Pocket Change Finds; Post Your Results

So folks, I was wondering this afternoon: What have been some of your more memorable finds over the years? Was there a story to go with it? I'd like to hear a few. Of course, folks new to this thread, please indulge us.

@Hookman
@Hoky77
@-jeffB
@Treashunt
@Bradley Trotter
@old49er
@CoinCollector76

 

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Perhaps the most memorable coin I've ever found in change was an 1865 IHC when I was about 11.

The most recent find I would consider memorable was a 1937 Buffalo Nickel I received back in change from a vending machine at the campus student union.

 

That would make me smile! I recall once that I was about to receive a Buffalo nickel in change when the cashier noticed that it looked different. Her hand was just about to drop the change in my hand but returned to the drawer to give me another nickel instead. Close...but no prize that time!!

 

Well...when I was 8 I found a 1919 wheat cent in coin changes which is how I started coin collecting but it was the only coin I had in my collection for the next 2 years till I decided to do CRH which boosted up my wheat penny stash. During two years I encountered both silver dime and quarter dated 1964. At the time I didn't know how to separate silver (now I do) so I ended up spending both silvers. And never found and silver dimes or quarters ever since.

 

Hopefully she (the cashier) will have interest in coin collecting.

 

I really didn’t get this coin in change, I got it in a vinyl queen size comforter bag full of pennies a customer gave me for a tip for fixing her car. She said she hated pennies and knew I collected coins.




Btw, has anyone else found one of these in the wild?

 

Nice DDO penny did you find any wheat pennies? I never found any DDO cents by far.

 

I found a few in that bag but I can’t remember how many. I’ve slept too much since then.

 

That’s an incredible find. I’ve found the 1995-1DO-001 but not yours. That’s the best one from 1995. Mine is third best.

 

I got another 18 * notes. Still haven't checked the runs on any of them.

 

@Hookman That is really unusual. But, for a buck at a time...

 

Yeah, I agree.
In about 3 weeks or less, I've picked up about 71 Star notes. All in one register, on 3 different days. I never had an opportunity to check the other 3 registers. Each of them could have had just as many. All 4 registers are serviced from the same safe.
If this keeps up I may never find time to check the runs.
Out of all of them there were only 2 consecutive. No silver certificates, no fancy ser. #s, no truly old bills, no unc. or even almost unc.. My only hope for something truly unusual is the production runs.
After I check them, I'll be returning the non-keepers to the wild, but not at my store.

 

I snagged a few star notes out of circulation over the years, and to that extent, I can say I have some. But, condition is everything. All of mine are worth a buck...no more. I really don't collect currency, although I do have a few notes I snagged here-and-there to put away. My favorite is a decent grade Confederate note, which we know wasn't a pocket find!! Keep up the hunt!!

 

So I completed going through my pocket change that I accumulated for the past couple of years. I only had nickels left to do, so here are a few of the highlights -


I found 6 DDRs, 3 of which were rather minor and 2 more pronounced. None of them were listed though. Just one listed at Brian's Variety Coins (006). Also found a few earlier Jeffersons and a couple AU coins. Given I scan my change before tossing everything into the bins, I was happy enough to find a few interesting bits. The results for the Quarters, Dimes, and Cents were posted in the roll hunting thread before starting this one. Keep your eyes open folks and have fun!

 

Did you find any wheat pennies? I can estimate that their are a few n the jar.

 

@CoinCollector76 I did. Considering I scan my change for goodies I let a bunch slip past. Here is an excerpt from my post about a month ago:


“...Well, in going through those cents, I found a couple wheatbacks I missed initially, several AU+/BU cents for my roll collection, a few foreign cents/centavos, and a few variety cents. Here are the best:

• 1978 LWC (not sure of the real date but perhaps a damaged 2 or 3 and some old acid treatment)
• 1944 LWC
• 1972 Republica Dominicana
• 1989 LMC DDO (not sure which one I have but the clear marker isn't listed at Coppercoins...but perhaps Wexler...will check into that later)
• 1998 WAM (unfortunately, a cupholder casualty - I had to resort to vinegar to remove the hydrozincite barnacles that covered 90% of the reverse and confirm the wide variety)
• Several 2019 DDO (minor and perhaps unlisted)
• 8 Canadian Cents (including a Centennial Cent)”

So it’s worth looking as you can see. The WAM was encrusted in hydrozyncite but after using mild conservation techniques I had to use a mild vinegar bath for a short stint. But it’s in my collection now along with the others.

The title “Getting Rich with Pocket Change” sure sounds great but unlikely. But it does encourage folks to pay attention. A decent starter book for the casual collector. It helps direct attention to findable coinage.

 

I snagged another 2016 nickel out of the vending machine today and scored another minor DDR. I hadn't really noticed before this, but amongst the dates with DDRs, it appears that they are somewhat readily available. Since I started this thread, I've found 8 or so and only 1 had a listing. I suspected that these DDRs are a lot like the modern Lincoln cents (single squeeze). More unlisted than listed.

 

I may have missed many error coins since I don't collect cents after 1959, nickels after 1960, and everything else after 1964. So I may have missed many error coins after the years on each coin domination.

 

@CoinCollector76 You describe a common event. Many folks only collect the older coinage. I did for a long time, but then I learned about variety collecting which broadened the search...and slowed down the process. Examining each coin for collectability takes some extra time, but it made CRH more fruitful for me (I was mainly searching cents for wheatbacks). Starting with 1960 moving forward, there are a ton of 60s DDOs and DDRs along with a fair share of RPMs. And given that many of these latter date coins are 'newer', they are still in great shape to pick up some higher grade specimens. Even the dreaded 1964 and 1964D...several varieties to hunt for in those dates/mm. So don't ignore the 'shiny nickels' - they might be more collectible and more valuable than the Wartime and semikey Jeffersons. My advice is to create a full list of what you might be interested in and adjust that depending on what you find (expand/contract). Knowing what to look for will help you spot that pocket find!! Good luck on the hunt!!

 

About 150 years ago- when I was a kid:

1) on my paper route I was given a Barber quarter in payment. I first thought it was a foreign coin, then looked at the back, I couldn't wait to get to the Red book at the library.
Common date, but a great find.

About the same time, same decade anyway I found a Lincoln cent, 1922. No space in my album [the old blue push in ones]. so I changed the label below the space.

It wasn't listed in the Guide Book and was eventually AWOL.