# I found rare coins! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712 "2002-07-07T01:01:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/21 "2002-07-08T23:57:11Z")
I have a dutch ducatoon and a piece of eight from 1635, salvaged from a shipwreck. I found it the day I was snorkelling over a shipwreck in Grand Cayman. Unfortunately, I found the coins in a coin store, and it wasn’t from the shipwreck I was snorkelling over. Still, they’re damn old and really nifty looking. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/22 "2002-07-09T01:49:05Z")
My brother once received a WW2-era steel penny in his change. It’s been years, so I don’t know if he still has it. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/23 "2002-07-09T02:36:17Z")
I have an ancient Roman coin but it needs to be cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/24 "2002-07-09T02:37:34Z")
I _HAD_ an American penny (I’m Canadian) from 1942. I kept it especially because they had just entered the war and maybe it would be worth more… I think I lost it though :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2002, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/25 "2002-07-09T16:49:56Z")
When my father and I started collecting in the late 1950’s, there were some interesting things you could still get out of circulation. We completed an entire collection of Lincoln cents to date (1958, IIRC) except for a 1931-S and a 1909-S-VDB completely from circulation, and were approaching this on buffalo and Jefferson nickels and Liberty and Roosevelt dimes. Got about a dozen Indian head pennies out of circulation, too. (One advantage – we were friends and neighbors with the people who owned the city bus company, and so would take $10 or so in pennies home at a time to sort through from their receipts before they deposited it.) Best find: a 1909-VDB in almost-uncirculated condition – it looked as though it’d been handled only once or twice in the 50 year span since being minted. ---
**Author:** ![Second](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Second](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/26 "2002-07-11T08:13:52Z")
I have a mint 1909 S-VDB, sucker is worth a nice chunk of change. My grandfather helped me build a nice collection when I was a kid. I have no idea where he got it, or how long he held on to that one penny. That and my 1899 Silver Certificate dollar. I dont’ think it’s worth much, but those two things I’ll never sell. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/27 "2002-07-11T12:54:05Z")
I once got a 1907 nickel in my 7-11 change. Where do they get those things? I’m holding onto it till 2007. More recently, I found a mint condition 1940’s dime on the street. And I once found a 1956 shilling in the parking lot behind my apartment house. I save all these things. Might need to turn them in some day. ---
**Author:** ![RedNaxela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ad7895/32.png) [@RedNaxela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedNaxela)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/28 "2002-07-11T14:18:59Z")
Years ago, when I was an avid coin collector, I found in my change a 1982 dime with no mintmark (all dimes minted since 1980 are supposed to have a mintmark, but that year the Philadelphia mint produced a couple of thousand without one). The list price for an uncirculated specimen was around $150-200; mine was well used, but I was still able to get about $50 for it at a coin shop. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/29 "2002-07-11T14:38:33Z")
Some guy found an 1800’s silver dollar in my city & put up a sign in his yard giving thanks that he found it. But someone must have reported him or the cops saw the sign cause in this city if you find something you have to give it to the cops for 90 days & his sign was down in a day. lol ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/30 "2002-07-11T17:24:05Z")
I was selling Scout-O-Rama tickets (the hateful things) door to door once and a guy bought one with five $1 silver certificates. I still have three of them. I believe I used the other two to buy candy from my sister. I hope she saved them. Hmm, actually I just looked it up (oh the joy of the internet) and they’re worth…[drumroll]…$1.25 in “circulated” condition. Or probably $1.00 in beat-to-hell condition, which is what mine are. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/31 "2002-07-12T04:52:23Z")
**Osip** said > [@](#): > > Well Sam, I am stalked by Mexican Pesos. (And)…DAMN I was hoping the 1850’s pesos that have been stalking me for years had decided to chase you. Well, here’s the problem. You contend that you have Mexican Pesos from the 1850’s. Mexico never heard of Pesos as a coin until 1864 when Maximilian became the Emperor. So, either change your dream sequence or dig those puppies out and tell me what their dates/denomination are. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/32 "2002-07-12T19:44:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > **What did I find but a pair of 1930’s Indian Head nickels! Yes, a _pair_ of them, dated 1935 and 1937. They’re not in mint condition, but their condition is far too good for them to have been circulating for 65 years. […] They’re probably worth a few bucks each,** My local coin dealer has a small bucket full of Indian-Head/Buffalo nickels that he sells for 20 cents each. That’s his _selling_ price; the price he’d be willing to pay to _buy_ one from some guy off the street would of course be less. So unless the buffalo on the back of that 1937 nickel is missing one of its legs, I wouldn’t bet on being able to sell either of those nickels for more than 15 cents or so. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/33 "2002-07-12T19:59:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > **I once got a 1907 nickel in my 7-11 change.** :eek: Ye gods! Those were the Barber-head V-back nickels that were minted **before** the Buffalo nickels! Whoo. > [@](#): > > **More recently, I found a mint condition 1940’s dime on the street. And I once found a 1956 shilling in the parking lot behind my apartment house.** I don’t know about them thar fancy-chmancy non-U.S. coins like “shillings”. Must be from some durned furrigners. 😉 As to the dime, was it post-1946 or pre-1946? I.e. did it have Roosevelt’s picture on the front, or a pictue of Lady Liberty wearing a winged shower cap? (I once found a 1933 S variety of the latter in a campground about 27 years ago, but it was so dirty it looked like a penny at first.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/34 "2002-07-12T20:58:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\* > :eek: Ye gods! Those were the Barber-head V-back nickels that were minted **before** the Buffalo nickels! Whoo. > I don’t know about them thar fancy-chmancy non-U.S. coins like “shillings”. Must be from some durned furrigners. 😉 > > As to the dime, was it post-1946 or pre-1946? I.e. did it have Roosevelt’s picture on the front, or a pictue of Lady Liberty wearing a winged shower cap? (I once found a 1933 S variety of the latter in a campground about 27 years ago, but it was so dirty it looked like a penny at first.) \*\* It was 1940, with the Lady Liberty on it. Mint condition. How much? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/35 "2002-07-12T21:35:07Z")
Depends on what you mean by “mint condition”. If you found it on the street, it isn’t in true Mint State (uncirculated) condition. It might, however, qualify for “About uncirculated” condition. Unfortunately, being “shiny” is not an indicator of a coin’s condition. Anyone can dunk a silver coin in Tarn-X and polish it. No, the condition of the coin is based on the degree of **wear**. One way to tell if it’s in About Uncirculated condition or not is to look at the fasces on the back. That’s the pillar with the axe head sticking out of one side. Notice that across the fasces, there are three horizontal bands. Look very closely at the middle band. No, closer. **Really** closely. You’re not close enough yet. _There!_ If the coin is in pristine shape, you should be able to see a horizontal **split** down the middle of the center band, i.e. it’s actually two horizontal bands, squished one right on top of the other. If you don’t see the split at all, or if the split doesn’t run the full width of the band, then it’s **not** About Uncirculated condition. The split-band is one of the first things to wear off when people handle such a dime with their fingers. The other question is, does this 1940 dime have a mint mark? That is, is there a little letter “D” or “S” on the back, near the rim, right after the big “E” in “ONE”? That will have an effect on its value. ---
**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/36 "2002-07-12T22:56:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\ ***Osip** said > > Well, here’s the problem. You contend that you have Mexican Pesos from the 1850’s. > > Mexico never heard of Pesos as a coin until 1864 when Maximilian became the Emperor. > > So, either change your dream sequence or dig those puppies out and tell me what their dates/denomination are. \*\* Well is what I was told… what were they called exactly? I Know they are Mexican, silver and have the dates correct. Will run down to the bank SD box next week. I just always assumed it was a peso. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/37 "2002-07-13T04:30:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\*It [the dime] was 1940, with the Lady Liberty on it. Mint condition. How much? \*\* \< **tracer** , now in the comfort of his own home, hauls out his copy of R.S. Yeoman’s _A Guidebook of United States Coins_, 2002 edition\> There is no price listing for About Uncirculated quality dimes in this book for that year. However, if your 1940 dime is in Extra Fine condition (the next tier below About Uncirculated, which is a reasonable guess), it’s worth $1.25 regardless of whether it’s a 1940 D, 1940 S or 1940 plain. ---
**Author:** ![blindboygrunt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@blindboygrunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboygrunt)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/38 "2002-07-13T20:05:16Z")
The rarest bill i have is a Canadian $50 bill from 1950’s that i received from the bank. the bill had the infamous devil’s face in her hair and was shortly after being issued was changed. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/39 "2002-07-16T02:30:27Z")
As far as short-lived coin issues go, I have a 1917 Vairety 1 standing liberty quarter. That was the one where Lady Liberty’s left boob was hanging out in the breeze for all the world to see. (Not that you can see much from a tiny image on an inch-wide worn-down disc of metal, of course.) This design was changed soon after its introduction so that Lady Liberty’s breast was covered. Too bad. I think we could all use some more boobs on our money. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712/40 "2002-07-16T03:44:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Too bad. I think we could all use some more boobs on our money. Keep the faith. I have it on good authority that they will print a set of notes in the near future featuring portraits of Clinton, Rush, Ann Coulter, etc.🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-rare-coins/117712.md?page=3)