Marking coins, why its futile

namster · Feb 13, 2012

Just went through a box with 75% or more coins marked with the same black sharpie across the edge.

Netted: 61, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69

We go through the same coins, there is no getting around that....this does not mean we will not see keepers regardless. My limited experience anyway. YMMV.

conleytheking · Feb 13, 2012

Ageed...you may get your skunks back....but it is about a million to one odds that you will get a box with nothing but your skunks.
You stuff, along with grand fathers collection, all gets mixed together and reboxed.... lol

TimZim · Feb 13, 2012

Well a lot of times when i do a box theres nothing then a roll will have2 or 5 in it?? for a few then nothing again. so we can see them the way they are dumped

Rascal · Feb 13, 2012

I'd like to know who has the time and the motivation to blot out the zeroes in 2001 Kennedy halves using pasty yellow paint. While they are at it perhaps they could say 'why.' I found one in my last four boxes but last month ran across at least 50 of them in the same box count.

Rascal

SFBayArea · Feb 13, 2012

I've seen the black marker edges before. The guy probably marked every coin in his boxes.

I used to really be into it. The system I thought was working for a while. I didn't usually get my dumps back generally with occasionally ones here and there for over a year. Now, I get them back all the time. Eventually it all gets recycled.

I don't use yellow paint. That's not me.

Bigheed · Feb 14, 2012

yep marking coins is a complete and utter waste of time.

said it before and I'll keep on preaching it!

SFBayArea · Feb 14, 2012

Bigheed said:
yep marking coins is a complete and utter waste of time.

said it before and I'll keep on preaching it!

Hey.. some of us want to mark our territory.. LOL :laughing9:

GimmeSomeSilver · Feb 14, 2012

I usually mark all my coins with a quick sharpie down the line; mainly to piss people off and deter new CRH. And because I have no life.

HH,
Cody.

Poor Mans Gold · Feb 14, 2012

New to the site. Been searching rolls for 30+ years, mostly cents. Started a little over a year ago doing halves more heavily. One of the banks I deal with, I got some CWR's. Still went through them. Each striped with black. Still found a '64 Kennedy. I look a dates. I now average 2 boxes of cents, nickels and halves a week.

jrf30 · Feb 14, 2012

I find enormous inspiration from marking my dumps. It gives me the ability to keep going when I get frustrated and shows me how much I still can do. Seriously.

I've written how and why I mark (Which is much more than just a black sharpie down the side. That doesnt' do much good to show things) in prior posts on marking, so won't do it right now. PLus I need to leave for work. But if done right, marking can be a POSITIVE thing. :-) For the right reasons and in the right arrea of the country.

MIhunter · Feb 14, 2012

I don't mark, and I don't think it helps anyone, ever.

But, the one thing I have seen more lately is marking of overwise collectable clad.
I talking about AU50-55 1971-Present P & D.

It is destructive and wrong!

Bigheed · Feb 14, 2012

territory lol....

Marking coins would only help if there was 1 bank and 1 carrier.

You guys can delude yourselves all you want and justify it with long posts, but marking coins is an exercise in futility. This forum attracts way more CRH-noobz than marking some coins scares away, besides you aren't going to scare off a monster searcher or anyone with some determination with a sharpie

I'd argue that you are actually decreasing the volume you are capable of by marking coins + you are defacing coins others might have put in their collections.

HH
Bigheed

penman77 · Feb 15, 2012

Marking coins can answer one question: Are my dumps being recirculated back to me? That is it.

I edge marked $500 of halves two weeks ago. I am curious as to whether there is any mingling of coins between those of my buy bank and my dump bank, both of which use Loomis and are less than a mile apart. Futile? No. I am curious and this will answer my question.

coolpix9 · Feb 15, 2012

Is This What You Mean By Marking Your Territory ?

SFBayArea · Feb 15, 2012

coolpix9 said:
Is This What You Mean By Marking Your Territory ?

Haha.. you know I was kidding. Thought you guys would get a laugh from it. I've stated why I do mark in past threads but they always get brought back again in another thread. Happens over and over. It does frustrate new searchers if they get a skunk box full of marked coins but not some large searcher like Bigheed because his volume will always beat mine. I know this because it happens to me. I psyche myself out even when I get my own dumps back which didn't used to happen. Also sort of keeps track when and how soon I get dumps back.

coolpix9 · Feb 15, 2012

It's never bothered me if someone chooses to mark or not mark the coins. It doesn't hurt the coins and some of us actually search for silver, not for errors or specific dates. A classically tuned "ear for silver" comes in much handier than a magnifying glass anyday.
Let's all have fun out there, Jim

bnicholas26 · Feb 15, 2012

I never mark ALL my coins. For every box of halves I do I only take the 5 most corroded, scratched, beat-up clads from the box and mark the date. As someone stated before it's interesting to see how long it takes for something to get back to you. It's always mark the most crappy clads that have no numismatic value and I never do more than 5. I also check the date and mintage to be sure it's not low mintage. Hope this is modest enough for you guys..

namster · Feb 15, 2012

I guess all im saying is even if a lot of the coins are marked you will still find silver. I would continue to search even if my own markings showed up, because I believe that we basically cycle through the same coin. The silver is thrown in as CWRs/bags/etc hit the hopper, IMO.

endthefed13 · Feb 16, 2012

I DO NOT MARK coins because I am a numismatist on top of being a CRHer. So I do not mark them because it is disrespectful to a coin as well as to any kid that might want that coin simply for numismatic purposes. That being said people DO have a right to mark coins whether or not I consider it bad taste and redundant. We always see marked $100 bills with people writing in sharpie how much they had in a stack before they returned it to the bank. Essentially when you buy coins you become the final owner of those coins. We are not Canada in which the Royal Canadian Mint owns all the coins and we simply use them. This is the US and any coin that you purchase becomes your personal property without exception until you chose to spend it or sell it. Therefore marking coins is really no different than marking bills for efficiency. I still however do not condone coin marking, because I once was that little kid just trying to find nice looking coins for numismatic purposes. That is my 2 cents. (Copper not Zinc :laughing9:

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