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How Available Are OBW Rolls?

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 Posted 07/13/2023  9:31 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add EricH to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
I would love to purchase Obw rolls of 1960-d and 1970-s cents is anyone aware of how scarce these are or know of a reputable source?
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 Posted 07/14/2023  12:01 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add rmpsrpms to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
1960-D are still very common in dealer stock. They were the most commonly kept roll in the early 60's roll craze. You can still buy sealed bags of them, both loose and in rolls from FRBs and distributing banks. The many varieties available mean that many of the rolls are likely searched, so pay attention to the rolls to ensure they are true OBW.

1970-S are far less common. They were not hoarded with the same fervor as 1960-D, and once the variety was recognized they have been searched. That said I've run across quite a few in my searches, which IMO is surprising given the value of the variety. I expect many of the "OBW" out there are actually rewrapped rolls that have been searched, so be very careful when purchasing.

I have the most success in purchasing BU and OBW rolls by going on road trips to cities with many dealers, and inquiring in person. Be sure to ask if they know of any other dealers who have rolls, as that's the best reference and minimizes wear on your shoes. Time your trip to coincide with local coin shows for another avenue for roll purchases, but note that most dealers won't take rolls to shows since they are low cost items that are heavy and thus get very little respect.
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ijn1944's Avatar
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 Posted 07/14/2023  08:00 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add ijn1944 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Good advice, rmpsrpms...
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 Posted 07/14/2023  11:19 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add EricH to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Rmp I searched ebay and there are supposed Obw rolls of 1970-s for varying prices( up to $75) I just can't imagine owning those rolls and NOT searching them. It looks like you have experience in this area, how much should I expect to pay for a bag of 1960-d?
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 Posted 07/14/2023  1:41 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add BadThad to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The 60-D OBW's still exist, the 70-S not so much. Since the 70-S small date is worth $30+ dollars in MS red, people have pretty much searched every roll and bag. I suspect 99% of the 70-S OBW rolls listed on the internet have been searched and rewrapped.
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 Posted 07/14/2023  1:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Stephen-P to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I just can't imagine owning those rolls and NOT searching them


Good assumption. I usually like to pay attention to the store's main focus.
If a store has numerous single variety/coin types for sale, I would automatically assume that anything supposedly "hidden" in their store has already been searched.
If a store has a variety of collectibles like antiques, stamps etc. with some coin rolls in the mix, there's a high probability they're legitimate.
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 Posted 07/14/2023  2:21 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add cladking to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
The 60-D OBW's still exist, the 70-S not so much. Since the 70-S small date is worth $30+ dollars in MS red, people have pretty much searched every roll and bag. I suspect 99% of the 70-S OBW rolls listed on the internet have been searched and rewrapped.


Many BU rolls from after 1965 are assembled from mint sets. This applies especially to clads and nickels but even many cent rolls come from mint sets. About 11% of mint set cents are small dates but these will usually be removed before you see them.

Nice small dates wholesale for up to $50.
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 Posted 07/14/2023  2:55 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jbuck to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I just can't imagine owning those rolls and NOT searching them
Yup. Agreed.
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 Posted 07/15/2023  7:14 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add rmpsrpms to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Rmp I searched ebay and there are supposed Obw rolls of 1970-s for varying prices( up to $75) I just can't imagine owning those rolls and NOT searching them. It looks like you have experience in this area, how much should I expect to pay for a bag of 1960-d?


For sure, but most folks are not variety collectors, and fewer still care anything about rolls of Cents. What you're looking for are mid-sized dealers that get a lot of material from local customers, and just don't care about Cents or Varieties. That description fits quite a few dealers in each major geographical area. With the right approach you can easily find dealers with unsearched rolls.

For 60-D rolls, I'd just go with the price guides. Add 20% at most.
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 Posted 07/15/2023  7:25 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add BadThad to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
What you're looking for are mid-sized dealers that get a lot of material from local customers, and just don't care about Cents or Varieties.


Fact! You can get quite lucky at your LCS. My best rolls (cents) were bought very cheaply at one LCS near me and came from customers dumping old hoards/collections. Thankfully, at the time he had zero interest in them. For him they were taking up space so I could get them for a song.
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 Posted 07/15/2023  8:54 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Maine Member to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Now I'll have to go up to the attic and check the roll stock. (that will be a chore for me) I put a lot of OBW Lincoln rolls in tubes in the 70's. I was gathering wheaties, buying rolls from the local bank. When I saw a roll of obw new cents, I would put it in a tube. None were looked at for errors. Have a lot of them. Haven't looked at them for years.
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 Posted 07/17/2023  12:38 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add BadThad to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Now I'll have to go up to the attic and check the roll stock.


Generally, attics are the worst place you can store coins due to huge temperature fluctuations. Temperature swings drive the corrosive process!
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 Posted 07/17/2023  2:15 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add cladking to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Generally, attics are the worst place you can store coins due to huge temperature fluctuations. Temperature swings drive the corrosive process!


Being in tubes might save them.

However, don't despair if they all appear to be ruined. Usually a soak in alcohol will fix most of them. Some discoloration and tarnish can not be removed however.
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 Posted 07/17/2023  2:22 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add rmpsrpms to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Getting warm is an issue, but the bigger issue is getting cold, then moving to a warm/humid place, causing condensation. I've opened quite a few OBW rolls and was terribly disappointed to find them "crusty" (as I call it) with condensation damage. Indeed there was a local dealer that operates out of an old bank, and the safety deposit boxes were filled to the brim with OBW rolls of all denominations going back to the early 30's. The collection was an OBW collector's dream! He sold the silver and nickel rolls over the years, but still had most of the Cents. I tried in vain for 20 years to get access to the Cent rolls, but the owner just wanted to hold onto them. Eventually he acquiesced, and started bringing out SDBs filled with rolls. I quickly saw that they were all crusty and corroded. I guess the vault was not heated, and over the years it had been opened to warm/humid air countless times, resulting in condensation even within the SDBs. It was heartbreaking.
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 Posted 07/17/2023  4:46 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add cladking to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
Getting warm is an issue, but the bigger issue is getting cold, then moving to a warm/humid place, causing condensation. I've opened quite a few OBW rolls and was terribly disappointed to find them "crusty" (as I call it) with condensation damage. Indeed there was a local dealer that operates out of an old bank, and the safety deposit boxes were filled to the brim with OBW rolls of all denominations going back to the early 30's. The collection was an OBW collector's dream! He sold the silver and nickel rolls over the years, but still had most of the Cents. I tried in vain for 20 years to get access to the Cent rolls, but the owner just wanted to hold onto them. Eventually he acquiesced, and started bringing out SDBs filled with rolls. I quickly saw that they were all crusty and corroded. I guess the vault was not heated, and over the years it had been opened to warm/humid air countless times, resulting in condensation even within the SDBs. It was heartbreaking.


I've had coins stored in many types of environments for many many years including safety deposit boxes at many different banks. I've lost a lot of coins. The worst is something like '71-S one cent coins. It's not unusual to find an entire roll skunked and even the best rolls will usually have only 20 or 25 coins that survived. It simply depends on many many factors but bad environments are where the storage media is prone to condensation.

Some coins like '68 cents tend to go bad no matter how well stored they are.

It is heart breaking.
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United States
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 Posted 07/18/2023  02:45 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Maine Member to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks everyone for the storage advice. I'll be recruiting some help to get to the attic and take a peak. The tubes are in plastic tubs, not sure if that will make a difference.
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