1942/1 Mercury dime!!!!

[outraged]

I bought this at a yard sale/estate sale for 1 dollar. And the boyscout match holder dated Sept 14 97 (1897) for 50 cents. It was very sad because the Old man who died had a HUGE coin collection. This is only 1 of 5 coins that escaped being sold to the local coin shop...They had some company come in to hold the Yard sale...They took all the coins to a shop in Albany and sold them for scrap prices....OMG I can only imagine what they scored!!! At the end of the sale they called 1800-got-junk and junked EVERYTHING that did not sell...This included that i know of....a 1794 dated china set...I offered them 100 bux and they said no...Then they junked it....Also a 20000 piece stamp collection. There were so many nice things I almost cried. O well.....Here are my finds

Anyone know where to send this dime to for grading and authenticating..I would really like to know what exactly it is...I looked on ebay and noticed no 2 overdates look the same. I am not an expert but I assume it is one.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[outraged]

Judging by the suface lines,bubbles and pits,there is a good chance that is a cast copy.

Oh sorry Tom...It is in a plastic holder. I have not taken it out for a pic...I took the pic while still in it.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[ringfinder]

Well I think you did very well. I would have been following the trash man to the dump. Heck, I might have helped him load the stuff in the dump truck. LOL

A friend of mine run is a Trash collector. You should see the things that he pulls out of the trash from estates. Kids go in and don't even look at the items they are throwing away. They just pile it up on the curb and get rid of the house. What a shame.

I guess it's a good idea to start selling off some of the things we have found. A person might as well use the money, as to have the kids, who don't care about all the junk dad found using a metal detector, just throw out the stuff or sell it for little or nothing.

Thanks for showing us your estate finds.

HH, Ringfinder

 

[MissyW72]

Great finds! I hope they turn out well for you!

Unfortunately people now a days don't appreciate things, with all the "toys" we have today. Or perhaps greed to sell the house as quick as possible leads them to believe everything in the house is junk. Of course there are old people who horde things for whatever reason and children or grandchildren find the task of going thru every piece of "junk" maybe too time comsuming and will keep them away from their big screen tvs and ipods for just too long they could not bear to waste their time doing it.
Quick story, my dad had a paper route when he was like 10 years old. People gave him tips at christmas. In the process he got some indian pennies! He kept them all these years (he is 68 now) because he thought they were cool! Out of 5 children and soon to be 3 grandchildren, I think I'm the only one he has ever showed them to. Simply because I too like coins and have collected them over the years. When he does die, they are mine (says me ) because I believe, I'm the only one that wouldn't try to just up and sell them off and be ripped off!
By the way my dad hordes mail! Don't ask me, but he has mail in piles from years ago! Its neatly stacked and not all over the house, but there is tons of it!

 

[FLauthor]

People who steal from the unfortunate, God will get them. One day they'll be walking along and drop dead or get hit by a bus.
I was in a coin shop one day many years ago when two young women came in with bags of Barber, Walking Liberties and Franklin halves. Their Daddy had passed away and left him his coin collection. The coin dealer tried to explain that by grading the coins, they could probably get a higher price. No, they wanted quick money and sold them all at bullion prices about $1500. Waving the money, they announced they were going shopping.
Even back then $1500 wouldn't buy a lot unless they were shopping at the Goodwill.

 

[RUDY2003]

Really cool merc. I'd have it appraised too.......

Keep searchin'...

 

[wallyblackburn]

I am biased (I am a licensed auctioneer), but Estate/Tag/Yard sales for stuff like that are about the worst way I can think of to get what it is worth. Using a reputable (I know there are some shady ones too) auctioneer/auction service is probably the best way to get maximum return.

It's really simple: imagine that this Merc came up for bid in a well-advertised auction. A handful of coin guys are there because they saw the ad in the paper or on the web. They all know what it is worth and basically compete with each other to buy it. It automatically brings fair value because none of these guys are going to let it go for less than that. The auctioneer does his/her best because they are working on commission.

The auctioneer does not even necessarily have to be an expert on what they are selling. The crowd will have gone ever every bit and piece at the auction - as long as at least 2 of them know what something is worth, they are going to make sure it doesn't go for nothing.

A good auction service will come in, stage the sale, throw out the garbage, and cut the customer a check. Can't get much easier than that.

JMHO,
Wally

 

[bazinga]

I am biased (I am a licensed auctioneer), but Estate/Tag/Yard sales for stuff like that are about the worst way I can think of to get what it is worth. Using a reputable (I know there are some shady ones too) auctioneer/auction service is probably the best way to get maximum return.

It's really simple: imagine that this Merc came up for bid in a well-advertised auction. A handful of coin guys are there because they saw the ad in the paper or on the web. They all know what it is worth and basically compete with each other to buy it. It automatically brings fair value because none of these guys are going to let it go for less than that. The auctioneer does his/her best because they are working on commission.

The auctioneer does not even necessarily have to be an expert on what they are selling. The crowd will have gone ever every bit and piece at the auction - as long as at least 2 of them know what something is worth, they are going to make sure it doesn't go for nothing.

A good auction service will come in, stage the sale, throw out the garbage, and cut the customer a check. Can't get much easier than that.

JMHO,
Wally

I've worked for two different auctioneers and I agree that this is the best route to go if you have enough to make it worth the auctioneer's while.

But, I have also been to auctions where the right buyers don't show up for one reason or another and everything is virtually given away. They are few and far between, but if you do happen to be at one, be sure to buy everything that you can or you will regret it later!

 

[Emperor Findus Cladius]

Before sending that merc off find a reputable coin dealer and ask him, or find out if there is going to be a coin show in the area and take it there. This way if it is not an authentic overdate then you will save the 30 bux. Also look to see if there might be a coin club in the area. Most of the 42/41 overdates, particularly the philly mint, have a very strong 1. It is hard to see with yours as a closer pic is really needed. What is on yours could be a 1 and it could be a die chip, it is hard to tell. Can you get a closer pic? If it is an authentic overdate then in the condition it is in it is definitely worth a 4 digit sum.

 

[texan connection]

I recently did a dumpster dive where the wife and kids of a antigue dealer in Calvert pitched eveything (the store is for sale now) and I made 2,000 on ebay for what I could get to out of the dumpster, no telling what they wasted, the last book I sold was a 1865 German immagrant book, went for 180.00. most of the stuff went for 50.00 to 100.00 now the rest is in the landfill.

 

[zztop357]

The BSA in America are 95 years old. But started in England way before that. So the match safe could belong to one of the first boys to join scouting here in the US. You can find the history of boy scouts by going to their site.
ZZTOP

 

[EDDE]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_for_Boys
(January–March 1908) Scouting for Boys, First publication (in English), London, Windsor House, Bream's Buildings, E.C.: Horace Cox (printer for C.A. Pearson), six instalments of approx 70 pages each.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden-Powell_Scouts

 

[BioProfessor]

This is off the topic of the dime but in response to people getting ripped off at coin shops, pawn shops, or estate dealers. IMHO, my experience is much worse. My great Aunt developed cancer and went through all the standard treatments but they really didn't do much as the cancer had spread and she was in her 80's and not in good health generally. She had been a member of the same church for over 50 years and they held prayer services for her and had prayer lists. Just what you would expect from a church that served its members. With all the attention she was getting, everybody in the church knew she would not make it and time was probably short.

She died within a few months and I went with some other family members to help organize her stuff. Her older sister lived with her but was really too frail to offer much help packing, sorting, and all the stuff that needed to be done. We started to organize things and noticed that many things were not where they should be. Her wedding sterling silver tea service was not in the cabinet. Her grandmother's quilts were not in the cedar chest. The more we looked, the more we missed. We asked her sister if she had moved them or put them "away" for safe keeping or something. She said that she hadn't moved them but some people from the church had been stopping by and asking to borrow some things. I asked if she knew their names and she said no but since they were members of the church it was OK. They were member of the church but they somehow all forgot to return any of the items - no tea service, no quilts from the early 1800's, no sterling silver dinnerware, no porcelain serving dishes. Nothing. All the family heirlooms had been "borrowed" by a few people from her church never to be seen again.

THAT SUCKS!!!

The real irony, she left her house and property to the church in her will.

Daryl

 

[Skrimpy]

...It automatically brings fair value because none of these guys are going to let it go for less than that...

What you really mean is they aren't going to let their competition get it for less than it's worth! They could care less about how much it goes for if it's going to someone that isn't a dealer.

 

[nc-joe]

Well, picture is a little fuzzy when I try to blow it up, but looks like the "1" is too small and the "2" is too big.

PCGS, NGC or ICG would be the grading/authentication service I would use. The closest coin show coming up is 230 miles from you in Bath, NY on Sept 30.

 

[BioProfessor]

The emblem on the match safe is just a Fleur-de-lis and may not be related to the BSA at all. It is a common French symbol.

Daryl

 

[GeorgiaFlutterby]

I think Bio is onto something...it does look more like a fleur de lis.

Georgiaflutterby

 

[MalteseFalcon]

The "2" is not 'too big' exactly. It is just the right size it could cover the one, and of course, it IS covering up the space where the one would extend to up on the top.

I would not dismiss this as being a regular '42 at all.
Needs grading by a grading service, as it is too close to call.
Congrats on the find!

And as for auction services, estate sale services, coin dealers, etc., there are criminals and scam artists in any profession.

Some of the stories in this thread infuriate me.

Those are the kind of people I would love to get into a room for just 5 minutes, so I could physically demonstrate what I think of their sorry behind!!!