1961 Dime

Silver! Despite the fact that silver is at a relative low point it is still considered a precious metal and a good investment. Found this tiny piece of silver in my change a while back.

It seems to be cleaned or at least ran through some kind of liquid at some point. 1961 was just 54 years ago so these coins are still considered common. Of course silver coins get filtered and save these days but there are still many chances to find them in your change if you use cash a lot. 

Here's the stats for this dime...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1961
Mintage: 93,730,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $1.13 in G-4 (a silver value of $1.124, a copper value of $0.001)

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.

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.

2014-P Dime

Got two these in my change back in the beginning of June and since them I have seen plenty more. Over half a billion were estimated minted and the year was just half over at that point in June.

I know for those die hard buy-and-grade collectors these coins are common and worthless. I am one of those old fashion collecting for fun types and getting new and shiny pieces from my change is swell. The revere has full bands but still that will not bring much extra in the future as so many people are grading non-circulating coins that it will only lower this coins value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2014 P
Mintage: 538,500,000 (estimated so far )
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in AU-50

Do you have a U.S. dime 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 Dime

Over a year since finding the 2013 Philadelphia dime I finally get the Denver version. The east coast is always a bit behind in finding the Denver coins. I actually got three of these at once so I suspect it was a roll of new dimes.

2013 saw about a twenty five percent increase in coin production. It should be easier for out of pocket collectors to find most of them. While I am still missing some 2009 coins since that production year was low I expect to find these newer coins easily.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2013 D
Mintage: 1,025,500,000 (estimated so far )
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in AU-50

Do you have a U.S. dime 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 Dime

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Production and distribution of 2013 coins seems better than ever. I would safely assume as the economy is picking up so is the minting of new coins. Not even halfway through the year and I found a 2013 quarter, cent, and now dime.

Amazingly shiny it does have hard pressed radial pattern seen often on dimes. This is not an error just a worn die that is working a bit hard to press these tiny coins. Judging by the 400+ million Philly dimes made so far we are heading to new highs compared to recent years.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2013 P
Mintage: 1,086,500,000 (estimated so far )
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in AU-50

Do you have a U.S. dime 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.

Another Copper Dime

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It looks much more copper in hand and weighs 2.27 grams. So is it an error?

I think it may be something else maybe Improperly Annealed or unintentionally chemically altered. Either way I found other copper dimes before and none have been underweight as a true missing clad error would be.

A close inspection of the edge (not pictured) reveals there seems to be a sandwich. Meaning the clad layers are visible but it looks like light copper, dark copper, light copper. It could be a heating error before minting or some attempt at cleaning after leaving the mint.

I will keep it but I do not expect it will every be proven to be anything special.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1994 D
Mintage: 1,303,268,110
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in F-12

Do you have a U.S. dime 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.

MAD Dime

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MisAligned Dies or MAD for short are error coins that have one side slightly off-center because the die hit it wrong. The coin enters the collar and a die from above (hammer die) hits the coin and simultaneously the pressure causes the bottom die (anvil die) to leave an impression on the coin. If the hammer die is slightly off the back and edge would be normal only the front would be off. Many MAD varieties exist but this is the most common.

The most obvious sign is on the rim where it looks like the dime has two edges. This is often mislabeled as "railroad rim" but that is another type of error where the edge is struck partially out collar. There is no good nickname for this error but it is common.

It is most common amongst dimes, the small size is partially to blame. Finding them in all coins is possible but the quarters and dimes are most obvious since the edge is reeded. Unless the misalignment causes part of the design to get cut off it has no extra value. Ignoring the eBay sales of these common coins they are not popular among collectors if minor or heavily circulated. Often the centered side is very weak but if both sides are misaligned they can have weak spots. Only extreme misaligned dies have real value and then they get odd looking.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1998 P
Mintage: 1,163,000,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in F-12

Do you have a U.S. dime 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-P Dime

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The year is almost over and just found a 2012 dime, actually I found two of them, which is earlier than usual. Hoping that Black Friday brings more finds but the debit/credit card usage seems to be strong this year.

These are normal dimes as they have not seen a major design change since 1946. The only change was in composition in 1965 when the silver was replaced with copper nickel but that was not in design. Back to turkey left overs and a long weekend ahead.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2012 P
Mintage: 719,000,000 (estimated )
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in AU-50

Do you have a U.S. dime 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-D Dime

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The ongoing quest to find one of every coin every made in my change , even the common ones, continues with this dime. I got the Pennsylvania version late June last year and a little over a year passed when this Denver version showed up in my change. Noticed it because it was very shiny.

I have found nearly all the circulated dimes from 1965-2012 with the following exceptions.

• 2007-D
• 2009-D
• 2012-P
• 2012-D 

There is some reasons for this like 2009-D was a very low mintage and 2012 is very new. Strangely though 2007 dimes were made in the billions so I should have at least one but either they are not circulating well or I have not noticed any.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2011 P
Mintage: 754,000,000 (estimated )
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in AU-50

Still have not found a 2009 nickel

Do you have a U.S. dime 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.

Clad Planchet Dime

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First blank coin I got in my change ever. Just a few days ago I was at the store and decided to use cash, which I have not been doing lately, when I instantly saw this kind of yucky dime. At first I thought it was weakly struck or damaged. Still hopeful I brought it home, shook off all the loose dirt, and weighed it. Turns out it was real.

One side is a bit "rusty" with what appears to be water spots. Both sides are very scracthed and there are some rim dents. The edge is not reeded but you can clearly see the clad layers.

It weighs between 2.26-2.27 grams because my scale kept going up and down by 0.01 gram. That said a normal dime weighs 2.27 grams so it could not be shaved. The size is slightly smaller but within normal limits.

Never seeing a blank in hand but having a few other planchets I am fairly sure this is a Type 2 blank planchet. Type 2 means the rim was upset or formed enough to be a bit concave. The Type 1 Blank was just punched out and would be completely flat. So a coin goes from flat sheets to punched out blanks to planchets with slight rims and then they get stamped into coins.

Here's the stats...
Error: Blank Planchet Type II
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: Unknown (1965-2012)
Mintage: N/A
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $1.75 in VF-20

Do you have an error 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.

1946-D Dime

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Told you it is possible to find anything in your change. After fifteen months of no silver I got this silver dime in my change two days ago. Just normal change from a supermarket. I noticed the 1946 before anything else, I did not even check the edge to prove it was silver.

Things of note for this particular dime:

1. It is worn, weighs 2.47 grams (normal should be 2.50 grams)
2. The front is caked with something brown (the less I think about it the better)
3. The back is scratched from rim to rim (all value above good is gone)

In case you are looking for the D mint mark it is under the RIB.  This is my first 1946-D I found from my change. I think the dark and crusty nature of the coin let it pass from hand to hand without being plucked out. As I wash my hand for the hundredth time since finding this coin I do it with a smile because it is still silver. 

Here's the stats for this dime...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1946 D
Mintage: 61,043,500
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $2.46 in G-4 (a silver value of $2.458, 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.

Is This How You Collect?

Got this 2010-D dime in my change and it has no extra value. It also looks bad compared to the one that comes in an official mint set. So why bother? Simply it is how I collect.

Got this comment today...

I might be the only 12 year old that does this...I sort Copper at 12.

Well if that is how this kid decides to collect it is great.

I collect by trying to get every unique coin from my change. Yes that means every penny, nickel, dime, or whatever. It does not matter if they are circulated or recent or dirty. Start getting one of each I dare you. Just with post-1965 coins you should have a several hundred coins to try and find.

You do not need any prior knowledge of coins or currency to eventually see patterns. Like U.S. cents and some older coins do not have the mint mark P. Also some coins are harder to find. Even that getting sharper newer-looking coins are better than dirty worn coins.

 

I will add that the possibility are not limited because they are circulating coins. People have found ancient, world, silver, obsolete, errors, promotional, and even gold coins while collecting circulating coins. Value should be a secondary thought, this is the hobby of kings and should be enjoyable.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2010 D
Mintage: 562,000,000 (estimated so far)
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in XF-40

Challenge Yourself 
From now until the New Year try and get one of every uniquely common coin from your change. If at the end you find no pleasure in owning 100 quarters from different states or parks or pennies ranging from 1944 to 2011 or getting a weird token or foreign coin then cash them in. No loss and it is a good way to save for after Christmas bills.

I still have not found a 2009 nickel of any mintmark. Although along with this dime I did find a 1941 nickel, again.

Do you have a U.S. dime 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-P Dime

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Just a normal dime maybe with a slight railroad rim but that gives it no extra value. It is just the first 2011 dime I found and it was all shiny.

One good reason to pluck new dimes put of your change is all the torch lines are well defined, which adds value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2011 P
Mintage: 748,000,000 (estimated)
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in AU-50

Still have not found a 2009 nickel

Do you have a U.S. dime 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.

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.

Newbies

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Little under two days ago I posted about the last 2009 coins I found and then Kelly commented showing off her 2010 finds. Well wouldn't you know she must set some kind of butterfly effect in motion because I got a bunch of new finds in my change.

I got two new dollar bills, two new shield cents, and one new dime.

2010 Cent Philadelphia reverse and obverse

2010-P Dime, Obverse on top and reverse, some struck through grease damage

2009 $1 bill series up close

2009 $1.00 Bill, Obverse on top, reverse

The new cent is called the "Preservation of the Union" and depicts the Union shield popular during the Lincoln administration. My final verdict is that I like the design it is simple and tastes like copper.

The dime is 2010 and so far has twice the production of the 2009 and seems to be much more common in circulation. 2009 and 2010 will have lower montages than previous years but none of these coins will be considered rare. That said I still haven't found any 2009 nickels

The 2009 series dollar bill was actually first printed in February of 2010. This one in particular was printed  in April 2010 and is a bit bendy but not folded. The 2009 is a series reference not the actually date so for example if you have a 1950-D bill it was likely made in 1961-1962 so it is not from the 50s.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent  / United States
Year: 2010
Mintage: 873,230,000 (estimated to date)
Metal: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Value: $0.01 in EF-40

Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2010 P

Mintage: 236,500,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  in EF-40

Type/Country: 1 Dollar / United States
Year: 2009
Date Printed: April 2010
Printings: 96,000,000
Run: Not yet known
Value: $1.00 in CU(crisp-uncirculated)

Thanks to the Mint News Blog for their US Mint Coin Production table which I use often.

I was surprised to see so many new pieces at one time but I guess this means a slow down in old coins and a better economy...doubt it.

Do you have American change 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 Late Arrivals

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As some may know 2009 was a low coin production year. That meant that finding some coins has been difficult, dimes and nickels in particular. While even lower minted quarters have been popping up without much looking.

Then suddenly last week three 2009 dimes just showed up in my change.

2009-P Dime

2009-P Northern Mariana Islands Quarter

The Denver dimes actually had a lower circulation but Denver coins are always more of a hassle to find in the east coast.  Now the quarter is actually the lowest minted quarter in years but it is one of six designs which tends to lower the productions anyway.

People were hoarding 2009 dimes and nickels  because of  low mintage. But these quarters and certain dollar coins had a lower mintage and they were not so highly publicized.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2009 P 

Mintage: 96,500,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.10  

Type/Country: 25 Cents-Northern Mariana Islands / United States
Year: 2009 P
Mintage: 35,200,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

Not counting the half dollars, since they are not officially circulating, the lowest minted coin for 2009 was the Native American Dollar at 33,880,000. The Northern Mariana Islands quarter is the second lowest.

Do you have a 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.

Classic and Timeless, Literally

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This will probably be my last two finds of the year. I may spend some cash on Monday but the chance of getting anything good is slim. Finding two older coins at the end of year is always nice. It gives me a boost to continue searching my change and annoying others by searching their change.

Last year I ended the year finding a 1927 nickel I think it is the last scramble to buy gifts, people tend to use every last nickel.


Neither coin is in great shape the dime has all the lines on the torch flat with no separation. This is the main grading point for Roosevelt dimes. As for the nickel the front is so faded that the date is completely worn flat. There is a product called Nic-a-Date that uses a simple dilute phosphoric acid and detergent to remove layers of dirt but in this case I doubt it would work.

Here's the stats for these coins...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1946
Mintage: 255,250,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $2.66 in Fine

Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: Unknown
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $0.50 in AG-3

Dateless buffaloes are still collectible since they have such a great look and can be made into other thing like jewelry or art. Of course the dime will always have a premium value despite grade because of the silver content. One year ago these dimes were going for $1.00 so its a good idea to keep an eye on silver values if you want to unload a lot of these coins.

Do you have an older 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.

Die Clash Re-run

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This is an update on an older post, mostly because I have little free time. Still it is one of my favorite coins.

A die clashed coin occurs when the die strikes with no coin in the middle. The design of one die is transferred to the opposite die. It may occur once or several times, it may also be light or heavy. The ideal is heavy and once but heavy several times is good too.

Here is the one I found a decade ago but didn't realize what is was until years later. I just kept it aside until I found an error book to confirm what I had.

Here is the obverse can you see where it clashes?

Adjust the orientation to see the clash easier.

Find the reverse image from the U.S. Mint official website and lay it on top over the clash outline.

Looking at the actual reverse and you can see the clash of obverse. A straight line under the AM in AMERICA is the bottom of Roosevelt's bust. Looking carefully you see more of the bust outlined.

When comparing the obverse to overlay you can match point by point all the leaves and words that were clashed. One thing that is not easily seen from the picture is that the clash is not singular. There are up to 3 clashes slightly off from the original. It is easiest to see on the clashed-"L" it has three distinct tails.

This all means that the die clashed at least three times before another coin was pressed.

While I can't get a definitive value from other collectors I can guess it is between $1.00 and $10.00 ungraded. This is just the standard book value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2000P (II-G-5, Heavy Die Clash)
Mintage: 1,842,500,000 (unknown how many clashes exists)
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $10.00 in only because of the multiple clashes(Although this one maybe less.)

Do you have a die clashed 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.

Silver Time on a Dime

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It has been quite a few years since I found an American silver coin in my change. I found some Canadian silver dimes plus I bought a few silver coins but since October 2005 I have not found American silver.

That mini drought has ended with the most common of Mercury dimes or Winged Liberty Head if you want to be more accurate. This 1944 piece is from the war years but as with most war year coins it was produced in excess. Most Mercury dimes averaged 35 million minted per year, including all mintmarks. Occasionally they went above 50 million but starting in 1938 as World War II loomed the mint increased production reaching a peak in 1944 with over 250 million. They reached another peak in 1946 but those were in Roosevelt dimes.

Although mistaken for the god Mercury the obverse is actually Lady Liberty with a winged cap to symbolize liberty of thought.

Here's the stats for this dime...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1944
Mintage: 231,410,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $2.66 in F-12 (a metal value of $2.66)

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.

Doubled Dime

Do you have an error 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.

Look on the the left hand side of this 1981-P dime and you will see that nearly all the letters have a doubling.

This is an error coin but not a particularly ideal one, most like to say it is damaged. It is known as MDD (Machine Doubling Damage) or strike doubling. The classification, at least in the old error book, is V-B-1 meaning it is the first listed after mint damage on a coin.

Real doubling occurs on the die and is transfered to the coin. MDD occurs when the die bounces or slides on the coin.

The easiest way to identify a MDD is because of the flatness of the doubling and it is on the field of the coin. Usually in real doubling there is a roundness to the doubled part also it is often on the design not the field.

There are also some minor die cracks as this must of been a late stage die.

As for value...well it is not quite clear. According to most it adds no extra value because it is so common but I have seen them sell for a premium especially when the doubling is large. I'm sure I can put it on eBay and get $10.00.

Here are the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents/United States
Year: 1981P
Mintage: 676,650,000
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.20 (I'm pretty sure it has more value but it need to properly attributed)

Do you have an error 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.