Year In Review 2016

Let's make this short 2016 was blah to say the least.

A summary of what I found in my change.

Change Finds: 

The graph is for world coins found with 46 different countries found.
--Canada again is 1st with 107
--Great Britain is 2nd with 26
--France is 3rd with 10
China and Germany come in the top five also.

New countries found in my change include Aruba, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cyprus, Guyana, Honduras, Romania, and Sri Lanka. I found less coins compared to last year and less variety.

 No odd finds mostly small coins but a lot of new quarters.

Oldest United States Find
1905 Nickel

Oldest Foreign Find
1915 Austrian 10 Heller

Most Valuable Find (above face value): tie
1918 United States Nickel at about $3.00

Most Valuable Foreign Find
1988 Brazilian (Doubled) 50 Centavos at about $2.00

Most Surprising Find
13 notes from around the world including $2 bills given to me by a friend who works retail by her creepy customer. She gave them to me because she thought they were cursed and no else wanted them at her job.

Books: Nothing new or exciting.

Websites: Went mobile for this blog and trying some SEO (search engine optimization) stuff to make it better.

Equipment: Macro camera lens, a 60mm.

Summary:
Not bad this year with 433 finds, that is less than last year but still higher than average for me. Most were repeats but many were unique pieces. Again unfortunately none were rare or valuable. (Same as last year basically.)

Probably the last time I get so many since I changed my coin collecting habits recently. So After I get through my old finds I will focus on getting the common U.S. coins from the last 50 years.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and change for all

2010-J Germany Euro Cent

So many German Euro finds I have started tracking them using Google Sheets. They are all still common and have little value still here is my latest.

German euro cents are common from each of the five mints about 100 million were made. Hans Tietmeyer was former head of the Bundesbank and helped Germany convert to Euros, he recently passed away. Granted now some in Germany think if they leave the euro system they can turn the economy around.

Here are the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Euro Cent / German
Year: 2010 J
Mintage: 99,167,000
Metal: Copper Plated Steel
Value: $0.03 in VF

Do you have any German 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.

1905 Liberty Head Nickel

My oldest find of 2016, I think. Plus my first Liberty Head Nickel I have shown on this blog. I found a few before but finally I have time to post this rather old find.

The coin is almost 112 years old and a bit worn still all the essential elements like date, value, and  the head are still quite visible. The word LIBERTY is not visible at all in her crown so at most the grade is good (G-4).

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: 1905
Mintage: 29,825,124
Metal: 75% Copper 25% Nickel
Value: $2.00 in G-4

Do you have a 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.

1974 Syria 5 Piastres

After a long break I'm back but enough chitchat look what I found.

The second Syrian coin I found and it is not a coincidence that I found it now. Currently in Syria, especially Aleppo, there is a civil war going on. Half a dozen factions are fighting for control of the country and in the process it is causing massive destruction.

Reporters and humanitarians are traveling to Syria and bringing back, among other items, coins. This is my best guess on how I recently found this 5 Piastres or 5 Qirsh coin in my change.

Typical of Islamic region coins it has no human images.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Piastres / Syria
Year: 1974
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Aluminum-Bronze
Value: $0.15 in Very-Fine

Never Forgotten

Simply put I have not forgotten what 19 Muslim attackers did on this day 15 years ago. The rebuilding and strength we New Yorkers have done is what clearly is standing out.

1956 Canadian Cent

With a limited number of Canadian cents out in the wild now finding them is becoming a little more difficult. Still there are billions out there so it is not rare at all.

I found at least 68 unique Canadian coins from 1916 to 2012. There are over 100+ cents between that time and I have most of the later issues. Now it is all about finding the older ones.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1956
Mintage: 78,685,535
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.50 in Very-Good

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

2009 Bahamas Cent

First of the smaller copper-plated zinc cents, from 2009 to present they have been used. Smaller production and many years skipped still does not make this coin rare.

The previous issue was the same composition but 19mm compared to this one at 17mm. Also it is lighter at 1.75g compared to the previous 2.50g. Not sure how much money was saved since the production historically is small but any cost saving is good, I guess.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Bahamas
Year: 2009
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Copper-Plated Zinc
Value: $0.02 in XF

Do you have an old or new 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.

1983 Canadian Cent, Far Beads

There are two varieties of 1983 Canadian cents, the far beads and near beads. Both are relatively common but the near beads seemed to have been minted less and holds a slightly better value.

By 1982 the Royal Canadian Mint made design changes to the one cent coin changing them from round to twelve-sided as well as changing the denticles around the rim to beads. A minor adjustment to the beads in 1983 lead to varieties for that year.

Far Beads: The more common variety has what appears to be a larger gap between the rim and the beads, enough to fit three or more beads inline between that empty space.

Near Beads: Less common has a smaller gap between the rim and the bead, enough to fit 2 or less beads in that same space.

Again due to the imprecision of mass coin production often it is not possible to tell which variety that any 1983 Canadian cent may actually be. Some rims are thicker, some beads are bigger, and just plain dirt at the rim will make identification more difficult. 60-80% of these cents appear to be Far Beads.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1983 Far Beads
Mintage: 975,510,000 (includes both varieties)
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.03 in Very-Good

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

New Historical Figures on U.S. Cash

Some quick coin and currency news.

First New Hampshire senators have proposed a bill to make a commemorative coin featuring Astronaut/Teacher Christa McAuliffe who died in 1986 on the space shuttle Challenger. Proceeds for the sale would support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) causes.

Second there are changes coming to the $20, $10, and $5 bills. Notable the addition to Harriet Tubman to the front of the $20 bill and moving Andrew Jackson to the back.

On the $10 bill the back will feature Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Coffin Mott, Alice Paul, and Isabella "Sojourner Truth" Baumfree.

On the back of $5 bill will be Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

With the exception of Marian Anderson I see these all as great historical figures to ass alongside of the founding fathers. Of course like the founding fathers none of them were perfect but they all made America a greater country.

Nothing against Marian Anderson but I think it sets a precedent for entertainers to be on regular currency. it then becomes a popularity contest.

2013 South Africa 20 Cents, Venda Legend

Got this African coin at the same time I got the last coin. Not in the best shape it has strike damage and is a bit worn. 

Afurika Tshipembe is South Africa in the Venda language. About 2% of the population of South Africa speaks this language but that is enough to make it an official language. There are 11 official languages in all.

On the other side of coin is a King Protea flower which looks as fantastical in person.

Here's the stats for this coin...
Type/Country: 20 Cents / South Africa
Year: 2012
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Bronze Plated Steel
Value: $0.40 in VF (very-fine)

Do you have a South African 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.

2005 Kenya 10 Shillings

Not the best 10 shillings but it is cool since it came all the way from Africa. Again African coins are not rare but they are some of the most difficult to find in American change. European and South American coins seem to be the easiest to find.

On the front is THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF KENYA · MZEE JOMO KENYATTA · with his bust in the center.

On the back is REPUBLIC OF KENYA 10 HARAMBEE · TEN SHILLINGS 2005 · is has the national seal under the 10.

Here are the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Shillings / Kenya
Year: 2005
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: Bi-Metallic: Copper-Nickel Center, Aluminium-Bronze Ring
Value: $0.90 in Extra-Fine

Do you have a coin from Kenya 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.

2016 Shield Cent

Found my first 2016 coins a week ago. They were 2016 Lincoln/Shield cents and this early find may indicate many more are being produced...or not.

Nothing particularly special about these coins.

If you notice the blur it is my first attempt at coin photography using my new Canon 70D with a 60mm macro lens. No tripod and the sun is my light source. I need to figure out the camera a bit more but it seems like a good camera for coins. 

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent  / United States
Year: 2016
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.

1973 Netherlands 25 Cents

It has been a while since I found a non-Euro coin from the Netherlands. Pre-Euro coins have not gone up in value much, maybe a few cents, even though the are rare to find in your change. Still they were in the billions overall so they are common.

On the front of the coin you have former Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, it is written as JULIANA KONINGIN DER NEDERLANDEN. While on the back is 25 CENT is dividing the year 1973. There are two marks are privy and mint marks, a rooster and some other symbol I cannot identify.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents / Netherlands
Year: 1973
Mintage: 45,000,000
Metal: Nickel
Value: $0.20 in Extra-Fine

Do you have a coin from the Netherlands 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.

Coin Show NY

Upcoming Challenge coin show in NY for April 29, 2016.

http://www.coinshowny.com/

The First of Its Kind Challenge Coin Trade Show In New York is opening its doors to coin traders, coin vendors, coin hobbyists, coin collectors, coin enthusiasts, and well, coin anything!

At this massive show, you will be able to find that "unicorn" you've been searching for. 

Some, never seen before coins!

Free Inaugural Coin to the First 100 Registered Guests

Free parking available.
Food and adult beverages available.

Partial Proceeds of the event will Benefit the NYPD Widows and Children’s Fund.
100% of the Charity Auction benefits the NYPD Widows and Children’s Fund.

Year In Review 2015

Yup almost a month late but finally got to it.

This is a summary of everything I collected from last year with over sized graphs and highlights. It shows what is possible to get from your simple pocket change.

Change Finds: 

The graph is for world coins found with 49 different countries found.
--Canada again leads the pack with 143
--Great Britain is 2nd with 21
--The Bahamas is 3rd with 8
France, Spain, and Bermuda come in the top five also.

New countries found in my change include Bangladesh, Chile, Cuba, Finland, Georgia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Mauritius, Netherlands Antilles, Newfoundland, Peru, and Sweden. I found less coins compared to last year but a greater variety were found.

Nothing new with the American money. The lower the denomination the easier it is to find older or unique examples.

Oldest United States Find
1918 Cent

Oldest Foreign Find
1951 Canadian Cent

Most Valuable Find (above face value): tie
2012 Colombian 1000 Pesos at about $5.00

Most Valuable Foreign Find
2012 Colombian 1000 Pesos at about $5.00

Most Surprising Find
Religious Medal form Italy.

Books: A bunch of 2x2 albums but no 2x2 holders.

Websites: The web is still getting better for coin values and information. My site needs some mobile access.

Equipment: Phones apps are still limited. Still using Google Sheets and Office 365 to keep track of finds quicker.

Summary:
Not bad this year with 475 finds, that is less than last year but still higher than average for me. Most were repeats but many were unique pieces. Again unfortunately none were rare or valuable.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and change for all

2013 Brazil 25 Centavos

The most common of the 25 Centavos coin from the 1998-2015 series. They had some soccer thing at the time and increased coin production. A year later, for 2014, they cut down production by 97%.

On the reverse is the denomination 25 CENTAVOS 2013 and five stars in a copy of the Euro style of coins. The obverse has a bust of Deodoro, BRASIL, ans Republi 15 de Novemb.

Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca , 1827-1892, was the first president of Brazil and claimed it as a republic.

Here's the stats...

Type/Country: 25 Centavos / Brazil
Year: 2013
Mintage: 360,064,000
Metal: Bronze-Plated Steel
Value: $0.30 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.