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 Replies: 15 / Views: 1,363 |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Hello to all  I work as a cashier and at the end of my shift, I am able to purchase any coins or bills that are in my bank. If I have time, I usually do a quick scan for 1982 d small dates, West point quarters, the speared Buffalo nickel and Wheaties. What is the unicorn coin that I should be looking for? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3467 Posts |
Pre 1965 dimes, quarters and half dollar are all 90% silver. 1965-1970 half dollars are 40% silver.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
 to the CCF! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2280 Posts |
1982-d small date copper is the unicorn.
You realize when you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson
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Forum Dad
 United States
24147 Posts |
If you want to find a Unicorn, look for this stuff on the ground and follow it...  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1648 Posts |
Hi Kaysma, maybe try a book called Strike it rich with pocket change which should help identifying coins that are worthwhile to look for, while mostly not covering all the extremely minor ones that arent really worth your time. From there you can make a list of the ones you wish to look for ongoing and yes it covers many of the near unicorns (ones that are at least possible but unlikely since only a few exist). https://www.amazon.com/Strike-Rich-.../0593328604/Bobby, I think I found them...bigfoot on a unicorn - got away fast but I snapped this photo.  Edited by datadragon
08/13/2023 5:32 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2233 Posts |
You definitely want to be checking your 1969-S LMCs as well for the DDO. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3207 Posts |
IMO, silver is worth the effort, West Point quarters as well. Wheats are easy enough to spot, but the rest loose in the till are too unlikely and/or worth too little to spend time on. A roll of mint fresh coins is worth checking for high grades and errors.
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Valued Member
United States
450 Posts |
Agree with Nick. Silver is the way to go. Much better return, and it is still out there. As for wheat cents, I used to accumulate them.......until I hit a limit where they were too difficult to move and store due to the shear volume. You might want to pick up a Red Book for values. |
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Moderator
United States
94636 Posts |
seek out the silver coins.
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Moderator
United States
15381 Posts |
to the CCF I'm with the crowd recommending pre-1965 silver. It's relatively easy and quick to spot and requires no specialized knowledge. Plus it's still available. Practically any rare variety is going to require some time to search for and tools. Your 1982-D copper small date cent requires a scale, for example. Will your employer allow to to search the open till while you fiddle with coins on a scale? Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3207 Posts |
You could also watch for error coins, but the trouble is errors are vastly outnumbered (1000+ to 1) by damaged coins that look odd but have no numismatic premium. Distinguishing between true minting errors and damage takes a fair amount of practice. Peruse the Variety and Error subforum to see what I mean.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6449 Posts |
I think the strategy would be to identify a few key dates, and then just swap them for ordinary coins without inspection. Then do the inspecting at home. That's a completely feasible approach for nickels, for example. Pre-1960 nickels are only like 1-2% of the population. Outside that range, the only interesting nickels are the 1963 and the 1975-D high mint mark, which is visible to the eye. There are others, perhaps, but if you had to make the cut in a minute, that's how I would do it.
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New Member
 United States
29 Posts |
Nickelsearcher, I just buy them at the end of my shift and look at them when I get home. I'm not going to be weighing coins at work.
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Valued Member
United States
94 Posts |
I think you have a good strategy with your starting point. Look for the more obvious errors. Plus don't forget bills as you will still find the occasional silver note or interesting serial number. The rolls can have interesting finds too.
Have fun!
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
CoffeeTime, I recently bought some sequential $5.00 star notes and last night I got two rolls of dollar coins. Even if I don't have anything rare or valuable yet, I'm having a great time looking and learning
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Replies: 15 / Views: 1,363 |
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Posted 08/13/2023 3:35 pm
