Inherited coins

Grandfather left me these about 10 years ago, was too young to understand then and they've been in a shoe box in the closet for a long time now. There was a piece of paper taped to the underside of the box that was listed, "Barbers, Liberty's, Franklin's, Mercury's, Roosevelt's and Kennedy's." I have no idea what a "Barber" is...but the presidents, obviously. I took a picture using my cell phone but will take a better one when I get the chance. No idea if any of these are worth anything but scrap metal, there's too many to take individual photos of, I think there's around at least 40-60 of these. Any information would be helpful.
Thank you.:smile

 

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Well, you have a lot of silver there, that is what. You can visit this website
http://www.coinflation.com/ to get an idea how much the metal content of your coins are worth. The thing you must be aware of is that certain coins are more valuable depending on their date and mint mark, and also what condition they are in. Make sure that you do not clean them. You would only make them less valuable. A local coin dealer would be capable of helping you determine the value of your coins, but that is actually a lot of fun to do yourself. If you are willing to take the time to photograph each coin individually, front and back, and post them here, I'm sure we could help you out in that regard. Barber is the name of the artist who created a likeness of Liberty for dimes, quarters, and half dollars issued from 1892-1915...

Welcome to CoinTalk!

JrCoin

 

Thank you and I will get on that, the taking pictures...I found at the bottom of the box, just now...rolled up into an old cloth..some gold coin..it says Liberty 1933 with a CA under the date? What would CA stand for? California maybe? It's a $20 coin...anyways, I'll just start taking more pictures and uploading them as I go..and by the time I'm done, this thread will be on page 100. Lol

 

Also, a price guide can be really handy...$6 at your newsstand well spent. Coin World, Coin Prices, ect are good publications. Happy hunting.

 

Barbers are coins designed by sculptor Charles Barber in the late 1800s - early 1900s.

 

No need for pictures of every coin. Start off by sorting them and a creating a list of dates and mintmarks. Then post the list here. If you plan on getting into coin collecting, you may want to start off by buying a copy of the Red Book which has plenty of info on most U.S. coins including value, mintage numbers, etc. Welcome to CT.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys/girls..perhaps? Lol
I snapped a couple of shots of this gold one but after researching it, it has to be fake....there's no way my grandfather(RIP, being the alcoholic he was), saved a million dollar coin instead of buying more beer and cigarettes. Can someone at least authenticate this at all? It's either fake/replica/copy or something...I'm pretty much positive, and trying not to get my hopes up at the same time. Lol

 

I would have to say your gold coin is probably a replica. Only 13 known specimens exist of the 1933 Saint Gaudens double eagle. The last price paid for a coin of that caliber was $7,590,020.00. That was a Sotheby's/Stack's auction in 2002. You aren't related to King Farouk are you? I'd recommend picking up a price guide and posting photos of coins with better date/mintmarks. Most of your coins look well worn from the photo you have posted, and I'd hate for you to be disappointed after putting forth that much effort.

 

That's what I figured, and just read..so yeah, replica..feels heavy though. LOL @ King Farouk. I have yet to venture out of the house yet, snow storm last night..so negative on the price guide as of now. Yeah most of them are worn out, but this was in a sock looking rag at the bottom..like an old oil rag. Disappointed after putting forth that much effort? I'm lost on that one..explain? Lol
Sorry, it's been a late night.

 

Well even if it is a replica, is it still gold? I woudln't be too disappointed if it is.

 

Didn't the price of gold just drop?...I'm seeing less and less "cash for gold" commercials on TV. Lol
How can I tell if it is gold?

 

Well, as it sits today, if it is real gold, it is worth 1384.20. As far as telling if its real gold, I will let someone else chime in on that one. I am not sure how to tell without an actual gold test kit.

 

If it is real gold, it's out the door...and I'm getting a new flat screen TV. Lol

 

I meant about taking all the photographs...Moonshine is right, you just need to post the coin type, date, and mintmark of each, like this...

Walking Liberty half dollars
1916,1919 S, 1942 D,

ect ect...
Of course it would help that you are familiar with the different coin types, and where the mint mark is located on each. How familiar are you with mint marks? The 3 most common mints for American coins are the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. If your are willing to invest in Whitman Red Book, that would be around $20 instead of $6...alternatively there may be a copy available at the local library, at least until you're hooked for good!

 

That will get you one heck of tv! Do you have a scale that you can weigh the coin with?

 

most replicas are gold plated. still, it would be a fun coin to show to a dealer, just to see how he reacts to it.

 

Actually, I guess I posted this a little too late...there were a few scales in a box in the garage, in which I sold the other day to someone that looked like the Gordon's fisherman..eh. Lol

 

Video, hidden camera? Yes? Lol

 

It maybe a copy ? but if not you may get a knock on your door from the Secret Service?
I hope not:thumb:

 

Not sure what you plan to do with the coins but I suggest holding onto them for awhile before you run out and sell them. You may kick yourself 5-10 years down the road if you have a change of heart and become a coin collector. Since these were passed down to you by your grandfather, maybe consider keeping 1 of each coin if you decide to sell them.