Question for people over 40

ccex

What is the oldest U.S. coin you have spent?

Some of you have seen a similar thread titled "question for people under 40" which asks what's the oldest coin you have received in change. This is just the opposite.

I am now 46 and have been collecting coins on and off since age 11. Llike most of us, I started by saving the oldest coins I found in circulation, and hoarded any silver coins I found, along with most wheat cents and nickels from the 1950s or earlier. I was more likely to keep an older coin not worth much above face than to spend it (despite any numismatic premium and the erosion of its value due to inflation) when I was a kid.

The oldest coin I remember spending was an AG 1916 Barber dime at the local hot dog stand three years ago. It got me great service there until the place closed. I also give out dateless Buffalo nickels to panhandlers, so it's possible one of these is a couple of years earlier.

csw

Mid-teens Lincoln cents in poor condition. Back in the 1970s when I was just starting to collect.

lonelyp

oldest spent?
I couldn't say. I have nickles from the 30s in my acumulated change now. But not in great shape. I'll take a quick look ans see if I can find a few to scan.

lonelyp

quick look found a 39 not terrible.

solid

I've spent a few problem Liberty nickles and Indian cents...don't know the dates, though.

I figure it might make someone's day to get them in change...hopefully a child!

Ken

wam98

What is the oldest coin you have spent ?

I can't remember what the oldest coin was. I do remember as a kid though, that Mercs, silver roosies and quarters an occasional Buffalo were common to find in circulation. Didn't see many half $ but I remember Mom hoarding Kennedys. Wonder what happened to them ?

As a kid me and my buddies would take pop bottles to the store for deposite to get enough money for a soda or candy. The only store in our community for miles which was ran by three brothers. Anyway one of the brothers pulled every piece of silver out of circulation that came into that store. He showed them to me probably around 1964. He kept his silver in old ammo boxes, seperated by denomination. Some of the boxes were full and he had more than one of them too. He's still living to this day and must be 99 by now.

Something else of interest. My grandmother gave me some silver certificates for my birthday when I was young. She would write on the border of the 1$ Gave to Wayne on his so and so birthday. I still have them around here somewhere. Anyway, I remember her telling me that I could take the silver certificates to any bank and get a real silver dollar. Wonder what year the banks stopped doing that ?

ms70

I once spent a BU 1943 Steel Lincoln at a 7-11 in Las Vegas. It was in the mid-morning hours & I handed the woman cashier my money. She
looked at it, plucked it out & threw it in the garbage. I told her that was an old steel penny. She said, "I don't care." And that was that.

Interestingly, she was certainly old enough to have remembered them circulating during WWII. It was a coin I didn't want to keep and I thought
it would be fun to circulate it. If the garbage can wasn't behind the counter I would have fished it out and spent it elsewhere.

Gemini

I once cashed in $200.00 in Liberty Walkers at my Bank to go on a criuse in the early 1960's that I had searched through after getting from a friend who had a deli.

I also spent Indian cents in bubble gum machines many Buffalo nickels thousands of Merc dimes Washington silver quarters (including many dateless Standing Liberties) and spent common date Morgan and Peace dollars. Not many wanted to receive the heavier dollar coins in payment back then believe it or not. This was when silver coins were no big deal and easy to find in circulation.

MORGANHUNTER2

I just dropped a bunch o ol Buff nickels into the toll booth on Saturday- it went thru.

they were no dates.

Have more also- 4 dolla worth.

kenoshapete

kenoshapete

1866 Shield nickel that I bought from an antique store. It was worn smooth on both sides when I bought it so I couldn't tell what it was. I soaked the entire coin in some nic-a-date and that's when it brought the nickel back to life. The nic-a-date didn't do a great job, but you could tell what it was. So, I gave it to my kid to put in the offering plate a church about a year ago.

Russ

I've spent several Two Cent Pieces.

Russ, NCNE

Coinhusker1

I put a worn 1911 V-Nickel in a soda machine.

RickMilauskas

I'd have to say a wheat cent from the 40's

cosmicdebris

Dateless Buffalos

dougwtx

I have left fractional currency and horse blankets as tips. My work cafeteria refused to accept the fractionals so I couldn't really say I "spent" them.

Doug

quarterjack

I was the youngest of 5 boys so money was in short supply but i do remember spending silver Washintons, standing liberty's and indian cents at the local store for candy and bubblegum. Also recall my mother paying the milkman (yes he delivered milk to our rural house) with peace dollars and also Morgans.

Dave

Weiss

I'm only 35, but I returned an 1804 half cent to circulation when I dropped it into a parking meter back in college. It was the spiked chin variety, but it had a small hole punched through it. Did it just to be silly. Wonder what the finder of that coin thought? Incidentally, it didn't register any time on the meter

Russ

BTW, I spent a 1962 proof Frankie at the post office this morning. The clerk loves me.

Russ, NCNE

mrfred

the other day, I put a really worn 1920 wheat cent into the give-a-penny-take-a-penny tray at a local espresso shop.

It was gone the next day.

FD

pharmer

I dropped two 1939 Lincolns in one of our registers the other day. If you get a horse blanket as a tip, do you consider that a good thing?

EJB

Long time ago spent a Monroe Doctrine comm half at the second mc donalds ever, in Pico Revera Cal, Got 2 burgers and a drink, also recieved a penny in change...guess my age...

weresteve

<< <i>Long time ago spent a Monroe Doctrine comm half at the second mc donalds ever, in Pico Revera Cal, Got 2 burgers and a drink, also recieved a penny in change...guess my age... >>



Young enough to remember another California upstart ... when it took off and then when it shrank back to the original store ... the now politically incorrect Sambo's. Still have a few wooden nickels from them along with a couple of bicentennial tokens.

EJB

Use to go to the one in Palm Springs, remember that one...

nesvt

Sometimes I use my worn common date Morgans as part of a tip (after checking for VAMs). Left an 1884-O with the person in the hotel concierge lounge a few weeks ago (in exchange for my free breakfast).

grip

What quarterjack said.
Al

nankraut

I've spent several Two Cent Pieces.

Russ, NCNE
Yikes!

majorbigtime

I remember many circulating buffalo nickels, mercury dimes, SLQs, walkers and Morgan & Peace dollars in the 50s, and an occasional indian cent, V nickel, barber dime, quarter or half. Once in a blue moon, a well-worn seated coin would turn up too.

I spent my share. I also kept a ton of 'em, and enjoy giving 'em to kids for Xmas.

Those were the days!

papabear

I am 44 and run a metal detector so some times I spend Indian cents that I find that are in bad shape

jdp2

I am certain I have never spent a dime or quarter older than 1965. Pennies and nickels maybe.

sumnom

My mother was in Oklahoma and Utah during WWII and she said that people there preferred silver dollars to paper currency. I am assuming these would have been Peace dollars and morgans. She came back to the east coast around 1944-45 and brought some her silver back with her, to the amazement of friends back home.

OKbustchaser

Like Russ, I used to spend 2 cent pieces every once in a while just to see the cashier's face. Did the same thing with seated half dimes. For some reason I've never spent a trime...Hummm...People in Oklahoma City need to check their registers the next few days.

Jim

Nickelback

We used to turn in bottles for candy money also - and I remember some Buffaloes and Merc dimes that we weren't sure they would take at the 7-Eleven, but they did.

grip

Five cents a bottle

OnlyBuffalos

Had a paper route in the early 1950s and was responsible for weekly collections from my customers. It was not incommon to receive Indian cents and Barber dimes and quarters in payment. Did not pay any attention to the dates and spent everything without distinction. Even got some "horseblankets" occasionally. There was a coin dealer on Addison Avenue very near Wrigley Field who would buy the horseblankets for $1.25 in the early 1950s and sell them for $1.50.