There are currently 2.551 "unsearched" lots on the bay. I've recognized more than a few. Some w/the original images.
Let me just say I have bought searched bags of wheats and found some stuff that somebody else either missed or didn't want/need like the '11-D Lincoln. I was pleased as punch to find it, even in the VG-8 grade.
That roll of Franklins could very well be searched. There isn't any viable proof that it hasn't been, especially if it all rolls were finger rolled as he says that they were. I could get some vintage rolls that were still flat, throw a Franklin on the ends and fill the rest with junk and say it is unsearched, just like almost all sellers do on eBay. And the bulk wheats at coin shops are searched through as well, same as those 500-1000 or however many pounds of wheats are. I can date search 1000 wheats in less than an hour and have them separated by decade and known error years. So all those "I don't have the time to search these" or "I know nothing about coins so..." are just catchphrases used to dupe bidders. My LCS has about 10 employees, a few that rarely are out front in the shop, and that's because they are in the back cataloging what they have to include what they've purchased in bulk. With their wheats, they sell them in lots, and most of the smaller lots have about 50-100 cents in them with a few AU/BU red's thrown into the mix. Can anyone seriously think that the LCS wouldn't search through what they buy even if in bulk for anything worth a lot of money so they can sell it at what could potentially be a huge loss because it is "unsearched?? No chance. On the rare occasion that someone is truly honest and hasn't searched what they have, the odds of the person before them searching the coins is high. I have a b ag of wheats that I got from my grandfather that I haven't searched through, but I can guarantee that he did at some point. I can't honestly sell these as unsearched.
FWIW, I've given away a number of 'unsearched' rolls of halves from a major bank purchase I made recently. Then I searched some of my remaining rolls and found a number of 40% and even 90% examples, including Franklins. So even though I wasn't selling it certainly can happen. That said, I agree that the ones you see on that auction site are extremely unlikely to be unsearched.
I bought a roll of "unsearched" Barber dimes...Good buy....made money, not much but ok.... Placed in holders and stuck them away in a box. I bought another of Mercury dimes and they were a bust All 1942, 1944, a few late 30's, all common, no overstrikes of 42 over 41, etc..basic junk. I left terrible feedback for the seller. Seller made good by sending me two Bullion Eagle Coins, slabbed and graded MS 65, can't remember the years, but it was good business...He basically reimbursed me with the Eagles for the amount I spent on the Mercuries and said "keep the junk". I merely placed the Mercury dimes in the cardboard holders and left them to be. I would not recommend buying "unsearched" rolls since it is almost impossible to believe "someone" hasn't pawed through them.
I've boughten two lots of wheat cents that were advertised as unsearched. One was at an auction in a jar. I found several dates that paid for the whole jar. I got the rest of them (think there was around 750 of them) basically for free. I bought a lot of 1000 on eBay, and did good on that as well. It takes time to search through cents, and if your running a coin store, you probably don't have time to sit and sort every pail of wheat cents grandma brought in. But the trick is to never pay for unsearched. Only buy unsearched if you can get it for normal price. As I said for wheat cents, never pay more than 5c each for unsearched lots. That way, anything you find is a bonus. If you get skunked, your out nothing.
If somebody says a roll or other item containing coins is unsearched then it is most likely searched. Only a hobbyist would use the term unsearched.
I've bought "unsearched" rolls off of eBay in the past. None of them had anything of real value. The best seller I bought from had a no-questions-asked return policy. I got the coins(five rolls of wheats, IIRC) and went through them and realized they had been searched through; I e-mailed the seller, told them I was sending them back and he said OK. I was only out the $5 or whatever it cost to mail the flat-rate box back to the seller. I got my money back the next day. I haven't bought any rolls of coins off of eBay in years. If I were to do so I'd certainly be careful about reading feedback.
yes, i have bought some of the unsearched rolls of wheat cents on ebay. my advise would be not to buy them on ebay. most of the rolls on ebay seem to have been searched through already and a typical unsearched wheat cents roll on ebay contains mostly very low grade 1940's and 1950's wheat cents.
For the fun of searching rolls, I would recommend rolls of nickels from the bank because you can get some 30's and 40's regularly, and war nickels or a 1950-d is also a possible find. Ebay "unsearched " rolls sell for a marginal profit, so the sellers can't afford to actually let rarities go out. Have you ever seen a real roll of cents with a dime on the end? It just doesn't make sense. I have bought bulk Wheats on Ebay and was happy with them but I knew that they had been searched from the seller and they were at a good price.
I get a few rolls each week when I deposit my paycheck. Its pretty much true what has been said before about roll searching, no-one is going to get rich doing it and in the end it is not the best use of time if done fanatically and too much gas and time is wasted just to search rolls. However it can be pretty fun in my opinion and I actually get more satisfaction from finding a semi-rarity than outright buying a rarer coin. Call me crazy but I prize a war nickel I found in a roll more than a seated liberty coin I bought on ebay. There is more of a sense of accomplishment with that for me. That being said, I still keep the roll searching to a minimum so its not just a grind itself.
