Treasures in your Pocket Change

What do you think of when you hear someone says coin collecting? Do you think of a weird hobby for old people, or a way to make a profit? That's right, a way to make a profit. Have you ever heard of the term, Coin Roll Hunting? If you haven’t, let me explain it to you. Coin roll hunting is a term that coin collectors use when they go through rolls of coins looking for something worth more than face value. You can find some very cool and valuable coins, and you won't lose any money because you're only getting the coins for face value!

One example is when you go through cents, whether in pocket change or in cent rolls, you look for error coins (coin that the mint messed up on) or wheat cents. The value of these coins are worth more than the face, one cent. So if you were to sell them to a coin dealer or other coin collectors, you would make some money. And even if you didn’t find anything worth more than face value, you can didn’t lose any money because you only got it for one cent! So no matter what, you win!

When coin roll hunting, you always want to remember these basic rules. For cents, everything before 1982 is 95% copper (worth about three cents in melt value) and everything before 1959 is a wheat cent. For nickels, everything before 1938 is a buffalo nickel, and the years 1942-1945 is made out of 35% silver. About a dollars worth of silver. For dimes, quarters, and half dollars before 1965 are made out of 90% silver. And half dollars made between 1971-1964 are made of 40% silver. You could even find some silver dollars, but the last ones made was in 1935 but if you do find one, there worth at least $15, even if it's all scratched up and in terrible condition.

As you become a better coin collector, you can find some other valuable coins in your pocket change. Such as double dies and repunched mint marks. These can fetch a pretty penny. If you want to become a better Coin Collector, here are some good sources for you to read. These include the Cherrypickers Guide to coin Collecting and The Coin Collector's Survival Manual, by Scott A. Travers. These can help you go from a coin collector to a Numismatist, which is someone who studies and appreciates the history of their coins. You can enjoy the great hobby of coin collecting, while at the same time making a profit. Who wouldn’t want that?

Thank you,

Kyle Smith