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 Replies: 84 / Views: 5,108 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4676 Posts |
A couple months ago, I accepted a friend's challenge to search her departed husband's coin hoard. The first thing I tackled was a large box of Eisenhower dollars, from which I have extracted a few varieties and some nicely toned coins to sell on ebay. Next up is a sizable hoard of Lincoln memorial cents. I have hauled this stash down three different sets of stairs. Total weight, including jars, jugs, and crate: 285 pounds! According to my friend, her husband had been saving pocket change for decades. And because I know that some folks just really like pics:  I figure that this hoard represents about 50000 Lincoln cents, so quite possibly there are some cool coins to find. A much, much smaller box had rolled and loose nickels, dimes, quarters, and halves. By chance, I opened a bank envelope that held a few dollars FV of 1980s quarters. Then I spotted one with a different patina, and sure enough, it was a 1946 silver quarter. So here's hoping that this is a sign of good things to come! I have been working on a search list of major varieties, which I will append in a different post. My starting point was the PCGS LMC variety registry set list. If anyone has additional varieties, key dates, or whatever to add, I would be happy to learn. Just sorting all these cents into year/mm piles is going to be a major undertaking. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19672 Posts |
In my experience, these are the best unsearched coins on earth! Some of my best finds came from friends "trash".
Don't get so caught-up in varieties as to ignore the MS moderns. You might get lucky be able to put together a BU roll or two. Personally, the main thing I'm always after are the MS-65+ and toned coins. GOOD LUCK!
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Moderator
 United States
33110 Posts |
Looking forward to hearing about what you find that is worth not spending and thx for including a pic! Speaking of pictures, is that an Old Hickory bottle next to the Arizona Tea? If so then, that is where I think you will find the best coin. Actually, that might be a fun contest. Pick the container with the best finding, with denomination and date as the tie-breaker!  "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1339 Posts |
Nice hoard! Good luck on your journey! Can't wait to see what you find.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
738 Posts |
You have quite the job ahead of you.
Wish I could be there to help.
Sounds like fun.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Good luck with that, not in the least envious.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5177 Posts |
For what will probably happen ..
Most likely an enormous waste of irrecoverable
time . That said ..
Good on you for helping a friend .
Edited by Pacificoin
12/22/2024 7:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1391 Posts |
If you're right and it's around 50k Lincoln Cents, that would be the equivalent of 20 bank boxes ($25 per box). Sounds a little more manageable that way, perhaps.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1391 Posts |
Also, I hope some of those containers, especially the detergent ones, were well washed out before starting a new life storing coins. If not, you might have a bunch of "cup-holder" cents on steroids.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17494 Posts |
Enjoy the trek. If given the opportunity, I'd jump on it.
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Moderator
United States
163972 Posts |
Good luck!   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1809 Posts |
Kind of makes me wonder just how many more hoards similar to that are sitting around waiting to be searched. And why no wheat cents? These still show up fairly often in transaction change. Anyway I guess we know what you will be doing for the rest of the cold season.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
59473 Posts |
Good luck!  I'm sure you'll find stuff. Errers and Varietys.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6047 Posts |
Yes, now that's the ticket! Bulk memorial cents are really fun to search and there's lots to find. Mostly I get in piles and boxes and bags and bins of circulated wheat cents, and anymore mostly just sell them off unsearched. But I always go through the memorials. It takes a while, but once you learn the years with no varieties, you just glance at them for errors and move on quickly. I'm not sure whicha whatta kinda stuff you'd like added to your search list beyond the listed majors, but here are a couple things of note. 1969-S reverse counterclash 1971 D DDO-001 rare and desirable in higher grade 1972-S DDO-002 as strong as most of the majors for that year 1982, 1994, 1972-D and 1973-D die rotation 1983 extra letters 1990 DDO-001 and DDR-001 are desirable This is what I got in yesterday. The fun never stops.  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4676 Posts |
Quote:
And why no wheat cents? These still show up fairly often in transaction change. There were a few bank envelopes of wheat cents in the clad change box. My assumption is that he was separating them out prior to tossing his change in the jars and jugs. That might turn out to be a bad assumption. Presently, I am assuming it is all LMC and LSC. Quote:
Most likely an enormous waste of irrecoverable
time . That said .. Good on you for helping a friend . I agree that on a financial basis, it could never break even. I think my friend was just reluctant to dump the cents in a CoinStar. Assuming that a CoinStar kiosk could even accommodate 250 lbs. of cents. I am helping her to feel that the coins were done justice, and then painlessly recycled to the bank. There is also something to be said about learning for the sake of learning. I don't know cents that well. By the end of this, I should have a much better feel for modern LMC and LSC. Quote:
once you learn the years with no varieties, you just glance at them for errors and move on quickly. I do that exact process when I sort Jefferson nickels while CRH. If you have some sort of exclusion list for LMC/LSC that can immediately dispatch certain date/mm to the rolling pail, then I am all ears.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
13668 Posts |
Looks like quite an endeavor. Looking forward to learning what you find.
Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.artToo many hobbies .... too much work .... not enough time. |
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Replies: 84 / Views: 5,108 |
Posted 12/22/2024 6:28 pm
