1943 Steel Cent

It should be a zinc-coated steel but I think all the zinc on this cent is gone. The coin is rusting and must have been sitting in some awful liquid.

Even if this coin was not rusted it is still common. Over 600 million were made and many survived in near perfect condition. That means unless you find one in full copper it probably has no real value.

Actually found two of them at the same time it must have been dumped together because it has the same rust pattern.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent  / United States
Year: 1943
Mintage: 684,628,670
Metal: 100% Steel and plated with Zinc
Value: $0.10 in G-4

Do you have a 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.

2014-P Nickel

2014 coins are circulating well and aside from the dime I found at least one of each. All have been from the Philadelphia mint and I do not expect any from Denver until late this year.

The steps seem full on the reverse of the coin and the bag marks are not that bad although they a few of them that are noticeable. By all estimates this may be the lowest circulating coin for 2014, not counting the Park Quarters.

 Here's the stats for this coin...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: 2014-P
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Mintage: 138,960,000 (estimated to date)
Value: $0.05 at F-12

Do you have a recent 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.

Dateless Buffalo Nickel, S Mint Mark

While there is no way for the average coin collector to find a date on a very worn coin the mint mark can narrow it down.

Knowing the mint mark is from San Fransisco narrows it down to 20 possible nickels. Most have average value but a few like 1915 and 1921 are $50+ in low grades.

Looking at the front yields no other clues. The wear completely eroded the date and judging by the greenish hue on the back it looks like someone tried to chemically find the date. Using a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide will etch the surface and sometimes reveal the date. It does not always work and will definitely ruin the coin. the greenish-blue left behind is copper-acetate.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: 19??
Mintage: ????
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $0.50 in G-4

Do you have an old 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.

2000 Barbados Cent

Just three weeks since my last Barbados cent find and here is another. They are nearly identical to U.S. cents in material, size, and weight I can see getting these in your change for a long time to come.

There is still no data about the mintage of any of the 1991-2006 copper-plated zinc cents. Since then they have switched metals to copper-plated steel, still without any mintage figures. The new cents are magnetic and tend not to circulate well in the states since most counting machines will reject them.

Here are the stats for this Barbados coin...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Barbados
Year: 2000
Mintage: Not known.
Metal: Copper-Plated Zinc
Value: $0.05 in XF

Do you have a Barbadian 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.

2013 $10 Bill, MA-A

The latest in currency notes is the 2013 series which started printing in July 2013 and is still being printed as of April 2014. I have seen most of the new notes but until yesterday I did not find any in my change.

As with every other ten dollar bill since the 2004-A series these were printed in Fort Worth. This one is a bit folded but I can press it in a book for a year or two to make it nice again. While these notes seem to be common I still like collecting brand new money as well as old.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Federal Bank: $10 Note- Fort Worth / Boston
Year: 2013
Printings: 19,200,000
Printed: October 2013
Run: Not yet known.
Value:  $10.00 in CU 

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.

2011 British 20 Pence

British coins are fairly common foreign coins to find in my change. Of course Canadian coin will always be number one for me but British coins have always been a large part of my change finds.

With the exception of 2010 I have found British coins in my change in every year since starting this blog in 2005. As with the Canadian finds most of these British coins are common and hold little extra value. Most are one or twenty pence coins given to me as cents and nickels. Similar size and mettalic properties make them quite interchangeable.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 20 Pence / Great Britain
Year: 2011
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: 84% Copper, 16% Nickel
Value: $0.33 in VF (very-fine)

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.

2012 Peru 50 Centimos

Just my second Peruvian find on this blog and it is also a 50 centimos. They are about the size of a U.S. quarter which is how I got it in my change.

The difference between this and the 1991 50 centimos is they got rid of the braille above the 50. The overall design was tweaked and made slightly bigger but it still has the same things. 

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 50 Céntimos / Peru
Year: 2012
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Copper-Nickel-Zinc
Value: $0.20 in Fine (currency exchange is at $0.18)

Do you have a Peru 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 Wheat Cent

Just to show how difficult it is to find older coin this is only the fourth 1930s cent I featured. Every year that passes it gets harder to find very old coins. Now the most common old find are from the 50s while just a decade ago 1940s coins were relatively common.

This one has a nice pattern that may have been caused by cleaning. Years after cleaning a coin the damage left behind is often nice looking. Value is not important since this is not a key date it will always be low.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1935
Mintage: 245,388,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.15 in F-12

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.

1950-D Wheat Cent

There are 26 circulating 1950s cents and this is the 14th to be featured on my humble coin blog. So I am half way there and the way it is going I might finish the series this year. 

All 1950s cents are common with the least common being the 1954 cent and the most common is the 1959-D cent. Of course the 1955 Doubled Die is the most famous and probably not going to be found in your change although fakes and lesser real doubles do exist.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1950-D
Mintage: 334,950,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.05 in F-12

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.

1947 Wheat Cent

There are 30 circulating 1940s cent and so far I have found and listed 11 of them. Every time I think I get close to finishing a series just from my change I realize I am not that close.

This cent is a bit green and scarred but still in great shape. It is common among the 40s cents so I expect to find more hopefully I will trade up. It is never a good idea to keep cents with that green stuff because it does spread.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1947
Mintage: 190,555,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.05 in F-12

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-S District of Columbia Quarter

Almost a year after finding a proof cent in my change I find a proof quarter. Modern proof coins generally have an S (San Fransisco) mint mark and are not circulated. The only way they get circulated is when someone purposely puts it in circulation because it lacks any extra value.

The coin is from the American Territories series made after the State Quarters were minted. This is the same one as the circulating District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) version. It features Duke Ellington sitting at his piano and the motto Justice For All.

There many reason for dumping proof into the circulating but the most common happens when collectors buy many proofs sets and then cherry pick the best. The best are graded and sell for high prices. The rest are then sold for albums for a few dollars, those that are not sold have no real extra value and can still be used for face value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents-Washington D.C. / United States
Year: 2009 S
Mintage: 2,113,478
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.35 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.

1952-D Wheat Cent

Aside from Canadian cents the most common odd coins I find in my change are wheat cents. Granted most cents are common but wheaties are nostalgic for most Americans. The fact you can still find them in your change is neato.

The date on this 1952-D cent seems a bit crooked and I do not think it was my picture taken. Back then they still punched the dates by hand so a slight variation is expected and does not add to the value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1952-D
Mintage: 746,130,000
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.05 in F-12

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 Canada Cent

This was the first Canadian coin to reach over 100 million in production. A mintage of that high number was not typical outside of war times but it is the trend as a healthy population keeps growing.

Countries that still issue pennies or one cent coins typically issue them in 10-20 times the number of the population. By the end one billion Canadian cents issued was close to normal. Of course that is now zero thanks to the Canadian cents end of production in 2012.

It has been almost two full years, since May 4, 2012, that they stopped making Canadian cents. Yet with over 30 billion of those pennies still in circulation it means we all will find them around for years to come.
 

Here's the stats...

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1957
Mintage: 100,601,792
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

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.

2013-P Mount Rushmore Quarter

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is in South Dakota and was conceived as a tourist trap. There many controversies, myths, and stories surrounding Mt. Rushmore but at the end it is just another tourist site.

The coin depicts the years it took carving the Six Grandfathers, (original Lakota name) mountain into the place to remember the founding fathers. Of course the original design was modified because of cracks in the rock. Plus they were meant to have bodies but that never happened due to lack of funding during WW II.

Although Mt. Rushmore is now a symbol of America and very popular it is one of the national sites that I do not have on my list to see. If I see it it will probably be spectacular but not as great as the other side that is still natural.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - Mount Rushmore / United States
Year: 2013-P
Mintage: 231,800,000
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.

1954-D Wheat Cent

A few more 1950s wheat cent finds and I think I will have that entire decade showcased. Granted I already have one of each but that was before I started blogging.

If my old coin and foreign finds ever slow down or stop I will start to showcase everything that is 50 years old or newer. Honestly most of these wheat cents are common and have little extra value the same as modern coins.

The reason I show them when I find them is to let you know of all the possibilities of finds for the hobby of coin collecting without spending any extra money. Yes once you keep these change or floor finds you will not have that change to spend but at least numismatics does not have to be an expensive past time.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1954-D
Mintage: 251,552,500
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Tin and Zinc
Value: $0.05 in F-12

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.

2004 Portugal Euro Cent

My first Portuguese euro ever. I got it in change as a cent and did not even recognize the country until I got home and looked it up. Portugal is written twice on it but it is so small I could barely see it.

The coin has the royal seal of 1134 which is the first royal seal of Portugal. It has a stylized PORTUGAL with a cross for the T. It also has 7 castles and 5 coat of arms surrounding the name. In between the castles and arms is the country name again Portugal and the date. The mint mark of INCM and VS which is the designer's initial.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Euro Cent / Portugal
Year: 2004
Mintage: 75,000,000
Metal: Copper Plated Steel: 94.35% Steel 5.65% Copper
Value: $0.05 in Very-Fine

Do you have coin from Portugal 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.

2004 East Caribbean States 25 Cents

Apparently there only three modern copper-nickel East Caribbean States 25 Cents coins. The 2002, 2004, and 2007 quarters are the only ones listed, there is a 2010 in nickel-plated steel. The 2004 seems to be the most common since I found it twice already.

Most of the others I found in my change over the years have the same brown haze. I think they get cleaned by the banks since there are so few to go around. I am not sure how many were minted and it is possible that they made it in more than one year with the same date but I do not how to find out.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 25 Cents / East Caribbean States
Year: 2004
Mintage:  Not known.
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.25 in XF

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.

1939 Nickel

Found this one several times before but wanted to feature it on its own. This is one of the oldest common nickels you can find in your change. 1938 is slightly older but it is more difficult to find but thanks to almost 70 years of the same design people tend to overlook these coins.

Most copper-nickel coins can circulate for 100 years with just some average wear. Copper coins get thinner over time since pure copper is softer. Adding nickel make copper stronger. Also the fact that a nickel is bigger and thicker means it can take scratches better. While this coin is not display quality it is still a keeper at 75 years old. It is as old as Batman.

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

Do you have any 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.

2001 Mexico 10 Centavos

Another floor find since finding Mexican coins in my change is difficult around here. This one seemed to be tossed to a corner when I found it. Mexican money gets less respect than Canadian money here in the U.S. 

One side has the date, the denomination, and the Mo mint mark from the Mexico City Mint. It has some designs typical of ancient Mexico. The other side has the national arms which is an eagle holding a snake on top of cactus. Estados Unidos Mexicanos is United States (of) Mexico which is the old name of Mexico, it should be just Mexico now.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Centavos / Mexico
Year: 2001
Mintage: 618,061,000
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.

President Casino On The Admiral 5 Cents

The President Casino was on the S.S. Admiral a riverboat in St. Louis, Missouri. The casino issued chips, tokens, and vouchers from five cents to one thousand dollars.

Aside from the name and value the token has a trademarked star symbol with a flag flying. I think that is from the casino since the S.S. Admiral was just an engine-less riverboat destined to be scrapped. The Admiral started out as a regular riverboat then it was turned into flagship steamboat, in the 1930s. It eventually got turned into an amusement park ride.

By 1991 riverboat casinos were just starting and The President was among the first. It changed owners a couple times and eventually went bankrupt in 2003 and sold to other casino operators. Of course the casino was too expensive to rebuild and open so the license was surrendered and ship sold for scrap.

The token can no longer be redeemed and is so common it hold little extra value. I think it is some sort of copper-nickel mix but I cannot really tell. It is not magnetic and the internet tells me little about composition. There are no visible mint marks or claims by producers.

Here are the stats for this token...
Type / Country: 5 Cents token - St. Louis, MO / America
Year: Early 1990s - 2010
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Unknown
Diameter: 0.8125 inch Thickness: 0.0312 inches Weight: 3.95 grams
Value: $1.00 in circulated Very-Fine
Obverse Writing: PRESIDENT CASINO ON THE ADMIRAL ST. LOUIS MO. 5 ¢
Reverse Writing: ACCEPTABLE ONLY AT THE PRESIDENT CASINO ON THE ADMIRAL NOT LEGAL TENDER 5 ¢

Do you have a token 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 Canada Cent

Yes another common Canadian cent but this is America and finding them is still cool in my eyes.

Another ten years of change finds and maybe I will all the Canadian cents. Since their termination in 2013 the Canadian cents have doubled in my change. I suspect that Canadians are using them over here just to get rid of them. In a few years they all may disappear in circulation so I will be happy getting as many as I can.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1984
Mintage: 838,225,000
Metal: 98% Copper, 1.5% Zinc, and 0.5% Tin
Value: $0.02 in F-12

Do you have a 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.

2006 Canada Cent, Zinc

This is the second most common of the six varieties of 2006 Canadian cents. I already found the most common cent 2006-RCM Logo Zinc two years ago.

Just a quick reminder of the Canadian 2006 cent varieties:

• 2006 - Copper Plated Zinc 
• 2006 - Copper Plated Steel
• 2006 RCM Logo - Copper Plated Zinc
• 2006 RCM Logo - Copper Plated Steel
• 2006 P - Copper Plated Zinc    
• 2006 P - Copper Plated Steel

The ones in yellow are more common so I expect to eventually find a 2006-RCM Logo in steel.

The red ones are a bit more scarce and while it is possible to find anything in your change these three may be more tough. 

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 2006
Mintage: 886,275,000
Metal: 98.4% Zinc, 1.6% Copper
Value: $0.01 in AU

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

2014 Lincoln Shield Cent

Almost two months after finding my first 2014 coin I finally get another. This one is the 2014 cent from the Philadelphia mint. I actually got two of them yesterday so I think a 2014 coin roll was just opened.

Both coins have minor die cracks, nothing to showcase, it also has some fingerprints and spots. The one pictured above also has some scrapes as if got damaged in a machine. Still finding a new cent only four months into the new year is good.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent  / United States
Year: 2014
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Value: $0.01 in EF-40

Do you have a 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.

1964 Canada Cent

This is the last Canadian cent to feature the young Queen Elizabeth with a laureate on her head. Starting in 1965 they gave her a tiara. 

As often as I find Canadian coins you would think I have showcased them all. Yet seeing how I once found a 1921 Canadian cent in my change that means it is possible to get a hundred years of coins from each circulating denomination. Including varieties that may be up to 1,000 coins.  Now I just have featured 90 of them so it will be a while before I exhaust that category.
 

Here's the stats...

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1964
Mintage: 484,655,322
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

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.