To open or not to open?

I've always wondered about roll hunting. How can one tell if a roll has not been opened? I see a lot on ebay that I'm very tempted by but, sorry to say, there's too many scammers out there for me to run the risk without good evidence that the roll hasn't already been culled through.

 

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ebay rolls are frequently modern made rolls in antique wrappers. I've bought a few of the cheaper ones and convinced myself that a beat to death indian on one end and a worn teens on the other would not normally have nothing but fifties wheats in between. Key date rolls are even worse with a 1909-s on one end and a 1909-vdb on the other. They are selling the sizzle with little or no steak to back it up. In the old days dealers would offer wheat bags with guaranteed semi-key and key bonus coins. Then if you needed a 1909-s or a 1914-d you knew you would get it. Frequently what you got would be in extremely low grade or damaged badly. When the price was 3 to 4 cents each you didn't feel so cheated as these days when you have to bid north of $100 for $40 in coins.

 

As a general rule you can't. In fact, with a little practice it is fairly easy to hand roll in a manner that will make it appear to have been machine wrapped, and this is aside from tools available for this purpose.

True original rolls absolutely do exist, but ebay isn't likely to be where you'll just happen to stumble upon them. Still, perhaps what's most important here is to ask yourself why such rolls would be of interest. More often than not folks want to see the possibility of something for nothing and is exactly why you see so many rolls offered for sale.

 

Just do it.

 

"This is a courtesy call from Walgreens: your prescription is ready for pick-up."

 

Thanks. You make a good point. But, if I were to roll hunt it wouldn't be for a profit or even to get a valuable coin cheap. It would be for the same reason I started collecting coins, for the thrill of discovery.

 

As a rule, you should use a minimum of two light sources. These should be placed at about 10 & 2 o'clock at a 45 degree angle to the subject. Your camera should be placed directly above the subject. That way, the light will bounce away from the lens.

Chris

 

I do want to be clear that I wasn't taking about roll hunting in general, but only those offered as classic originals regularly offered on certain online venues (as it's what I assumed you were referencing). Grabbing rolls from the bank or purchasing more modern OBWs is a different story altogether.

Unfortunately, the former - as a general rule - do not offer any real form of said "discovery".

 

Lol

 

Lol

 

Rachel...every time you handle a roll of coins you risk damaging them. The high points of both sides will rub together and eventually cause "coin roll damage". Use white cotton gloves and get them into flips or better.

I always open every roll to find that MS66 hidden inside. That satisfies the "discovery" angle.

More importantly, my numismatic "mission", if you take my meaning, is preservation. The value of a coin? Not so much. Knowing I have single-handedly rescued from circulation a deserving coin is a great motivator and helps continue my interest.

Every day I see coins that have suffered the ravages of time, from Indian Heads to wheat ears. Just yesterday I got a 1987 zincoln in change that looks like it just left the mint. No wear, beautiful luster, brand-spankin' new coin red color...a deserving coin that is now in at least a flip.

 

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