Trying to Learn

This forum has been incredibly kind to me and it was suggested a few times I put up some pics and ask. I'm an old dog trying to learn new tricks (my father in law's collection) but my own poor health sometimes affects my cognition. If anyone has time to comment over some of my photos and their notes, I would be most grateful. health interferes with my cognition at times. If anyone can comment on these photos and notes, I would be grateful. Thanks.

 

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Holy double pictures Batman!

FYI, it is usually helpful to make a thread about 1 coin instead of mashing a bunch of different coins into the same thread. That being said, I will do my best to answer your questions as most of them can be attributed to damage.

1) Quarter - Not seeing any type of doubling on your picture. It is too blurry/washed out to make anything out.
2) Dime - Looks to be a collar clash. http://www.error-ref.com/collar-clash/
2) Dime - Mintmark looks like it just took a hit or is MD
3) Both 43 Steels - Paredolia
4) 94 Cent - Mix of die deterioration doubling and zinc rot
5) 99 Cent - Damage exposing the zinc underneath. That sucker is gonna rot away to dust soon.
6) 44 cent - Cents are not clad. Not possible to have different clads. I'm not seeing anything different except around the chin but that looks more like you did something with the image.

 

Nice eyes, Sam. Myself I am not an error sort of collector and am unable to help with those but it appears my buddy @furryfrog02 has you on track. Two things from where I am sitting. First off, coin collecting is so very rewarding. Welcome to the greatest hobby in the world. Secondly, I wanted to clue you in to modern cents. Since 1982 the mint has changed the composition of cents. They are a zinc core with a copper outer layer. What happens is the copper becomes sacrificial to the zinc and corrodes. You will see all kinds of unusual patterns on cents minted since 1982. They can almost always be attributed to corrosion. Stick with it and enjoy!

 

The Quarter is NAV or No Added Value Doubling. The Dime, I can't see clearly enough to say. The 1943 cents are both steel and what you see and describe is normal. The '94 and the '99 cent are normal. They are since and you need to spend them. The last cent is copper, no clad. You're just seeing normal wear and tear on a coin that old.

Welcome to CT.

 

You obviously put a lot of work into this and I don't wish to sound unkind, but there is nothing notable going on here with any of the coins. I would defer to @furryfrog02 explanation on all of them.

 

Thanks everyone for your courtesies. All part of learning. These were the answers I anticipated because I see most of them on multiple coins. Now I know I can convert as much of it into dollars to give my son so he can add it to a down payment on a car and not worry about throwing away "the one." When I got sick, it really messed up a large part of my ability to assimilate or process simple details and information. No one but the neurologist understands why I can't watch simple videos and retain the details. Same thing with reading more than short paragraphs at a time. This, I think, is why I've confused myself so much trying to research. If anyone can recommend a reliable site that teaches as though I am a 5 year old with ADHD, I may have a chance.

My deepest appreciation to all for helping me. I was beginning to lose hope of any physical/mental recovery and this hobby got me excited.

Until I got depressed because I wasn't learning.

You are all true angels sent by God, and I mean it when I say how much it means to me (and my family). Don't underestimate the power you have in helping. Your efforts are bringing me back from the brink again, and I can't thank you enough. God bless you all.

 

Sam, I believe you would get a great deal out of a book called the Redbook of US Coins. They are often available at outlet stores very cheap. I have used mine since I was ten years old and still use it today. Most of the information is offered in short paragraphs of easy to absorb information that doesn’t change. I believe you would get a great deal out of one if you want to stick with coin collecting.

 

Not "unkind" at all. Every little bit helps me grow. It hasn't been so much work as curiosity, and you are all very, very considerate. Thanks.

 

My father in law left a Red Book, but I think it was printed on the cave walls somewhere. Do they ever get too old to use?

 

@Sam Stone as a father of a son with ADHD and also someone with ADHD myself, I gotta say...coin collecting is a great avenue to pursue. There are plenty of things to learn about and collect. You can be as hyper-focused on a particular topic you enjoy or be as wide-spread and haphazard as you want.

I started with collecting Lincoln cents from circulation. That quickly spread to errors and varieties and collecting other US coins from circulation. That led to an interest in foreign coins, particularly foreign silver coins. When the supply of bank boxes dried up, my son and I got interested in ancient coins. We have learned so much from that. We enjoy collecting ancients, collecting foreign coins, and still roll search.

There are so many things you can do. If you want to learn about a broad array of coins and coin-related stuff, I highly recommend you peruse the forums here. There is a wealth of knowledge in these forums.

 

Thank you. You're a good man.

 

The information doesn’t change other than the price guide which isn’t very useful and the addition of the current years offerings..... Very honestly, I used my 1977 Redbook until my fading eyesight required a large print version last year.

 

Thank you again! The collection actually was given to our son, but I got hooked while he shrugged his shoulders.

So far, anyway.

I may need to ask you questions someday because my father in law was a 20 year navy veteran and we have as many foreign coins as domestic. BTW, since we really are quite tight with finances is there any reason to keep a bunch of Kennedy half and Ike dollars my wife brought home from work with nothing special I can find? Or if they could be sold for 2 cents profit, I often feel like I need every bit I can scrounge together. I tell people it used to be embarrassing. Now it's humiliating because I believe in being the provider of the family. Kinda like when I told my shrink I was not suicidal. After he let out a big sigh I said I was now homicidal. Only psychiatrist who ever said I didn't need to come back unless I really, really had to.

Thanks again.

 

I only have a 1975 Redbook found at my work of all places. It is decent but obviously isn't much help with any coins past 1975

 

As a 17 year Navy not quite veteran yet, I'm always happy to help a fellow Shipmate or his kid

For the Ikes and Kennedy's, there isn't much value in them beyond a few varieties or silver value, if they happen to be silver.

http://www.ikegroup.info/ is a good reference for Ikes. The biggest one I'd be on the lookout for is the 1972P Type 2.

Most Kennedys and Ikes are common though and you would go through way more hassle trying to sell them for "2 cents profit" than you would just turning them into the bank for face.

Again, if you have any questions...always feel free to post them here. There are plenty of people who are more than happy to help.

 

Sam, the great thing about collecting coins is there there is no wrong way to do it. There are folks here that collect four-five figure coins. There are others here that love the brilliance and perfection that is in a new strike. I happen to like Ike’s because they were one of the coins that inspired me as a youngster. But no, there is no real intrinsic value in most of them.... If you like them, then collect them....... As a funny aside, not long ago one of the members here tried to pay for a meal at Taco Bell with Ike’s not long ago. The cashier turned him away and told him they weren’t real money!!

 

As long as Op checks for T2's, I'm ok with him spending them at Taco Bell.

 

I bought my first 2020 Redbook and thought of 2 things after an initial flip-through. (1) They would need two volumes in another decade or so, especially with all the added commemorative quarters, dollars, etc., and (2) why don't they offer an electronic subscription?

 

From the moment they understood the concept I have taught my children to do what I'm about to do. Thank you for serving and allowing my kids to have the freedom they enjoy. My father in law is still living, he just wanted to be there when his grandkids got the gifts he had for them. I'll tell him about you. A side note, my father passed in '93 and it wasn't until the last three or four months that we found his service medals. I'll admit, I cried like a baby over the one for the little known skirmish "Normandy Campaign". No wonder WWII vets didn't like talking about what they had to live through. My family will add you to our prayer list, by name, and ask that you will never have to experience that level of lost humanity and that you find a ms70 1943 copper penny.

I want everyone on this forum to have their own, but you can have two.

Thank you again, for your service and your kindness.

 

I doubt the presidential coins we have are worth what we paid for them, but we bought our son one years ago that has George Jr. on one side and AL Gore on the other because the "hanging chad" thing in Florida held them up past pressing date. It's a phun thing to have. Before Jr. was declared the new king I bet they had nightmares trying to decide which side would be obverse and which was reverse.