Friday, July 12, 2013

8th Anniversary

It was so hopeful last year when I posted about the seventh year as a blogger and what a long year it was.

Bronze or Lace/Linen Anniversary

Well the bronze is easy to get but is there anything lacy about coins? I do not recall but maybe the Royal Canadian Mint makes it.

Source some Esty coin purse that seemed appropriate.

Coined For Money Blog

 

I will start off by saying I am approaching 2 million unique visitors and I thank you all. Over 32 thousand comments meaning a lot of questions and hopefully useful answers. Coined For Money has switched back to a three times a week blog form its daily journey last year. I switched to a format that is simpler for me. Monday is usually currency, Wednesday is usually Canadian, and Friday is usually American. Sunday is sometimes left for any cool news or coin issue that has an article link. Of course I can change the format any time to suit my latest finds.

The finds have been sparse to say the least. Half way through 2013 and I only found one British coin. It is like something has filtered every foreign coin from my change. Even Canadian coins are few and far between. Economic problems are not to blame instead the fast move to e-currency is the problem. I just saw a school trip visit a gift shop and virtual every kid had a debit card. Apparently parents can track the purchases and limit the funds, plus if lost or stolen no money is lost.

Then there is the blog traffic. Every year I saw a steady growth with the last few years averaging 1,500+ a day. This year I am down to 700+ visitors a day. This is bad since I ad revenue is way down and that is how I support my habit hobby.

A bunch of copycats have hit the blogosphere and have stolen my format down to the days I publish. Some even had the nerve to tell me they were doing it. Be original and do not try to friend me while stealing.

Better online information has also slowed my roll. NGC, PCGS, and a bunch of sites like Numista and Coins and Canada do beyond excellent work in cataloging coins and currency. I cannot be mad at these guys since that is what I wanted when I started blogging eight years back.

Looking into the future 

 

Right now the future for collecting looks bleak. I love finding and showing off change finds. While going into my vaults is nice it becomes boring and just like going down a list. Aside from a major change in Blogger I see nothing exciting coming to this blog. Maybe I am a bit depressed now but I think I the online coin world has moved on beyond me. Still I will keep blogging and answering question and know that it is your quest for knowledge that keeps me going.

Update:
I was reminded by several regular visitors that I also add a Donations link to on the right hand side. Of course this is not mandatory but about a dozen kind and sometimes anonymous soul have contributed. Here is what those donations as well as the ad revenue goes to accomplish.
  • Pays for CoinedForMoney.com  domain
  • Pays for the internet bill itself
  • Pays for coin and books (unfortunately this year I could not afford to buy the 2013 mint/proof coins or any new books)
  • Pays for my life bills (occasionally I have been out of work and this blog has seen me through the thin times)

Feel free to ignore ads or donations as that is not the main goal of my coin blog, fun is always the main goal.



                       I thank you all and keep those questions coming

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

2007-P Thomas Jefferson Dollar Coin

Have a Jefferson dollar coin and want to know how much it's worth?

The circulating golden dollar coin program may be over but they are still circulating. Most of them are common and not keepers but I will show them off before I return them to circulation. This Thomas Jefferson dollar is still in great shape after getting it at a subway Metrocard machine.



On the front of the coin is THOMAS JEFFERSON, a happy looking Jefferson, and underneath 3rd PRESIDENT 1801-1809. On the reverse is the Statue of Liberty surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA $1. The edge has normal orientation and E PLURIBUS UNUM  •  IN GOD WE TRUST  •  2007 is incused.

On later coins IN GOD WE TRUST is moved back to the front because of a small but vocal religious group's protest. The bigger change is that as of December 2011 new dollar coins are no longer issued for circulation. The chance of finding a new dollar coin in circulation is low but they are still being made by the millions for collectors.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Dollar-Thomas Jefferson / United States
Year: 2007 P (Edge normal)
Mintage: 100,800,000
Metal: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, and 2% Nickel
Value: $1.00 in F-12

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.

Monday, July 08, 2013

2003 $1 Star Note, G-*

Have a 2003 star note and want to know its value?

Proof that not all star notes have premium value. Sure I added ten cents to this bill's value but that was just to make myself feel better. The star note pictured below is very common and in rough shape.


A low printing is 320 thousand this series had a 9.6 million so it is far from rare. Now while there are no tears on this bill it is badly stained and awfully wrinkled. The corners are surprisingly sharp but this is not one to put in the showcase.   

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Federal Bank: $1 Note - Fort Worth / Chicago
Year: 2003
Printings: 9,600,000
Printed: July 2004
Run: 1 run from G00000001* - G03200000* 
Value:  $1.10 in Good (G-4)

Do you have a $1 star 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.

Friday, July 05, 2013

2008-D Alaska Quarter

Have an Alaska quarter and want to know its value?

I'll ask ya what quarter did I finally get this week. The Alaskan Denver quarter. Well bad puns aside it took five years to find this common Denver state quarter in my change and I still have sixteen more to get.


Overall it is a cool looking quarter because they have a bear catching a fish in the rapids. The word Alaska is next to a single star and the statehood year of 1959. The Great Land is the English translation of the Aleut word Alyeska (Alaska).

The state quarter series was over at the end of 2008 and they all are still circulating well. While the conditions of the coins are not great due to all the elaborate designs that trap dirt you can still find most in your change. Currently none of the state quarters have any real value but as a good summer project you may one to see how many you can get. There are 50 from each mint in circulation so 100 quarters that would be $25.00 in case you do not want to keep them at the end.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents - Alaska / United States
Year: 2008 D
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Mintage: 254,000,000
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.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

1867-1992 Canadian Proof Cent

Have a 1992 Canadian penny and want to know its value?

Happy Belated Canada Day! July 1 was Canada but hey why not celebrate all week. Here is a nice proof coin I found years ago. Note that a proof cent has a frosted relief and a shiny brilliant background like a cameo. Also this is a 1992 coin not a 1867 coin.


Mine is a bit dusty and spotted but nothing to bad. How I find it is a mystery since I cannot remember if it was from change or a coin lot. These proof coins would not circulate and were sold in sets that should have been sealed. The high quality of the coins meant they often got separated and slabbed by grading companies. It is possible that this one has some spots that are permanent and not worthy of grading. 

There are a bunch of cents produced each year from the Canadian mint. Proofs are the highest quality and have that cameo effect I mentioned before. Specimen cents are usually brilliant relief on a parallel lined background. Proof-Like is brilliant relief on brilliant background. Silver proof sets have a proof-like cent made of bronze instead of their current mix. Then once they even made a gold-plated cent. Yeah it gets crazy at the royal Canadian Mint.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1992 (1867-)
Mintage: 147,061
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $3.00 in Proof-64

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

Monday, July 01, 2013

2003 $1 Bill, L-L

Have a 2003 dollar bill and want to know its value?

Not quite ten years old despite the series date of 2003. It was printed in early 2005 and is among the most common since it was issued through the San Fransisco Federal Reserve.


Most San Fransisco and New York printing runs are very high. While most runs go into the hundreds of millions these two federal banks generally print into the billions. Since San Fransisco serves all of California and the Pacific Coast they often have the most printings of one dollar bills.


As you may notice in the top left corner a little green line is coming through. That is a Cutting Mark used by optical readers to cut the sheets of notes into individual dollar bills. They should be cut centered and just a little in front of the cutting mark. Sometimes they are not and it happens often enough that this is not considered a true error. Also it does not add value especially on a one dollar bill.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Federal Bank: $1 Note-Fort Worth / San Fransisco
Year: 2003
Printings: 1,267,200,000
Printed: February 2005
Run: 8th of 15 from L44800001L - L51200000L
Value: $1.50 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.