Questions from newbie

[Gizmo1211]

Hey everyone. I decided to try coin roll searching. I read the thread for beginners, but would like to ask for opions. I don't have too much money to start with. Which denominations do you prefer? I went to my bank and they said they didn't have halves, but dollars. I decided to mix it up my first time. The teller was great. I only spent 100. Haven't looked yet, but will soon. I'll let you know.
Any advice?
Thanks
Karen

 

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[Icewing]

If you are just silver hunting, this is a quick way to spot them.

 

[Gizmo1211]

Thanks!

 

[ArkieBassMan]

If wheat cents and the occasional Indian excite you, then $100 will buy a bunch of cents to search.

If silver is the goal, halves are my favorite. If no halves are available I'd try dimes next, followed by nickels and quarters in that order.

The key is to find what YOU enjoy searching the best, and do that.

 

[port ewen ace]

dimes are low yield, but Mercs & Rosies are out there

cents have --a bunch of errors, wheats, copper Canada (pre 1997), Indian Head, foreign copper,

qtrs are worse than dimes for silver______BUT MEGA chances for valuable State & Eagle errors

nics. can be all things good____ war nics, Buffs, "V" nics, and again ---some serious errors, BUT DREAD the crap Canada beaver tail.

4 -$1000 boxes of dollars have been very impressive--- again--- this is for errors only in the SBA, Sacagawea & Pres. series. maybe some dip will put a 24K GOLD one in a roll ____or, NOT

STUDY like your future depends on it (it does) the coin error web sites to know what to look for and know PMD from Mint caused issues.

****************** AND BUY A 25X loupe **********************. youse gonna use it________ A LOT

now go forth and get those fingers black

 

[Mzjavert]

I hunt boxes of cents. I average 12 keepers per box. These are normally a roughly 50/50 split of wheats and Canadian pennies. The lowest number of keepers has been three and the largest was 33.

When I did a box a week, I'd get an IH about every six months.

Another frequent find would be dimes, some of them silver. I also find other foreign coins on a regular basis.

My favorite find was 76 that had an image of President Kennedy stamped above the date. From my research it would have been on a card explaining the similarities between the two assassinations.

Really it all depends on what you want to find. No right or wrong way to hunt. The more you hunt, the more you'll learn.

While cents are not glamorous, for $25 I get nearly endless hours of searching fun. I just have to replace 3-33 cents to the reject pile and go buy my next box.

 

[galenrog]

While I prefer nickels right now, I am willing to search any coin available. Each denomination has its own list of keepers by year and mint. Silver is always kept. The money, for me, is in errors. Every type of error. It does take a while to learn what to look for, but a cud or die crack has the potential to be worth from a few to several dozen dollars. Sometimes errors pulled from circulation can be worth a few hundred $.

I keep a list of what local collectors have an interest in. Currently that list is several pages long. If I lived near a larger market, that list could be much longer.

Back to nickels. Errors and silver aside, I have a list of several dates that I can sell to or trade with others. I also sort early Jefferson Nickels into two date ranges that are easily sold or traded. Those are 1938-1949, and 1950-1959.

Each individual has their own preferences. I am always open to adjusting what I set aside to better match what others are interested in.


Time for iced coffee.

 

[fistfulladirt]

I always loved hunting dimes and searched about a hundred thousand dollars worth over a couple years.
My average was one silver found per $150 searched, which included Canadian silver finds, mercs and Barbers.

 

[meraxes]

While I prefer nickels right now, I am willing to search any coin available. Each denomination has its own list of keepers by year and mint. Silver is always kept. The money, for me, is in errors. Every type of error. It does take a while to learn what to look for, but a cud or die crack has the potential to be worth from a few to several dozen dollars. Sometimes errors pulled from circulation can be worth a few hundred $.

I keep a list of what local collectors have an interest in. Currently that list is several pages long. If I lived near a larger market, that list could be much longer.

What do you find to be the best way of finding buyers? Craigslist? Chatting people up at coin shows? I've just started CRHing, so I should probably start thinking about how best to sell the extra stuff I'm not keeping, and I'm not very partial to internet/through the mail financial transactions.

 

[galenrog]

I have two primary avenues for finding buyers. Craigslist and clubs. After several years of this, I have also developed a list of individual who may have interest. I do not like eBay, and prefer to stay away. Coin shops are helpful, but be prepared for a lower offer than expected from individuals. While coin shop buy prices are a bit lower than selling to individuals, they are consistent and should be considered if you really need to move something.

Time for more coffee.

 

[Spizzerinctum]

My first boss was always telling me "In business, it's easier to save money than it is to make it". So I have a habit of looking for the best deal. I think that is why I like to search for silver in nickels. When you find a war nickel at face value you get more silver for your money than other coins, making it the cheapest way to buy silver.

 

[fistfulladirt]

My first boss was always telling me "In business, it's easier to save money than it is to make it". So I have a habit of looking for the best deal. I think that is why I like to search for silver in nickels. When you find a war nickel at face value you get more silver for your money than other coins, making it the cheapest way to buy silver.

I still can not get it through my head that a 35% war nickel has 1878% face value silver and a 40% silver half has only 498%.

 

[Gizmo1211]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice! After my initial search of mix of coins, I did find 2 weaties, and two war nickels. Yes the quarters were a bust. But it was fun. Then of course I start reading more about errors, and start looking again. Think I found a 1970 small date. Add to that I dug out a box of coins my aunt left me a few years back. Found a 64 Kennedy half, which I found out is 90% silver. Now I'm officially hooked! Now I'm looking at everything.
So much out there! Thanks again.

 

[TwoYewts]

Hello Gizmo and welcome to the fun that is CRH. Like the others have said, find the coin denomination that makes CRH fun for you and will give you the best bang for the money flow that you have available. I myself prefer Nickels and Pennies. Nickels for the various possible finds that can be found as Port Ewen Ace pointed out and Pennies because I consider pennies to be almost like buying a lottery ticket. You have a very good chance of Wheaties and if your a copper hoarder you will definitely get copper to add to your hoard; but, the best part is (and here is where I feel it could be like a lottery ticket) you always have the chance of landing any number of coveted doubled die varieties...some of which are worth $$$ (the 69s, or the transitional copper 83 come to mind). Now the chances are slim...but then again so is the lottery and the best part (unlike the lottery) is that you don't lose any money trying! Didn't find anything..oh well dump the pennies and try again!

Best of luck to you and welcome to the community!
-TwoYewts

 

[enamel7]

If I may ask, what year and mint were the war nickels and how many did you search? Also, the 1970S small date is very rare and the odds of finding one on your first try while possible, is not probable.