Year In Review 2014

The annual summary of my year in coin collecting with some highlights, the most incredible year for finds in decades.

Change Finds: 

The graph is for world coins found with 44 different countries found.
--Canada again leads the pack with 153
--Great Britain is 2nd with 31
--Germany is 3rd with 13
France, the Bahamas, Singapore, and Switzerland come in the top five also.

New countries found in my change include Belgium, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Iceland, Malaysia, Namibia, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, and the Ukraine. I made a change in jobs and in lunch. Now that I have to buy lunch outside of work I use cash since it is faster and offers more options. These lunch places have lots of foreign coins up for trade and take a penny leave a penny trays filled with odd things.

The graph for American money is fairly predictable the lowest face value coins and currency are easier to find. The exception are dimes because since 1965 it has not changed design and older ones are silver and get easily filtered. No 50 or 100 dollar bills although I now found an ATM that spits out larger bills.

Oldest United States Find
1916 Cent

Oldest Foreign Find
1940 Canadian Cent

Most Valuable Find (above face value): tie
2013 $5 Star Note, ML-* about $10.00
1963-A $2 Bill, A-A about $7.00

Most Valuable Foreign Find
Asian Merchant/Game Token, 010-8887 8206 about $1.00

Most Surprising Find
Barbara Apotheke 1 Treue Taler token

Books: 2015 Red Book but I have yet to fully go through it.

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 My site seems a bit outdated.

Equipment: Phones apps are still limited. Started using Google Sheets and Office Mobile to keep track of finds quicker.

Summary:
I reached record numbers of finds this year with 619 finds, that is about 9 times the average per year. Most were repeats but many were unique pieces. Unfortunately none were rare or valuable.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and change for all

1973 Belgium Franc, Dutch Legend, Coin Alignment

First non-Euro coin from Europe in a long time. It is common but still nice to find in my change, there is more scarce medal alignment variety but of course those are hard to find.

The Roman goddess Ceres is on the front next to a cornucopia. Ceres was the goddess of agriculture and fertility, among other things. I say was because while the religion is no longer practiced and her current status is unknown. The reverse of the coin has a crown above an oak leaf. The denomination 1 FR is there with the country Belgium written in Dutch as BELGIE. There is a French language version as well.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Franc - Coin Alignment / Belgium
Year: 1973
Mintage: 42,500,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.10 in F

Do you have a coin from Belgium 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 Singapore 10 Cents

From what I understand this coin was only available in collectors sets. What little information I can gather says that none of them were issued for circulation but still ended up circulating. This is also the least common 10 cents from this series.

It does look a bit shinier than a circulating coin. It also has haze damage typically seen on proof and uncirculated coins. Still it has no extra value because of the low grade and low interest.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / Singapore
Year: 2010
Mintage: 40,000 (estimated)
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.10 in Very-Fine

Do you have a coin from Singapore 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

1999-D New Jersey Quarter

Occasionally I miss a new coin that comes out or I misplace it. Looking over my state quarter collection I noticed I was missing the 1999 Denver version of the New Jersey quarter. It took a while to find another in my change but here it is, ignore the low grade I will upgrade if I can.

Perfect coin for this time of year as it depicts Washington crossing the Delaware River on December 25-26, 1776. Of course this is an image based n the famous painting and probably inaccurate. I mean who would stand on a small boat during a storm.

The people on the boat are meant to be a cross section of Americans and may secretly include a Scottish man, a man of African descent, and a woman in disguise among others.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents-New Jersey / United States
Year: 1999 D
Mintage: 299,028,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

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.

1973-D Half Dollar

Not the first time i found a coin with this shade of magenta paint on it. It does kind of ruin any extra value the coin may have but this one is common so it does not matter.

I do not know which company colorized these coins but it does not matter. At the end it is a novelty selling for $4.00 or more. Please never buy these as they are considered damaged. Even as art they are worthless since they are mass produced.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 50 Cents / United States
Year: 1973-D
Mintage: 83,171,400
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.50 in EF-40

Have a fifty cent coin 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.

2008 Australia 5 Cents

Two years since my last Australian 5 cents find. Because of the long distance Australian coins are not easy change finds. This is the second most common of the series and is probably the main reason I found it.

Currently Australia is suffering from record unemployment, like most modern countries. this means less coins are being produced and recent years may have added value, but for now I still think they are common.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 5 Cents / Australia
Year: 2008
Mintage: 200,200,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.06 in VF
 
Do you have an Australian 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 Canada Quarter, RCM Logo

I think this is the more common of the two caribou quarters for 2006. There are a few other varieties this is the only one I found so I assume it is the most common. I have not have much luck with rare coins in my change. 

The year is almost up and I am behind with posting my finds but most are common so no big loss. I hope your year of finds have been better.

Type/Country: 25 Cents / Canada
Year: 2006 RCM Logo
Mintage: 423,189,000
Metal: 94% Steel, 3.8% Copper, 2.2% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in Very-Fine (VF-20)

Do you have any Canadian 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.

2009 France 5 Euro Cent

Seventh French coin I found this year all of which were euros. They seemed pretty thorough about purging older coins.

Fairly common and worth only slightly more than face value, at least over here, it is kind of boring. As far as I know the French euros have not changed designs or anything cool for the smaller denominations. It is now 15 years of euros with little excitement among most of them.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Euro Cent / France
Year: 2009
Mintage: 184,710,000
Metal: Copper Plated Steel: 94.35% Steel 5.65% Copper
Value: $0.10 in F

Do you have a Euro 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.

1953-S Dime

Over two years since I last found a good silver dime like this one. Currently silver is at a low compared to the last few years but it is still silver.

Also happens to have the S mint mark for San Fransisco which is the least common of the three mint marks for this year. Silver has a duller finish when older then copper-nickel. Instantly when I saw this coin in my change from a local fast food joint I knew it was silver. Still I have been fooled some older copper-nickel dimes are hazy and black so I think they are silver. Turning them on there edge is sometimes needed to see the difference. The copper streak is almost always visible on clad dimes. 

Here's the stats for this dime...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1953 S
Mintage: 39,180,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $1.19 in G-4 (a silver value of $1.183, a copper value of $0.002)

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.

2010 Mexico 10 Centavos

Smaller than American dimes this ten centavos snuck into my change and now has full amnesty to stay forever. It is made of the cheaper stainless steel and cost less to make then its American counterpart.

The older Mexican ten centavos coins were slightly larger but since 2009 they have reduced the size to save on production costs.Exchange value is less than one U.S. cent and will probably be discontinued within the decade.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Centavos / Mexico
Year: 2010
Mintage: 453,849,000
Metal: 100% Stainless Steel
Value: $0.10 in Very-Fine

Do you have a Mexican 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.

2014-D Arches Quarter

Found the Philly version of this coin within a few weeks of its initial release. The Denver version took me half a year and this is the more common mint mark.

Both mint marks had large productions so they will likely never be rare or valuable from circulation. I honestly do not know what the newer quarters look like so I have not found any. So many have been made since the first state quarters in 1999 that I can no longer keep up with the latest designs.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - Arches / United States
Year: 2014-D
Mintage: 251,400,000
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.

2002 Belgium 50 Euro Cent

The second most common half a euro, if that is what they call them.

Kind of short on time so just a quick note about this coin. It is brass, common, and has more exchange value than anything else. Love the crowned A though.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 2 Euro Cent / Belgium
Year: 2002
Mintage: 50,000,000
Metal: Nordic Gold (Brass)
Value: $0.75 in F

Do you have a coin from Belgium 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-D German 20 Euro Cent

One ding we are German...
Still finding German coins at the rate of about once a month. All have been Euros and all common.

This one is a 20 euro cent that is relatively common.I got it in a take a penny leave a penny tray along with a Belgium coin. Great shape but that nordic gold, like our U.S. dollar coins, is prone to fingerprint damage. Our natural oils permanently damages the new coins surface.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 20 Euro Cent / Germany
Year: 2010-D
Mintage: 25,620,000
Metal: Brass / Nordic Gold: Copper 89%, Aluminum 5%, Zinc 5%, and Tin 1%
Value: $0.50 in XF

Do you have a Euro 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 Netherlands 5 Euro Cents

The Netherlands is facing the bird flu, insensitive Christmas costumes, and worse of all a love of soccer. That may be why some have come to visit our land and drop some euros as pennies. 

I think they have updated the picture on the front to the current monarch but I have yet to receive one. These older ones have not gone up in value and probably will not for the next couple of decades.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Euro Cent / Netherlands
Year: 2006
Mintage: 60,318,000
Metal: Copper Plated Steel
Value: $0.10 in Very-Fine

Do you have a Netherlands 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.

2010 Singapore 20 Cents

The least common of all the circulating 20 cents from Singapore, series 1992-2012. Granted it was estimated over 10 million were made but that is a third of the normal minting.
 

There is a powder-puff plant on the back with the denomination. These were copper-nickel and when that got too expensive they switched to nickel-plated steel.

Here's the stats for this coin...
Type/Country: 20 Cents / Singapore
Year: 2010
Mintage: 10,030,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.15 in VF

Do you have a coin from Singapore 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 Poland 5 Groszy, Brass

There are two versions of this coin. This is the sold brass version with the older design. The new version is brass plated steel and has a smaller crest and a few lines.

You may have noticed starting in 2012 the old standard metals of copper-nickel or brass were being phased out. Plated steel versions are now common and do not be surprised if steel prices skyrocket and plastic coins replace them.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Groszy / Poland
Year: 2013
Mintage: 88,000,000
Metal: Manganese-Brass
Value: $0.05 in VF

Do you have a coin from Poland 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 Mount Rushmore Quarter

I have yet to find a full year's worth of America the Beautiful National Parks Quarters. Ignoring the S mint marks there are five P and five D mintmarks to look for each year. Seven of the possible ten for 2013 is the closest I got to finish a year.

Currently it is snowing on Mount Rushmore and frozen across most of America. I expect no change in change finds around here. Most travelers are from Europe and slowdowns are rare in NYC so circulating cash is always at high levels.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - Mount Rushmore / United States
Year: 2013-D
Mintage: 272,400,000
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 $2 Bill, F-A

This was an unexpected find. Just a year after printing I got a pretty decent looking 2013 $2 bill in my change. Again not rare at all but to find one without asking is unusual.

Only made for two months so far, November 2013 and June 2014. They may make more but currently at 32 million, not including star notes, it is the lowest recent printing of any note.

Here's the stats...
Type/Federal Bank: $2 Note- Fort Worth, TX / Atlanta
Year: 2013
Date Printed: November 2013
Printings: 19,200,000
Run: 3rd of 3 from F12800001A - F19200000A
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.

2009 (2552) Thailand 1 Baht

Got this one with yesterday's baht all at once, the cashier said there were more but I had no more change to trade. This one was made after the metal was changed to the less expensive nickel-plated steel. 

The design of the coin was also updated. The portrait was updated to the older looking guy. The temple on the back know has more details. Details were added all over the coin but it feels lighter and less strong. That said it does look better than the older copper-nickel coins.

Type/Country: 1 Baht / Thailand
Year: 2009
Mintage: 507,250,000
Metal: Nickel-Plated Steel
Value: UNC $0.10

Do you have Asian 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.

2005 (2548) Thailand 1 Baht

The most common of the copper-nickel bahts from 1986-2012 (2529-2555) is this one from 2005 (2548).   Over 1 billion were minted and that is probably why I found two on the same day. 

The year reads ๒๕๔๘ which is 2548 or 2005 in our calendar. (If you see blank squares you may not have the proper language packet installed.)  Copper-nickel and with the older bust of the young guy on front. Their are varieties but none have extra value.

Type/Country: 1 Baht / Thailand
Year: 2005 (2548)
Mintage: 1,137,820,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: UNC $0.10

Do you have Asian 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.

2000 Ecuador 50 Centavos

I think I found every 2000 Ecuadorian coin in my change this year. Like my great readers have pointed out this was a one time run while they made U.S. coins and currency the standard for all of Ecuador.

Eloy Alfaro is on the coin he was Ecuador's first president. The coin is simple and virtually identical in size and weight as a U.S. half dollar. While they continued to make some of the smaller denominations this half seems like a one time minting. No mintage figures have been found.

Here are the stats for these...
Type/Country: 50 Centavo / Ecuador
Year: 2000
Mintage: Not yet known
Metal: Steel
Value: $1.00 in VF

Do you have a Ecuadorian 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.

1971 Half Dollar

The first of the copper and nickel clad halves were minted for 1971. Controversy about clad coin were mainly they were made of non-precious metal which in some minds meant they are worthless. Unfortunately people do not understand that all coins should always have a lower metal price than face value.

On a good day the metal value of a half dollar coin is about 10 cents. Still add production cost and delivery if this coin was circulating it would triple the price of each coin. That is barely under 50 cents a coin. The thought of aluminum coins is revolting but if it did happen I would be more likely to carry and use large coins like halves and dollars.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 50 Cents / United States
Year: 1971
Mintage: 155,164,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.50 in EF-40

Have a fifty cent coin 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.

1981 Iceland Krona

This is the most common Icelandic krona from the 1981-1987 copper-nickel series, granted only three years of circulating coins were issued.

That familiar Icelandic giant is on the date side and a cod on the other. Currently these coins are stainless steel but value is still low.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Krona / Iceland
Year: 1981
Mintage: 18,000,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.20 in Extra-Fine

Do you have a coin from Iceland 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.

1996 Brazil 5 Centavos

The least common of the stainless steel Brazilian 5 centavos coins. It was a short run from 1994-1997 and none of them are rare.

Metal change happens often in other countries but that rarely makes the older coins more valuable. They also changed the design. This older design has liberty with the laureate head and some lines with a laurel branch. Brazil is spelled with an S, Brasil, because that is the Portuguese way.

Here's the stats...

Type/Country: 5 Centavos / Brazil
Year: 1996
Mintage: 111,600,000
Metal: Stainless Steel
Value: $0.45 in AU

Do you have any centavos from Brazil 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.

2000 South African 1 Rand, Old National Coat of Arms

This was the last year of the the old national arms as the South African introduced the new arms the same year. Both are common and finding either one is still easy.

They changed the arms but the Springbok (deer) and SOLI DEO GLORIA motto remains the same. It is a nickel plated copper coin and that may change since the coin is losing value and metal prices will likely rise again.

Here's the stats for this coin...
Type/Country: 1 Rand / South Africa
Year: 2000
Mintage: 35,000,000
Metal: Nickel Plated Copper
Value: $0.15 in G (Good)