the coins aren't worth much, but if they do what the title says, good for you!

Hmmm, somebody doesn't like cats, which I seem to recall from a while ago. 

[RWB]

On 11/4/2023 at 7:20 PM, EagleRJO said:

Hmmm, somebody doesn't like cats, which I seem to recall from a while ago. 

Only feral cats. Those kept as house pets are fine for those who like tribbles.