I have 5 bank rolled 1974-D cents. Would you crack them open to search for the impossibly elusive Aluminum cent? I know! It would be tougher than winning the lottery, but do these rolls have any less value if they are searched or not? Speaking of value. What grade are unopened rolls considered to be in? And, why does the Red Book and PCGS price guide differ so much in the value of the these? RB saying $.30 in MS-65 and PCGS saying $10 (or am I not reading the PCGS chart correctly???) And finally, what is a roll of 1974-D really worth on selling? Thanks!
No, I'd crack them open to look for a 10-carat diamond. They're more common, more likely to fall into circulation, and easier to sell (since they're legal to own). You won't find an aluminum cent. They weren't made with other cents, weren't rolled with other cents, weren't put into circulation. But if you won't believe the folks here, get a good scale and weigh each roll. If you find one that weighs about 2 grams less than the others, open it. It might contain an aluminum cent. Or, about a trillion times more likely, it contains some Zinc cents and the person selling it to you as a "bank roll of 1974 cents" was lying.
re redbook should never ever be used for prices, as it is stationary and does not reflect trends in the marketplace..used for reference only, i.e. mintages and such..for pricing i use numismedia, or pcgs..those are more in tune with pricing rends..even 40 years ago when i was dealing full time i never used ol red for that,,lol
As @-jeffB said, get a very accurate scale and weigh each roll. Still not a perfect way to tell, but close enough. Value? What ever someone is willing to pay. For me . . . 50¢. As to Red Book vs. PCGS values, remember that at the time the Red Book was printed for sale, the prices listed were already out of date. I always go by what the coins were recently sold for as my guide line.
