My $500 experiment...

I've come late to the game of looking for silver-y and other neat coins to acquire. Not really as a true coin collector but just to have fun to have. Trying to find any 90% silver U.S coins 1964 and earlier in general circulation is extremely rare. The 1965-1970 half dollars were 40% silver (not all the 1970 were) but I've gotten a roll here and there or loose half dollars from the banks off and on for about a year and half but no luck. I have found some 1976 Bicentennial Philly mint (plain) half dollars. I've decided to keep them because it was a pretty cool event and maybe they'll be worth more than face value in the future for my kids (maybe g-kids).



So I ordered an entire box ($500, 50 rolls) and picked it up today. It weighs about 25 pounds. My goal is to find 1% of something to keep of either 90% silver (very,very low chance), 40% silver (very low chance), and 1976 Bicentennial Philly mint (probable). What will also be interesting will be taking all the rest back in dribbles and drabs of $10 and $20 at a time. I'm sure there will be some eye rolling and sighs by all the people involved except me (he, he, he, he)

Speaking of $2 bills and half dollars, my non-ferrous guy loves 'em!!! Hands them out with most of my tickets (then again most of my tickets are small-er). Love to give them to teen-age cashiers and watch them fidget a bit about what to do (they usually get pumped about the $2 thinking that they are out of circulation even though most of them now come from a 2009 printing).

I'm sure I'll have to end up spending a lot of these because the wifey will get embarrassed taking back baggies of half dollars in $10 and $20 amounts to the bank. We'll see.

$100 in and I have found 5 Philly mint Bicentennials. Sort of what I expected...

I don't know, don't do "likes" on FB as well (I guess I've done some likes there). Maybe I just like be contrarian. I do thank people in various ways in the actual text of a post. So thank you Admiral Alum for reading and commenting on my post!! And to the rest of the folks who thank me as well.

$200 in and have found 12 Philly mint Bicentennials but 2 are badly discolored and I doubt they would ever have any numismatic value so they're going back into the pile...

Originally Posted by DakotaRog

I don't know, don't do "likes" on FB as well (I guess I've done some likes there). Maybe I just like be contrarian. I do thank people in various ways in the actual text of a post. So thank you Admiral Alum for reading and commenting on my post!! And to the rest of the folks who thank me as well.

$200 in and have found 12 Philly mint Bicentennials but 2 are badly discolored and I doubt they would ever have any numismatic value so they're going back into the pile...

Might look into a safe way to clean them back to new.

Brandon- You're right, I think they still do 90% silver for certain proof sets each year but I think it's rare they get in general circulation unless someone raids the grandparents or parents collection and spends them at face value (which happens time to time). I thought right after Christmas might be better looking as some stashes might have been turned in as actual cash.

I think I'm also at a disadvantage living in a smaller and somewhat isolated metro area. Just a lot less people moving money around. I think it's sort of the same thing watching the full-time on-line resellers. People dealing most with thrift stores have a lot more to hit and a lot more people dropping stuff off at them in a bigger metro or linked close by metros than my surrounds. There's a "threshold" in size that needs to be crossed (just my opinion).

Got through $300 tonight (600 coins). As I suspected, its looking pretty slim for any silver. Did pull out 3 more Philly mint Bicentennials. I'm glad I didn't pay $15 (the standard fee for a "box of half dollars) to do this.

Been collecting coins since I was in the 5th grade. Two uncles who are "big time" collectors got me started. I'm not into it like they are, as I like to acquire most of mine the old fashion way, in change. USA Numismatic collectors tend to desire perfect uncirculated coins, I just never liked that (boring to me). One of my first jobs was as a grocery store cashier. As I was going to school, I always worked nights, at closing time I would help the owner close-up. He would let me go through the coins and buy all of the ones I wanted. My collection really grew then, obtaining some old silver, I worked that job in the late 70's, so circulated silver was easier to find. As a business owner I have made friends with the tellers that deal with all the merchants. I let them know that I collect coins. So they save the rolled coins that are brought in from the smaller merchants. I buy these from the bank once a week, I still find some good coins this way. I only buy the "hand wrapped" rolls and not the bank wrapped ones.

When I joined the Navy and later working for airlines I started collecting foreign coins. I have a lot of silver foreign coins, so if silver is what you are looking for. Don't forget our neighbors, both Canada and Mexico made a lot of silver coins. Canada is also a good source of copper and nickel coins.

Originally Posted by bigburtchino

When I joined the Navy and later working for airlines I started collecting foreign coins. I have a lot of silver foreign coins, so if silver is what you are looking for. Don't forget our neighbors, both Canada and Mexico made a lot of silver coins. Canada is also a good source of copper and nickel coins.

From one Seaman to another, is there any specific years on those Canadian coins that might be silver? I have a bunch of dimes and pennies from there.

Originally Posted by Longhairboy

You still make fifty cent pieces in America? I thought those were all done.
The pennies are copper before sometime in the 60's I don't remember the actual date

We still have 50c pieces up here in dog sled country.... But you have to get them in sets you get from the mint or the Canada post office.

Originally Posted by DakotaRog

I've come late to the game of looking for silver-y and other neat coins to acquire. Not really as a true coin collector but just to have fun to have. Trying to find any 90% silver U.S coins 1964 and earlier in general circulation is extremely rare. The 1965-1970 half dollars were 40% silver (not all the 1970 were) but I've gotten a roll here and there or loose half dollars from the banks off and on for about a year and half but no luck. I have found some 1976 Bicentennial Philly mint (plain) half dollars. I've decided to keep them because it was a pretty cool event and maybe they'll be worth more than face value in the future for my kids (maybe g-kids).

So I ordered an entire box ($500, 50 rolls) and picked it up today. It weighs about 25 pounds. My goal is to find 1% of something to keep of either 90% silver (very,very low chance), 40% silver (very low chance), and 1976 Bicentennial Philly mint (probable). What will also be interesting will be taking all the rest back in dribbles and drabs of $10 and $20 at a time. I'm sure there will be some eye rolling and sighs by all the people involved except me (he, he, he, he)

Unfortunately the bicentennials with probably never have any real numismatic value, as there were hundreds of millions of them made, unless you happen to find one with an error on it.

Also, concerning the 1970 halves, all of them minted that year are 40% silver, although none were minted for circulation. The ones with the D mintmark were all made for the mint sets, and all the ones with the S mintmark were made for the proof sets. I have roll searched for many years, and have found a few of each of those, but they are extremely hard to come by as not too many people broke open their sets. I don't actively roll search any more, as there are too many people doing it, and the finds are few and far between. If I happen to go to the bank I will ask if they happen to have any halves. I have not found any silver for several months, and the rest I spend. It is amusing to watch many people who I spend them with get excited.

Originally Posted by logansryche

From one Seaman to another, is there any specific years on those Canadian coins that might be silver? I have a bunch of dimes and pennies from there.

On Canadian coins 1967 and prior are 80% silver. Some 1968 are also, just not all.

Originally Posted by Longhairboy

You still make fifty cent pieces in America? I thought those were all done.
The pennies are copper before sometime in the 60's I don't remember the actual date

If you are talking about US pennies, it is 1981 and prior (and some 1982). For Canadian pennies, it is 1996 and prior.

Thanks Wayne1956!! I think my roll searching will end as well after this attempt. I used to watch a few vids from a guy named "Silverpicker" until they got too long and then he started making much bigger buys than I'll ever be able to do. But when he first started out, he would just flat out ask people having rummage sales if they had any coin collections and then start negotiating there if they produced some. He was from some much larger northern metro like out of Mich. or upstate NY because he was when a day trip of the CAN border.

LoganRyche- sites like Coin Tracker will give detailed accounts of what typical North American silver coins are worth. Beyond CAN and Mex you'd have to do more digging but can probably find at least what amount of silver was in a coin. Good luck!!

P.S. Somehow I came into possession some coins from Morocco from the 1950s and they had some silver in them. They have gone into my silver pile so a guy never knows...