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 Replies: 18 / Views: 2,698 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10029 Posts |
I used to be around a lot of change in the 70s and 80s. I used to search all of it (by separated denomination) for silver. One of the fastest ways to locate silver is by pouring the coins onto a glass surface and listen for the different tones of the coins. As years went by, ID'ing whats in a persons pocket - if they are jingling their change - became a not-so-hard task (presence of denominations, not quantity of each). It is difficult to come up with a good way of asking people if I can see the coins in their pocket when I know silver is present.  Does anyone else do this? |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Not worth the trouble that may come with it and you can also get false sounds from keys, lighters, and whatever else may be in a pocket besides change. IMO, it would be a very rude act and if someone were to ask me to dump out my pocket so they could inspect the contents, they would be spitting their teeth out like chiclets  There are just some things you do not ask of total strangers and that is one of them, not to mention the fact that it has the look and feel of a robbery set-up... |
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Valued Member
United States
228 Posts |
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose - but you can't pick your friend's nose !  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7185 Posts |
Having to count cash drawers as part of my occupation I have developed a counting method that is by sound. I will count the coins as they drop leaving my eyes available for other things. Many a silver coin was detected by the difference in sound they make compared to clad coins.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3276 Posts |
i was never around when silver was common in change. well at least I wasn't old enough to care about it. I'm 22. but I did get my first silver quarter in the cash register at work a few months ago. I was counting the quarters and I heard something weird. I figured it was foreign so I looked and found nothing. I eventually started counting the coins and heard the sound again. turned out to be a beautiful MS 1964 washington. that was a great experience even though its not rare.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
931 Posts |
My wife has found 3 silver quarters at her restaurant in the last month and all three times she has heard the "ring" while counting change into the drawer. I love her ears too!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
543 Posts |
You can ask any of us here, though, what's in our pockets without fear of retaliation or robbery!
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Valued Member
United States
262 Posts |
I assure you if someone asked to see what was in my pockets I wouldn't take it lightly....I don't get defensive easily but it's just something that triggers in my brain as not right....even as a collector.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
687 Posts |
I cracked a roll of cents last year and it split and fell on my wooden coffee table. 50 cents fell at the same time and I heard rather than saw the single Canadian cent in the roll. That's when I knew I was a real roll hunter.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
917 Posts |
A couple of months ago, my co-worker cracked open a roll of quarters and because of a different sound to one of them, she pulled out a 1962-D Washington. She can detect silver quarters by sound because her cousin used to own vending machines, he schooled her in finding them (She has found several others; the oldest Washington was a 1942, I believe, but what's even more amazing is that she found an 1888 Seated Liberty).
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Pillar of the Community
United States
543 Posts |
One time, I had someone make a purchase and heard the person go to their pocket for change and I immediately heard a silver jingle and knew he had silver before I even saw what he had! He spent a silver Roosie and it soon became mine!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3592 Posts |
Just ask if they have change for a dollar  |
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Moderator
 United States
187607 Posts |
Quote:
You can ask any of us here, though, what's in our pockets without fear of retaliation or robbery! The Coin Community forums ask you that on every page.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2200 Posts |
Oh yeah, I have found that it's easy to tell the difference between coins and what their composition is depending on the sound. I always enjoy the difference in sound between a silver and a copper-clad coin.
But I wouldn't ever ask someone if I could examine their pockets!
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Valued Member
United States
296 Posts |
Yes, a person can learn to differentiate different metals in coinage from the sound they make. A think most coin searchers have the skill and a lot of them don't even realize it.
I can tell silver from clad from nickel Canadian.
I can tell cupro-nickel from .999 nickel.
I can tell copper from zinc.
I can tell copper Canadian from copper U.S.
As mention, it is not an exact science, especially in pockets.
As far as asking somebody to look through their pockets, bad idea, enough reasons have been given already...
The best you could do, if you're desperate, is just casually tell somebody you think you heard the jingle of a silver coin in their change. Mention that when they get the chance, to check their dimes and quarters if they're interested. Tell them the dates to look for, let them know the silver value and leave it at that. Let them feel you're just doing a small favor, no strings attached
If you're lucky, their curiosity will get them checking there on the spot. If they don't care about PM's, you might have a window of opportunity to buy it from them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
648 Posts |
 nice way your foot in the door, their hand in their pocket  this is one of the funnest reads  good ear bowfin! from what I hear lots of audio spectrum human analyzers out there and especially hear my low frequency better than my high so will have to bow to the experts  |
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Replies: 18 / Views: 2,698 |
Posted 06/27/2011 5:49 pm
