i always hear about people finding these hoards of coins and other people just looking for coins and finding them at random places. what kind of places do these people look..other than online and dealers
I've had some luck at antique shops. There is a lot of overpriced common stuff, and occasionally something good. But there are never any "hoards." There are actually a lot more tokens and medals of various types than there are coins. I normally stop at antique shops whenever I can and ask about what they have. It doesn't take long to figure out if there is anything interesting.
:whistle: The only people who find these huge hoards of coins, are the people who run the t v coin shows.:whistle:
My grandparents had a considerable hoard that they had gotten from a deceased relative and then sat on for about 30 years, they let me have a little of the stuff but they sold most of it.
I'm going to try a new way (for me that is) to find old and such collections of coins that I would be able to buy....if it works I'll let ya'll know. Speedy
A few years back I ran an ad in a local senior citizens newspaper. I couldn't believe the response I got. A person has no idea of the amount of collectable coinage that is out there for the getting. I ended up purchasing a few collections and pointed other people in the right direction. One gal who's husband had recently passed had a box of coins in the closet was actually going to just take it all to the bank for face. Or take all the quarters (which were pre '64) to the casino. I informed her that I didn't think a slot machine would even accept it. We struck a deal on the box of coin, she was happy, I was happy.
There are hoards out there - plenty of them. But the public doesn't find out about them too often because the dealers usually end up with them. I cataloged one once - best way I could even attempt to describe it so you could understand the scope would be by weight. It was something over 800 lbs. of coins - all US and all pre '64 except for a few Proof sets & Mint sets. And there were only 12 silver dollars in the entire lot. If you can't call that a hoard - I don't know what would qualify.
I work for a coin dealer in my spare time. We spent two weeks going through a hoard that I would have to say is immeasureable, I mean the guy had coins all over his house, in every closet! It took 3 trips in two pickup trucks to move it all!
I would definitely talk to some older relatives or advertise in your local newspaper that you're interested in buying old coins.
Become friends with bank tellers and store clerks. I have a small network that watches out for interesting items. Some of the most regular flow, albeit a trickle, is from a couple girls that work at a Dairy Queen. Seems kids are frequently raiding someone's coin stash, and every week or two I'll get a buck or two's worth of silver, mostly dimes and quarters, with an occasion Buffalo nickel. Earlier this year a teller saved 12 Morgan and Peace dollars along with about $5 face of Mercs that an older woman had brought in because the store clerk wouldn't take them. She is only allowed to take face value for them, but I make sure to make it worth their while. I missed out on the best one though (guy went to the wrong teller). I've told this one before. While in the bank, I overhear one teller asking another "What are these? Are they American?" Of course that immediately grabs my attention. It seems that an old gent had brought in 40 rolls of quarters for "folding money". The teller that took them had looked thru 5 of the rolls prior to my showing up, and the newest one was dated 1943. The ones she was asking the other teller about were the Standing Liberties and the Barbers. I tried to purchase the whole lot, but she was going to give them to her 10 year old son who was starting to collect coins. I tried, but she wouldn't part with any of them. I would have enjoyed just looking thru the whole thing.
