This Week’s Letters (7/11/08)

From the July 11 Numismatic News E-Newsletter:

Q. Do you still check change for circulation finds?

Of course I check my change for goodies. Every bronze cent goes into the elongating kit for future rolling. All NH quarters go into a can for varying purposes (I used a bunch last year for the TEC Medal of Merit). The occasional silver dime normally gets recirculated in a place I feel will ?pass it on? rather than keeping it to let someone else experience the thrill of the catch. And that is just here in the U.S. When I go overseas, watch out!

Bob Fritsch
Nashua, N.H.

I absolutely check change for finds. Just yesterday I received a 1944 wheat cent in VG condition in change at the gas station. It is almost an obsession and my wife tells me it gets on her nerves when I am at the drive-thru and go through the change before driving off. What does she know?

Joseph M. Hopkins
Norcross, Ga.

I check my circulation finds but rarely find anything to keep. I do save the state quarters and the new Jefferson nickels. Most of my collecting now is from Mint issues. Although I?ve stopped collecting every commemorative since the Olympics debacle of 1995-1996.

John Hamer
Bradford, Mass.

Yes, I always check my change for wheat pennies, silver halves, etc. After 50 years of checking change I can?t stop now. :)

Bob Beni
Phoenix, Ariz.

I always check my change. I have received many silver pre ?64 quarters, several dimes, nickels from the 1950s and an occasional wheatie. Also, summertime is when kids use their coin collections as face value money to buy candy and ice cream. Recently I received a 1907-V nickel as change in VG condition. Plus, we are still pulling state quarters as they hit circulation.

Tim Mulgrew
Concord, Calif.

Still find a few treasures in pocket change. I put all my change in a jar then sort through before bagging to take to the bank. Haven?t found anything spectacular, but have found some Mercury dimes, wheat pennies, WWII coins.

Robert Godwin
Austin, Texas

Recently, I went to my bank to withdraw some money to take with me to yard sales. While I was there I requested two rolls of half dollars. When I got ready to go to the sales, I opened the two rolls, and checked the dates, as I usually do. To my surprise, I found not one, but two B.T. Washington? 1946, both in excellent condition: I would grade one as MS-50, the other as Brilliant Uncirculated. Not bad for a day?s work:

Frank G. Morelli
Flint, Mich.

I check my pocket change daily for circulation finds. One would be surprised what I have found, including a silver Mercury dime, three wheat pennies and a 1941 silver quarter in the past month. They are still out there!

Greg Gullion, Ph.D.
Providence Village, Texas

Yes, I still check my change! Last year I asked my bank for their loose dollar coins, so that I could spend them. There was a circulated Adams doubled edge coin! I also buy rolls of half dollars to look for silver, and I find it!
I also look at the coins given to me from stores. I have found wheats, silver, old notes, etc. over the years.
Note to Michigan collectors: I also circulate old coins! Starting last year I put damaged, no-date Indian cents, Buffalo nickels, and Liberty nickels in change! This hobby has given me so much, I want to give back! No one wants to buy them for their collections, but I think they will like getting them for face value! Keep your eyes open!!!

Daniel Sheffer
Shelby Twp., Mich.

Of course, I still check my pocket change for unusual or rare finds. In 1954 my Dad rushed home from work with the news that he had heard from a co-worker that in 1955 San Francisco would no longer mint coinage for circulation. He also surmised that the older s cents would some-day be worth a lot. My Mom was the head teller of a Wachovia bank at that time and the search was on. Every week my father, brother and I would go through approximately one hundred dollars face pulling out 1909-l915s, 1931s and 1923s. The only criteria for keeping the example would be that all the wheat lines should be showing. Over the next five to six years (until my hormones kicked in and girls and cars became more important) we accumulated roll after roll of these coins. ( We actually found some 1909s-vdbs during this fling). I am in my sixties now and dad is in his upper eighties and dad finally told us that he had 118 rolls of these cents. When my brother showed dad a copy of the 2009 red book he had a broad smile come across his face for he had felt vindicated. All of our relatives, including mom, thought we were crazy, or at least a little off-kilter, for saving pennies the way we did. Now I?m sure glad we did and now wished we had more money to save nickels, dime, quarters, and the like, but I?m happy with what we got. I still check my change and amazingly about a year ago I found a 1995 double die and an 1911d in fine. Not bad for 2007. About five years ago I started checking cents again without the benefit of mom as head teller, and it?s surprising what?s out there still just waiting to be snatched up. Happy searching.

Neil Robertson
Leicester, NC

Yes, indeed! I check every bit of change I get. I check Statehood Quarters for errors. I look at Coinstar machines for rejects, such as silver coins. I check cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars, and half dollars if I can get them. I pick up cents I find on the street. They do add up. My best circulation find was a 1932-D quarter, years ago, well circulated. Sometimes I do find silver coins, inc. war nickels. Ginger Rapsus, Chicago

I occasionally look at it but not like I did as a kid in the 1960?s when you could find buffalo nickels, merc?s and walkers in circulation. There just isn?t that much of interest to find in circulation, finding a 40% silver Kennedy half is just not worth the trouble of all the rolls you would have to check and who has the time.

Roy Herbst
Ridgefield Ct.

 I started checking my change back in 1999. Later I started getting rolls of coins to check for coins for my books.

I have completed several of the coins books. There are some coins that are not available in circulation. I have not been able to find any 50?s in nickels.

The newest problem is that banks will not exchange bills for coins unless you have an account with that bank.

Richard Cumbie
Woodward, OK