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 Replies: 27 / Views: 1,286 |
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New Member
United States
6 Posts |
I've got a big ol' just full of change. Lately, because I saw one article about "don't throw away this penny, it could be valuable," I've been seeing more and more of these articles popping up. So now I'm just wondering, do I take this jug to the bank and get the cash for it, or do I actually go through and look for some rare valuable coin? I hate the thought of the possibility of there being a penny or something else in there that is worth thousands. Is there some master list or resource that would tell me what to be looking for in all these pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters? Thanks!
*** Moved by Staff moved to a more appropriate forum. ***
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12979 Posts |
Interesting, yes. To start, how would you describe the span of years covering the coins--all after 2000? Between 1970 and 1990? Been accumulating since the 1950s?
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New Member
Topic StarterUnited States
6 Posts |
Oh I couldn't say.. can't remember the last time we redeemed cash for coins, but does it really matter? The date of the coin isn't really tied to the period of them being collected.. I could have received some rare hundred year old penny yesterday at the grocery store is my point.. Problem is, I don't know what to look for as there's a lot of videos, blog posts, etc about valuable change.. Is it just pennies? Or are there valuable nickels, dimes and quarters too?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2959 Posts |
I see the same articles every day, and they are generally referring to "1 in a million" or "1 in 10 million" coins.
If it were my jug, I would sort through them to see if there were any silver coins or wheat pennies. The rest I would bring to a bank with a sorting machine (Coinstar takes a 12% cut!).
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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New Member
Topic StarterUnited States
6 Posts |
Really so that's all you'd look for? There was a Canadian coin, and a sacagewa dollar coin, but everything else was normal change.. I'll just have to see if anything stands out. And yes, definitely the bank to get the cash afterwards.
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New Member
Topic StarterUnited States
6 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1135 Posts |
Welcome to CCF! You can use your internet browser search line to find a lot of info, like the Cheerios coin, cent, dime, nickel, quarter varieties, mint errors, etc. Some sites have good close up pics so you can see the differences. You could also buy the book Guide to United States coins or maybe find a copy in your local Library. The Cheerios dollar has defined multiple lines in the feathers, more detail, not plain. You can use the search line here on CCF, there's a few discussions about it. Take your time, no hurry I assume. First, sort through to see if you have any dimes, quarters, half dollars that were struck 1964 or older, they are 90% silver, not clad. If you want to see coin errors and varieties you need to buy a loupe magnifier, like about 10x power. Here is a site about error coins and price guides: https://varietyerrors.com/Edited by livingwater
05/27/2023 7:20 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2959 Posts |
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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New Member
Topic StarterUnited States
6 Posts |
Ok I don't have the cheerio coin after all.. But from my reading, I'm either looking for old, or some type of error; and that goes for all the coins.. Is that a good rule of thumb to go by for looking through all this change?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1294 Posts |
Statistically speaking, what you are most likely to find of value is as below. Nothing here is going to make you a millionaire or even a thousandaire. Maybe you can cover lunch... Wheat Cents Pre-1950s nickles Dimes/Quarters/Halves: 1964 and before are 90% silver Halves 1965-1967 are 40% silver Odds of old types like buffaloes, mercuries, Franklin halves, Indian cents have gotten very very small unless this is truly a jar that's been accumulating for many decades. Most of that had been pulled by the 1960s-1970s. They still pop up, but good luck. Foreign coins are interesting, rarely of value. If you value your time at $15/hour, a part time job at Walmart might be more lucrative that cherrypicking this jar... Do it for the interest in the hobby, the thrill of the hunt. Odds are slim that you find too much more than face value if this isn't an old accumulation with silver. My hoard of '82s is up to 241! 218 BC x 1, 118 BC x 3, 18 BC x 1, 82 x 1, 182 x 1, 282 x 2, 382 x 1, 582 x 2, 682 x 1, 782 x 2, 882 x 1, 982 x 4, 1082 x 1 1182 x 8, 1282 x 2, 1382 x 1, 1482 x 6, 1582 x 13, 1682 x 17, 1782 x 60, 1882 x 68, 1982 x 45
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Pillar of the Community
United States
999 Posts |
My advice would be to break it down by coin type. Then learn about each coin type, read a guide book, and look through the coins. I would do nickels, then dimes, then quarters, then pennies.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3929 Posts |
Also, stop reading The Sun, and watching those videos. They are at best vastly overstating the chances and the value of what you will find. At worst, they're just clickbait. For example, Jefferson nickels. The only "key" date is the 1950D. Yes, in MS65 it's a $20-30 coin. But the one you pull out of circulation in Fine condition is something you would buy, paying a dealer full retail, for maybe $6. A dealer -might- pay $4. http://www.numismedia.com/rarecoinp...proof=&plus= -----Burton 49 year / Life ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, OnLine Coin Club Owned by four cats and a wife of 39 years (joined 1983) PS: ANA's records are messed up, they show me as a 50-year member and I'm now Emeritus |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3929 Posts |
BTW, the odds for the 2000P Proof Reverse ("Cherios" dollar) are no better than 1:153400. There were 767 million minted and 5,000 or less are the proof reverse.
-----Burton 49 year / Life ANA member (joined 12/1/1973) Life member: Numismatics International, CONECA Member: TNA, FtWCC, NETCC, OnLine Coin Club Owned by four cats and a wife of 39 years (joined 1983) PS: ANA's records are messed up, they show me as a 50-year member and I'm now Emeritus |
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Valued Member
United States
140 Posts |
There are tons of varieties and mint errors that can be found on all denominations.. I would purchase a jewelers loop and look closely at any coin that appears to be in high grade(low grade coins won't have much value unless the rarity is something truly special) I'd also read up on major varieties and errors for each denomination to keep a look out for which can have serious value even in lower grade. Also anything that can be seen with the naked eye is worth researching. Rpm(re punched mint mark) ddo( doubled die obverse) DDR (doubled die reverse) Cud, Wide AM, Close AM, rotated die, floating roof, doubled ear, missing initials, die clash, strike through, transitional, lamentation, die break/crack, small/large dates, are all terms you may see used to describe the different things you can find as well as many others I didn't mention. Not all of those will be worth much and some add no value at all to the coin. That being said there are tons of things you can find that will sell on ebay for significant amounts of money or may just give you pleasure to find. At the very least searching through change is more productive than a lot of other ways you could spend your time. I'd bet if it's a decent sized jar there is likely something interesting in there enjoy |
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Moderator
 Australia
15419 Posts |
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".  Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Valued Member
United States
485 Posts |
@Collects82, where did you get the 1967 date for the end of 40% halves? I thought they ended in 1969, with some still made in 1970?
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Replies: 27 / Views: 1,286 |
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Posted 05/27/2023 5:45 pm
