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bottlecap
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So, after reading enough posts to convince me that coin roll hunting would be an interesting (and cheap) pastime, perhaps even profitable, I decided today to give it a whirl.
First, I needed to get an idea as to what sort of coins to hunt, since I still know almost nothing about them. I searched for threads on these forums and pages elsewhere as to a "beginners' guide" to what one is likely to find in such endeavors (and what one should look for), but the most I could come away with were references to pre-1965 dimes, quarters & halves, and certain old pennies.
My existing "coin collection," as I've noted in another thread, consists mostly of old pocket change indiscriminately tossed into pill bottles, and a few proof sets, etc I've received as gifts over the years. Another important factor I had to consider as far as starting today was this: I don't have $500 handy to buy a whole big box of halves--I'd have to take the ten bucks in my wallet and buy a medium-sized box of pennies, which I did.
Settling down with a bottle of water and a donut, I began dumping them out and sorting them this afternoon. Again, not really knowing what to look for, I just used the "thirty years or older" guide to set aside pennies from 1976 or earlier, hoping for the best. It took a little over an hour to go through them all.
The first roll produced five pennies from the 60's, and seven from 1970-1976. Whoopee.
The second roll produced a 1959D, two 1960's, seven 1970's and a 1981 Canadian penny. Much better (I think).
Third: a 1949 penny, one 60's and four 70's. It became almost like gambling...every roll made my eyes glimmer with anticipation as to that "one great find" that might be around the corner. As the stacks of coins started piling up, I felt like Silas Marner, or maybe Daffy Duck ("I'm rich...I'm wealthy...I'm a happy miser!").
It went on like that, and I won't bother giving a blow-by-blow, but here are the interesting finds overall:
One 1942, one 1949, one 1953-D, two 1959-D, a Canadian 1964, a Canadian 1968, a Canadian 1981, sixty-five from 1960-69 and one-hundred-twenty-six from 1970-1976. A few of the 70's coins were surprisingly brilliant (unlike most 70's sitcoms), so I set them aside. Interesting, too, were a few that seemed "lighter" than the rest. One was 1997, one was 2000 or 2001, I believe. They seemed almost like they weighed a few milligrams lighter (yes, my fingertips are just that sensitive), like they were made of tin. Anyway, I put 'em aside.
I had also brought about five bucks in loose change, and found a few 60's & 70's pennies therein, as well as a '74 quarter, a '71 dime and a '74 nickel. Again, I'm not counting on any of these being worth anything, it was just something for me to shoot for, since I wanted to jump right in today.
Overall, I've learned that:
1) coin roll hunting IS, as I'm sure you're all aware, incredibly fun, and not at all expensive (unless I want to start buying coin counters, wrappers, coin value books, etc etc);
2) my fingers were black with pennydirt when I had finished, so I had to wash off the zinc in the sink.
3) I'm hooked. Thanks for introducing me to a fun new hobby.
First, I needed to get an idea as to what sort of coins to hunt, since I still know almost nothing about them. I searched for threads on these forums and pages elsewhere as to a "beginners' guide" to what one is likely to find in such endeavors (and what one should look for), but the most I could come away with were references to pre-1965 dimes, quarters & halves, and certain old pennies.
My existing "coin collection," as I've noted in another thread, consists mostly of old pocket change indiscriminately tossed into pill bottles, and a few proof sets, etc I've received as gifts over the years. Another important factor I had to consider as far as starting today was this: I don't have $500 handy to buy a whole big box of halves--I'd have to take the ten bucks in my wallet and buy a medium-sized box of pennies, which I did.
Settling down with a bottle of water and a donut, I began dumping them out and sorting them this afternoon. Again, not really knowing what to look for, I just used the "thirty years or older" guide to set aside pennies from 1976 or earlier, hoping for the best. It took a little over an hour to go through them all.
The first roll produced five pennies from the 60's, and seven from 1970-1976. Whoopee.
The second roll produced a 1959D, two 1960's, seven 1970's and a 1981 Canadian penny. Much better (I think).
Third: a 1949 penny, one 60's and four 70's. It became almost like gambling...every roll made my eyes glimmer with anticipation as to that "one great find" that might be around the corner. As the stacks of coins started piling up, I felt like Silas Marner, or maybe Daffy Duck ("I'm rich...I'm wealthy...I'm a happy miser!").
It went on like that, and I won't bother giving a blow-by-blow, but here are the interesting finds overall:
One 1942, one 1949, one 1953-D, two 1959-D, a Canadian 1964, a Canadian 1968, a Canadian 1981, sixty-five from 1960-69 and one-hundred-twenty-six from 1970-1976. A few of the 70's coins were surprisingly brilliant (unlike most 70's sitcoms), so I set them aside. Interesting, too, were a few that seemed "lighter" than the rest. One was 1997, one was 2000 or 2001, I believe. They seemed almost like they weighed a few milligrams lighter (yes, my fingertips are just that sensitive), like they were made of tin. Anyway, I put 'em aside.
I had also brought about five bucks in loose change, and found a few 60's & 70's pennies therein, as well as a '74 quarter, a '71 dime and a '74 nickel. Again, I'm not counting on any of these being worth anything, it was just something for me to shoot for, since I wanted to jump right in today.
Overall, I've learned that:
1) coin roll hunting IS, as I'm sure you're all aware, incredibly fun, and not at all expensive (unless I want to start buying coin counters, wrappers, coin value books, etc etc);
2) my fingers were black with pennydirt when I had finished, so I had to wash off the zinc in the sink.
3) I'm hooked. Thanks for introducing me to a fun new hobby.
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