Alchemist Brews

[SilverFace]

Looks like you're doing good so far, and finding 3 silver and one no date buffalo in one nickel box is a great box. One teller guy I sometimes see at one of my p/u banks sometimes asks me how Im doing with my boxes and im sometimes at a loss for what to say too. I usually just don't say much and keep the conversation brief. And sometimes I get the same response from banks I don't have an acct with when I ask for halves. A couple of weeks ago a drive thru teller told me she had $7.50 in halves and if I just sent her my acct # I could have the halves. Well no acct so no halves. But I don't usually have problems getting halves from other branches of this same bank when they have them. It just sometimes depends on the branch or even the particular teller as to whether or not u will get hassled about having an acct. with them. I have accts at three of the different major banks but its hard and rather impractical to have accts with every bank in town.

But thats good that one bank u don't have an acct with yet doesn't give u a hassle about buying halves and has been such a good source of silver for u. I've mentioned this before but my best score ever about 2 1/2 years ago was at a bank I didn't and still don't have an acct with either. I got 3 solid rolls of Walkers and Ben's and a couple of 40%ers from just $91 in customer halves at this bank and I still remember the teller kept thanking me for helping her to get rid of them. This sure can be an unpredictable hobby at times.

Hope u have continued success and H$H!

 

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[Alchemist]

3 solid rolls on only $91 purchased...one for the record books, I'd say. I hope to someday oblige a bank like that, unloading halves for them. Maybe this week; I have a few days off and plan a round-a-bout, whirlwind tour of the county to hit the more rural banks. Hopefully someone else hasn't done the same recently - I occasionally hear from tellers that someone just bought their last rolls. Hmm. I'd like to think there's enough to go around. Wish me luck, and I hope the same for you!

 

[Alchemist]

Scoured part of the county on my day off; managed to hit about 12 or more banks and CU's. Where available, I bought $100 or less of halves -- test holes, if you will. Most came up skunk, but a couple stops gave me reason to return.

about $650 in lose halves: (2)1967, (2) nifc 2004
$50 loose Nickel rolls: (16) keepers, including 1943P, plus
1940, (2)1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1955D, 1956D, 1957D, (2)1958D, 1959, (2)1959D




2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: (12) 40%
Nickels: (9)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
2.2811 / $45.08

 

[Alchemist]

I have this personal belief that success in nickels is based on how many keepers (pre '60) I average per roll. So, I score a box of nickels; there are 50 rolls, and if I get 36 keepers (as I did today), that would be a success rate of 72% (or .72 keepers per roll). Of course, the more rolls you go thru, the lower that percentage tends to get. If you search only one roll, and reveal a 1950 (!), you're percentage is 100% (1 per roll), but it's not saying much in terms of volume or impact for that denomination. The goal is for a larger average at higher volumes of coinage. Anyway, just a cool way of tracking success, I guess. What is success, I wonder...50%?
75%?

$100 loose Nickel rolls: (36) keepers (72%), including 1942P, 1945S, plus
(4)1939, (2)1940, 1940S, (2)1941, (2)1946, 1947, 1947D, 1948, 1949S, (2)1952, (3)1953, (2)1953S, (2)1954D, (2)1955D, (2)1957D, (3)1958D, (3)1959D, and
(3)Canadians, 1986, (2)1994




2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: (12) 40%
Nickels: (11)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
2.3936 / $47.30

 

[Alchemist]

Half Box: 1967
nifc 2005 AND my first S coin: 1988S. What a shiner...


2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: (13) 40%
Nickels: (11)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
2.5415 / $50.22

 

[Alchemist]

So, today was my last day off from work, and it allowed me to scan the remaining banks and c/u's in my county that I couldn't reach the other day. As I set out, I was thinking I have yet to get any silver from the coveted "teller tray" that I so often hear about. Well, today was a day of firsts.
First bank I hit, the tellers only had about $4 in halves...but one was silver. Next bank; the teller only had one half -- but it too was silver. After that, I had no more luck with teller trays. However, after picking up about $650 in loose halves and a few mwr's, I did very well, including another first -- my first 90% Kennedy!

about $650 in lose halves and tray finds: 1964, 1965, (3)1967, 1968, (2)1969
Best day thus far...




2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (11)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9385 / $77.83

 

[Alchemist]

Box Nickels: skunk, with (22) keepers (.44% avg), with
1940, (3)1940S, 1941, 1942, 1946D, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954, (2)1954D, 1954S, (3)1955D, (3)1957D, 1959D, and
2009D

2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (11)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9385 / $77.83

 

[SilverFace]

Congrats on a good day of finds and finding your first 90% Ken.

 

[Alchemist]

Thank you, thank you.
Question for you: are S minted halves any percentage of silver? I got my first the other day (1988S)...

 

[SilverFace]

Most S mint halves are clad. Only '68S-'70S, and some '76S halves are 40% silver. And some '92S - present S mint halves are 90% silver. Ive never found a modern 90% silver proof half yet myself. And strangely enough I just found another clad '76S mint half tonight from a box I got earlier today. Seems like Ive been finding a lot of '76S halves lately and even a '76S silver Ike earlier this year. But none of the S mint halves from the '80's were silver. But they're still keepers.

Here's a link to a good reference page with dates/mints & mintages:

http://www.bestcoin.com/kennedy-half-dollar-mintage.htm

 

[Alchemist]

Thanks for the link. I will study it for sure. Meanwhile...

Half Box: skunk, except for one 1980S (speak of the devil) and a couple pieces with holes drilled in them. Yea.



2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (11)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9385 / $77.87

 

[Alchemist]

$200 halves cwr: skunk, but a high amount of nifc: (2)2007D, (2)2007P, 2008D



2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (11)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9385 / $77.87

 

[Alchemist]

$20 Nickels mwr: 1945S, with
1940S, 1942, 1947, 1949D, 1952S, 1955D, 1958D; (10 rolls, .80 avg), and
2008 Mexican $1 piece.



2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (12)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9948 / $78.98

 

[StevePa]

Congrats on the great finds. You do know that the 1942D nickel is also 35% silver right?

Good luck and great log.

Steven

 

[Alchemist]

oh crap. With entering all those dates, I sometimes screw up. That was a 1942 straight up. Good catch! Thanks and good hunting.

 

[Alchemist]

$9.50 loose halves: skunk
$40 Nickels mwr: skunk, with
1940, 1946, 1947, 1947D, (2)1948, 1951, 1952, 1953S, 1954, 1954D, (3)1957D, (2)1958D, 1959; (20 rolls, .85 avg), and
(3)Canadian nickels; 1976, 1986, 2000



2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (12)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9948 / $78.98

 

[Alchemist]

$100 halves cwr: skunk


2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (20) 40%
Nickels: (12)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
3.9948 / $78.98

 

[Alchemist]

Box halves: 1967, plus many near mint condition pieces (see photo for example) and a drilled piece. Very strange.
Box nickels: skunk (34 keepers, .68% avg), with 1927 Buffalo, 2009D, and
1939, (4)1940, (4)1941, 1941S, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1948S, 1949, 1952, 1953D, 1954, (3)1955D, 1957D, (3)1958D, (5)1959D, and
2008 Euro 5 cent



2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (21) 40%
Nickels: (12)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
4.1427 / $82.57

 

[Alchemist]

$100 mwr nickels: skunk, with 6 (yes, 6) keepers (.10% avg). Easily my worse $100 spot of nickels ever. It did produce a 2009D, and
1940, 1954D, 1957D, (2)1958D


2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (21) 40%
Nickels: (12)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
4.1427 / $82.57

 

[Alchemist]

Over the past few days I did some more banking roaming north of me. Came up with some luck.
$459 mwr halves: (2)1967, a brilliantly polished 1976 (more on this one later), and nifc 2006P.
$100 Box nickels: 1943P (an ender no doubt -- my first!), (30 keepers, .60% avg), with 2009P, and
1939, (2)1940, (3)1941, 1942, 1946, 1946D, (2)1947, 1947D, 1947S, (3)1948, 1948D, 1949, 1945D, (2)1955D, (2)1957, 1957D, 1958, (2)1958D, 1959D.

Here's my finds; notice the shine on 1976 (no mint mark). When viewed edge on, it was solid bright silver. What is it?






2014 Silver Totals:
Half Dollars: Kennedy, (1) 90%, (23) 40%
Nickels: (13)
Troy Ounces Silver/Value to date:
4.4946 / $89.58