Hello From The Big Sky State!

Hi there from Montana!

I have always found coin collecting totally fascinating. My dad collected coins and also watched for certain things like dollar bill misprints and serial numbers and the like. I guess he passed that all onto me. However, the thing he didn't tell me is the fact we can all find even more recently minted coins and they will have some value too!

I have, within the last few months, become minorly obsessed with coins (in particular, tho I look at my bills too). What started out my fascination was that I had found a pretty old Wheat penny from 1941, and decided to research it on the internet.

I found many youtube videos with the topic of wheat pennies. As I began to research that penny I found out that there are *many* coins that have great value that we all can find just floating around in our pocket change.

Because of that fact, I added coin collecting to my list of hobbies. Now I know it is not impossible to find a rare coin because I believe I found one myself recently.

I think it is a common misconception among people who don't collect coins or pay attention to their coins and bills that believe that it'd be close to impossible to find anything valuable as everyone must have already found whatever there was to be found out there.

I am, needless to say, now aware that this is completely false and I am now paying way more attention to my random pocket change. I had no idea that there were coins that had value and had I not been curious about the Wheat penny I had found, I would *never* have thought to search in my own change. Now I am happy that I have been searching in my pocket change. Not only *my* change, but my mom's change and my sister's change.... :P Like I said, I am minorly obsessed now.

I am glad I have become minorly obsessed because as far as I know it, I might have (even just three months ago) thrown away over $1,000 or more. Today, I found a very rare 1992 Close AM penny. Not only that, but it is in pretty good shape! I see some pictures online of the current one or two that have been discovered and I think my penny has way less damage. Yes, circulated for sure, but very little damage.

Previous to my obsession with looking at my change, I would have easily tossed this in the "take-a-penny, give-a-penny" dish or maybe it would have been thrown into my coin stash for the next trip to the CoinStar.

I had to take three and four takes and got out my magnifying glass... but it is true. I'm new at this, so I don't know what steps to take in order to really be smart about perhaps auctioning this thing one day. I know I should probably get it professionally appraised somehow, or graded? I'm not sure... I am still pretty new at just *looking* for rare coins let alone having one in my actual possession!

I don't wanna screw this up and I know people here are well informed and would know exactly what to do with it if they found it. I figured I might as well introduce myself because I will probably be collecting coins for the rest of my life.

Thanks for the welcome. Looking forward to getting to know everyone.

~sOdEeP mUsIc