So, you know that one fantasy you've had, where you see someone about to dump a whole inherited coin collection in a coinstar, and you buy it from them at face value instead? Guess what I did today? I paid a grand total of $400. What I got in return: 48 peace dollars 57 morgans 69 barber halves 51 walking liberty halves 14 ben franklin halves 2 commemorative halves 1 90% kennedy 9 40% kennedys 141 barber quarters 56 washington silver quarters 16 standing liberty quarters 1 seated liberty quarter 112 barber dimes 151 mercury dimes 127 roosevelt dimes 1 seated liberty dime 106 war nickels 68 V nickels 32 buffalo nickels 233 wheat cents 17 indian heads 1 slightly bent braided hair large cent 24 ike dollars 4 sue-b dollars 7 sacagawea dollars a handful of foreign coins including a couple silver pieces. grand total of silver: $266.10 face value 90% $4.50 face value 40% $5.30 face value 35% they also had some old paper money and I grabbed that too. $68 total in paper - a $20, a $10, two $5s, four $2s, and twenty $1 silver certificates. mostly bills from the 30s and 50s. Just while counting, I've noticed a few key/semi key mixed in. 1921 peace dollar for example. I had a good day
grand total of silver: $266.10 face value 90% $4.50 face value 40% $5.30 face value 35% depends on spot of course. I just threw them in a melt calculator to answer your question and it spit back $3655.90 melt value.
Slap yourself a couple of times, will you . . . You're really sure you didn't just dream about this happening?
Here are pictures of everything. I've spent all day/night going through them, looking stuff up, and bagging best coins or ones that need a more careful look.
all they wanted was face value. they were happy to get the full amount instead of losing 10% to coinstar, and I rounded up to an even $400. Not much of a tip, but then again, I'm dirt poor, so it was what I could afford. They were glad it was going to a collector, too. I feel ok about the transaction And lucky as can be... I needed to brag a little, to people who would understand, that's why I posted here. I thought I would burst!
That morgan is 1895S. It's probably the best coin in the lot, unless there is a surprise waiting in the dimes or nickels somewhere lol. There were zero CC dollars, but not really surprised about that
Congrats on the good timing and the quick decision making. My best at a coinstar was finding $11 face of silver quarters under the front of the machine about 2 months ago.
This is worse than the "cash for gold" thieves we universally scorn. Face value for Morgans? I couldn't live with myself afterward.
What do you do when you receive silver in your change, or from a bank teller? When I was in a similar situation to the poster, I ended up buying the guy $200 in grocery gift cards for around $25 FV of silver. It was still well under melt, but more than he expected. As a result, he insisted I take a few other coins that he wasn't trying to dump in the CoinStar. One turned out (when I examined them later) to be a 1928-P Peace dollar. I wasn't in a position of power or presumed authority. I wasn't telling the guy "this stuff really isn't worth very much", trying to buy from him under false pretenses. I do have a big problem with that behavior, famously exhibited by many "cash for gold" places (and, sadly, more than a few coin dealers). I've spoken to many bank tellers who told customers they could do better at a coin store, only to have the customer reply that "they don't want to bother". When someone is determined to dump coins at face value, it's good to counsel them that they could do better, but I think there's a limit to how hard you're obligated to fight them.
Most of those coins, the Coin Star will not accept, as they weigh differently from the clad and reject them. For example, silver dimes weigh heavier than clad dimes and the coin star does not recognize it as a legit dime. Etc.