I’m hoping I did ok for my first purchase over $5!

So this is my third time buying, but my first time spending over $5. I won the bills through eBay and bought the coins at a coin shop. I have no idea how to determine the grade or value of a coin and even more confused when it comes to paper currency. (I only know that they both had a fancy serial number.) Can anyone give me an idea on the grade and values so I can figure out if I made a good investment or bad choice? I spent a total of $33 for all of them. Thanks as always for your help. Much appreciated! P.S-That’s not a hole on the back of the 3 cent nickel. It was actually just a bit of dirt.

 

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The two cool serial number bills are pretty cool but I don't know much about them value-wise. The 1945 S Mercury dime is a pretty common date and its not in great condition either, probably about $4 bucks on a good day. The 1868 3 cent piece is pretty cool though, and in pretty good condition too. I would assume around $30.

I think these are pretty good buys, you didn't overpay if you spent $33 for all of them.

If you "made a good investment," only time can tell... I think you should only be buying coins or bills that you like or want to collect, not for investment purposes. If you want to invest in coins, the only ones that will really go up in value are the key dates. Its not like they are making any more of them lol. Also, there are better ways of investing money like stocks and real estate but if you are just building a collection for the fun of it, that's cool. Buying coins is better than buying a cup of coffee every day lol.

Anyways, good luck collecting! Hope this helped answer your questions.

 

Nice buy .. Please post one coin per thread , Thank You . With that said ..I grade the Dime an F-12 ( cleaned) . The 3 cent is a Vf-20 at best more likely a F-12 as well.

 

I think you did fine but I agree with Matthew Kruse! These are not much for investment! It takes some serious bucks to actually "invest" in coins/paper, and it can be very risky IMHO!

 

Paper? Dime - F15, 3 cent - VF30.

 

You got your money's worth. A little foxing on the one note, but so what.

 

Hi guys. First, thank you for the help. Y’all are awesome! Second, I should clarify what I meant when I used the word “investment”. I look at anything purchased as an investment. Some things ARE a monetary investment, while others are an investment in your happiness and enjoyment of life. If I had found out that I spent 10x’s more than they were worth, I would not have been upset in the least. As soon as I saw the coins, I knew I was going to bring them home with me. I think they are beautiful and will enjoy looking at them for quite a while. And the bills are just cool and make for good conversation with friends. And with all that said, I am still glad to hear that I made a good choice. Goes to show that I’m at least learning a little something from all the posts I’ve been reading in here!!!

 

Good attitude. I always try to encourage learning.

I would encourage you to research what a repeater note is, and what a radar note is, and then identify your notes.
It is easy to do, and fun. When you do, one of the things you will discover is a radar note happens about 1 in 10,000.
Then there are ladder notes.... my bet is you are going to get hooked, and hooked hard if you have more than the average person's interest in numbers.

Get to it, now, because the first thing you will notice that becomes a habit, after doing the minor research I am suggesting, is that you will be looking at every darn note that passes through your hands and asking friends and family if you can look at their notes, and hesitating to turn the notes over in a cash purchase until you look at them again.

Don't worry...there are prescriptions for treating the the new obsession you are about to experience.

 

Yes ma-am. You did just fine. Where else can you buy that much history for a mere thirty-three bucks?

 

I will send you a photo of my wife for $30, if you want ancient history.

 

You did very well on the coins, I'm not to sure about the notes. Overall, well done.

 

hey RoseWesche yea i think you did real good. the us currency with the fancy serial numbers are called Repeater Notes. here's a website that can help you some regarding US Currency collecting:
https://varietyerrors.com/fancy-serial-numbers-collectible-bills/-NSNHJ-PFNPT-X7H42
if it doesn't help you much just search for us currency repeater notes and you will get quite a lot of information. the coins you got were a good find. hope i helped you out some, good luck

 

How can you put a price on the components of that transaction?

 

Thank you for the link Mike Estes. I checked it out but noticed that they only went up to the series year of 1999. All my bills, with the exception of one, range from 2006 to 2017. Even though I can’t check the value of my bills there, I am still saving the site to reference at later times.

 

I think you did just okay on the purchase. The first note has wallet folds and it looks like a tipped corner (upper right). The second note appears to be in the best condition of all. The Mercury dime is common (I think the value is near melt at ~$2.) The Three cent nickel coin has the 2nd highest mintage and the corrosion/damage at the date and on the reverse limits the value and grade, but it does have details found in a higher grade. I think the retail value would be around $20-$25.
I would recommend that you figure out what you want to collect first. Then buy the book before the coin/ currency. If you are going to make a set, for example a type set, figure out the grade that you want to aim for. For example, you want a type set of US coins (One of each type). This can be an overall type set to start with and then a more detailed one with all sub-varieties later on. This is usually based on what you can afford. The book will help you decide this. You will find if you are picky with the condition of the coin (fully meets the grade goal you have, without problems) you will probably be happier in the long run and they will also tend to hold their value. Coins and Currency with problems, will always have problems and are always worth less than a coin that fully meets a grade, sometimes substantially less. If you don't already have one, buy Whitman's "The official Red Book, A guide book of United States Coins, by RS Yeoman. (About $18.00) Take your time on picking really nice coins (for the grade and you will be happier in the long run).

 

@RoseWesche I think you made impulse buys on those items, which is fine because you were attracted to them for whatever reason. I believe your desire for our input was to alleviate any remorse you might have felt after spending that amount, which in my opinion was a good deal for what you got.
I hope you will continue to acquire what you like and learn enough about them to not overpay in the future and then just enjoy having them in you collection. Good luck.

 

In terms of grading, the Mercury dime fits into the category of "toss in the sell as bullion pile." It has been not just cleaned, but polished within an inch of its life. Listen to Lady Liberty screaming, in my opinion. And don't think of these as investments. If you like them, they're worth collecting or accumulating, whichever you're doing.

 

Check Amazon and eBay for price on the Red Book mentioned above.

 

Considering you purchased the currency and coins because you liked them or they intrigued you, good for you! However, coins worthy of investment are way above your price grade, as well as most of the rest of us. Collecting coins for historical purposes can lead to a very satisfying hobby as long as you don't get carried away by the bidding process. Set price goals before you bid on any particular coin, and then stop when you've reached that pre-set goal. Remember - there are billions of coins out there, and many will come along that are just as intriguing. Good luck and happy coin collecting!

 

For the price you paid you did very well. Two nice radar notes, crisp and mark free. A nice three cent Nickel and a silver dime to round it all out. Nice!