Anyone here fellow coin collectors? Or even better, silver and/or gold bullion collectors?

[Estil | 1,265]

So just under a couple years ago I took the plunge and started doing a coin collection, which you can read the full story here:

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1076707/so-i-finally-took-the-plunge-became-a-coin-collector-old-fashioned-roll-hunting-kind-update#latest

And why doing regular ol' coin roll hunting and filling in Whitman folders is a lot of fun, and it's a really special treat to get to do half dollar rolls (as my local bank and credit union branch so rarely have any) my REAL love is, as Yukon Cornelius would say, SILVER!!  When I started my hobby my grandma let me go through her big penny jar (I sometimes like to get a whole box/case of pennies ($25 or fifty rolls of 50 cents each) and keep aside not only the Wheaties and Canadians but copper (1959-81) pennies as well!) and the nickels/dimes/quarters she had...and she had a little baby food jar that had 17 silver FDR dimes, six silver quarters, and even a few silver JFK halves!  For those who don't know, dimes/quarters/halves from 1964 or earlier had 90% silver...or as I like to say, back when we had good HONEST money.

And how have I managed to do with my silver stash so far?  Well, I got all the American Silver Eagles (BU in capsules of course) up to 2020 except 1986, 1995, 1996, 1998) and I got a few Canadian Silver Maple Leaves as well (so far I got 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1999).  Plus I got two folders of silver FDR dimes and two sets of silver GW quarter folders (the ones I'm missing are in the link above).  And yes, even Mercury dimes, no doubt Alan Jacksons favorite!  I want to next get started on silver Franklin and Walking Liberty halves...which maybe I could get a few if those KY unclaimed property checks I applied for ever arrive...

And last but not least I have a neat bronze/silver/gold plated 1992 Kentucky Bicentennial coins that only 1,792 of each were made (and a set of three has matching serial numbers) and just recently picked up a neat 1969 silver coin commemorating UK's 1000th franchise win and Adolph Rupp's 800th coaching win (and it just so happens he was inducted into the HOF that year as well).

So, any other fellow coin and/or silver enthusiasts here?  I'm really happy my local coin shop is a lot closer to me now!

Edited April 5 by Estil

[Mega Tank | 964]

@Hybrid

[Daniel_Doyce | 475]

Depends where you want to go with the hobby. Searching through rolls is fun, but pointless nowadays for silver. You'll get more checking the Coinstar reject bin. There's a huge spectrum from that to collecting slabbed DCAM Franklin halves, which look so amazing. Franklin halves are even prettier than Walking Liberty halves IMO.

I'd consider straight bullion accumulation a different beast altogether, and not really a hobby. You can just get silver at some small markup above spot from places like APMEX

[Daniel_Doyce | 475]

Here's an example of a DCAM proof Franklin MS68 currently on ebay. It's hard to photograph these slabs and do the coins themselves justice. Getting a deep cameo (DCAM) early strike commands a large premium compared to normal proofs.

 

[Daniel_Doyce | 475]

Should also point out that if you have any 1965-1969 Kennedy halves still, they are 40% silver. There are 1970 silver halves, but only in mint sets.

Edited April 5 by Daniel_Doyce

[Estil | 1,265]

40 minutes ago, Daniel_Doyce said:

Depends where you want to go with the hobby. Searching through rolls is fun, but pointless nowadays for silver. You'll get more checking the Coinstar reject bin. There's a huge spectrum from that to collecting slabbed DCAM Franklin halves, which look so amazing. Franklin halves are even prettier than Walking Liberty halves IMO.

I'd consider straight bullion accumulation a different beast altogether, and not really a hobby. You can just get silver at some small markup above spot from places like APMEX

Actually I did once get super lucky and got a 1900 Barber quarter out of a roll from a local Kroger!  Though obviously I'm very much a silver collector first (want to get as many years/mintmarks as I can) and a stacker second.

[Estil | 1,265]

37 minutes ago, Daniel_Doyce said:

Should also point out that if you have any 1965-1969 Kennedy halves still, they are 40% silver. There are 1970 silver halves, but only in mint sets.

Yes indeedy!!  It can be VERY easy to overlook those as well as the 35% silver war nickels (1942-45; the ones with the big letter above the Monticello; incredibly at the time apparently nickel was more important for the war effort than silver!!).  And of course when CRHing pennies be sure to keep aside ones 1981 or earlier!  They're at least 3x their face value in their 95% copper content!  True copper is only a semi-precious metal but it too can be fun to collect!  For example, I got a nice starter set of Ike dollar size UK schedule coins from the mid-to-late 80s (I think they were made 70s-early 00s); I'm not sure if they're bronze or brass though...

Believe it or not, you can still find a few Buffalo nickels CRHing (sadly you might be able to see the year/mintmark which is no good for filling your album holes) and I even once found an INDIAN penny!!

Edited April 5 by Estil

[cartman | 195]

Since coins are rarely used here anymore i think some of the magic has gone with them. Not that modern coins would ever be valued much - i'm rather talking about the instituton itself and the lack of interaction and personal attachment.

 

 

[Estil | 1,265]

On 4/4/2024 at 11:15 PM, Daniel_Doyce said:

 Getting a deep cameo (DCAM) early strike commands a large premium compared to normal proofs.

I always thought the term premium regarding silver/gold coins/bullion was a bit odd.  Am I buying silver or am I buying insurance?  I mean I guess you gotta call it something but I'm more used to these kind of premiums:

[Daniel_Doyce | 475]

41 minutes ago, Estil said:

I always thought the term premium regarding silver/gold coins/bullion was a bit odd.  Am I buying silver or am I buying insurance?  I mean I guess you gotta call it something but I'm more used to these kind of premiums:

Well, words can have more than one meaning, ya know.

Are you interested in bullion or collectible coins? Because they are two different things. You can get bags of cull Franklins to just get melt value coins, but the high end deep cameo proof Franklins command a premium even over regular proofs as truly rare (and beautiful) coins.

[The Count | 527]

I still set aside wheat ears and older currency and Canadian change when I come across it, I just don't pay with cash much these days.

[Estil | 1,265]

4 hours ago, Daniel_Doyce said:

Well, words can have more than one meaning, ya know.

Are you interested in bullion or collectible coins? Because they are two different things. You can get bags of cull Franklins to just get melt value coins, but the high end deep cameo proof Franklins command a premium even over regular proofs as truly rare (and beautiful) coins.

I have to at least be able to tell the year and mintmark so I can fill my albums (most of my collecting hobbies do involve trying to get all the years (and mintmarks)).  Otherwise it's no fun.  So obviously I'm a collector first and a stacker second.

[Estil | 1,265]

1 hour ago, The Count said:

I still set aside wheat ears and older currency and Canadian change when I come across it, I just don't pay with cash much these days.

You can get rolls at your local bank or credit union and do it that way!  You can get a whole box of pennies (50 rolls of 50 pennies each) for $25 and you'll get to count all the Wheaties and Canadians and coppers (1959-81) you get!  And for whatever reason Sesame Street very seldom if ever mentions numbers after 40 (their "brought to you by" numbers only go up to 20) so imagine getting to count twenty five hundred pennies!  *Kermit freaking out from the thunder and lightning* Ah ha ha ha ha!  

[The Count | 527]

@Estil Haha, that's why I can't count that high. My book of wheat ears is pretty solid, but I'm missing some of the toughies. 

[Estil | 1,265]

29 minutes ago, The Count said:

@Estil Haha, that's why I can't count that high. My book of wheat ears is pretty solid, but I'm missing some of the toughies. 

Then you must be like Scrooge McDuck and be tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties!  No not the candy.

I wish i could find that one clip where you decide to count the number of hairs on Gordon's head...ZERO!  There are ZERO hairs on Gordon's head!  And then you decided to count the little hairs on Gordon's mustache!  

BTW, did you know that Frida from ABBA is a Countess?  No fooling!