I am new to coin collecting and I am curious what US coins are still in circulation that already are or may be worth looking for. I look forward to seeing posts along with any resources/links available. Thanks All, Jay
You can still find silver coins (silver nickels from WWII seem to be the easiest to find, for me), and wheat pennies aren't terribly difficult to find. I get half dollars and look for silver or silver clad. I found sixteen in a small batch a few weeks ago, but those are about the only ones I've found in a long time. I have hopes of finding some mint errors, but I haven't yet. Since I don't have much money to spend on coin collecting, sorting through change is one of the few releases I have! Now when I find older coins, I compare them to the ones I have in my folders at home. If they are in better shape, I swap them out. In the past couple of years I've found the silver clad half dollars, a silver Canadian quarter, some very pretty coins from the Cayman Islands, a couple of silver nickels, some wheat pennies (mostly from the 50s, but occasionally something older). Nothing valuable, but I get my kicks.
Silver Nickels and Half Dollars I'm a newbie, so here's my stupid questions: Are there silver dimes? How do you tell if a nickel or half dollar is silver, by weight, year, etc.? What is the difference between silver and silver-clad? Thanks in Advance, Jay
The easiest way to tell a silver coin from the copper-nickel clad coins that are in circulation is to look at the edge. If you see two bands, one copper in color and one that looks silver, it's a clad coin. If it's "pure" silver, then it's a silver coin. Or you could look at the date: anything minted for general circulation in the US after 1965 is a clad coin with a few minor exceptions
The silver-clad half dollars were minted from 1965 to 1970. After that, even the lower amount of silver in the coin made them too expensive to mint that way. I can never, ever remember dates, mintages, and the like, so I have to look up everything in the Red Book. I'm a newbie, too, but I've learned enough to know I can't get by without the Red Book. I have an old one (2000 or 2001, I can't recall...like I said, I can't remember dates!) but it works for me. They are not expensive, you can probably find one at the library, and they are very useful even if you only go through change from your pocket or the office Coke fund, like I usually do. It tells you relative ballpark value, mintages, double-die errors to look for, what the coins are made of, etc.
A good online source for learning basics about US coins is www.coinfacts.com It lists the metal content for most coins, and is just fun to poke through and learn. Also, as stated, read read read read read read. And when you've done that, read some more
It's been decided Pre-1964 Nickels First Roll Purchased had Three Inside... Thanks for the help everyone, Jay P.s. Feel Free To Post If You Think A Different Area Would Be Better For Me and The Kids To Collect, or if you think we've made a bad decision.
During World War II, nickel was in short supply and was needed for the war effort. Consequently, the Jefferson nickel minted during 1942 - 1945 were made of 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. Net weight of silver for a wartime nickel was .056 troy ounces. Afterwards, they went back to the orginal alloy composition of 75% copper and 25% nickel.
I'm sorry, I'm confused, from what I read in previos posts I thought all pre-64 coins were 90% silver with the exception of pennies... So, what does everyone propose as being the best coins in circulation to collect with the kids that will provide them with the best monetary value when they grow up. Thanks for any help, Jay
Never Mind, My Mistake... I found it in this post from James; Pre-1965 quarters, dimes, and halfs are 90% silver. 1965-1970 half dollars are 40% silver. I hope this helps! - James Thanks James, Looks like we are collecting dimes, unless someone else has a better suggestion... Thanks all, Jay
Kids should collect what they enjoy collecting but my own personal opinion of the most profitable coins in circulation will be the clad quarters. I would recommend that anyone interested in these coins buy the blue folders and collect them from change. watch for the best grades and varieties. There will be a few errors encountered also and these can make an interesting collection. There is real potential in all the circulating coinage because it has been ignored for so long, but the quarters probably offer the most opportunity due to the high attrition, great wear, and high visability caused by the state quarters. Many varieties remain unreported and these coins were very expensive to set aside back when wages were only a few thousand dollars per year (school teachers made about $2,500 per year in 1965). Cents may have the least potential for the amount of work but can be the most interesting since these have the most varieties and old one can still be found in high grade more easily than the other denominations.
