The Entire Collection (So Far) From Grandma

Thanks Gram.

TWO at a TIME one in each hand

edit:format

Must be a huge job to look through it and sort it. Looks like a nice not so little collection though!

Wow! that is one heck of a collection.... Grandma had quite the stash put away. That's really cool, obviously quite unfortunate that your grandma is no longer with you.... but I bet she's be very, very happy to see you taking such an interest in her collection! Seriously! So many people just sell it off without so much as "flipping a coin over" and it always makes me a bit sad to hear that, as this is probably something she's been working on and adding to forever. And maybe by the time your kids get it it will be three times as much! Have fun going through it all, space yourself and don't get burnt out on it and as noted definitely take your time.... There really could be something quite special nestled away in all of that! There could..

Many people in the CCF have gotten a start collecting in the same way as you, myself included, only it was my gramps collection. And I was off and running the day I got it, and haven't looked back!. So trust me when I say it's a really neat feeling, to continue something they've spent their lives working on... I don't know, maybe it's just me but I feel like I'm continuing what they worked so hard on and in a way I connect with them on some weird level... Opposed to selling it off without a second look... Again, I don't know... maybe I'm just weird, lol.

But most importantly have fun with it!!

Grams liked a little bit of everything! Good for her. Seems like her collection made it into the right family members hands good for you! I didn't get any coins from my gramps but I got a nice valet that I keep some in and I do thinkof him often because of it.

So to be serious, here's a few pointers on the cents.

Sort out all the rolls, set aside for another day. Some might be full date rolls and if so I'd say leave them but if you notice they are mixed then just open and sort... unless they are REALLY nice looking then maybe leave them for later too.

Funny thing about "LATER", I had labeled some Indian head nickels as NO Date, then after finding about a dozen in rolls I started picking up on how to read badly worn ones and figured almost all of them out.

Get some buckets, I'm loving your plastic cups and the bowls. Never use metal containers for coins, and glass is not the best idea... sorting pennies out of broken glass... need I say more?

Restaurants toss out dozens of 3-5 gallon buckets every night, expect them to be dirty and bring a few garbage bags then clean them out good, or try sour cream, cottage cheese type containers.

A few ways to go from here, split them up into smaller groups is a good start, sort into wheat and memorial then go by decade, this way you will be looking at each coin several times, remember "LATER"? you might pick up on something you missed the first 12 times...

I'd suggest 4 major groups to start with:

1. Wheat's from before 1940 <increasingly uncommon in CRH>
2. Wheat's from 1940-1958 <still somewhat common in CRH>
3. Memorial copper cents from 1959-1981
...3b... What do you do with yer 82's eralie in the morning
4. post 1982 Zincoln's worth a cent send them back to the bank if there are any there... well look at them, grand's may have seen something to hold onto a newer one.

Again going back through them is not a bad idea, for basic CRH I'm not sure I'd suggest 2-3 or more times to check the newer ones thou.

I'm not sure if you are into CRH but I have come up with tons of empty rolls to re-fill with savers and sturdy boxes to fill with coins. Maybe try asking about a few boxes your self to get some more storage options or, interesting thing is, if you ask them to hold onto empty boxes they might be happy to, and no charge for the empties

Edit: spelling

When posting now pics on a thread like this just put them in the new post... I see what's new in the OP but others might not, so just put a new post instead of re-editing and posting a new one too.

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments and advice....much more to come!