Box of old coins - what to do? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

clavus · 11-21-2006, 04:50 PM

My dad gave me an ammo can full of change. Most of it is rolled. Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters - mostly dated 1940 through 1960’s. There are a shitload of wheatback pennies. The dimes look like silver(?)

There are a few other items: A 1921 silver dollar. Various coins from Vietnam, Mexico, and Israel – all from the 1960’s.

What to do? Dump the whole mess into a Coinstar machine, and get the payoff in gift cards (no penalty for that), painstakingly try to sell each coin on Ebay, pour the whole thing into a Salvation Army kettle?

Generally speaking, is US currency from 1940 through 1969 worth more than face value? If so, is it worth enough more to mess with it?

ngdawg · 11-21-2006, 05:08 PM

If any of the dimes and quarters are dated before 1964, then yes, mess with'em. They were pure silver up until then. Also, if any are marked under the year with S, D or P, there may be even more value to them, depending on what they are.
The 1921 silver dollar may be worth $15 if it's a Morgan dollar or up to $175 if it's something called a "peace dollar'.
Your best best is to find a coin collector or a store catering to them and find stuff out-but don't take the word of just one, go to two. Or, just buy one of those little paperbacks at Barnes and Nobles covering coin collecting.

ObieX · 11-21-2006, 11:04 PM

I would look into doing something witht hem. If you plan on selling them you can make a nice chunk of change. You said yourself that some of the coins are silver. I wouldn't unwrap the rolled coins either, leave them as they are.. and dont clean anything, no matter how dingy it may look.
But yea.. if you're gonna dump them or give them away i'll gladly take them lol

absorbentishe · 11-22-2006, 07:02 AM

I'm not an expert, but investing a little of time may pay off 10 fold. Sounds like most of the coins are worth way more than face value. But by the time you look into that, you may have invested more time then it was worth, probably not though.

Kaliena · 11-22-2006, 07:04 AM

Check em' out, do some research first. See if they are continually increasing in value and decide whether you want to wait a bit for them to continue to earn value or if you're happy with the value atm.

Who knows, their value now might be more then what they would add up to in a coinstar machine.

clavus · 11-22-2006, 09:27 AM

UPDATE -

Soooooooo... I plowed through the coins last night, and seperated the sliver coins and the wheatback pennies from the rest. I found a few very interesting coins - a Mercury Dime, a Nazi "penny" complete with swastika, a German(?) coin from the 1800's, a few Indian Head pennies.

After a little research, it looks like I have a bunch of coins that are worth 25 cents to ten bucks a piece. I guess I'll hit up the local coin dealer and see what he will give me for one cubic shitload of marginally valuable coins.

Did I mention I found a nazi coin? Wierd.

Sorcha · 11-22-2006, 09:32 AM

I have a mercury dime. My grandfather was a jeweler and used one as a keychain, back in the 50's. I have it on a chain for a necklace now.

If you can't sell them to the dealer, you might be able to sell them on ebay. I've noticed that at a lot of craft shows, they have jewelry made out of coins like the mercury dime, and they charge about 50 dollars for a bracelet.

Carno · 11-22-2006, 09:48 AM

Wow, that's pretty interesting. What's the denomination of the Nazi coin, and what year was it minted?

ratbastid · 11-22-2006, 09:48 AM

Find yourself a numismatist.

That's one of my favorite words, by the way. Numismatist.

Carno · 11-22-2006, 10:18 AM

According to this website, 1943 wheatback pennies are worth $20,000 - $40,000 dollars.

Maybe you have one!

ktspktsp · 11-23-2006, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratbastid

Find yourself a numismatist.

That's one of my favorite words, by the way. Numismatist.

Whoops, all this time I've been saying numismat. Damn French words confusing me...

My dad is a huge coin collector, though he doesn't know much about American coins.

This guy at work keeps all his pennies in a jar, so he has a ton of them. I found one in there (wheat penny) that was worth 15 cents maybe, but who knows there might be some hidden treasure...

jorgelito · 11-23-2006, 11:05 AM

Condition plays a big role in determining their value. Chances are, if they've been kept in a jar then they are not in very good condition. HOwever, it's still worth it to take it to a few reputable dealers to get appraised.

11-21-2006, 04:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	Box of old coins - what to do? My dad gave me an ammo can full of change. Most of it is rolled. Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters - mostly dated 1940 through 1960’s. There are a shitload of wheatback pennies. The dimes look like silver(?) There are a few other items: A 1921 silver dollar. Various coins from Vietnam, Mexico, and Israel – all from the 1960’s. What to do? Dump the whole mess into a Coinstar machine, and get the payoff in gift cards (no penalty for that), painstakingly try to sell each coin on Ebay, pour the whole thing into a Salvation Army kettle? Generally speaking, is US currency from 1940 through 1969 worth more than face value? If so, is it worth enough more to mess with it? __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

11-21-2006, 05:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
ngdawg peekaboo Location: on the back, bitch	If any of the dimes and quarters are dated before 1964, then yes, mess with'em. They were pure silver up until then. Also, if any are marked under the year with S, D or P, there may be even more value to them, depending on what they are. The 1921 silver dollar may be worth $15 if it's a Morgan dollar or up to $175 if it's something called a "peace dollar'. Your best best is to find a coin collector or a store catering to them and find stuff out-but don't take the word of just one, go to two. Or, just buy one of those little paperbacks at Barnes and Nobles covering coin collecting. __________________ Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

11-21-2006, 11:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
ObieX Pickles Location: Shirt and Pants (NJ)	I would look into doing something witht hem. If you plan on selling them you can make a nice chunk of change. You said yourself that some of the coins are silver. I wouldn't unwrap the rolled coins either, leave them as they are.. and dont clean anything, no matter how dingy it may look. But yea.. if you're gonna dump them or give them away i'll gladly take them lol __________________ We Must Dissent.

11-22-2006, 07:04 AM	#5 (permalink)
Kaliena Crazy Location: Pennsylvania, USA	Check em' out, do some research first. See if they are continually increasing in value and decide whether you want to wait a bit for them to continue to earn value or if you're happy with the value atm. Who knows, their value now might be more then what they would add up to in a coinstar machine. __________________ ~Beware the waffle~

11-22-2006, 09:27 AM	#6 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	UPDATE - Soooooooo... I plowed through the coins last night, and seperated the sliver coins and the wheatback pennies from the rest. I found a few very interesting coins - a Mercury Dime, a Nazi "penny" complete with swastika, a German(?) coin from the 1800's, a few Indian Head pennies. After a little research, it looks like I have a bunch of coins that are worth 25 cents to ten bucks a piece. I guess I'll hit up the local coin dealer and see what he will give me for one cubic shitload of marginally valuable coins. Did I mention I found a nazi coin? Wierd. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

11-22-2006, 07:02 AM	#4 (permalink)
absorbentishe Boy am I horny today Location: T O L E D O, Toledo!!	I'm not an expert, but investing a little of time may pay off 10 fold. Sounds like most of the coins are worth way more than face value. But by the time you look into that, you may have invested more time then it was worth, probably not though.

11-22-2006, 09:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
Sorcha Tilted Location: South Carolina	I have a mercury dime. My grandfather was a jeweler and used one as a keychain, back in the 50's. I have it on a chain for a necklace now. If you can't sell them to the dealer, you might be able to sell them on ebay. I've noticed that at a lot of craft shows, they have jewelry made out of coins like the mercury dime, and they charge about 50 dollars for a bracelet.

11-22-2006, 09:48 AM	#8 (permalink)
Carno Junkie	Wow, that's pretty interesting. What's the denomination of the Nazi coin, and what year was it minted? __________________ http://how-to-spell-ridiculous.com/

11-22-2006, 09:48 AM	#9 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	Find yourself a numismatist. That's one of my favorite words, by the way. Numismatist.

11-22-2006, 10:18 AM	#10 (permalink)
Carno Junkie	According to this website, 1943 wheatback pennies are worth $20,000 - $40,000 dollars. Maybe you have one! __________________ http://how-to-spell-ridiculous.com/

11-23-2006, 11:05 AM	#12 (permalink)
jorgelito All important elusive independent swing voter... Location: People's Republic of KKKalifornia	Condition plays a big role in determining their value. Chances are, if they've been kept in a jar then they are not in very good condition. HOwever, it's still worth it to take it to a few reputable dealers to get appraised.