In the last couple of months I have searched 30+ rolls of quarters from the bank, and have yet to find anything pre-1965. I have complete hole in my collection from 1961-1964 due to the 55+ years I was not collecting. Realizing that they had silver, has the government or other entities been purposely removing them from circulation?
There is still silver out there. But you have to look at thousands and thousands of quarters to find 1. The gov't has not been removing them. People have been taking them out of circulation for almost 60 years.
Thirty or so rolls of quarters is nothing if you're looking for silver. A silver quarter turns up from roll hunting on average once every 10,000 quarters searched, or once every 250 rolls. It is a documented anomaly as silver dimes, by contrast, are way more frequently encountered in circulation. So to answer your question, yes... Silver quarters were aggressively sought out in the mid-60's into the early 80's by collectors and hoarders, as well as silver profiteers such as pawn brokers and the like who sadly thought nothing of sending them to be melted down and destroyed. This endures to this day; if rolls of silver quarters, even those in mint state, end up in the wrong hands off they'll go into the hotpot. This has all led and contributed to their being generally rarely encountered in circulation in the present day.
It is very rare but it happens.. Sometimes a customer will turn in a roll or rolls of silver wrapped coins not knowing what they have and it ends up in the hands of coin roll hunters. I've read stories of this happening.
Three years ago I got 2 1/2 customer rolls of silver dimes at a local bank. A dozen were Mercury It happens
Ive seen first hand grandmas and peoples grandkids go deposit there husbands or grandpas coin collection after they die not knowing what it is. I got a box of nickels with 17 war nickels and 12 buffalos in it one time
That's why collectors should ALWAYS tell their spouses what they have, what it may be worth, and how to dispose of it. How would you feel (if you weren't dead) if your wife or kids did that to your valuable collection after you had worked so hard to put it together?
That is primary reason I joined CoinTalk I'm looking to get rid of most, if not all of my accumulation before I "wake up dead" one morning . . . . . Z
I was searching for silver dimes awhile ago. I was getting 1-2 silver dimes a $250 box. Some people say you have better luck with customer rapped rolls ??? I would like to start searching again after this Covid thing is over or when the banks allow $250 boxes to be bought. It is a treasure hunt. Most searchers I have heard of get more in 50 cent pieces 40% and 90% silver coins
I had an easier time in the 80s and 90s for silver finds. now a days the coin sorting machines all reject them, and the ones that don't usually get rejected at the armored carriers, but if both situations don't reject, there might be one in a box. and then there's the chance some turn up in customer wrapped rolls. I searched 48 boxes of quarters and various rolls in between and didn't find a single silver quarter last year. they are few and far between. easier to stop by walmart and check their coinstar return slot and probably that's going to be more productive.
eBay for circulated quarters is a pretty cheap alternative. If you want to wait a little longer, silver may tank back down to below $20. Melt for silver Washington quarters is $4.85, today. I have been working on a folder of silver Washington quarters. For the years 1960-1964, the most I paid for an uncirculated coin was $7.25. That coin was a 1964-D. Many of them were less than $5. Good luck with your hunt.
How long has it been since 1964? Over 56 years. How many collectors and other people have been pulling out silver coins in thst time frame? Millions of them. Yes you may find one but if you only need those few dates it would be best to buy them from a reputable source. And if you did search thousands of Quarters what are your chances of finding the dates you need?
you'll have better luck if you go to the bank (when they open) and try to get customer rolled quarters and half dollars. Remember you are CRH'ing stuff that could have been processed hundreds of times and checked by a thousand other CRH'ers.
yup. I'm waiting on silver to go way down to get back to work on my 90% quarters and dimes and put the extras in the stack. Buying at 13x face or less SURE! 22x-26x-30x face,,,, pass! it will come way down again, it always does.
I'm with you on that. I am doing copper right now, waiting. That is one of the downsides of buying, raw uncirculated, silver coins. I am not going to return an inexpensive coin. So, the ones I bought that were cleaned or looked uncirculated, but were not, are in a tube. So far just a partial tube of quarters. I have far fewer silver dime rejects than quarters.
I buy when I’m not so busy I forget I have a collection like the last 15 yrs. So yeah I buy when it is up or down, unless the G/S ratio is why out of wack then I might not buy high.
