Year In Review 2013

The annual summary of my year in coin collecting with some highlights.

Change Finds:

The graph is for world coins found with only 8 different countries found. Of course Canada leads the pack with only Great Britain above 1. Tourists to New York are using less cash and visitors returning from other countries are also going plastic. I do not see any trends with foreign money except more credit/debit cards are being used by foreigners.

This graph is for American money I pulled from my change and predictably the cents / pennies are leading the pack. I have found any large bills in my change although I have seen then in the wild. Those blue $100 have been circulating well but I cannot afford to keep one for my collection. No surprise that half dollars are not circulating well but dimes were a surprise. I should have found some interesting dimes but that was not the case this year.

Oldest United States Find
1936 Cent

Oldest Foreign Find
1967 Canadian Cent

Most Valuable Find (above face value)
1997 Colombia 50 Pesos, Off-Center Error about $3.00

Most Valuable Foreign Find
1997 Colombia 50 Pesos, Off-Center Error about $3.00

Most Surprising Find
Fake Liberty Dime

Books: 2013 and 2014 Red Books, late buy but I have yet to fully go through them.

Websites: The web is getting better for coin values and information. My site seems a bit outdated.

Equipment: Phones apps are getting much better.

Summary:
I found 108 coins and notes this year which is the most ever. The majority came in December but nearly all of them were boring and low value. Highlights this year included a 2011 Russian 10 kopek which I found two days before the year ended. I forced my self to use cash for my daily lunch which boosted my American coin finds. Most of my new Denver coins have been found from lunch money.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and change for all

1940 Nickel

Although most nickel from 1938 to 2003 have nearly identical designs I can still spot an older nickel in my change. The nickels from 1938 to 1959 are not that special but I like to keep them. To spot them just look for a darker color with worn rims.

 
Since these nickels tend to circulate longer they get a noticeable wear pattern. The front usually has the rim blending into the date and all the lettering. On the reverse Monticello is almost flat, it look like an outline more than a detailed design. Since those two signs of age are easy to spot you can see an older nickel even among a bag of nickels. Unfortunately that means an old higher grade nickels may get overlooked. You will be picking up only the low grade nickels.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States of America
Year: 1940
Mintage: 176,485,000
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Value: $0.07 because pillars are gone and slashed

Do you have an older 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.

1942 Wheat Cent

Merry Christmas y'all! Just a quick post before I get back to eating and enjoying a day off. The 1942 cent is 70+ years old and is still common. Sorry but this wheat cent will not help you retire early.

 
A penny here or there does add up I found almost $5.00 on the ground this year. That is enough for a tiny gift, lunch, or even a charitable donation. I just hope people see pennies a bit different. Even if you do not and still drop them like trash I will be there to pick up the change.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1942
Metal: 95% Copper 5% Tin and Zinc
Mintage: 657,796,000
Value: G-4 $0.15

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.

2012-D Nickel

More common than its Philadelphia counterpart but it has been almost a full year since I found that original Philly. I have had better luck with U.S. finds this year than any other year and better luck than world money.

Pretty decent shape despite some bag marks. It looks full steps but I was never great in identifying that kind of detail. I hope to find modern coins as soon as they come out because circulation does some serious damage. Now I am thinking that 2014 is just around the corner and a whole new list of coins are going to minted that I will eagerly search for everyday. A coin collectors search never ends?

Here's the stats... 
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States of America
Year: 2012 D
Mintage: 558,960,000
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Value: $0.10 in MS-60, $6.00 in MS-66 and 6 Full Steps (this one is neither)

Do you have a U.S.  nickel 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.

1973 Canada Cent

The Canadian coins are coming in faster now than rest of the year. Most are repeats but at least they are still out there. Oh yes they are mostly cents but that is still better than nothing.

For a forty year old Canadian cent that was found in circulation it is in great shape. Canada has stopped circulating these cents which would mean most will survive in great shape. People not wanting to use these cents will hold them at home until they become annoying or needed. I expect to find less of them but it would slow down in a few years from now not immediately.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1973
Mintage: 457,059,852
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.03 in Very-Fine

Do you have a cent from 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

1945-D Wheat Cent

Christmas shopping is bringing in a bunch of nice repeats. This wheat cent is common but still nice to find.

As I say every holiday season this is the best time to look through your change because so many shoppers are using a getting money. I found more odd change in December than most other months.

Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1945 D
Mintage: 266,268,000
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.

1957-D Wheat Cent

Featured this coin before but the last time it had die breaks and other odd issues. This one seems very normal and more common.

A decent wheat cent but being post World War II it has little value above metal composition. It is that metal content and age that I notice first when sifting through my change. There is a certain brown that screams this is a wheat cent.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1957 D
Mintage: 1,051,342,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.05 in F-12

Also found a 2007 Straight Leg 7 Canadian Dime and a 1953 Wheat Cent but both were common repeats so I skipped taking pictures.

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.

2009 $1 Star Note, D-*

Got a star note in my change yesterday although I saw two more but could not get them because the cashier was not that friendly. I do understand that not every time I see "funny" money that I can get it. For some cashiers changing notes and coins may get them in trouble so I never push them.

This star note is common and although it is only two years old it is in rough shape. I will be pressing it in a book until it is flat. It will not raise the value but at least it will look better.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Federal Bank: $1 Star Note - Washington D.C. / Cleveland
Year: 2009
Printings: 3,200,000
Printed: April 2011
Run: 1st and only from D00000001* - D03200000*
Value: $2.50 VF(this one is less)

Do you have currency 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.

2006-D South Dakota Quarter

Still looking to get all 50 Denver state quarters today I am one step closer after finding this one. This South Dakota quarter from Denver came in my change after buying lunch. Still I am missing 13 Denver state quarters even though I found all 50 Philadelphia state quarters years ago.
 

Yes I have all the state quarters from uncirculated and mint sets but my collecting passion is change finds. Finding Denver version of coins has always been difficult in the East Coast. The most glaring one I am missing is the Denver minted 1999 New Jersey quarter. I have found hundreds of New Jersey quarters but that Denver mint has eluded me for almost 15 years.

South Dakota quarters features Mount Rushmore, a ring-necked pheasant, and wheat stalks. These are all official symbols of South Dakota and show off the most common things we know about this state. There are some very beautiful parts of South Dakota like the Badlands and Black Hills but are rarely promoted as tourist attractions.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - South Dakota / United States
Year: 2006 D
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Mintage: 265,800,000
Value: $0.25 in F-12

Also found a 1971 Canadian cent but that has been featured here in the past.

Do you have a state quarter 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.

1982 British 20 Pence with Doubling

The first and most common 20 Pence from Great Britain is this one. 1982 was the first year of issue because of a growing need for a coin smaller than a 50 Pence but larger than a 10 Pence. The more common 25 or quarter coin was suggested but the British thought 20 was an easier round number to use.

The coin has seven sides and is about the size of a U.S. nickel. It also has a higher copper composition than most Copper-Nickel coins. This was done for both the visually impaired and vending machine industry. The reverse has the crown, date, denomination, and a double rose.

The entire right side of the reverse is doubled. While I cannot be a hundred percent certain I think this is machine doubling. Machine doubling is the less valuable version of double that occurs when the die slips or bounces when striking the coin. Since almost one billion were made it is not a surprise that doubling does exist although I could not find more online.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 20 Pence / Great Britain
Year: 1982
Mintage: 740,815,000
Metal: 84% Copper, 16% Nickel
Value: $0.40 in VF

Do you have a coin from Great Britain 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.

2013-P Great Basin Quarter

Great Basin National Park is in Nevada and the coin debuted back in June. The park is known for being an oasis in the desert and contains several large peaks. It also has some very old trees that grew on rocks.

The reverse features a Bristlecone Pine tree and the rocky glacial moraine on which it grows. These trees can grow to be 4,000 years old because of the short growing season and lack of competition for resources.

You also may also notice some radial streaks on both sides. This was done during minting and has several causes like overpressure or grease or slight misalignment. Either way it does not add extra value. It also causes some doubling visible on the front especially around IN GOD WE TRUST. On the reverse it leaves some odd marks on the inner ring. Again none of these are true errors and will likely not bring any extra interest or value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - Great Basin / United States
Year: 2013-P
Mintage: 122,400,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

Do you have a quarter from America 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.

2013-D Fort McHenry Quarter

On this Thanksgiving we give thanks for food, family, and everything American. In that spirit I found a very patriotic America the Beautiful quarter. The Fort McHenry quarter shows the Maryland fort that the Star Spangled Banner was written.

Officially known as the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine it was the place that Francis Scott Key saw the British bombard the fort for days. He was so inspired to the American flag still waving high above the fort that he wrote The Star-Spangled Banner.

The coin features the annual ceremony of "Defenders Day" which partially recreates the events of the original attack of 1814. The national park is small at a little over 40 acres but it may be one of the most important. Released in August if this year it is the fourth f five quarters in the 2013 series.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - Fort McHenry / United States
Year: 2013-D
Mintage: 151,400,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

Do you have a quarter from America 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.

1946 Wheat Cent

Although this is a very common wheat cent it has not been featured here at Coined For Money. Possibly I overlooked some or dismissed others but I think I just have not found many of them despite being common.

With almost a billion made it should still be fairly easy to find. Copper cents tend to last longer and better than their copper plated modern versions. I saw this one in my change because of the dark brown color and bold design. The modern copper coin do not get as brown and the design are much more flat.

Also found a 2008 Canadian dime but that one was featured here before so no need to repeat.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1946
Mintage: 991,655,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.10 in VF-20 (this one may be less)

Do you have a wheat 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.

1984 Canadian Nickel

Found a couple of Canadian coins in my change as the season of tourist shopping is going on stronger than ever. Certain stores are going to open on Thanksgiving and in the weeks before they have been extending hours. All that selling is dropping lots of odd change into circulation in NYC.

These Canadian nickels are still common and talk about removing them from circulation has not gone further. Despite being almost 30 years old it looks great and stood out from all my American change. I also found a 1993 Canadian cent but I featured that a year or so ago so I will not repeat.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / Canada
Year: 1984
Mintage: 84,088,000
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $0.06 in F(Fine)

Do you have a nickel from 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.

Fake Liberty Dime

Got this dime in my change the other and it felt a bit heavy. I looked at it and saw the back had the old style bundle and thought I struck silver. Unfortunately I flipped it over and saw a smooth back and glue. If that was not a big clue it also had scratches revealing a copper core.

It is likely a button or some other kind of jewelry piece. If you are not convinced it is a fake I also weighed it and it is 3.21 grams unlike a normal 2.50 gram silver dime.

Also there is no reeded edge and his thicker than a normal dime. There are subtle differences in the font that most collectors will quickly notice. Do  not forget that it is virtually impossible to print a U.S. coin with a smooth flat blank side.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: Fake reverse side only liberty dime / Unknown
Year: (No date)
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Nickel plated copper??
Value: Less than $0.02

Do you have an odd 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.

2006 $20 Star Note, IF-*

Another ATM find that has been circulated. Even in higher grades this is a common star note.

While I have not kept track of my ATM star note finds I would estimate that every 150 notes gets me 1 star note. That is not bad but nearly all have been well circulated.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Federal Bank: $20 Star Note - D.C. / Atlanta
Year: 2006
Printings: 3,200,000
Printed: September 2007 
Run: 2nd and 3 from IF03200001* - IF06400000*
Value: VF(very fine) $22.00

Do you have currency 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.

1910 Wheat Cent

Got this very worn cent in my change. Being 103 years old I am not surprised it is almost flat.

Despite the coin being over a century old it has little extra value in such low grades. 1910 and 1911 cents were minted in such large numbers that even after all this time they are common. From 1912-1916 they reduced the number of cents minted and those have better values than the older 1910 cents.

Without a strong light source today it was tough getting a good picture. the coin is so worn that the camera does not auto focus well and I had little patience to switch to manual focus.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1910
Mintage: 146,801,218
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.45 in G-4 (this one may be less)

Do you have a wheat 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.

2009 Slovakia 1 Euro Cent

This only the second Slovakian coin that I have and I found this one on the floor of a department store. The last coin from Slovakia I found was at the time the most common. It is not a coincident that this coin featured today is the new most common.

While 90 or 89 million may seem low for most countries but with a population of about 5.5 million that is a lot of cents that hardly get used. Like most industrial modern nations the use of small change like 1 and 2 cent coins is low. As a result these coins are dismissed and are regarded as a nuisance. 

On the front is all those typical Euro coin features like denomination, the globe, and Euro-zone map. On the reverse is Slovensko (Slovakia), the Krivan Peak in the Tatras, the coat of arms, and mint mark with initials.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Euro Cent / Slovakia
Year: 2009
Mintage: 90,744,900
Metal: Copper Plated Steel: 94.35% Steel 5.65% Copper
Value: $0.05 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from Slovakia 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.

2009 $2 Bill, L-A

Just a week after I announce that I had no new currency I suddenly receive a new one in my change, actually it was a new two. Yes they are still making new two dollar bills as recently as August of 2012.

The most recent $2 bills have the series year 2009. As with most $2 bills there are no major design changes and only the signatures were updated. Minimal security features are present. The entire 2009 series were printed between February and August of 2012.

Good to see these notes are still circulating and being produced. I can only hope that the other notes that are series 2009 or later are as easy to find.

Here's the stats...
Type/Federal Bank: $2 Note- Washington D.C. / Cleveland
Year: 2009
Date Printed: July 2012
Printings: 38,400,000
Run: 3rd of 6 from L12000001A - L18400000A
Value: $2.00 in Almost Uncirculated

Do you have a two dollar bill 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-P James Madison Dollar

If you are obsessed with edge lettering on presidential dollars then like me you want the normal edge and upside-down edge. Finally I got a normal edge James Madison dollar. Got the upside-down edge James Madison back in June of 2009.

 

There is no way to tell if any edge letter variety is more dominant. I mean you could get thousands of dollars and check each but that is too much for a change collector. As far as I can tell normal edge is more common than upside down edge at a rate of 3:2.

Neither edge type has any extra value and most people are not collecting them.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar-James Madison / United States
Year: 2007 P (Edge Normal)
Mintage: 87,780,000
Metal: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, and 2% Nickel
Value: $1.00 in G-4

Do you have a dollar coin and want to know how much it's worth? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2001-P Sacagawea Dollar

Walked by a vending machine when it made a funny noise and spit out this coin and another. Seeing how much money vending machines have taken from over the years it is only fair that I kept this one.

The coin is not a keeper since I have better ones. The brown tone is kind of cool like button from a pair of old jeans. The coin is twelve years old and looks fifty. I still can see how dollar coin may work but these metals need to be changed.

It is rare to find free money these days but I have been able to find my fair share. Keeping an ear out is as good as keeping an eye out.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar / United States
Year: 2001P
Mintage: 62,468,000
Metal: Core: 100% Copper, Clad Layer: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, 2% Nickel
Value: F-12 about $1.00

Do you have any dollar 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

1935-D $1 Silver Certificate

The last of my currency and seeing how I barely use cash do not expect anything new for some time. Printed between January 1953 and December 1957 these dollar notes are not as old as you think.

The bill is very folded, has many staple holes, pencil marks, and tiny tears. I think it circulated for fifty years before I got my hands on it. This series is on of the most common with over five billion printed and it is easier to upgrade this note for a little extra.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar / United States
Year: 1935D
Date Printed: January 1953 - December 1957
Printings: 5,134,056,000
Run: 220th of 278 from L78840001I - L99999999I
Value: $3.00 in Very-Fine

Do you have a note 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.

2005 Thailand 10 Baht

Pretty sure this is a 2005 coin the numbers translate as 2548 which should be 2005 in our calendar. The Thai numeral system is like ours but the characters are very similar and the coin fonts make the tiny differences even more difficult for a novice to detect.

This ๒ is a 2, this ๕ is a 5, this ๔ is a 4, and this ๘ is an 8. If you can see the fonts and compare then it does look like I got them right. Add to that there are some commemorative coins issued for 2005 but luckily the designs are very different. This one pictured above is the normal circulated variety.


Since I have not found anything foreign coin recently I went into the vaults to show this one.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Baht / Thailand
Edge: Segmented Reeding
Year: 2005 (2548)
Mintage: 108,271,000
Metal: Bimetallic: Outer Ring: Cupro-Nickel, Center: Brass
Value: $1.50 in Extra-Fine, $0.32 in exchange value

Do you have a coin from Thailand 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.

Street Vendor Coin Shopping

Went walking around NYC for fun and I stumbled upon a street vendor selling coins. The vendor is a local book vendor but sells other stuff too, although that is illegal. He had one table with coins and coin related items.

For those of you not familiar with NYC vendor laws I will summarize. You do not need a permit or any special permissions to sell books or any written material. That said you need to obey all vendor laws and also not sell anything else. If you break these rules the cops will seize everything.

Now back to the illegal coins.

On sale was first day covers in envelopes, colorized coins, a canceled die, pre-1940 cents and nickels, many single proofs, and silver dollars. All prices were exactly the same as Red Book values. For example a fine 1908 cent is $4.00 and a very fine 1923 cent is $2.00. All the silver dollars were $40.00, silver halves were $15.00 each.

I did not buy anything but I may be back just to get album fillers. While these coins have grades on them they are not exact and when buying expect them to be a grade or two lower. What you will not find is an amazing undiscovered million dollar coin, this guy knows what he is selling.