Year In Review 2010

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Yea time for the end of year stats. Let's dive right in.

Books: If you have older ones skip the 2010/2011 upgrades. If not then wait to buy the 2012 versions.

Equipment: Cameras are getting better and cheaper, scales are very cheap everywhere and nothing new stands out.

Now for my change finds. The graph below shows 48 world coins found from 16 countries which was the highest numbers in years. Canada also set a new record with 28 finds, which is more than one Canadian coin every two weeks. Adding U.S. finds I'm up to 80 significant finds which is also record setting.

Certain countries always come up. The United States, Canada, Bermuda, and Trinidad & Tobago. One country went missing for the first time, Great Britain. I always found British coins but this year not a pence. I know things are bad in England, I have not heard from James in a while, so travel and spending must not be a top priority.

Oldest United States Find
1919 Cent (found two of them)

Oldest Foreign Find
1921 Canadian Cent

Most Valuable Find(above face value)
1953-A $5 dollar star note in AU about $55.00 (pictures coming soon)

Again the most valuable find was a note not a coin. Nearly all notes I found had better values then the coins.

Most Valuable Foreign Find
2002 1 Dirham in VF about $1.50

Most Valuable Coin Find
1940-D United States dime in VF about $2.25

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and change for all

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1940 D Dime

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Some predict 2011 will see silver go for fifty dollars an ounce. I honestly did not think silver would hit thirty dollars an ounce in 2010. Predictions aside silver is always a good investment, I always liked it more than gold but not as much as platinum.

Finding a silver coin in my change happens once every year or two. Thanks to all the hoarders and roll hunters it becomes harder to find old American coins in decent condition. Finding this coin was a nice holiday treat.

This nice silver dime does not have the full torch lines. Full torch lines are when the vertical bands and horizontal bands are clear and you can see that each splits in half. This worn example only shows partial splitting. Full bands are worth much more and are the most desirable among collectors.

Also you can see the mintmark on the reverse after the word ONE. It is not ONED it is actually the Denver mintmark.

Here's the stats for this dime...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1940-D
Mintage: 21,198,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $2.66 in F-12 (a metal value of $2.66)

Let me add one more thing on the obverse of this coin is a W over an A to the right of the neck. Many people think it is a V or double V or something about World War II and victory. Nope, it is Adolph A. Weinman initials. He was the artist and sculptor who designed this coin.

Do you have a silver coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Damage Exposes Layers

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Many people do not know that out current cents are made of a sandwich of copper which a yummy zinc center. So when the top layer is scraped off due to damage some people believe it is some type of error. Copper cents are not solid copper.

Clad cents have been around in the United States since 1982 but few people noticed the difference. Many people have been hoarding the older cents for there tiny copper value but for the most part those cents in your change are a good mix of full copper and clad cents.

At first glance it looks like an error but quickly you see the scrape marks where it has been filed. The zinc layer is nicely exposed. The design is gone. Were this an error it would either have the full design on the zinc it would be a missing clad layer error. Or it could be lamination where the copper peels off but then it would look like a piece is gone not scratched off.


Should weigh 2.50 grams but this one is 2.37 grams.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 2007
Mintage: 3,762,400,000
Metal: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Value: $0.00 this damaged

That is right $0.00 because it can be refused as cash since it is very mutilated plus the exposed zinc will quickly start to react with the moist air and corrode. I will try to keep it in a cool dry place just as a reference coin but I would not be surprised if it goes bad over the summer.


Do you have damaged coins and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Tropic Winter

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Winter is here and the year is almost over so that means more foreign finds. These were not high in quality but they were given at the same time and were unexpected.

 

I think this is my first Ecuadorian find since starting the blog. Although there is a large Ecuadorian community in this area the coins are considered worthless in there country and are not kept or used often. Many young Ecuadorians I have met have never even seen most older coins of their countries. The centavos were devalued and by 2000 they reformed and the centavos got their value back but people were slow to accept the change. The bills were even worse off.

Here are the stats for these...
Type/Country: 25 Cents / Trinidad & Tobago
Year: 1980
Mintage: 15,000,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.15 in XF

Type/Country: 10 Centavos / Ecuador
Year: 2000
Mintage: Not yet known
Metal: Steel
Value: $0.15 in VF

Do you have a Trinidad and Tobago coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2007 East Caribbean States Quarter

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Hooray for tourist, they are leaving some non-Canadian finds. It's been almost a year since my  last East Caribbean States coin popped up in my change. Makes me wonder who leaves the warm Caribbean for cold New York City.

There is gap on the books between 2002 and 2007. Now this may be correct but seeing how sometimes I find recent coins are not always listed it may take a decade or longer for the books to catch up. Luckily this one is listed but no mintage figure is given, I doubt it is rare.

Reverse:Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind

Members of the East Caribbean States according to Wikipedia are as follows:

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica

Grenada

Montserrat

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Granted some these places have issued their own coins but these coins as well as the older British Caribbean
Territories (Eastern Group) coins and currency flow throughout the islands. Trinidad & Tobago, British Virgin Islands, and Guyana also see these coins often.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 25 Cents / East Caribbean States
Year: 2007
Mintage:  Not known.
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.25 in XF

Oh the IRB seen on the base of the queen's neck is the designer, Ian Rank-Broadley, initials.

Do you have a Caribbean coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1945 Wheat Cent

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The holiday season is in full swing and more finds are coming in my change. Paying cash is always good since you get change back and avoid the card fees. I have that old world mentality that if can not afford to pay it cash then you should not buy it.

This latest wheat cent find is common as most 1940s coins are since the war made governments churn out coins and made citizens hoard them. Even in higher grades war time coins were common. I recall hearing stories how people gave children brand new pennies for Christmas back in the day. Many of those kids would spend it immediately but others would keep them in the original Christmas cards or special gift box. I am pretty sure those cards are collectible but I do not know anything about them.

This coin was just found in my change but it is nice to think about what it may have gone through.

 

This one was filled with gunk but it is best not to think about it.

Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1945
Mintage: 1,040,515,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Zinc
Value: $0.10 in VF-20

Do you have an older cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Can, Can, Can

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A trio of Canadian cents that I have found before and talked about before.
So...
Um...have you heard a bunch of brand new $100 bills had gutter fold errors so they are sifting through them before shipping them out.

Oh and silver got to $30 an ounce and is currently going down again. Yup.

 

They are scratched, dented, covered in verdigris and gum. At least I hope that is gum.

Here are the stats for this...
Type / Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1967
Mintage: 345,140,645
Metal: 98% Copper, 1.5% Zinc, 0.5% Tin
Value: $0.03 in G-4

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1982
Mintage: 876,036,898
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1986
Mintage: 788,285,000
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

Do you have a coins form Canada and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you

2010 Annual Sets

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Again late posting but seeing how it is not 2011 yet I consider it a win. For the mere price of  $125.80 you too can own coins that are very shiny.

The price breakdown:

2010 Proof Set	14-Coins	$31.95
2010 Silver Proof Set	14-Coins	$56.95
2010 Uncirculated Coin Set	28-Coins	$31.95
Shipping & Handling		$4.95

Well with these prices should the average collector bother with these? A two dollar increase in the proof and four dollar increases in the other two sets is just the beginning. Over the next few years the prices will be going up so starting a collection will be more difficult. Granted a little financial planning  will having you rolling in unnecessary collectors items. Although missing a chance to buy them now means buying them from a third-party seller who will mark them up 50% to 500%.

 

 

Here are the stats...
Type/Country: Silver Proof Set / United States
Year: 2010-S
Mintage: 476,999 estimated
Metal: Silver proof type, except for the nickel & dollars, cent.
Value: $60.00 in box

Type/Country: Mint Set / United States
Year: 2010-D, 2010-P
Mintage: 527,742 estimated
Metal: Normal circulation type.
Value: $40.00 in box ($5.00 increase as of 2012 values)

Type/Country: Proof Set / United States
Year: 2010-S
Mintage: 978,010 estimated
Metal: Normal proof.
Value: $38.00 in box ($3.00 increase as of 2012 values)

As for the photography my excuse is time, I am rushing these shots so...yeah...that is the story I am sticking to.

Do you have an uncirculated mint or silver proof set and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Nickels Don't Retire

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Found these three nickels around the same time and since I'm trying to catch up with my finds before the year is over they are being grouped under one post. The thing I liked about nickels were that they remained unchanged for a long time. This meant older nickels could be found easier than most other coin types. When they redesigned the nickel in 2004 I became worried about hoarders and new collectors but since so many U.S. coins have been redesigned at this point most people still overlook their change.

With nickels except for the 40% silver ones from 1942-1945, the 1950-D, and 1939-D most are just low value. So it is easier to complete a nice set without spending much. Granted if you are like me and just pluck them out of your change it may take a while.

 

The 1939 nickel has the best look to it despite the 71 years spent in circulation. Of the two 1946 nickels one of them is very rusty. Okay maybe not true rust but nickel does corrode under certain conditions and this is only 75% nickel. Cleaning the rust would be a waste of time considering the lack of initial value and the possibility of damage.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States of America
Year: 1939
Mintage: 120,615,000
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Value: $0.25 in VF-20

Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States of America
Year: 1946
Mintage: 161,116,000
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Value: $0.25  in VF-20

Sidenote: For those wondering the background is an industry magazine for my job and was the only clean surface I found at the time I took the photo.

Do you have an old nickel and want to find out its value? Leave a comment and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.