Coin Roll Hunting FAQ v. 2.0

Barbi Petersen · Jul 10, 2021

model77 said: ↑

Red text means I would like confirmation from other members

What is coin roll hunting?

Buying coins at Face value and searching them for valuable coins that are silver or rare.

What is the success rate on finding silver coins?

READ THE RESULTS THREAD. It is different area to area depending on how picked over it is. Consistency and patience is also vital in this hobby. You will have good periods and bad periods. You just have to keep going and it will all even out.

What coins should I look for?

Dollars

Silver:
1878-1921 Morgan (90% silver) 0.7735 troy oz silver per coin
1921-1935 Peace (90% silver) 0.7735 troy oz silver per coin
1971-1976 Eisenhower (40% silver) 0.3162 troy oz silver per coin
*not all Eisenhower (Ikes) are silver check the edge and if copper is showing it is clad.

Other keepers:
Eisenhower dollars often sell for a small premium over face value even if they are clad.
Key dates: ????
Proofs and silver proofs
Common error coins: ????

Halves
Generally consider the most productive coin to search for due to low circulation and high silver content.

Silver:
1964 and older (90% silver) 0.3617 troy oz silver per coin
1964 to 1970 (40% silver) 0.1479 troy oz silver per coin

Other keepers:
Low mintage: 2000 and newer
Proofs and silver proofs
Common error coins: ?????
???????

Quarters
Generally considered the least productive coin to search for due to high circulation and large modern date mintages.

Silver:
1964 and older (90% silver) 0.1808 troy oz silver per coin

Other keepers:
Many different sets that some consider collectable such as state quarters and the national park series.
Proofs and silver proofs
Common error coins: ????
???????

Dimes

Silver:
1964 and older (90% silver) 0.0723 troy oz per coin

Other keepers:
Proofs and silver proofs
Common error coins: ????
??????

Nickels

Silver:
1942-1945 war nickels (35% silver) 0.0563 troy oz silver per coin
Not all 1942’s will be silver. Look for the large mint mark on the reverse above the Monticello to confirm it is silver

Other keepers:
Buffalo nickels
Low mintage: 1938, 1939, 1950-D, 2009??
Proofs and silver proofs
Common error coins: ????

Pennies

1859 to 1909 Indian head pennies
1909 to 1958 Wheat back pennies
1943 steel pennies
1981 and older have a high copper content. (0.0065 lbs of copper in 1 penny) At the time of this writing each penny contains 3 cents worth of copper. They are currently illegal to melt for the copper however many feel that will change in the future.
Low mintage: ????
Common error coins: ????

Common abbreviations/expressions:

CWR – Customer Wrapped Roll
BWR – Bank Wrapped Roll
LCS – Local Coin Shop
Ender – A coin roll that has a valuable coin showing on the end of the roll
Bender – Ben Franklin half showing on the end of the roll
Wender – Walking liberty half showing on the end of the roll
Kender – 1964 Kennedy half showing on the end of the roll
Lil’ Kender – 40% silver Kennedy half showing on the end of the roll
Roosie – A silver Roosevelt dime
Merc – A mercury dime
Frankie – A Franklin Half dollar

What does a box of coins cost?

Halves - $500
Quarters - $500
Dimes - $250
Nickels - $100
Pennies - $25
*Each box of coins contains 50 rolls

Where can I get coins?

Anywhere, Everywhere!! You never know where that shiny silver will pop up!
-Check your pocket change.
-Check your change jugs and piggy banks.
- Check the coin machine reject tubes
-go to banks and ask for coins. You can ask for teller tray coins, CWR coins, or boxes of BWR coins.
- Once you’ve become fully addicted you will not be able to find as many coins as you want by driving from bank to bank. You will want to build a relationship with a couple branches so that you can request that they order boxes of coins for you.
-If you go bank to bank you will find most will be willing to give you what they have in inventory to a point. Rarely you will be able to buy or order boxes if you do not have an account with them but it has happened.

Do deliver companies like Brinks, pull the silver out of circulation with their sorting machines?

If they did none of us would be finding any! So far it does not seem as if the value of silver has been attractive enough for them to make those costly alterations to their machines.

Should I order rolls of half dollars off of ebay?

If you like to waste money you absolutely should! These rolls were purchased from the bank for $10. Why pay the seller $17 or so for them plus shipping when you can just go to the bank yourself? You odds of finding silver are the same or worse with these ebay rolls as they are either truly unsearched like the rolls you can get at the bank or even may have been tampered with or weighed to determine if there is anything good in there before selling it on ebay.

Should I have to pay to order boxes?

No. At least not yet. Some banks will say that they have to charge you a per box or even per roll fee. This is their way of saying they don’t want to deal with you. Simply look for a new bank that will not charge you these fees. You should not have trouble finding one.

What do I do with the coins I don’t want?

You can spend them obviously. If you are doing high volume or want the cash back so you can purchase more rolls to search you can deposit or exchange them for cash at a bank you have an account with. Please always put yourself in your tellers shoes and be as considerate as possible as this makes a lot of work for them and they may choose to stop taking or giving coins to you if you over burden them. I recommend spreading your “dumps” out over several branches so that you are not burdening the same teller multiple times in a week.

It is best to try to build a relationship with the tellers. Tell them about your kids. Ask them about theirs. Bring in gift cards or bagels from time to time. You want them to be happy to see you not cringe each time they see you waddling up with 50lbs of coins. Maybe they will start keeping the good stuff for you or calling when it comes in!

Can I turn in my coins at the same bank I got them at?

Don't dump where you eat! Most consider it bad Etiquette to turn in coins to the same poor teller that had to haul them out for you. It is also counterproductive as it greatly increases the odds you will receive the same coins next time.

What should I say to the teller who asks about all the coins I am buying/dumping?

It’s surprising, but many tellers do not realize what they have or what coins are valuable. Most here seem to feel it is a bad idea to let them know which coins are valuable. No reason to increase your competition right? Tell them:

-you’re a collector filling books
-your saving collectable coins for your kids college fund
-you’re an artist
-your boss likes to pay you in pennies
-you get them for your grandpa to sort through, he doesn’t get out of the house any more.
-Tell them to take a hike
-Tell them whatever you want! It’s none of their business really but they will be curious, and it’s best to be polite and build a good relationship with them.

Where can I sell my Silver coins?

Sell them? But why? If you must, you must!

-Best option is to sell them person to person with a local collector or on this site. You should be able to get full melt value for them.
-You can sell quickly at a local coin shop (LCS) but they have to make a profit so they will pay you less then melt value for them.
-You can sell on ebay or similar sites. Be cautious and know what they will be charging you in fees though. You may think you got a great price, even over melt, but after the fees you may have lost out.
-you can sell on Craig’s list but expect many low ball offers. Use caution. Meet in a public place with security cameras such as a bank. Arrive before they do and leave after they do so they cannot see your car plates. Only accept cash. You do not want a check to bounce as you will never see them again. You do not want them to be able to track down where you live since they know you are stacking silver.
-Coin auctions
-online bullion warehouses.

References:

This page is a link to all coins that contain silver (both US and Canadian)
http://www.coinflation.com/silver_coin_values.html

This page is a link to the coin calculator to find silver content and value at current spot
http://www.coinflation.com/coins/sil...alculator.html

Red book
Research coin composition, years produced, mintages, and known errors

Ebay
Research coins average sale price, and supply/demand
Click to expand...

Thank you, this is information is useful to this new person. B

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Dean 295 · Oct 21, 2021

Went into my usual credit union got $5.00 worth of pennies turned to go saw what I thought was a dine on the floor , it looked darker than a dime and picked it up it was a 1943 Cent I guess the person thought it was counterfeit, mine now.

Ohiovike · Nov 7, 2021

found 9 s nickels per 1956 and 2 W quarters and 2 silver quarters 1943 and 1946 in bags

Revi · Nov 10, 2021

I went to the hardware store and got a silver quarter in change. Apparently they had been getting rolls of all silver quarters lately. Maybe they were in the back of the bank's vault or something.

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Coin Roll Hunting FAQ v. 2.0

Barbi Petersen Active Member

Guest User Guest

Dean 295 D.O.M.

Ohiovike New Member

Revi Mildly numismatic

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Coin Roll Hunting FAQ v. 2.0

Barbi Petersen Active Member

Guest User Guest

Dean 295 D.O.M.

Ohiovike New Member

Revi Mildly numismatic

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