Dealing with skunk streaks

[CC-Hunter]

Was looking back at my recent stats and realized that I haven't found any Ag since early December, except for a dime and quarter found in a coin counter reject tray. I mainly hunt halves. I'm not a high volume hunter, and the holidays and bank goof-ups disrupted my box orders somewhat, but all my efforts to search boxes, MWRs and loose halves haven't turned up anything lately (I've never, ever, seen CWRs of halves that weren't obvious re-wrapped dumps). I had high hopes last Saturday when a teller told me he had an envelope of 35 halves brought in by a lady (and this is a branch that services a lot of seniors), but they were all run of the mill clad.

Just wondering what folks on here do when they hit a skunk streak. Is more the volume always the answer or do you change anything up? I basically pick up boxes from a few different banks and dump at another bank. This fits my volume of 1-3 boxes a week just fine. I know I am getting boxes from at least two different couriers. I have a few branches supposedly setting aside halves for me (and one that sets aside all CWRs), but they keep saying they have no halves. The branch that sets aside all CWRs produced a loose '64 half and a Roosie in a roll the first week I hunted there, but since then they have no halves and their CWRs produce nothing interesting but random foreign, wheat cents and a lot of copper cents (I'm not a cent hunter, except for the CWRs from this one branch).

Looking for suggestions. Thanks in advance.

 

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[Wilmingtonsilver]

I have been in the same slump since November. I did get 1 90%er from a box last week, and hit a few good teller streaks, but no where near even last year totals. It may just be drying up. I am sure Timzin isn't the only high end hunter out there, and with the advertising the hobby has gotten, I am sure more are coming into it every day. I plan on trudging along, and keep searching my 2-3 boxes a week from 2 different carriers. It is either that or give up, and I don't plan on doing that yet.

 

[FloridaFinder]

For me it was increasing volume and making sure I didn't dump into my supply chain. I found out one of my early dump banks were serviced by my supplier, so I stopped dumping halves there. I then increased my orders and found my first Bens and Walkers multiple times over in my December dream boxes.

 

[CC-Hunter]

Thanks guys. All good advice. I hope the silver isn't drying up, but that would not be surprising. Aside from TimZim, there are several other folks posting here that do impressive volume, and then there's all the CRHs who don't post here or never even come on TNET. Over time that volume has to overcome whatever new silver may be getting dumped in the system, but who knows.

Even if I were to stop ordering boxes, there's no harm in continuing to ask for halves whenever I go into a branch. That's not a recipe for big numbers, but it would make the hobby a lot easier.

One of my new pick up banks used to be my main dump bank, so I could be searhing my own dumps, but it shouldn't take me long to get past that.

 

[theekman]

I think all silver has been pulled from circulation but when you have millions of coins made for so many years, when it trades owners gets handed down, or gets stolen it gets put back in the system, by ppl who dont know its worth.

Its been over 40 years since they have made silver coins, almost 50 for most coins.

Id like to know how many people started hoarding coins in 65 when the clad came out.

 

[maverick]

The Silver is definetily leaving the system everyday, but, I wouldn't stop, if you can keep ordering your 1-3 boxes a week I would. When I first started out doing 2-4 boxes a week I hit a skunk streak that lasted 2 months doing 2 boxes a week, I allmost gave up, glad I didn't. Keep working through them, of course a little more volume may help, but the area you are in plays a big part of it too, some areas are just not good producers. HH, Maverick.

 

[baddbluff]

I don't think the silver's drying up. It's been 40+ years since any silver was deliberately placed in circulation. My theory: 90%+ of what we find is "new" silver - collections dumped back in system (halves at least). Prob not so w/smaller denoms. I think some areas are better just cuz more is going back in. If you're in a slump, try dimes. That's what I do when halves are slow.

 

[jr98119]

I think all silver has been pulled from circulation but when you have millions of coins made for so many years, when it trades owners gets handed down, or gets stolen it gets put back in the system, by ppl who dont know its worth.

Its been over 40 years since they have made silver coins, almost 50 for most coins.

Id like to know how many people started hoarding coins in 65 when the clad came out.

I remember '65 and the clad coin introduction quite well. The silver coins disappeared from circulation VERY quickly. Any other old timers want to weigh in on this?

 

[theekman]

I remember '65 and the clad coin introduction quite well. The silver coins disappeared from circulation VERY quickly. Any other old timers want to weigh in on this?

Was it a big deal when you found out in 65 coins weren't going to be silver anymore, how did ppl you know react or say?

 

[thripp]

Keep asking for CWR halves, and ask for Eisenhower dollars too since you can sell those on eBay. Make sure to ask each teller and ask the tellers to ask the tellers at the drive-thru too. They might mention that a teller is off or on lunch break who has halves so then you can come back later.

 

[jr98119]

Was it a big deal when you found out in 65 coins weren't going to be silver anymore, how did ppl you know react or say?

Yes, it was a big deal. My mom and dad, who had a retail operation, saved some silver out of the register (I'll post on that is a week or so) and I saved my spare change and it formed the nucleus of my coin collection ( which I haven't seen since 1967 or 1968, but my wife tells me that she's packed it in the storage locker, which I hope is true because I had feared that it fell into the hands of my drug-crazed stepson). Anywho, there was a coin shortage for a while after the silver was eliminated and before the clad was fully integrated into the money supply.

 

[CC-Hunter]

Thanks again all.

Thripp - I have had moderate success finding Ikes. I'd say I have about 15 of them, just from spying them in teller trays. I'll see what they go for on ebay (all are clad and fairly circulated). I'm surprised how many tellers have no idea what I'm talking about. I don't want to say "silver dollars", so I say "big dollars" to avoid the gold and SBA dollars they usually try to give me.

I'll increase my drop-ins at branches and keep the box volume about the same.

 

[sagittarius98]

I don't think the silver's drying up. It's been 40+ years since any silver was deliberately placed in circulation.

What about the 40% that CRHers threw back?

 

[CC-Hunter]

I wasn't around when the silver coinage stopped, but I do remember a bit of the silver craze around 1980. I don't know if I had any clue about what the price of silver actually was, but I do recall the huge ads in the papers placed by silver buyers who were moving from town to town.

Somehow, my friends and I saw these ads and one of my friends remembered that his father had set aside silver coins. Well, we found tons of rolled silver coins in a closet at his house. I assume his father hoarded these coins, they had been in the closet for a while. My friend snuck some rolls of quarters out and we rode our bikes to a motel where a silver buyer had set up shop. There was a line out the door of people looking to sell silver in all forms. My friend was a little nervous about dealing with the silver buyer, so another friend offered to help with the deal in exchange for a piece of the action. I'm not sure how much cash the guy who stole the silver from his father ended up with, but my friend taking the "commission" ended up with enough to buy a stereo (we made several trips to the silver buyer). I was mainly along for the ride, but I think the guy selling the coins bought us lunch each time we went to sell coins. Never did find out if his father caught him.

Just realized that my son knows where my stash is!

 

[fistfulladirt]

I think all silver has been pulled from circulation but when you have millions of coins made for so many years, when it trades owners gets handed down, or gets stolen it gets put back in the system, by ppl who dont know its worth.

Its been over 40 years since they have made silver coins, almost 50 for most coins.

Id like to know how many people started hoarding coins in 65 when the clad came out.

It's not been 40 years, 40% silvers in (1976), and 90% silver starting again in 1992 for halves, quarters, and dimes.

 

[thripp]

For circulation coinage it has been over 40 years. You are a lot more likely to find a 1969 half than a newer silver proof.