40%: Keep, Sell, Or Trade?

Not as many years as you might thing. By most estimates 80 to 90 percent of all coins ever minted in the United States have been melted. Many coins such as Roosevelt dimes are perceived to have no value over melt. I retrieved a BU ROLL of 1954 S Roosevelt dimes from a scrapers bucket last summer, and was told that was nothing as the dealer I got it from said he has had so much turned in that he kept one roll of each year and date and mint mark for future sales and scraps the rest.

There is a huge misconception as to the "infinite" supply of scrap silver coins.

everything silver is collectible even the 40s have a huge demand, I personally keep every silver coin I find ( buying as well )

JMKendall, That seams like a pretty bold claim that 80 to 90% of all coins minted in US have been melted. You reference your dealings with one dealer/scraper. Is that how you've come to the conclusion of 80/90% melted or do you have some additional evidence or information to share. btw, I'm not saying this to be confrontational...I really think its an interesting topic and want to know if this is just your intuition based off experience or if you have some true evidence.

I'd like to here more people's perspective and related facts on this notion that the majority or US coinage is melted. Actually, lets just stick to the silver. I don't believe there's any way that even a majority of copper, nickel, zinc has been melted.

OO

I keep the few I can find. When I go to the US I ask at a few banks for some. My husband likes them. I have never traded any of my silver up or off. I guess I feel I don't have enough to do that :)

fist, thats a nice collection you had, in that respect I can see you selling the 40s and buying .999 silver and gold. maybe if I had that amount as well maybe I could see doing that too

I pulled several hundred 40% JFK's from circulation in the 1980's and early 1990's, all after the Hunt Brothers spike in 1980.
(Or maybe no one bothered to melt 40% halves back then...)

Sell, mainly so they don't get mixed in w/ my 90% or need to create a seperate container for them.

I had collected a decent quantity of 90% and 40% half dollars back in the 1990's (of course this hoard was just the duplicates, hole were filled first). I ended up trading most of them to fill the remaining holes in my Franklin half dollar album. I still have a decent collection of extra silver (most of it 40%) and have considered trading some of it to fill more holes. As of now, I would only trade and not sell them.