Half Dollar Roll Hunting For Small-Timers (Not Box Hunting!)

Picked up two rolls from a local bank. These were machine-wrapped rolls with one end opened and folded over. So, I expected they had been searched and I would find nothing. I was surprised to find four sharp BU 2017-D coins which are the latest-dated NIFC coins I've seen so far. Not silver, but not quite a complete loss either. Good enough to keep the searching itch alive!

Went to San Diego and took the opportunity to stop at several banks. My previous record for latest-date NIFC finds was broken when two 2018-D coins popped out.



Also found one 90%. You can never have too many 1964-Ds!



Then, there was this corroded 1968-D. The 80%Ag/20%Cu outer layers are quite prone to developing that green corrosion. The green tint indicates the "rust" comes from the copper component of the alloy.



These corroded pieces have no numismatic value so I use hot white vinegar to dissolve the copper corrosion products. This treatment usually improves the appearance without harming the silver content.



So, I picked up a few keepers. I'll take it!

I check for halves at various banks a couple times per month on average. Most attempts don't produce any keepers and I don't bother to report those.

Went to several banks yesterday and found one $10 roll at a Wells Fargo on the other side of town. Scored 5 90% and 2 40%. Too bad I can't achieve a 7 out of 20 keeper ratio on a regular basis!

Been a long time since I had anything good to report but I got lucky at a bank today.
A teller reported she had $160 in halves in the vault so I bought them all. This was the motley collection of rolls I received.



One roll was solid 1971-D Kennedys, all choice BU. Three other rolls were ordinary mixed Cu-Ni clad, with a single 1969-D silver-clad among them.

The remaining rolls had some cryptic writing on them, like "new '64" and "67 New New". Seemed promising!
Well, they were all solid silver, with a total of 102 1964 and 1964-D coins and 138 silver-clads from 1965 to 1969-D. Most of these appear to be BU, most with cloudy haze on top of original luster.

By my calculations that's a total of 57.45 troy ounces of silver in one fell swoop. Best roll search I've had in at least 15 years.

Think I'll grab a beer!

Wow, Jaobler! That is quite the haul! Congrats!

Jaobler, wonderful score!

This is inspirational, especially to someone like me who hasn't really looked at halves in recent years. I love the idea of this thread, and I really hope it takes off - I don't have the resources to buy tons of halves at once. It's really nice to see people who search them in smaller amounts.

What kind of arrangement do you have with banks to cash your rejects in? I imagine even a few half dollars is an odd sight for most bank tellers.

Very nice!

Still a win!