Other than silver of course, what do you keep when you're searching halves? I've been keeping all the XF-AU coins from the better dates in the 1980's and 1990's, but this is really cutting into the amount of cash I have to get more boxes the next week.
I keep silver only, and I think I have 3 clad proofs and I'm not even really sure why. If they are impaired even slightly, I spend or cash them back in. HOTN
really the only ones with value are the silvers. but i'd also keep proofs personally. post 2002s don't seem all that uncommon and are found pretty regularly.
There was a nice post in the roll searching thread that contained some info on valuable or rare post-1970 halves, but I can't find it anymore.
When I first started I was keeping silvers, NIFCs and any proofs. I also was sorting and looking for DDOs etc. Now I just keep silvers -
I have Dansco's for Kennedys, Walkers and Franklins so I am slowly filling those albums. 40% and 90% Kennedys go into plastic tubes. I am keeping 1 full roll of NIFCs per year. I keep proofs also. Down the road I'll probably look back and ask myself why I kept them but hey...it's coin "collecting." Like Yacorie I looked for DDO's etc. but I've since stopped looking.
Keepers... 1.Silver 90/40 XF-AU, UNC obviously in album 2. Accented hair 64's any shape 3. Proof rolls put together from singles. You normally won't find them in bank rolls. 4. All others UNC only Although for some strange reason I have a XF-AU bicentennial roll despite there being millions saved out there. More sentimental that anything.
I keep seeing references to roll hunters finding proofs or uncirculated coins? How is that possible and how do you know. Can someone post a guide or a photo of what to look for? thanks Seelinger
yeah a nice pic of a proof and bu next to each other would probably be helpful. I thought I had a lot of proofs until I got a real one! LOL You'll know it when you see it but until you have, all the shiny ones are suspect. finding uncirculated coins while coin roll hunting does seem an oxy moron!
As far as I know clad Kennedy proofs are all S mints, so they're easy to distinguish even if the mirror finish is beaten up. As far as the uncirculated designation goes, I believe it's more a description of the coin being unworn rather than whether or not it is found "in circulation". I tried using Photograde pictures, but it confused the heck out of me that a MS coin can have scratches all over as long as the coin isn't worn. Now I just look for any scratches or scuffs, and only keep a clad half if it's literally the best I've seen for that date. My standards have gone steadily higher as I go through more boxes and get a feel for what years are hard to find in the nicer grades.
If I actually look at the dates (some days it's all about edge-checking for speed), I put aside all the 1974 Ds to check later for possible DDO. Got this advice on this very same forum. Found one so far - bad shape though. Since filling the albums, I save NIFC... But the number i have stashed away now (too many) makes me question this logic. Today I picked up $100 worth of mint-wrapped NIFC (someone's dump!) as part of my normal pull (unintentional), but not sure what the heck I'm going to do with it now! It breaks my heart to [re]dump it, but keeping it cuts deep into my stash - and I'd never even break even on eBay trying to turn a small profit.
By 'mint-wrapped' - I'm talking about those specially wrapped rolls you can get from the mint that contain all the same date and mint mark and have a special wrapper.