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 Replies: 81 / Views: 6,423 |
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
I just got back from cleaning out my husband's grandmother's estate in Texas. In her safe deposit box, we found a couple hundred coins. I know absolutely nothing about coins, and she has Alzheimer's and can't remember anything about them. Some are loose, but most are in little clear envelopes, some of those have writing on them. If I were to post some pictures here, could you guys help me figure out what we have? Edited by maryhm
02/05/2007 1:43 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1626 Posts |
We love to help. If you can supply pictures, that would be the best way for us to help.
Welcome to the forum...
Tim
Edited by Tpatna
01/29/2007 4:58 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2269 Posts |
Welcome to the forum,
If the photos aren't too good, Dates will also help in identifying.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2254 Posts |
Welcome Maryhm. As a few others will soon chime in....."Show me the money".
Everyone here will be glad to help identify the coins for you. The biggest thing to keep in mind right now, because of the silver pricing today, is that for about every face value dollar you have in coins that are 90% silver, you now have ~$9 in silver.
That's not including what the coin might be worth to a collector depending on date and grade!!! That is just a baseline to go by.
So post some pics and everyone will help.
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Valued Member
United States
140 Posts |
welcome to the forum. there is alot of people that will help you here.
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Valued Member
 United States
114 Posts |
Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! I wasn't sure what to expect. Some places aren't real keen on newbies, especially ones as completely ignorant on the topic at hand as I am. I'm uploading the pictures to a website so you all can see large pictures of each coin, and I can keep a running record. I've uploaded the first 6 that are actually in a small photo type album made for coins. Good pictures are hard to get, since most coins are stapled into those little display envelope things. It's a 60 page album, and there are 6 on each page, so I think I have a lot more coins that I originally estimated, since there are 180 in this one book alone! I probably have more along the lines of 500-600, maybe more. Well, here are the first offerings: http://www.monshaugenfamily.com/coins.htmAny information is greatly appreciated. History, value, neat facts, etc... |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Hi, maryhm, and welcome to Coin Community. We feel very strongly around here that the best way for our forum to succeed is to manufacture more coin collectors.  For that reason, you'll find a lot of help available. I took a quick look at your pics, and was stopped by the 1838 Dime. There are two varieties, Small Stars and Large Stars, for that year - yours is the Large Stars variety. You'll note on the holder it says "CH AU" which means Choice Almost Uncirculated. If the coin truly meets that grade, it's worth a couple hundred dollars. The trouble is, coin grading is a very subjective thing, and whoever assigned that grade might have been, um, a little optimistic. It's like they say, "A coin is a grade higher when you own it." It's a little tough to grade accurately based on your pics, and coin values vary greatly by grade. Is it your intent to eventually liquidate these, or will you be keeping them in the family? The reason I ask is, it will be worth your while to be as sure as you can be about the grades if you're selling, so as to get the best value for your efforts. Have you the ability to scan them? |
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Thank you for the response, SuperDave. I can't scan them, but could get a better pic if I could take them out of those plastic sleeves. Is that a no-no, or would it be ok for me to do that?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1703 Posts |
Mary, I can give you some rough estimates.The pictures are not big or clear enough to get an accurate grade from but I will use the grade marked on the holder itself and assume its close.Remember this will be rough estimates. 1845-O half dollar in VG-10 $35.00 1838 Dime $250.00 1866 5 Cent with Rays $45-$100 depending on actual condition 1856 Half Dime $20 1837 Dime $30.00 Hope that help some.These are ballpark figures and could change either way with better pictures. Terry Edited by TLS5933
01/29/2007 5:59 pm
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
I didn't state it (changed it on the website now), but you can click the pic and open a larger picture. Let me know if those big pics are better, or if I still need to get better ones.
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
Hello and welcome! I would just like to say....and this is very important.....if you remove the coins or handle them at all, BE SURE TO WEAR GLOVES OR ONLY HANDLE THE COINS BY THE EDGES. like this:  not like this:  We would love to see more pics! Welcome aboard! |
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Valued Member
United States
194 Posts |
Maryhm, Welcome. It seems your husbands grandmother has an nice extensive coin collection. I can't help much on the grades of these coins but I would say you should probably buy a copy of the current " Red Book" (guide to US coins) you can find one in your local bookstore and it will give you a reference to look up coins. The dollar values listed in that book are by no means what your coin is worth but it's starting place. Are you planning on selling the coins? If so you need to proceed very slowly, know what you have and beware of people wanting to buy the whole lot for one price. We would all love to see more pictures, (it's what we live for)  . maybe you and your husband will get the "bug" and become coin collectors too! Good luck. Margaret |
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
We're planning on saving the collection for our kids. Maybe if there are multiples of something and it has decent value we might sell it, but mostly just keeping it in the family.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
Mary, pardon me for telling you something you probably already know, but don't try and wash or clean, or use polish on any of your coins. Doing so can ruin the value. If you do remove them from the holders, be sure and remove all the staples before removing the coin - those things are notorious for scratching coins. I am glad you have decided to keep them in the family. All of us have some knowledge here and we love viewing a collection that has been off the market for awhile. Also one more caveat, keep the coins secure, a bank deposit box is best and don't give out your address or phone number. There are unscrupulous people out there who at best would try and steal your collection for a bargain price, or just steal it altogether. That being said you won't find a more generous or friendly forum than Coin Community.
Colin
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Valued Member
United States
114 Posts |
Thanks for the information, Colin. I'm finishing up all of the pictures tomorrow and everything will go back into a safe deposit box in the afternoon. So you think it's ok to remove them from those holders so I can get better pictures? Or do you think the pics I have are sufficient? There are a lot of uncirculated coins that are in sealed plastic, and I do know enough to leave them as they are!
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Forum Mom
United States
5877 Posts |
Welcome to CC! As you can see, we love to help and you should always feel free to ask any questions that you have.
Photographing the coins outside of the holders would be much better for grading purposes. Also, depending upon how long they have been in storage, those holders may have PVC in them, in which case they should be removed from those holders and at least put into modern flips or mylar 2x2's.
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Replies: 81 / Views: 6,423 |
Posted 01/29/2007 4:55 pm
