New to coins, going though a stash tonight, what to look for?

I know this is probally a dumb and very broad question, but tonight im going though a HUGE stash of coins.

The reason why is cause i just learned about silver in coins so im hunting for pre 64 dimes quarters and halves.

Anyways im just wondering what else i should look for? I guess i'll look at every coin and my plan is to take anything that doesn't look normal to set it aside.

just wondering if theres any dates that i should set aside if i find any coin that looks normal but is older then a certain date.


thanks

 

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Is this a stash of coins you've saved up from change over the years?

 

yeah

 

I would suggest you get a copy of the Cherrypicker's Guide before going through your stash. It wil be able to answer your question (what to look for) far better than anyone here could. Good luck & happy hunting...Mike

 

does it talk about different coins with silver in them?

also is that the best book on the market to get started?

 

Get a Red Book (A Guide Book of United States Coins) at your local library.

 

does this just give prices or what?

i did some checking on the cherry pickers guide and it looks like its more of an advanced guide, should i buy that with the dummies guide or is this red book enough?

BTW i know ZERO about coins besides pre 64 are 90% silver

also a local store here as a 2008 black book, is that anything informative or no?

 

Another thing you might want to do if your looking for coins that have bullion worth more than face value, is separate all of your Lincoln cents that are pre-1982. These are almost pure copper, and are worth I think approx 2.5 cents a piece. Its not nearly the kind of bump over face value that silver gets, but you will probably find tons of them if you save your pennies; and it's kind of fun if you're bored.

 

Cherrypickers is an advanced guide and at this stage of your collecting career the only thing this book is going to give you is a headache.

Red Book is going to give you valuable information (basic) on the coins in your stash. Don't pay too much attention to the prices that are published in the Red Book. Better to pick up a copy of coin world to give youself an idea what a particular coin is worth. Better still, post your finds here and the knowlegeable folks here can help you.

 

i called around and the only two around in my area are.

hand book of us coins by Yeoman which looks like a blue book..

and The Official 2009 Blackbook
Price Guide to United States Coins

are either of these worth looking at or should i order the red book online......


like i said i have no idea what im looking for unless i see a different design on the coin then im use to.

 

Well, as a start, i dont know if you have Half Dollars in there too?
but 1965-1970 half dollars are 40% silver.

Also, look for Wheat Cents (pre 1958 cents (1909-1958))

and maybe older pre '60 nickels too. (nothing special, except the Wartime nickels, but I think they're fun)

 

Blue Book could be helpful but I think the Redbook is your best bet...funny that the library doesn't have a copy...usually the newer volume resides in the reference area and the older volumes will appear in the stacks.

Black Book can be helpful too....just don't pay too much attention to the price quotes.

And if you are going to be serious about collecting then a Red Book is a must...a good reference tool that you will be looking at many, many times.

 

ok, i'll have to find one of them red books, BTW do any coins that i would find in my stash after 64, is there anything that might have silver in it?

besides the 65-70 half

 

Yes, there are lots of proof coins that can be silver. If they are all non-commemorative pocket change, then no (other than the 40% silver halves)....MIke

 

p.s. you can buy both the redbook and cherrypickers here:

http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/cherry-pickers-guide-to-die-varities-vol-ii.html

http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/red-book.html

 

So pre 82 pennies are copper, so does that mean 1982 are or are not copper?

whats a proof coin? i saw some for sale like 93 dime that was 90% silver. you won't find them in them in circulation though right? how do you know they are real?

also,,, tomarrow i have a friend that is going to the city, while they are there they are going to buy me that red book, now im just wondering is that going to give me the basics on how to collect and some info on coins or should i pick up that dummies guide or anything else right away?

im going to wait on the cherry pickers until i get a bit more astablished.

 

The Guide Book of United States Coins or better known as the "Red Book" will gve you basic information about every coin ever minted in the U.S., mintage figures, a very basic guide on how to grade each coin series and other valuable info. All collectors from novice to very advanced rely on the Red Book for info. If you want current values pick up a copy of Coin World as stated earlier or you could go to
http://www.numismedia.com/
Go to the left side of the page where it says "Collector Price Guide" then pick the coin series you're researching.

 

In 1982 they made both copper and zinc cents, so about half are copper and half aren't. The only real way to tell the difference is to weigh them(the copper ones are heavier). Its not worth it to me when I separate out a massive stash, so I just go with everything 1981 and older in my copper pile just to make sure they are all copper. If you roll up the coppers into rolls, you can get nearly double face value for them on ebay if you wanted to.....:mouth:

Of course you have to ask yourself if the minimal gain is worth your time. This, again, only depends on how bored you are...

Personally, I very rarely come across silver in circulation; where as copper is still quite prominent(though this may change someday). I've been going through about $50.00 worth of penny rolls that I bought off of my dad; and probably 30% or so of the cents are copper.

 

send them all to me i'll take a look at them for a 1% Fee.