Hello, I was just wondering if I should ask my neighbors for coins that they have laying around in their attic basement etc. How should I approach them with such a question. Im 15 so maybe they will be kind Thanks
Hey long time no see! What I would do is politely tell them about your hobby and ask if they had anything that they wouldn't mind parting with such as silver halves or so. I would do the same but my neighbors are uhhhh have you say "meanies" lol
I would go for it. But if they try to lure you down to the basement with promises of candy and Popsicles, i'd be cautious.
Sounds like a good idea. I would introduce myself and tell them that you collect coins. Perhaps with your parent's help you could offer to buy any change from them instead of them taking it to a coinstar or something. A lot of people save change but aren't necessarily collectors. Maybe you could even do odd jobs for them and accept payment in change. I wouldn't go around asking for free change, and I wouldn't expect to find a hoard of old valuable coins but with a little luck you might find a few.
I recently made a deal to buy coins from a family friend. What I did was offer to pay face value for the coins and to split the profits with them if I found anything worth $20 or more. That way they were involved if there was something of value. There wasn't. But I got the chance to search another old stash and they were satisfied that there wasn't a hidden treasure there. Who knows, they might know people with stashed coins that don't know what to do with them. I mean people don't take them to the bank because they hope they have something worth more than face, but they don't know what to look for. If you are like me, the thrill is in the hunt. And if you get lucky enough to find something that sells, people will be bringing coins to you to search, I bet. gary
I was 8 or 9 years old, just after the switch to clad, when I went around to neighbors' houses asking if they had any silver dimes, especially Mercury dimes. My mom's hairdresser let me have 3 silver dimes for face value. I went to another neighbor's house and the man of the house, the father of one of my classmates, just about had a fit for some reason, and scared me away from that house forever. Many years later, I ran into his daughter (my former classmate), and she told me that her father thought I was trying to hit on her! At 9 years old! Whaaaaaa?
Gary has the right idea! I might add that it would not be a good idea to shortchange your neighbors if you should find something valuable. Remember, you're going to have to live near them for, possibly, a few more years. Besides, if you are able to split the profits from a nice find, you may be recruiting a few of them to keep an eye out for something of interest or value for you. Chris
I see an issue with this. What if you find, say, a 1909-S VDB (for example), that you'd like to keep to finish up your wheat cent collection? You'd have to lie and say you didn't find anything, or shell out half the value, $500 (or whatever, depending on condition). That'd end up being an expensive find. Or other finds like that, that would be worth $100+. You're setting yourself up to sell what you find.
If the grass needs mowing, the fence needs painting, or theweeds need pulling- you might be in luck. I wouldn't just ask for freebies though.
I'm kind of feeling sad to see the perv remark. I think it's a very good idea. Many people have odd bits of coins they're saving, but don't really collect and don't do much with them. They're likely nothing special and in regular condition. But it's a start. There was a house sale down the way from me, old lady died, and among her stuff at the estate sale was a little blue folder filled partly with Walkers. People keep stuff like Indian Head cents.
I for one would be hesitant about telling the whole neighborhood I collect coins. Even just keeping it to a few houses next to yours, might have reprocussions. Other people not only talk but might even exaggerate. This could end up putting you in harms way. I tend to keep this type of information under control and not spread it around. You may do as you please, but I would run it by your parents because they may feel differently then you do about this.
