New Coin roll hunter needs help!

[hns11550]

First I want to say I have been very impressed at the various finds everyone has posted. I have just gotten into the MD hobby and it has also led me to start roll hunting. I am unfortunately an idiot when it comes to what to look for. Can someone give me key years and special things to look for in halves, quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies. I am just beginning and would really appreciate the help and advice.

Mike

 

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[coolcash2004]

Ok here is a feature length explanation.

First off, it is very helpful to go to a bank that you have an account with or know the teller, they are much happier that way.

Second, a roll of cents is 50 cents, nickels is $2, dimes is $5, quarters and halves are $10.

I reccomend the halves.

First go into a bank and ask if they have any half dollars, they will usually say either no, or they will say we have a couple dolalrs in loose halves (halves in there coin tray) or they might also say they have a bunch in the vault. Tell them you will buy them all.

They will either give you rolls of halves or loose ones, buy them all.

When searching in halves, look for anything dated pre 1971, (those are silver) 1965-1970 are 40% silver and everything before that is 90% silver. Keep an eye out for franklins, walkers, and any other non kennedy halves. Also look for anything with an "S" mintmark, proof coins can be very lucrative. Just the other day i got a gem BU 1995 proof half; EST: $30. Half dollars produce the most finds or "keepers"* as some people like to call them.

If they run out of halves at the banks try ordering a box, its $500 (1,000 halves) and contains 50 rolls. You can get VERY LUCKY with boxes or you could get SKUNKED**. Either way they are alot of fun.

Most tellers at banks will have many rolls of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies.

You can try doing quarters, i got a couple rolls once and found a 1954 silver quarter. Quarters however produce the least out of any other coin denomination (anything pre 1965). If you do collect errors though, do quarters and keep an eye out for roatated state quarters.

If no halves are available and you want silver try some dimes. Dimes produce more silver than quarters but less than halves. Keep an eye out for silver dimes (pre 1965) and mercs. Dimes can be alot of fun and if you find a merc (i never have yet) i here it is quite thrilling. In my experience i can get about 1 silver dime for every ~20 rolls. Halves are still much better.

Nickels are also fun to try. I save all pre 1960 nickels, but some people save anything befre 1956. Keep an eye out for buffaloes because they are still being found! Nickels are large, not that expensive and very fun to search even though the profit is generally not the greatest. If you like errors look out for the speared bison on the 2005 bison nickel. They can be worth a good chunk of money.

Pennies are really great. Very innexpensive and a full box (50 rolls) is only 25 bucks. With pennies save all wheaties (pre 1959) and anything else you think is interesting. Wheats can be found sometimes every roll or every couple rolls depending on your luck. Keep a watch out for errors! Several recent reports in the "coin roll hunting" section have also shown me that an indian head cent can even be found after going through loads of pennies or if your extremely lucky, but dont count on it.

Some people take there coins to a coin counter or sorter at a bank (or coinstar but that charges) to get rid of the change. I personally always reroll my coins in rolls and put a black line on them with a sharpie to ensure that i dont check the same rolls again a few days or weeks later.

* KEEPERS - Finds found coin roll hunting that are worth saving
** SKUNKED - getting no keepers in a box of coins, or from a batch or roll of coins.

ALWAYS ASK FOR LARGE SIZE DOLLAR COINS!!! I have found 75 IKE's total at banks. Some people even find peace dollars and morgans!!!

Also keep an eye out for old bills, i found 3 red seal 2 dollar bills EST: $7 each at a bank once.

Coin roll hunting can be lots of fun and yield a large proffit, but dont get discouraged, one time in a box someone found 3 walkers and a franklin in the very last roll, they never gave up. True story, trust me.

I hope this little description helps! Have fun and i highly reccomend it! Questions or comments just PM me. Good luck and HH!


-CC

 

[thudson]

http://www.collectorscorner.org/pocket.html Try this site. HH

 

[Emperor Findus Cladius]

Another thing you might want to do on the pennies is save all of your 1959 - 1981 pennies. With copper where it is at these are worth a little over 2 cents each, and many, many people are saving them now, so you might want to get on the band wagon. I personally have over $50 face in these right now.

 

[HobBob]

For determining coin values, check out this site operated by PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service):
http://www.coinuniverse.com/prices/

If you can get to a book store or library, get a copy of "The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins" by R. S. Yeoman. It has great pics and descriptions. It is published every year, so try to get the latest edition. The 2007 edition is already out. This is THE top guide book for coin collectors.
Happy hunting and welcome to the game!!
Bob

 

[RatRacer]

Welcome, HNS, to a cheap, addictive, lucrative hobby!
CC, this is a great post! The info you gave is helpful to all roll hunters, you were clear in your explanations, and you kept the topic interesting. You are a true asset to this forum, and are destined for great things!
You're actually 63 years old, aren't you?