New To Penny Collecting And Seeking Advice

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 1,551
jq1979 New Member United States 1 Posts	Posted 05/18/2013 5:48 pm Hello everyone! My Father recently passed away and left around 10,000 coins to me. 90% of the coins are Lincoln Pennies ranging from the years 1900-1970 I believe. What I'm looking for is any advice on how to get started going through them to determine their worth and collectibility. Some of the pennies are in those white cardboard window thingys. (Yes I know that's not the technical term.) But most are in plastic rolls or paper rolls so I understand that I have quite the task ahead of me. Any advice on the proper method of handling pennies, what magazines or websites to use to determine worth would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Report this Post to the Staff

basebal21 Bedrock of the Community 13014 Posts	Posted 05/18/2013 6:52 pm I would suggest using http://www.numismedia.com/fmv/fmv.shtml to figure out what the key dates are. Those will be the ones that will likely make up the bulk of your value and the ones worth trying to pin a grade on. The common ones really only get a large premium in high grades and they generally have to be slabbed and graded to get those types of premiums. Completed ebay sales are good to find prices as well. The pre 82 copper cents that are common are worth a bit more than face for the copper and can be sold in lots on ebay for more than face value. Some rolls carry a premium too so I wouldnt necessarily open those up especially if they arent a key date or a better date Grades will be a large factor in their value, you can use http://www.pcgs.com/photograde/ to get a better idea of what the grades look like, but also look for graded coins on ebay and thats a good way to see a lot of them in different grades and notice the differences As far as handling hold them by the edges and dont touch the front or back. If its a heavily circulated coin it doesn't really matter as its been handled 1000s of times before, but if you want to play it safe just hold the edges. And those cardboard window things are called 2x2s Sorry to hear about your loss. Edited by basebal21 05/18/2013 7:40 pm Report this Post to the Staff
solotime Pillar of the Community United States 2311 Posts	Posted 05/18/2013 7:36 pm Quote: And those cardboard window things are called 2x2s Also called Flips. @jq1979, sorry to hear about his passing. But to the forums. If you need more help with the pennies, just post a picture of it. If you do what Basebal said, you will be set. Remember, you can always ask us for better understanding. Report this Post to the Staff
Buddy Rest in Peace United States 7075 Posts	Posted 05/18/2013 8:16 pm I am sorry for your loss. But you have come to the right place to get honest information about the coins. Just in case you don't know, DO NOT CLEAN THE COINS. You might see threads here about cleaning coins, but those coins are often encrusted in mud (ancients) or have been stored in vinyl which will destroy the coins. with the advice already posted and I would add that even if you are not now interested in keeping the coins for your own collection, you should keep some as keepsakes. Coins don't take up much space and maybe you have or will have children that would like something that belonged to grandpa. Report this Post to the Staff
daniels Pillar of the Community United States 1620 Posts	Posted 05/18/2013 9:09 pm could you maybe post some pics of what you have Report this Post to the Staff
Jerry_B Valued Member Canada 453 Posts	Posted 05/18/2013 10:12 pm Don't be in any hurry to sell them. Take your time - Get to know what you've got. Report this Post to the Staff
John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 05/19/2013 05:33 am to CCF and sorry for your loss.I think coin flips are the holders that are all clear Mylar and 2x2's are the ones made of cardboard with a Mylar window/lining.Also Lincoln cents are not pennies they are cents,but the two words are interchangeable.I would suggest a 10x magnifier loupe and a good light source to.Please keep us updated on what you find. John1 Edited by John1 05/19/2013 05:33 am Report this Post to the Staff
willman36 New Member United States 29 Posts	Posted 05/22/2013 7:37 pm That would be so much fun to dig through.. Report this Post to the Staff
atheronblog New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 05/22/2013 8:16 pm Sorry to hear of your loss. I'm sure your father would be glad to know that you will be going through and taking the time to enjoy his collection. Good info in the other replies here. Certainly going through and looking for rare specimens is a good idea, but once you do that I would keep the rest of the pennies as well! All pennies minted before 1981 have a copper value well over $0.01, and that many copper pennies would be a nice inflation hedge to own! if you visit (124) Not Allowed - Auto-Removed .com, you can see the current melt value of a copper penny. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 8 / Views: 1,551

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: US Coins and Currency Forums Forum: US Modern Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.27 seconds to rattle this change.