[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by Stuart

It is pretty worn. I'll have to find my magnifying glass and take another look.

It's actually a 1926-D. Still, pretty cool that a coin could remain in circulation for 92 years.

I don't have that one!!!

Again I say - you lucky bum!!

[GTOnly70]

Originally Posted by fyrffytr1

I found these two last week metal detecting in a farm field. 1899s Barber half dollar and an 1856o seated liberty half dime.

Those are some very nice finds! Have you and many other finds like that with your metal detector?

[Lightfoot]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

When the US changed the silver coins to copper with silver plating , he began collecting all of the 1964 and older silver coins that came through the register.

The outer plating on all 1965-up is actually nickel, not silver. While 1981 was the last year of 'solid' copper cents, some percentage of the 1982 cents were still minted copper before they changed over to the zinc cores.

Originally Posted by poncho-mike;

He passed away a couple of years ago, and I inherited a couple of thousand dollars (face value) of silver coins and three five gallon steel buckets full of pennies. The silver coins are rolled so I know what is there, but I have no idea what is in the penny bucket. Some day when I'm retired, I might go through them and see what is in those buckets.

If you don't care about the sentimental value, the pennies would bring the most value if you simply took them to a metal recycling establishment next time the price of copper goes really high.
Seriously. You might have a dozen 'rare' cents in there that average $5 apiece, but each pale could fetch, I dunno, $100 or better. You ought to put one of those buckets on a scale sometime just for curiousity.

[Fullsize455]

My five gallon buckets of all zinc pennies are way too heavy to lift with the handle without feeling like it will break. I'd guess 150-200 pounds. All copper pennies would be heavier still as copper pennies are about 15% heavier than '82+ zinc pennies.

[Lightfoot]

To clarify my previous post, a bucket of pure copper pennies is likely to be worth about twice (or more) the face value of the actual number of coins in said bucket. If a five-gallon bucket holds 50,000 pennies, it could be worth a grand for the melt value.

Stuart, I also got a 1926 cent in regular change 6-8 years ago. It sticks out in my memory because my dad was born in 1926.

I worked at a public library circulation desk in 2005. I would scan for old coins in the daily fine money, but the only notable one I came across was a 1948 quarter.
My boss, the head librarian actually tossed a couple Canadian pennies into the waste basket one day. I was a bit surprised (and amused) at that, but I didn't say anything.

[fyrffytr1]

Originally Posted by GTOnly70

Those are some very nice finds! Have you and many other finds like that with your metal detector?

This is just a small sample of other finds from the same site. I need to get a bigger frame to add the half dollar and half dime. All the eagle buttons are Union civil war found here in south Georgia. They may have come from Andersonville prison which is about 30 miles from this site.

[Lightfoot]

I had a newspaper route in 1974-75 (South Bend Tribune). I don't think I ever came across a buffalo nickel in my collection money over the whole time I had the route. Even though the last buffalos were minted 'only' 37 years earlier. Remarkable when you think how common it is to see a 1981 or older nickel in this day and age. I did, however, every so often get Jeffersons from the 1940s-50s. That's a testiment to how the buffalos had become collectable from very early on.

I also started paying attention to the nuances of dollar bills. The 1963 series were uncommon and fading from existance. Henry Fowler was the S-O-T-T on most that changed hands, but I remember a classmate telling me to be on the lookout for bills with the Joseph Barr signature.
Never did see a silver certificate.

[Lightfoot]

Originally Posted by Lightfoot;

The 1963 series were fading from existance at the time. Henry Fowler was the S-O-T-T on most that changed hands, but I remember a classmate telling me to be on the lookout for bills with the Joseph Barr signature.

I just looked him up (Joseph Barr) on Wikipedia and found out why:

59th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office
December 21, 1968 – January 20, 1969

The 1963 Series Federal Reserve Notes were printed until 1969, at which time the 1969 Series came out. The latter were still being printed new when I took over the paper route. As an afterthought just now, maybe they assigned the dates according to when the presidential administrations changed over. I used to think it was every six years up until 1981, as I kind of remember there was a 1975 Series also. But Jimmy Carter 77-81 upsets that theory.

Anyhow, Joseph Barr was on the 1963 Series Federal Reserve Notes, for only one month of printing. No wonder they were hard to find. That guy that told me about the rare signature was a very bright student but I never questioned how he knew about that. Uncanny.
I do remember finding one or two dollar bills with the Joseph Barr sig on them. With the rate the old paper money gets destroyed by the treasury, I bet those are pretty rare now.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Lightfoot

I don't think I ever came across a buffalo nickel in my collection money over the whole time I had the route. Even though the last buffalos were minted 'only' 37 years earlier. Remarkable when you think how common it is to see a 1981 or older nickel in this day and age. I did, however, every so often get Jeffersons from the 1940s-50s. That's a testiment to how the buffalos had become collectable from very early on.

I think it has to do with their durability as well. The way Buffalo nickels were designed they tended to wear out quickly, you often see them with the dates completely worn off so you can't even tell what year they were minted. On the other hand, to this day it's not uncommon to find Jefferson nickels from the 40s and 50s in change.

[unruhjonny]

Originally Posted by Lightfoot

...
Anyhow, Joseph Barr was on the 1963 Series Federal Reserve Notes, for only one month of printing. No wonder they were hard to find. That guy that told me about the rare signature was a very bright student but I never questioned how he knew about that. Uncanny.
I do remember finding one or two dollar bills with the Joseph Barr sig on them. With the rate the old paper money gets destroyed by the treasury, I bet those are pretty rare now.

very cool!

I have only recently started collecting bills, but I don't collect many of them, because in my mind's eye they are not a "safe" of an investment than something that is made of silver ect...

Anyway, I do show my little bill collection to people every now and then, and it seems like no one ever realized the signatures changed.

[Blue '66]

Originally Posted by fyrffytr1

This is just a small sample of other finds from the same site. I need to get a bigger frame to add the half dollar and half dime. All the eagle buttons are Union civil war found here in south Georgia. They may have come from Andersonville prison which is about 30 miles from this site.

What model detector do you have Phil?

[webfoot]

Cool find, 28-S is a better date but not worth a ton in that condition with the damage, but for face value I'd keep that in a heartbeat.

Avid buffalo nickel collector here!

[poncho-mike]

My dad must have found out the hard way that the plastic paint buckets wouldn't work. He used the metal buckets similar to what you get tar in.

I don't have any sentimental attachment to all of the pennies. The melt down value of a penny is about 40% higher than face value, but I think it is illegal to melt them down since they are still legal tender.

I started collecting silver coins as I came across them when I started working in the 70s. Silver coins were always special to me. When I was a kid, my grandfather gave the grandkids silver dollars for bithdays and at Christmas. I came very close to selling the silver when it got very expensive around 1979 - 1980. Silver prices got to an extreme, and I was in college and could have used the money. I resisted the urge to sell.

There is a website that lists the melt value of various coins. Right now, the melt value of silver dimes is $1.04, quarters are worth $2.61, silver half-dollars are worth $5.22, and pre-1964 silver dollars are worth $11.17. That's around 10 - 11X face value.

https://www.ngccoin.com/price-guide/...lt-values.aspx

[68bird400HO]

Originally Posted by webfoot

Cool find, 28-S is a better date but not worth a ton in that condition with the damage, but for face value I'd keep that in a heartbeat.

Avid buffalo nickel collector here!

Beautiful toning!

I personally like the early american large coinage and colonial coinage. A lot of it is quite expensive and I'd rather put my money towards the car hobby so only have a few pieces.

Since there are so many here that have some neat items, it might be fun to start a coin/money show thread where members can show off their favorites....any interest?

[webfoot]

Thanks. I have almost completed a date run of 1913-1929 toned buffaloes, missing the 1921 and 1924. From 1931-1938 I have the whole set toned.

My oldest is a 1795 half, and yes it is expensive so I don't have much of it.

[fyrffytr1]

Originally Posted by Blue '66

What model detector do you have Phil?

I used Whites detectors since the early 70s but after neck surgery I found them to heavy to swing for any length of time so I bought an XP Deus. It has a learning curve but I love it. Completely wireless and weighs 2.2 pounds with an 11" coil. It's a relic finding machine.

[68bird400HO]

Originally Posted by webfoot

Thanks. I have almost completed a date run of 1913-1929 toned buffaloes, missing the 1921 and 1924. From 1931-1938 I have the whole set toned.

My oldest is a 1795 half, and yes it is expensive so I don't have much of it.

Nice, love the pre-1800 dates. Mostly, I just have what I collected years ago and am not a player. Is it the flowing hair version? Love to see a pic.

[webfoot]

Originally Posted by 68bird400HO

Nice, love the pre-1800 dates. Mostly, I just have what I collected years ago and am not a player. Is it the flowing hair version? Love to see a pic.

It is!

[unruhjonny]

I really think that some of the older coins with no denomination on them are funny... yet cool...

[68bird400HO]

Originally Posted by webfoot

It is!

Love it. What do you mean you don't have much of it? Looks like a really nice piece.