Here are my recent coin shop "junk bin" pickups. Looking through these big bins of world coins is my favorite way to collect coins as you never know what you'll find. Below are some of the highlights. I found an unusual number of silver coins this time. I purchased 282 coins for 15 cents each on this trip.
This second group includes a better date Mexican 1915 1 centavo that will be an upgrade for my collection.
Fourth group. You can't tell from the picture but the Morocco 5 francs is in absolutely stunning condition.
Lastly, what these three have in common was that they had glue on them when I purchased them. Usually I don't buy a coin with paper glued to one side, but they were such nice coins that I thought it was worth a shot. Soaking in water for an hour loosened it up nicely. Of course the 5 escudos is silver so I would have bought it anyway.
Great pick ups as always! Love those "junk bins." Some of the best pickups I've ever had has been in those. I got a Civil War token once for 20 cents.
Junkbox junkie! I could bore you with hundreds of tales. Were those all 15¢ picks? If so, you're one lucky individual! Regardless, it looks like you've been mining a rich source!
Really? Aw, dang, the CWT I found cost me a whole quarter. LOL. But it had two very cool errors on it. It was mixed in with a bunch of modern world coins.
$3 for the Canadian nickel and $5 each for the dimes. I also love the old 19th century coppers. Good value there too, as well as cool looking designs.
If you ever get to a major show (FUN, ANA, Whitman, Central States) do check out the people at the back of the hall (the cheaper tables) and look through their "book stock" and "bin stock". There are gems to be found.
Yep, everything was 15 cents. The normal price is 25 cents but they give me a discount because I've been coming there for years and I always but a few hundred.
The 1915 Mexican centavo is probably the most valuable of the lot. I specialize in Mexican coins so I know the better dates.
I live near Chicago and I used to go to the Chicago International Coin Fair and look through those big bins. This year they didn't have the show though. I think you're most likely to find deals at coin shops that don't specialize in world coins though. It's harder to slip anything past dealers and buyers who know as much or more than I do about it.
This antique mall dealer in my town used to have nice pick bins. His 10¢ (12/$1) material was all loose in some old vintage sewing machine drawers, but his 35¢ (3/$1) material was all attributed and neatly labeled in 2x2 holders. The 3/$1 bin sometimes included material from the 1800s and occasionally even small silver coins. He was a good guy, this antique mall vendor with the tiny booth chock full o' world coins. If you squint carefully at the sign in this picture, you can see his photo, which he often used as an avatar online.
Because "I'm too lazy to sort through this stuff and figure out what is worth 1 cent and what is worth 50 cents" is too long to fit on the card.
