Unopened boxes of mint rolls - should I consolidate by opening them and throwing out the boxes?
Mr_Spud
Posts: 5,370 ✭✭✭✭✭
I’m in the process of organizing my collection. One of the things I used to do habitually was order mint rolls of interesting coin designs and just keeping them in their unopened boxes. I’ve stopped buying them completely a few years back once I saw how much room they were taking and realizing how common these coins are. I was keeping them in an airtight industrial drum with large desiccant cartridges in there with them.
Now I’m wondering if I should just go ahead and open the boxes and storing just the rolls in a much smaller airtight container with desiccants in with them. But would this make them worth less? Is there a significant premium if the boxes aren’t opened? Many of them just have 2 rolls in them so I could probably be able to downsize from the big blue drums to small Tupperware if I was just storing the rolls without the excess packaging. I have more than what is pictured.
Thanks, in advance, for any replies
Mr_Spud
Comments
Nothing better than a barrel full of money lol
If you're ever going to sell I'd keep them as is (do you know what is in each box?).
It depends on what your plan is...
Definitely worth more in the sealed mint boxes and they are easier to sell. For certain issues the date codes make a difference as varieties are associated with some date and time codes.
I don’t know what is in each box, but many have enough info to ID them and I have post it notes on some of them that don’t.
I might flip some, sooner or later, but mainly I’m making “time capsules” of unopened rolls of modern coins with the thinking that no one cares about them enough to store them properly. I’m thinking that one day, probably about 50 years from now or even longer, that mine won’t be full of carbon spots and other environmental damage like most others that don’t store them as carefully. Especially zinc Lincoln’s and Sacajawea’s and innovation dollars. Mine will probably still have some toning on the ends and rims from the paper but I’m hopeful that if the air in the containers is less than 40% RH they will age with less environmental damage than the vast majority. I’ll probably end up giving most of them away to YNs in about 20 years or so unless some rare varieties make some of the unsearched rolls really valuable.
Mr_Spud
I was afraid of that. I guess I should probably just keep them in the unopened boxes then if that makes them worth more.
I’m probably just going to consolidate the other mint products I have then. I have another one of those drums stuffed full of mint coins in various clamshell holders, only they aren’t in sealed boxes. I’m thinking of taking out the coins in their mint capsules and putting the empty clamshells and their boxes back into the drum and putting the drum either in the attic or an offsite storage facility where I keep our Christmas decorations. Then I can store just the coins in their mint capsules in much smaller airtight containers with desiccant. The more valuable gold ones will be able to fit into one of my safety deposit boxes and I can keep the less valuable silver ones at home so I have some coins to play around with when I get tired of just looking at images of my slabbed coins.
Mr_Spud
I have thought about this as well, as I have no plans on flipping my American Women rolls I have decided to go ahead and open mine. Im in the process of customizing (4) 2x2x14 boxes thats used for flips, (1) per year so they store better for my use.
I’ve tossed the boxes from any I’ve acquired. It will be 300 years before any of these have added value.
Finding the persons who will pay more than face value for these is the challenge. I found that my favorite B&M coin store wouldn't pay more than face value for my copper pennies 1982 and before. I was hoping for just 1-1/2 cents apiece for them but "nope,we can't do it" was my answer. So I let them have the pennies at face value and traded for some real collector coins & a bit of cash in folding money. Got rid of a lot of poundage of coins that I had grown tired of dealing with. Came out of that shop smelling like a rose that day.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
If I were you I would break them out and spend them, get enough money to buy another coin for your type set(s)
JMO
Mike
My Indians
Danco Set
They will likely sell better in the condition you have saved them. Unopened boxes proves further security that they have not been searched. That being said, at the present time, I would not think the premiums will be significant. Perhaps in ten years more, or if some special error shows up. Cheers, RickO
If you have the room, perhaps put them back as is and revisit this question in 6-12 months. At that time maybe a path will become clear and if leaving them original is the choice, your good. Should you feel that breaking them out is right, carry on.
My 2 percent as always and good luck. 👍🏼
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
In the 2009 Lincoln cent series there were several doubled dies in The Formative Years coins(Philadelphia mint). That was the second coin minted in the series. That is probably the boxes marked LP2. I would either hunt for the varieties or leave those sealed and they should bring a premium. Looking at the PCGS price guide, for that series, MS67RD coins are all 3 figure prices. Maybe hunt high grade coins?
https://pcgs.com/prices/detail/lincoln-cent-modern/47/grades-61-70/ms?pn=3
Thanks @Snaps , that’s great info
Mr_Spud
@Snaps 's advice is great.
I have unopened boxes of Formative Years cents and they're never gonna be worth a ton. I might as well have myself some fun cointime checking out each and every one before I go spend them all.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
Keeping the boxes sealed would be nice, but hunting the rolls would be fun also. I've done both.
Out of the tens of thousands of copper pennies that I found and saved hoping to get a few cents apiece for someday, I found not a single Red Book listed variety. The reward for me is the knowledge that the accumulation of copper pennies I sold to the shop for face value were searched, definitely searched and searched well. My estimation of value of the coins I traded for along with the folding money received is 2-1/2 times total face value of the pennies.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.-Albert Einstein
I've never bought rolls so I don't know if this is possible, but I save all the mint boxes (modern commems, medals, etc) separate from the coins that were in those boxes. That way if I ever want to sell I have that stuff but I don't have to take special measures to store "all" of it.
the 2009 coins with a slightly lower mintage are most probably worth a little more.
Keep them all as is.
Pete
I worked in a shop during the late 80’s and 90’s. My boss cracked out out every GSA dollar to conserve space to take them to shows, probably 100’s. Not such a good idea looking back.
Anticipation vs. catharsis-
It’s a struggle for me. When I want I to violate a roll of uncirculated coins I search a fifty-year-old customer wrap out of a dozen that I keep.
Given the marked decline in the quality of packaging here in 2023, I ended my subscriptions to the Quarters and Half Dollars. The few I have from 2022 are being kept in the boxes which are as delivered, sealed up.
I hope everyone knows that the mint rolls are no different than the OBW's you can get at a bank. A friend of mine use to own the FED coin distribution for Oregon. He told me that his friend who owned a similar armored car company in Denver had the contract to create (at least the D rolls) and they all came from the same ballistic bags that he gets.
The exception would be the coins (like the half) that don't enter circ unless they come from mint rolls. Same process you just can't get them at a bank.