Pare Down & Transfer Coins?

whitebonus

My sister & I just inherited a sizable amateur coin, bill & stamp collection.

Coins include:

hundreds of pennies (wheat, steel, most pre 1940s) & at least one Liberty Head large cent.
Many nickels (including Buffalo) & one Liberty Head V nickel.
Many dimes
Many quarters, including a few complete 50-states, & older Franklin.
Some 1930s & 40s half dollars, & many Kennedy.
At least 6 Sacagawea dollars
Eisenhower & other silver dollars dating back to the late 1800s.
Some labelled "Special?" Some labelled "Foreign."

Most coins are in zip lock plastic bags where they can slide around & potentially damage each other.

I'm only in town for 5 more days.

Is there a quick way with inexpensive materials that I can transfer the coins to better protect them in the short term – like for a year or so?

I'm considering getting some acid-free archival paper from an art supply store to wrap the coins in. Do you think that would work?

Also, is there a quick way to pare down the number of coins which may never be of any more than their face value? How do I choose which coins to remove from the collection?

I would greatly appreciate any quick timely advice you can provide.

Thank you very much.

whitebonus

Greenstang

To protect your coins, buy some proper size 2x2’s for each denomination. This way you can also write on what each coin is for easy identification.
As far as what to keep and what remove, it all depends on condition variety and if any are errors.
Without a clear photo of each side of the coins it is hard to advise on what to keep.
The only ones that might not have much value would be the 50 states and Sacagawea dollars if they are circulated.

ifthevamzarockin

Welcome to the forum!

Without some photos it will be hard to give you accurate information.

Many of the circulated wheat cents you have would be around 3 cents each unless you have some better dates/mint marks.
A large cent could have some value but without a date or condition it would be hard to give a value estimate.

Most circulated Buffalo nickels would be around 7-15 cents each unless you have some better dates/mint marks or errors.

Most circulated Roosevelt dimes will be worth silver value, around $1.53 each at todays spot price.

Most of your circulated Kennedy halves would also be silver value, around $7.67 each at todays spot price.
Your 30's & 40's halves could be worth more depending on condition and date.

Your Sac dollars are face value, you can spend them.

Eisenhower dollars are between $1.25 - $1.50 for circulated examples.
For other silver dollars from the 1800's we would need photos and date information to help you.

Anything labeled "special" we would need photos.

IkesT

For the more valuable coins that need extra protection (not all will, as discussed above), coin flips are a more convenient option than 2x2's, as it will save you the time of stapling them shut. With a coin flip, you just slip the coin in and fold.

Also note that, in average condition, the 40% silver Eisenhower dollars (made for the collector market) are worth more than the copper-nickel dollars made for circulation.

Greenstang

With the exception of rare coins, condition plays a big part in the value of a coin.
Coins with wear and damage such as the ones you are showing would probably sell for a couple of cents each

whitebonus

Thank you all for the informative & quick responses to my post!

Yes, without photos it's hard to advise on what coins to delete (or at least which ones don't warrant careful storage).

I was guessing that an abundant coin like the 1918 Lincoln Wheat Penny (from the Philadelphia mint) which is very worn, like the one we have & I'm posting, is only worth face value. Is that a good general rule of thumb — abundant & very worn = face value (at best)?

(Note: 'Not sure why the "straight on" photos ended up so much redder than the slight angle shots.)

Regarding my question about using acid-free archival paper to hold the coins, I found a few comments online that support that approach, so I went out & bought that paper.

Thanks again for your feedback to my post.