Score of a lifetime...

meraxes

Jr. Member
Jun 25, 2017
28
59
Sacramento
Primary Interest:
Other
I guess this one deserves a little bit of background.

On Monday I stopped by one of my usual hunting sights, a bank that had been right in my daily commute up until just recently, and still isn’t far out of my way. When I get to the front of the line, and ask the lovely teller if she happens to have any half dollars or large dollars that day, she tells me “no, but we have coin shipments on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” and if I’m interested in coming back I can but some that they have on order. Apparently a lot of people have been asking for halves, so they are ordering them now? That seems kind of incredible to me, but I take her word for it and ask if she can set $100 worth aside for me on Thursday. Funds are low at the moment, so I don’t want to go overboard with the blank check she seems eager to write me...

On my way home today (Thursday,) I didnt even remember this had taken place until I had almost gone too far. Once I do remember, I make the necessary detour, and walk into the bank with a little over $300 in my pocket, which was sadly the majority of my liquid cash right then. Once I got to the front of the line, I was helped by a teller stationed next to the woman I spoke to on Monday, and I explain to her what I had been told. After a moments discussion, the bank manager comes out of the vault carrying a cardboard box, which seemed a little odd, and begins to rummage around in it at a counter I can’t quite see clearly from where I’m standing, while my teller waits attentively next to him. Finally she brings over a hand full of half dollar rolls, but not just any rolls. These rolls were much longer than what I’m used to, holding $20 each, and as she’s placing them on the counter and I’m mentioning the unusual size of them, I see, plain as day. “1968 NEW” written one of them.

Now I’m pretty sure I’ve had this dream before, but I always wake up before I get to start busting them open!

The manager walks up behind the teller then, with a big grin on his face, and tells me thet the rolls are pretty old, so I might find something good. I somehow manage to stammer, “do you have any more to sell?” He hems and haws a moment and asks how much I want, and of course I tell him I’ll take all he’s got, ignoring the finite amount of cash I have on hand. He tells me he was planning on buying a little for himself, $50 or so, but he can sell me $300 more ($400 total.) I peek back in my wallet and admit I can only buy $200 more. Lets see how accurate that label on the roll is before we start thinking about cash advances on the credit card...

Once back to my car, I drive to a parking lot across the street that’s a tad more secluded, and open that first roll I spied.

EA63683F-C31A-43AF-BB68-4AD4A0B83AFF.jpeg

!!!!!! Yeah, that really is a $20 roll of uncirculated 1968 halves. Needless to say, I figured out a way to scrounge another $100 and went back to buy the rest, fortunately before anyone else got to them! Now, this has already gotten way longer than I intended, so I’ll cut to the results:

Total of 30 90%ers
14 x 1964
13 x 1964D
1 x 1963D Franklin
1 x 1962 Franklin
1 x 1944 Walking Liberty!

Total of 522 40%ers!!!
13 x 1965
26 x 1966
79 x 1967
337 x 1968D about 200 of which are uncirculated!
67 x 1969D

Plus over 200 mostly uncirculated 1971s. I guess the original owner of this collection stocked up the year after the half dollars switched to the copper-nickle clad? These coins were likely sitting in those rolls for about 45 years; it blows my mind to think about it.

Oh yeah, and pics or it didn’t happen:

26D7D5F5-3AC8-4D0F-B61D-535BA79D7D27.jpeg
 

Upvote 0

scruggs

Gold Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,400
7,456
Northern Alabama
Detector(s) used
Whites
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Spectacular opportunity you had! It doesn’t get much better than that! Congratulations!
 

Tpmetal

Silver Member
Jan 4, 2017
4,437
7,560
Western ny
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equinox 800, Whites mx sport, Garrot carrot, bounty hunter time ranger
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someone died and their family was not educated on coins! nice score
 

TxAg

Sr. Member
May 7, 2017
423
413
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Dang! Way to go. I wish my tellers were that clueless!!!!!
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,713
40,793
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Amazing! I don't think I've seen one bigger. When I got my haul a couple years ago it was mainly walkers....who knows, may happen again...
 

Last edited:

Argentium

Gold Member
Feb 2, 2008
9,058
5,574
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Detector(s) used
Whites, MXT.
Primary Interest:
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Wonderful score ! How nice that the tellers were honest with you, and didn't hold anything back !!
 

OP
OP
M

meraxes

Jr. Member
Jun 25, 2017
28
59
Sacramento
Primary Interest:
Other
Thanks everyone! I don’t know too many other CRHd, so it’s nice to be able to share my joy with others!

someone died and their family was not educated on coins! nice score

I did find out that is essentially what happened. The coins had been in a safety deposit box, and the bank manager told me the gentleman’s kids ultimately decided it wasn’t worth going through. Who knows, maybe they’re wealthy enough that it really isn’t worth their time. I wish I could give all the coins a more permanent home, but this comes at a time where I desperately need the money. Conveniently there’s a local coin show taking place this weekend, so I’m hoping I can find a buyer who will pay more than the $1.50/40%er that the LCS offer.

I am going to keep the pre-1964s though :)
 

enamel7

Gold Member
Apr 16, 2005
6,383
2,546
North Carolina
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Nice finds! As you found out, banks are used to people asking for halves and ordering boxes. The rolls you got were not ordered though.
 

ltd063

Sr. Member
Sep 28, 2016
291
400
NC
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 800 & Excal II, Tesoro SandShark, White's DFX
Primary Interest:
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Incredible! I see the picture, but am still having trouble grasping the magnitude of your score. Congrats!
 

Dozer D

Silver Member
Feb 12, 2012
3,358
3,081
Primary Interest:
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I just hope that my own wife doesn't do the same thing with my coin collection AND my silver stack when I pass away.
 

weighit

Hero Member
Feb 17, 2007
550
242
Northern Arizona
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX with a Big Foot coil
Gold Bug 2
Now that is really impressive, glad you were able snag those before they went elsewhere. Thanks for the photos and you now have inspired everyone who reads this forum to head out and ask for halves again....if they have slacked off some.
 

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