Posting the Skunks

[Quin]

A lot of people have been talking about how no one posts the bad stuff, whether it be here on Tnet or on YouTube. Well, last week, I did. I got a penny box that contained a total of:

6 wheats
2 Younghead Canadian
3 2009

This is the worst penny box I have ever searched through (not counting solid 2016, 2017, 2018 etc. boxes)

I searched through this box with my brother in a competition hunt and we decided to make the video instead of scrapping the bad footage. It was not a very exciting hunt, but I posted it anyway. I'm not gonna link it here- you know where to go if you want to see it.

So what's your opinion on posting skunks? This forum probably wouldn't get a lot of traffic if that's all it was. Then again, it's part of the experience. I'm interested to hear what you guys think.

 

[CJ9]

I have posted about how 2019 has been a skunk of a year for me. Today, I finally found my first silver dime of the year after searching $1,335 in total. Pennies have been bad as well: 40 wheats through $89 searched so far this year - this is low. Usually I get about a 1% hit rate. I have been doing this for 20+ years and getting skunked and having skunk streaks is part of the game. I actually think it weeds out people who are real collectors and/or those who just enjoy the thrill of the hunt vs. those who watch a youtube video and think there are vast amounts of riches that are out there that are easy to get. Those people get skunked once or twice and then stop CRH.

 

[ArkieBassMan]

I tried ~25 boxes of cents back a few years ago. My best box contained 8 wheats. Most had 3-4. A few had none.

 

[cdickrun64]

I bought 10 rolls of fed wrapped pennies. Got atotal of 8 coppers(all in last roll). 0 wheats. 98.4% zincolns.

 

[Quin]

I actually think it weeds out people who are real collectors and/or those who just enjoy the thrill of the hunt vs. those who watch a youtube video and think there are vast amounts of riches that are out there that are easy to get. Those people get skunked once or twice and then stop CRH.

Definitely agree!

 

[Quin]

I tried ~25 boxes of cents back a few years ago. My best box contained 8 wheats. Most had 3-4. A few had none.

So apparently my experience with pennies is better than some here. I'm curious to know where you are in the country, because that seems to affect the bounty quite a bit. I received a couple boxes from around Tennessee that only had 3 or 4 wheats in each one, but way more 2009s than I'm used to.

 

[smokeythecat]

It takes time to get photos and load them up. I did post today my 2nd box of halves this week was a total skunk, but under the old thread. Nothing to see here, time to move along. So I didn't have anything to take a picture of.

 

[Megalodon]

I have posted about how 2019 has been a skunk of a year for me. Today, I finally found my first silver dime of the year after searching $1,335 in total. Pennies have been bad as well: 40 wheats through $89 searched so far this year - this is low. Usually I get about a 1% hit rate. I have been doing this for 20+ years and getting skunked and having skunk streaks is part of the game. I actually think it weeds out people who are real collectors and/or those who just enjoy the thrill of the hunt vs. those who watch a youtube video and think there are vast amounts of riches that are out there that are easy to get. Those people get skunked once or twice and then stop CRH.

We all go through skunk boxes and even streaks of skunk boxes. But this year, I have been getting sealed boxes of halves that are not machine wrapped. The rolls inside have been searched, re-rolled, sliced, etc. This is either a different kind of skunk or an entirely different animal. i don't mind ordinary skunks with the usual crimped ends because there is the suspense of the hunt. But the last 7 boxes of someone's rejects are discouraging and I have to question how much more of this waste of time I will tolerate.

 

[Tommybuckets]

Dang Megalodon, those are the worst. If I get more than one I drop my order from that particular branch for a while. That's an old school hunter there who slices the rolls open. How does the bank consider those " wrapped" They're most of the way unwrapped if you ask me. I've gotten those and I hate them. I've also been offered many like that super taped up. I slash the tape, look and ask for my money back. If I get one as an order I just walk them down the street and dump them quick as I can.
Last week 2 skunk boxes here. Headed to pick up my big winner box today though!

 

[Megalodon]

Dang Megalodon, those are the worst. If I get more than one I drop my order from that particular branch for a while. That's an old school hunter there who slices the rolls open. How does the bank consider those " wrapped" They're most of the way unwrapped if you ask me. I've gotten those and I hate them. I've also been offered many like that super taped up. I slash the tape, look and ask for my money back. If I get one as an order I just walk them down the street and dump them quick as I can.
Last week 2 skunk boxes here. Headed to pick up my big winner box today though!

The edge hunter who sliced open those rolls was so focused on edges that he overlooked a 40% ender - because the edge was under the roll crimp! I plan to show pics first to the teller this afternoon when I pick up, and if she doesn't offer to open the 2 boxes, I will open them right on the counter. I've wasted enough time dumping 7 boxes like this along a long route of coin machines, spreading out my dumps. Since this is the only bank in my area that will order halves, your suggestion to take a break from orders there is a good one. Thanks and good luck out there!

 

[ArkieBassMan]

The edge hunter who sliced open those rolls was so focused on edges that he overlooked a 40% ender - because the edge was under the roll crimp! I plan to show pics first to the teller this afternoon when I pick up, and if she doesn't offer to open the 2 boxes, I will open them right on the counter. I've wasted enough time dumping 7 boxes like this along a long route of coin machines, spreading out my dumps. Since this is the only bank in my area that will order halves, your suggestion to take a break from orders there is a good one. Thanks and good luck out there!

The bank isn't a "CRH store" offering guaranteed unsearched rolls for free. You ordered $500 worth of halves, and you got $500 worth of halves. Not the bank's problem.

With that said, I would stop ordering too if this was all I received.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I went through 8 half boxes and finally in the last one found a single 40% 1969 half. Getting discouraged.

have 2 more boxes coming tomorrow

 

[Megalodon]

Visited the bank this afternoon and showed the teller the pics of the last messed up rolls. She said I could open the boxes right there. The first box had new Dunbar wrappers that I haven't seen before (though I see the Dunbar armored trucks often), crimped at both ends. The second box had the yellow Loomis rolls that were open at one end; interestingly, the crimps were all at the top - had I not grabbed a roll, I would not have seen how the bottoms were open. She had another box and that one was just like the first - obviously machine rolled. So I took those two and refused the one with the open Loomis rolls. Both boxes turned out to be skunks - but it was not as discouraging as going through someone's dumped rejects. I'll give it another week or two.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Yup a skunk is like watching the Patriots if they lose!

 

[Megalodon]

The bank isn't a "CRH store" offering guaranteed unsearched rolls for free. You ordered $500 worth of halves, and you got $500 worth of halves. Not the bank's problem.

With that said, I would stop ordering too if this was all I received.

Arkie,
I thought more about this post today while driving all around spreading out my dumps, and concluded that you are right and that I probably should not post when ticked off or disappointed. My posts made me look like I thought I was "entitled" when the reality is they do us a favor by selling us these boxes. Apparently there was a change and I got caught in the transition. I went to my more distant branch today and got 3 boxes and didn't open them until I got home. And I didn't say a word about the opened rolls.

From the new perfectly wrapped Dunbar wrappers, I got a 64 and 67 Kennedy and the wife got a nice 53-D Franklin ender. So all is well. Thanks again for your post.

 

[Megalodon]

Yup a skunk is like watching the Patriots if they lose!

LOL. Hopefully not this sunday. I have to live with a die-hard Pats fan who will be watching in her Brady jersey.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Good for the finds. One of my banks called me last night to let me know that there are 2 boxes there for me.

 

[Deucetwins]

I CRH with my 10 year old daughter. We just started in December after watching Quin's videos. We've moved from pennies to halves. In the pennies, we would get 4-5 wheats and 4-5 2009's per box. 1st halve box was a 100% skunk. However, she used some of them to complete her book of halves. 2nd box, she found 3 Bens 1952 D, 1958 D, and 1962 D so not a total disappointment. I'm probably going to take the previous posted advice and spread out a little on banks. Right now, I'm using the same bank, but they're extremely helpful and friendly so I have some loyalty there.

 

[enamel7]

I CRH with my 10 year old daughter. We just started in December after watching Quin's videos. We've moved from pennies to halves. In the pennies, we would get 4-5 wheats and 4-5 2009's per box. 1st halve box was a 100% skunk. However, she used some of them to complete her book of halves. 2nd box, she found 3 Bens 1952 D, 1958 D, and 1962 D so not a total disappointment. I'm probably going to take the previous posted advice and spread out a little on banks. Right now, I'm using the same bank, but they're extremely helpful and friendly so I have some loyalty there.

I hope you're not dumping at that same bank. Btw, 3 Bens is not a disappointment at all!

 

[Megalodon]

I CRH with my 10 year old daughter. We just started in December after watching Quin's videos. We've moved from pennies to halves. In the pennies, we would get 4-5 wheats and 4-5 2009's per box. 1st halve box was a 100% skunk. However, she used some of them to complete her book of halves. 2nd box, she found 3 Bens 1952 D, 1958 D, and 1962 D so not a total disappointment. I'm probably going to take the previous posted advice and spread out a little on banks. Right now, I'm using the same bank, but they're extremely helpful and friendly so I have some loyalty there.

Welcome to tnet!

In 68 boxes searched in 2018, we found three Franklin halves in only one box.

I've done a lot of business at my pick-up bank and they are very friendly and helpful - but to keep it that way, I never dump my rejects there (and they told me they appreciate that) .