Need Help!!! Sorting Through Forty Years Of Amassing.

Oh that's just an awful problem. LOL
First is a Canadian 1882 H Large cent, middle looks to be an 1864 US Two Cent. The bottom coin is a nice Sesquicentennial of American Independence Commemorative Half Dollar.

I hope you're not using that Pledge canister to polish them. Please don't clean them, it hurts their value. That's a big lot of coins. It depends on how valuable your time is.

If you have countless hours of time to sort through them by date, mintmark, variety, grade and mint errors, then do so. If that won't work, sort them like you're doing and weigh them. Find a bulk buying who purchases by the lbs.

I've worked as a professional coin sorter. I've sorted over half a million cents, so I think I can give you some advice. Get a dedicated workspace with a good lamp and a box with shallow walls and a nice soft lining.

For cents keep a 5000 count bag for 1940 to 1958 P and Ds. Another for "S" 1940 to 1955. Keep a box of tubes for each year and mintmark, in order. Once full take any that are "better" and 2 x2 them. The others you want to put into full rolls. You can find buyers for these. The going price is 3 cents for the 40-58 PD. 5 cents apeice for 40-55 S. 1939 and before rolls are priced by year and mint mark. Some of these rolls you could do better on by selling them on ebay. But you really need to know what you adoing. If you are a real gluton for punishment you could hold out any year that has major rpms and other varieties. This can be rewarding, however those prices fluctuate all the time.

For Jeffs, and Roosevelts, pull out the uncs and roll the rest. You'll do better selling them on ebay for a modest premium. WAshingtons, Franklins can also be sorted by year, but really you just want to pull the uncs untill you hit the 30s and then you mostly want the mint marked coins.

Walkers should be sorted by decade, unless you have a ton of them. Get a book and find the "good" years, otherwise you can sell them by the roll of common dates for worn coins. Rolls of AU-MS will do well as along as you mention that they are Au-MS.

Buffalo should be sorted simliar to Lincolns, by date and mint mark. Dont' throw the dateless away, there is a small market especially the ones with a mint mark.

The key to set a time each day to work it and then keep at it for the whole time set aside. On occasion you can mix it up to keep you from getting overwhelmed with seeing 10,000 1944 Lincoln cents.

And that is the basic plan

I just wanted to say: WOW!! I didn't think that was all silver, but a closeup look reveals that the middle 4 boxes all contain 90%'s!

It depends on how much it interests you. I had to liquidate my dad's coins as estate executor. I had a niece that sorted out the small change, which you seem to have a lot of. The more valuable coins went straight to the best coin shop in our area. 90% of the value was for precious metals content.

I was in a hurry and the coins didn't interest me at all.

Well I caught this one late ,most great advice has already been given . But I can add you have your work cut out for you . Because there are so many coins without holders ,get yourself a can of pure 100% Acetone . Use as directed by CCF members only . Have fun sorting .

Narrowback

I am roughly an hour or so North of you in Orange County NY. I would be more than happy to help you with this large collection and to help you sort it all. I have plenty of contacts in my area also if you are interested in selling some or all of it. The bottom bins look to have a fair amount of 90% halves (Walkers, Franklins, and Kennedy's) same applies to the quarters and dimes. If you would like to discuss this further feel free to PM me on my username and we can talk.

That is a lot to take in. Certainly heed the advice given above. Then relax and enjoy the journey.