Favorite coin given in your change?

Most of my coin collection comes from other people's coin jars (ahem-Grandpa and Grandma-ahem), but isn't it exciting when you get a cool coin in change? I put coins of all denominations in vending machines and hit "coin return". This process bought me 4 Bicentennial Quarters in two days (to me the are cool . What's the coolest coin found in circulation you've ever gotten?

 

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A couple of years ago I got a 1926 penny in F in change.
Last week I got a 1974 D in BU like it was fresh out of a roll. The checker and I just marveled at the condition of the coin.

 

Kennedy half dollar. The rarest of them all!!

 

Last week I got a 45 Canadian penny.... Nifty!

 

I like getting £2 coins.

And 1982 pennies because it's a scarcer year. Although i do like getting all bronze coins minted in the 1971-1984 period, because i like the obverse more.

1988 £1 coins are delightful to find, usually about 1 every 2 years.

Other than that i usually don't bother.

 

I like finding silver. It looks and feels like a proper coin even though its withdrawal, even from the halves, was before my time (but only just). My most common find has been silver dimes, followed (surprisingly not preceeded) by silver nickels, then clad silver halves, and finally silver quarters (1 US and 1 Canadian). I've never actually gotten a silver half in circulation.

 

I found a whole schmeer of silver dimes, including a few mercuries, in the change drawer where I worked about 15 years ago.

More recently, I found a Cayman Islands coin--nickel, I think?--in the Coke fund drawer at work. Very pretty sea turtle on it.

 

a 1964 canadian dime... that i got in change in austin texas

it must have been on vacation!

 

I don't know if this counts, but.....

I love to tell this story.

About 13 years ago or so I worked in a hardware store. I used to take the first lunch shift. When I returned from lunch I would cover the cash register for an hour while the second lunch shift was gone. One day I came in to break the 2nd shift and I heard that unique silver "jingle" when the register opened. I gave the drawer a quick look over and saw several silver dimes in the till. I nearly freaked out.

I was careful giving out change until the store emptied, then I took a $5.00 bill and bought another roll of dimes from my boss (a good friend I should point out, who was also the owner of the store). I emptied the dime slot from the register into a paper cup and went through the coins later that afternoon. I found 37 silver dimes, mostly Roosevelts, but several Mercurys and a few Barbers too. The oldest coin was a nice 1865 three cent piece (I thought it was a dime until I looked it up a few years ago). My boss couldn't have cared less and sold everything to me for $3.70.

It turns out that some kid had come in to the store while I was gone to eat. He exchanged a roll of dimes for a $5 bill. No one had ever seen him before and he never came back. I've often wondered just whose coin collection he robbed to get that roll of "dimes".....

 

Picture! Picture! Picture!

 

Sure. I'm at work right now but will have access to my scanner some time tomorrow. I'll post a picture(s) of what I found.

I should let you know that it is a 3 cent nickel . I got out a Blackbook (I have access to one at work) and looked it up again. I didn't know 2 different three cent coins were minted. If I had I would have been clearer in my initial post. Sorry, it is a bit out of my area of primary interest, but it is still a neat coin. I'll post photos in case anyone is interested.

 

Wow. I like people who know a coin is worth more than a Porsche, but will give it away (but only to me ).

 

BTW... Has anyone played the arcade game Whistle Stop ? There are rows of prizes moving in circles and you must stop the wheel at a certain point to win the prize. Two or three of the rows are Walking Liberty's, Mercury Dimes, Franklin Halves, Sacagawea Dollars, and other circulated, but cool, coins. This game is popular in Wal*Marts near and far.

 

Haha I could of bought all the coins in there at my dealer for the amount I lost to that machine

 

OK, here are the more interesting ones:




The rest were Roosevelts, 1948-1964. Nothing too fancy here, but they were sure neat to find in a cash register.

 

I like the 3 cent piece, very nice coins you got

 

Found a 1942-S Washington quarter in my pocket yesterday. It's only VG, but silver is good. Must have gotten it in change from the local grocery store.

 

My most interesting finds as a kid(20 years ago), have been several buff. nickels, lots of silver( most in average circ.)And an 1892 Panamanian( i think quarter)

Recently, I was at a pool hall and was about to put in three quarters, when I had dropped one of them. I new what it was right away. Yes, silver. Turns out to be a 1961 quarter in AU- 50.

It's funny, I've been searching half rolls for some time, and never found any 40%.On my trips to the casinos, playing blackjack, I have recieved about 15 65-69 halves, along with 4 nearly uncirculated 64 Kennedy's

Last week,while making trips to the local milk and liquor stores, I was given in change the new oregon quarters.Not that exiting, but, half of them would grade 65 or66. I asked if there were any more, and just about recieved a full roll!

 

silver washingtons

I was getting change at a Cumberland Farms in my town. As the cash drawer opened, the quarters in the drawer caught my eye. Most of them were silver! I wipped out some cash and bought them all for face value. The clerk then cracked open another roll and the ENTIRE roll was silver, so I "bought" them all as well. All of them were 1932's. They told me that some old timer payed for his gas with 2 rolls of quarters and I ended up with 1-3/4 of them. I wish I knew who he was!