Letters to the Editor (June 12, 2018)

Readers spot first 2018 coins in change

May 10 was the very first time I noticed 2018 Lincoln cent coins in my change.

David Mediate
New Castle, Pa.

I got a 2018 cent in change last week.

Anthony Meister
Rockford. Ill.

I wrote you earlier about some 2018 change I received, but there are a few other things I thought I should mention in this updated email.

Recently, I received two 2018 Pictured Rocks quarters along with a 2018 Denver penny at a shop near San Fransisco, Calif. Also, I always check the Coinstar at the various grocery stores, and while I’ve gotten coins from countless different countries, I’ve also found a 1943 Denver steel cent that it rejected, which I thought was worth mentioning. Also, I spend much of my free time going through rolls of coins, particularly nickels, and that has provided some interesting finds. I’ve gotten many Buffalo nickels, but the notable things I’ve found are an 1888 Liberty “V” nickel, a 1928 hobo nickel of a soldier, a nickel from Bermuda, and one from The Bahamas.

Ari Kaufman
Mill Valley, Calif.

2018 quarters hard to find in Los Angeles

I would share with you the fact I have yet to receive a 2018-dated quarter in circulation. I live in downtown Los Angeles and purchase a cup of coffee each morning at the same coffee shop while walking my dog.

My change each day is three quarters that I then inspect before handing them back over as a tip. Typically within a week or two of the new America the Beautiful quarter design release, I’ll get one, or often three from a fresh roll. But none this year. Zero. Zip.

And, in total, I have gotten one 2018-dated coin in circulation, a “D” cent.

Michael Wielock
Los Angeles, Calif.

Teach children to recognize silver in their change

My first point is everyone seems to be dissing the Mint, be it pricing, bad packaging, etc. I have been dealing with the Mint for probably 40 years. I got in on the CC sale back in the day and much more.

I can only remember having one problem with them. I ordered a proof set that had a blemish on the obverse field. I sent it back and within a week got another one with the problem fixed. So I can only say that my experiences were good ones.

My second point is that since my son was very young, I showed him how to recognize silver coins and other coin related tidbits, Wheaties, some errors, etc. Just the other day, he got a 1964 Washington quarter and gave it to me. We should teach our kids to be on the lookout, because there are still silver coins in circulation. The trick is to be able to recognize them.

When I worked at a large department store on the cash register, a lady once paid her order with $10 in silver coins, which I gladly exchanged for paper money. Keep looking, young people.

Joe Taylor
Philadelphia, Pa.

Reader surprised by find of Philadelphia cents

I live out west where the Philadelphia mintmarks do not roam. However, today I received my first 2018 coins, two shiny pennies from the Philadelphia Mint.

Oh! Did I mention that they came in one of those envelopes asking for a donation?

Jim Gristenti
Address withheld

Will proof silver Eagles be worth just bullion value?

Every year the U.S. Mint produces burnished and proof silver Eagles. I buy two of each every year, one proof for my grandaughter, one burnished for my grandson and the others for me. (They are seven and four years old.) I think the U.S. Mint overprices them, but I buy them anyway.

My biggest concern is let’s say God allows me to be around for another 20 plus years (I am 66 today) with a good head and sound mind. In the next 20 years, they will have a nice collection of silver Eagles. I do not consider them an investment, but I do not know how the future generations will take them.

I go to a local coin show, and you do not see many Generation X, Generation Z or Millennials at these shows. Will coin collecting basically end after all the Baby Boomers die off? Even though I did not consider them investments, who will want these coins in the future?

Supply-and-demand economics will take over, and there will be a good supply of “collectible” silver Eagles with probably little or no demand. These coins will become bullion coins pretty much worth the price of silver.

Will my grandkids have something that I paid a premium for worth only bullion values? Should I even continue to buy them for them? Or even myself? It seems if I do buy them for me, I should sell them off before I pass on. At least I should get fair value in my lifetime. There will still be collectors in my lifetime.

Will coin collecting in general become a thing of the past?

Ralph A. Fuller
Cleveland, Ohio

Too many coin issues depress interest, values

The reason I no longer buy from the U.S. Mint is that they are indistinguishable from the Franklin Mint – putting out multitudes and multitudes of overpriced Junque.

The rubes fell for the state quarter bit, but how many of those folks are still collectors versus how many of us have they alienated?

I stopped buying modern coins long ago when the Mint went on a “Lets see how many varieties of ‘collector’ coins we can come up with and sell for an extreme profit” rampage. The U.S. Mint all but ruined the hobby for me.

Name withheld

Will pre-1982 cents go up in value over time?

First of all, good luck in your new office surroundings.

As an avid collector of old U.S. coins, I have also collected the older 1982 pennies in old glass jugs. Started saving these coins many years ago when the rumor came out that these older pennies would go up in value.

I have not seen any recent articles on the older pennies. Have you heard anything on whether these pennies will ever be more valuable, or you can send me an email address that I can address it with some one else?

Thanks for your time and “Class of ’63.”

D. Ritchey
Address withheld

Editor’s note: We assume you became interested in pre-1982 cents because of their 95 percent copper composition. Much has been written over the years about rising copper prices. The copper in each of these cents is now worth about two cents. However, melting cents has been illegal since 2006 when the U.S. Treasury adopted a regulation prohibiting the practice.

Are other readers finding mint errors in change?

Last month, a fellow collector displayed a “sunburned” dime (a dime missing the copper-nickel “sandwich”).

It was interesting and a definite mint error that turned up in circulation. It had probably been circulating as a cent for a few years before my collector friend noticed it and culled it out.

This got me thinking that I’ve been holding onto a mint error myself. Several years ago, I found an “albino” cent (a cent without the copper plating) dated 1987. At first, I thought it was one of those reprocessed 1943 cents that one (non-numismatic) company had sold to unsuspecting collectors as uncirculated “War Pennies.” (Fool me once...)

Has any other reader found mint errors (“sunburned” or “albino” coins) in circulation? I am thinking about sending my “albino” cent to one of those third-party grading companies to verify its authenticity.

Bill Tuttle,
Cleveland, Ohio

Editor’s note: You should probably save your money, as the cost would consume the value of the “albino” cent.

Hard to find a use for coins in high-tech Boston

Was amused by the question on Numismaster.com as to whether coins will be gone 10 years from now. The 100 percent “No” was what made me chuckle. It was, after all, a survey taken by coin collectors! I’m beginning to wonder if bank tellers and/or cashiers are going to be around in 10 years.

In my never-ending quest for new quarters, just today, at two local banks, I overheard customers asking for one or two rolls of quarters. What they do with them, I don’t know. This area is so high tech the parking meters take phone payments and the Mass Pike only allows transponders. The libraries don’t allow coins for the copier machine. Anything to eliminate a job for an American.

Name withheld
Boston, Mass.