Two Silver Dimes on an Exercise Walk

[artorius]

Went for an exercise walk (about 3 and 1/2 miles, nothing much) on Saturday, April 3. During the walk I made four stops at four stores, and came back with a handfull of change. When I looked over the change later in the day, there were two silver dimes (1946 and 1964). Not a big deal find, but it has been over a decade since I received a 90% silver coin in change, and three years since my wife found one (I did get a silver war nickel about three years ago, but that doesn't count).

While finds in loose change are not what they were when I was a child, it still is worth looking at the coins in your pocket.

And for me Saturday's finds were a bit nostalgic, as I am just old enough to remember when all U.S. dimes, quarters and halves were real silver.

artorius

[dave5710]

Mostly likely they came from the same store. If you had noticed right away, the clerk might of sold you several from the cash register.

[artorius]

Hi Dave,

I suspect you are right. One silver dime might be a stray, but receiving two of them suggests there were more in that cash register.

The most interesting coin I have ever seen in pocket change was received several years ago by our daughter's best friend at the local shopping mall. An 1880 Indian head penny. How that was circulating in the 21st century escapes me.

artorius

[gold eye]

Great find i look at my change when it is handed to me and have found a lot of old coins and i always ask the tellers if they have any odd looking coins most people don't know about silver coins at my work last week a lady gave the girl in the office a silver 1923 peace dollar . the Indian cent was proably in a roll of coins from the bank just a lucky find. happy hunting RON

[spartacus53]

Nice, you're doing better on your change than I am in my hunting

[wwace]

Coins such as your silver dimes find there way into circulation as a direct result of theft 99% of the time. Thieves steal coin collections and spend them. Unknowing kids get into their relatives keepers and snag a few for a candy bar etc. My family had two bags of silver stolen by a relative thief, it happens every day.

[artorius]

Hi wwace,

Sounds plausible that most silver coins one finds in U.S. change these days were recently returned to circulation through theft, or through mistake such as kids grabbing coins out of a door to buy candy or snacks. The 1958 silver dime my wife received aobut three years ago was dirty, and hard to distinguish from a circulated clad dime. That one could have been in circualtion since it was struck. The dimes I received on my walk, however, looked like silver dimes, and jumped out at me from the other coins in my pocket change.

artorius

[airborne1092]

Great finds! Extend your life, add some Ag to your collection. That my friend, sounds like a good day!

[billjustbill]

Hi wwace,

Sounds plausible that most silver coins one finds in U.S. change these days were recently returned to circulation through theft, or through mistake such as kids grabbing coins out of a door to buy candy or snacks. The 1958 silver dime my wife received aobut three years ago was dirty, and hard to distinguish from a circulated clad dime. That one could have been in circualtion since it was struck. The dimes I received on my walk, however, looked like silver dimes, and jumped out at me from the other coins in my pocket change.

artorius

Funny you should describe the dime that way.... At the Kellyco store front just outside Orlando, Florida, when you get change back from their register, it's usually the same way....

I think either the metal detecting customers pay with old coins, or the employees that work there take the clad coins that turned dark and the pennies that are beach corroded and change them out for better ones, then give the "junkers" to the customers.....

[CHAINCHOMP]

awesome score! keep it up and hh!