Steel Cent Roll - So Now What?

I recently got this steel cent roll and I'm WAY out of my element. Do I crack open the roll (and have no clue about what I find) or just pack it away as is?

Any steel cent experts care to share an opinion?

 

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Well, I think we will all have varied opinions here. Do you mind mentioning how you came across it and for what purpose did you purchase/collect it? Also, what are your collecting interests? Do these cents add to what you are collecting or are you viewing them as a potential sort of income source? I would err on the side of setting them aside as they are likely worth more in a roll than broken out. Is there any writing on the roll at all?

 

Nope, I don't treat my collection as a source of income. My collecting is somewhat all over the place, but my focus to this point has been mostly on Peace Dollars.

I suppose this roll caught my eye because the focus of my Dad's collecting was wheat cents. Oh, and I thought this roll was cool. There is no writing on the roll.

 

I have no advice on whether to open it or not. But, there are a couple of things you can do to check out the innards without removing the paper. First, weigh it on a scale that is accurate to at least 0.1 g. Steelies weigh 2.70 g versus 3.11 g for bronze or brass wheaties. Paper will add a little weight though. A small, strong magnet should stick to it anywhere along its entire length. That's about all you can do to an intact roll w/o much more expensive equipment unless you can get your dentist to x-ray it.

Cal

 

Reverting to previous experience with baseball cards (not a perfect analogy, I know) - an unopened pack always seemed to be worth more than an opened one. Something unopened has a sense of mystery to it. Could it contain a rarity? Not to mention that there are probably far fewer rolled coins than loose ones. In any case, steel pennies don't have incredible rarity. I would keep them rolled while fighting back curiosity of what's inside. Regardless, it's very likely a full roll of steel pennies intermixed with other wheaties. People apparently hoarded them at the time due to their novelty. You might be able to tell by weighing the roll. According to the Red Book, the 1943 steels weigh 2.70 grams, contrasted with 3.11 grams for the coppers. So a precise scale and some simple math could at least suggest the roll's contents.

One remaining question: is the roll a genuine 1943 roll? I have no idea what one looks like. Others may know. It's possible that the roll was simply collected and wrapped up at a later date. If that turns out to be the case, then you may as well crack it open.

 

I have no idea if it's genuine or not. I've always been a firm believer in the notion that there's no such thing as an unsearched roll. But who knows?

 

This skepticism is very well founded.

The closest photo I've found so far to a 1943 roll is this photo of 3 allegedly original 1968-s rolls.



Honestly, I don't even know if they're original, but they look convincing in a tiny photograph.

 

But, original doesn't necessarily mean unopened or unsearched, does it?

 

That's a good clarification to make. If someone claimed to me that a roll was "original," I would follow up with the question "so it's unopened?" Then you have the problem of proving that it really was never opened. The more I think about it, the harder it seems to prove absolute authenticity for an early roll.

Where did you get the roll? Did you buy it? Was it inherited?

 

@DUNK 2

That roll looks short to me. Is it a 25-coin roll? If so, I'm guessing that some company bought steelies in bulk decades ago and decided to capitalize on the worst of the lot by selling them "short". They have probably already been searched.

Chris

 

Hummm....the end coins appear to be plated, too reflective.

 

Looks like a new business opportunity for TPGs. Start slabbing rolls. Develop techniques for determining whether a roll is original and whether it has been opened. Then assign a grade to the end coin surfaces if it's a roll type that exposes them. Finally grade the wrapper itself. Maybe something like grades used for sports cards.

NGC does produce certified rolls, but they consist of modern coins that have been individually graded to a certain level and then placed in a roll-like slab. Not the same.

Cal

 

I would open it.

 

How cool if a copper '43 was in the middle? I'd open it, even a few high grade uncirculated would be nice.

 

My thought was the same as Thad's~ Plated end coin. About 12 years ago someone was selling the '43 rolls with all disclaimers, and they were circulated and corroded for the most part. I have bought a roll of '43 many years ago, but they were in a transparent tube, so I saw they were original edge ( not plated)

 

Very reflective. Especially for end roll coins 73 years old. I have 100's of rolls put up but I know the origin of each and I would have looked at them but don't have the eyes and with them being solid date BU rolls I just let them sit. Those steelies I would have to open just to see if they are plated and also the condition. Where did they come from? I see a lot of them on eBay but haven't convinced myself they are worth the price. If you open them let us see the results please.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TWIST-N-CRI...hash=item1e8815a314:m:m9jhmFs2NJiCLWYvprvp1NA

Also be careful because there are those who will search and re crimp the old wrappers after searching them. You have to know who you are buying from.

 

No, no, no. Not OBW for the late 1960s. Do not be fooled.

 

The question is original wrapped by whom? Bank wrapped, mint wrapped, collector wrapped, momma at kitchen table wrapped or scammer wrapped ... those are our only choices.

I was raised in rural Louisiana and east Texas. I have been buying rolls of coins at the banks and searching them for needed dates for my collection since the early 1950s. I cannot remember ever getting a roll of coins wrapped in plain Kraft paper, ever. I do recall getting some Foreign coins in bank sacks of the same face value as we have in rolls, but learned that is how the Foreign banks made coins available to their customers in their countries; even those small Kraft bags had color coded writing, bank names and denominations printed on them in the early 1960s.

Main points to remember, as stated by - Original Bank Rolls “OBW” Buying Guide - http://www.lincolncentforum.com/original-bank-rolls-obw-buying-guide/

4) Check the end coins. One or both should have at least some toning, dust, scratches, fingerprints, etc. Full-brilliant is a red flag unless you can personally verify they were stored in near-perfect conditions.
5) Check the condition of the wrapper. Ends should not have any fuzziness, except maybe on high points where they were scuffed. Fuzziness usually means a re-wrap. Conversely, perfect and tight crimps usually mean a re-wrap as well. In general you are looking for fresh-looking but slightly messy crimps. Make sure there are no water stains or other nasty stains on the wrapper.
6) Check the characteristics of the printing on the wrapper, font, etc. to be sure the wrapper is of the correct vintage. If you have time and find an unusual bank, make sure it was in business when the coins were minted. Google is your friend.

 

I've had casino wrapped rolls of Kennedy halves for quite a number of years. They were in Dad's collection and now they're in mine.

I've always been curious about what's in them, but I can't bring myself to crack them open.