Jug Full Of Change, What To Look For?

Hello and welcome.

I've moved your thread to the Main coin forum, in the hopes that more people see it and answer (not everybody looks in the Welcome section of the forum).

In terms of your direct question, part of the problem is, a "valuable coin" isn't just valuable because it's rare. A common coin in exceptionally good condition can be just as valuable, if not more valuable, than a rare coin in awful condition. Looking for a single one-stop-shop for "a list of rare coins to look for in a change jar", there isn't really - such a list would require a good-sized book or website to explain. The " Red Book" is a just such a book. Any website people might point you to would be a general coin pricing website, such as NGC's price guide database - and such websites need interpretation, since the values quoted are heavily dependent on (a) condition, and (b) whether or not the coin has been "third-party graded" (that is, a neutral third party has examined the coin and determined exactly what condition it is in).

Finally, a word of caution: those YouTube/Facebook videos where people find rare coins in change, they're kind of like those advertisements for online casinos and lottery tickets - yes, you could be a winner, but chances are, you won't be. A lot of the videos are overhyped, in order to get clicks. Facebook, in particular, is full of exaggerations and even outright lies, when it comes to "valuable and rare coins found in change". The good news is, you don't need to buy a ticket to play the rare coin lottery if you've already got a giant jug of coins in front of you, so all you need to spend is time.

If you've got the time to go through the coins, sort them, then research them, go right ahead. If you don't have the time, then go ahead and bank the jug - it's almost certain you won't be throwing away free money. But be warned: if you spend too much time looking at coins and researching about coins, you might become one of those "coin collectors".

Khromtau, you are correct - the last year of 40% silver halves was 1970 (though 1970 halves were released only in mint and proof sets and therefore can be considered a NIFC issue, and highly unlikely to be found in circulation).

I know 1967 was the last full year of silver Canadian coinage, before they switched to nickel halfway through 1968 - perhaps this is the source of the confusion.

At a minimum I would look for any of the 2019 and 2020 America the Beautiful Quarters with the "W" (West Point) mint mark. In total there were 20 million W quarters minted over a 2-year period. Five designs each year with 2 million from each design. They were released into general circulation by the Mint and Fed about every 10 weeks and were "salted" into Ballistic Bags and eventually into rolls. They can still be found in circulation and in coin jar accumulations, too. They retail on ebay for more than face value —— sometimes a lot more than face value!

Any silver coins or wheat cents?

My cynical, snarky response to all the "get rich from pocket change" stuff is that they get rich off of convincing people that they can get rich from pocket change.

Lots of good suggestions on here especially the easy stuff - looking for silver, prior types like wheat cents, etc. Unless you want to become a collector - which would be great! - all the knowledge and careful scrutiny required is going to be enormously time consuming for very little chance of reward. I completely understand the "fear of missing out" effect, but evaluate the value of your time versus realistic potential for reward. I mean, there are over 150 doubled die varieties of the 2009 Early Childhood cents, but it is worth it?

bring them to me, i'll gladly search them for you!

Good advise.