What coins have you SPENT?

lonelyp

I was born in 61,

I know I have spent weat backs, Who hasent. I'm even sure I have spent a vdb, but I couldnt say 09s vdb.

At least a few buffalows, And merc dimes. If I ever spent an IHP, I confussed it for canadian or something.

I can't remember ever having an SLQ, Or walker as a kid. And I know I never spent a Morgan or peace dollar.

1/2 dimes. 3cent nickles, 20 cent pcs. NEVER.

I got a weeks pay in IKE dollars one week in the 70s. I think they where trying to flood them into circulation at the time.

Just cureious
pz

kranky

I don't think anyone can top Russ in this department.

fishcooker

Last Sunday night, near closing time I bought a newspaper with a Suzy B and a JFK.

The cashier had no idea that they represented $1.50 USD.

After I'd taken 3 steps towards the door to leave, she shouted to her co-workers - "HEY! Look what THIS guy just spent!!!" as if they were solid silver!

Prethen

As a kid, I spent a 1909-VDB cent (XF, I think) in an arcade machine trying to see if I could fool it into giving me a free game. I know, I know....what a moron. I thought it was just a recent cent but when I got home and realized what I had done I'm sure I screamed.

Other than that, I've spent a war nickel recently. No big loss (about a 15¢ value).

BillJones

As a "semi senior citizen" I've spent a lot things that many of you would have liked.

Back in the 1950 and '60s silver coins were the "coins of the realm" Ditto for wheat pennies. I also spent a silver dollar or two when I was kid. One could get them at the bank then at face value. You could find steel cents and buffalo nickels in circulation too.

I NEVER spent any Indian cents, Barber coins or liberty nickels. I did find a couple of those, and they went into my boyhood hoard.

PutTogether

I've left Morgans as tips a lot. And at an expensive resteraunt after great service, and the waiter recognizing that we were talking about coins, I left a worn beat up 1928 Peace Dollar as a tip.

It's kind of a mix between "spending" and "giving away"

pharmer

It is fulfilling to do that to reward great service, quite a statement. Of course, it may just have been a dollar to the wait staff.

LanLord

19Lyds

As a kid I have spent old wheaties, buffalo's, merc's, SLQ's, Frankies, Walkers, Peace and Morgans. As an adult I have spent the new golden dollars, SBA's, Peace Medal nickels by the roll (P&D) and my biggest mistake Tennessee D State quarters by the roll. Eight of them went bye bye at face. A couple months later they were trading for $50 each!

Now, everything gets held onto for at least 6 months!

Pistareen

Probably 10-15 years ago, I was working with the ANA to promote National Coin Week, back before you could get arrested for spending $2 bills. For a week, my mother and I spent weird stuff in every small transaction:

A fast-food burger bought with 3 $1 cut off an uncut sheet with pinking shears but left attached to each other. I'll never forget the puzzled look on the poor girl's face as she neatly folded the piece twice and tucked in the $1 drawer!

Stamps bought with ratty old fractional notes (postage currency!) and a horrendously worn 2 cent piece. We really had to explain this one to the postal clerks.

Lots and lots of Kennedy halves, some silver and purposely dropped on the counter so you could hear them ring.

Dateless Buffalo nickels and Standing Liberty quarters, and more Wheat cents than one would have thought you could have spent in a week.

We got a lot of funny looks and more than one "can I buy this for face from the till" said to managers by counter staff, but it got some local press for the ANA and perhaps started some new collectors. It was a lot of fun if nothing else!

itsnotjustme

<< <i>back before you could get arrested for spending $2 bills >>

Are you sure?

Weiss

Mentioned before that I put a (tiny) holed 1804 spiked chin half cent in a parking meter here in town.

flaminio

In the past five years I've spent numerous wheaties, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, silver Roosevelts and Washingtons, plus a Silver Eagle, and a 1982-D Washington half dollar. I've also spent rolls upon rolls of SQs right after they were issued, as well as 2004-05 nickels. And the usual halves, Sackies, and $2s.

Aside from being fun to spend all this weird money, I consider them numismatic seeds. Hopefully someone will acquire it in change and endeavor to learn more. Thus, a new coin collector is created.

BigGreek

Once in a while someone will overpay for an ebay auction. I'll
usually stick some cash in as their refund and I'll include the
change in wheats and silver if I thought the item went for above
value.

MrHalfDime

I'm not sure if this qualifies, because it wasn't me, and it wasn't 'spent' in the usual fashion, but this will fit right in with the other reports of tips left for restaurant wait staff.

Several years ago a few charter members of the JRCS (who shall remain nameless) met at a restaurant during one of the ANA Summer Conventions. The topic of discussion was a newly discovered die marriage in the Capped Bust half dime series. One of the gentlemen had the discovery piece with him, and the others were all clamoring for a look at the new discovery. Somehow, among all of the "Ooooohhhhs" and "Aaaaahhhhs" and discussion of the importance of such a rarity, the exact whereabouts of the coin was momentarily forgotten. After finishing the meal, they paid the bill and left the restaurant, headed back to the bourse floor. Suddenly, the coin's owner remebered his coin, and asked who might have it. Blank stares and open jaws were the only response, so they raced back to the restaurant, where their table had been dutifully cleaned. Inquiries of the wait staff and bus boys were unsuccessful in reuniting the owner with his coin, and even the promise of a healthy cash reward did not produce the coin. A search of the table, floor, and even the trash could not locate the coin, and the owner had no choice but to leave the restaurant empty handed. An expensive lesson, and one not soon forgotten. If there is a silver lining to this story, it is only that the die marriage later proved to be more common than previously thought, once the attributuion was made public; many more have since been identified.

jsnruf

$50 Octagonals and Half Disme Patterns.

majorbigtime

<< <i>As a "semi senior citizen" I've spent a lot things that many of you would have liked.

Back in the 1950 and '60s silver coins were the "coins of the realm" Ditto for wheat pennies. I also spent a silver dollar or two when I was kid. One could get them at the bank then at face value. You could find steel cents and buffalo nickels in circulation too.

I NEVER spent any Indian cents, Barber coins or liberty nickels. I did find a couple of those, and they went into my boyhood hoard. >>



My experience is identical. wheaties, buffalos, Mercs. SLQs, Walkers and silver dollars (Morgan & Peace) were phasing out, but still coin of the relm.

DickyBetz

<< <i>$50 Octagonals and Half Disme Patterns. >>




hahahahahahahahahahahah

Cladiator

I spent a load of Ikes, SBA's, wheaties, indian cents and buffs a couple years ago. I got sick of lookin at them and they weren't worth but face value anyways...very circulated and damaged stuff. Was pretty fun buying stuff with them though...had some interesting looks/conversations.

AgMe

Wheaties, war time nickels, silver Kennedy halves, Ikes.

I try to "seed" circulation now with various items.

~g

sinin1

I spent 6 IKE dollars last week from the early 70's at a drive-through for a burger


they were low MS high AU -not worth much more than a buck to me


the lady that took them thought they were cool, showed her co-workers, and bought them before they got into the till

GaCoinGuy

I've dumped loads of low grade modern proofs in vending machines, rolled wheats and IHC in with modern cents, spent buffs and a couple low grade common date Lib nicks here at work in the machines. Never spend silver though, it all goes into a tub for future selling.

Tonelover

I broke up two 1999 Silver Proof Sets, put the silver coins in an album and threw the rest in my change jar.

morgannut2

Living as a kid in Montana between 1958-61, I spent thousands of Morgan Silver Dollars because there were no one dollar bills. Never spent any 93, 94, 95 or CC Morgans though--(Yes they were saved).

Man

When I was a kid I spent error coins and blanks form a inherited collection because I thought they worthless.

PerryHall

<< <i>

<< <i>As a "semi senior citizen" I've spent a lot things that many of you would have liked.

Back in the 1950 and '60s silver coins were the "coins of the realm" Ditto for wheat pennies. I also spent a silver dollar or two when I was kid. One could get them at the bank then at face value. You could find steel cents and buffalo nickels in circulation too.

I NEVER spent any Indian cents, Barber coins or liberty nickels. I did find a couple of those, and they went into my boyhood hoard. >>



My experience is identical. wheaties, buffalos, Mercs. SLQs, Walkers and silver dollars (Morgan & Peace) were phasing out, but still coin of the relm. >>




Same here. At the time these coins were just pocket change and nothing really special. Silver coins didn't become special until their melt value exceeded their face value and they stopped circulating.

LincolnCentMan

I've left a lot of obsolete silver as tips. Never the kind that would easily be mistaken for regular change.

David

fcloud

morgans, peace, walking halves, franklin halves, kennedy halves (90%, 40% and clad), standing quarters, washington quarters (silver and clad and state), mercury dimes, roosevelt dimes (silver and clad), buffalo nickels, jefferson nickels (about 15 uncirculated rolls from the early 50's into circulation in 2000), wheat cents, and memorial cents. (I was born in 1954).

elwood

I spend dateless buff nickels on occasion. People seem to enjoy it

Rodius

I have spent Ikes, wheaties, dateless buffs, and put a few war nickels out there as seeds. I work in a convienience store and get lots of sacs and suzies, $2 bills and older bills (1935 $10 in great shape) and recently parts of a cut up $1 sheets, cut with decorative shears. I also got a well worn 1911 cent, couple of mercs and war cents. It is fun to scourer the change I get.

PerryHall

<< <i> and recently parts of a cut up $1 sheets, cut with decorative shears. >>



The BEP used to sell uncut sheets to collectors during the 1920's and 1930's but stopped because of nonsense like this.

flaminio

<< <i>The BEP used to sell uncut sheets to collectors during the 1920's and 1930's but stopped because of nonsense like this. >>

Uh, no. They still sell uncut sheets. You can even buy them on the BEP's website.

Smittys

late 60's and many of my silver got spent for candy and
pop and other staples of the day.

mtnman

I can remember spending V nickels, Barber dimes, SL quarters, Walkers & silver dollars.
We could go to the bank and get all of the silver dollars we wanted when I was a kid. I think
I was making about $4.00 a week on my paper route, so I wasn't able to get many.

One of the local banks gave each of its employees a bag of 100 silver dollars at their
100th birthday party. I know two of the former employees that still have the bags and
have never opened them. I beg both of them often to open the bags and see what they
have, but haven't had any luck. But I still keep trying.

PerryHall

<< <i>

<< <i>The BEP used to sell uncut sheets to collectors during the 1920's and 1930's but stopped because of nonsense like this. >>

Uh, no. They still sell uncut sheets. You can even buy them on the BEP's website. >>



I know that. But they stopped the sale of uncut sheets in the 1930's due to these abuses and they didn't start selling them again until a few years ago.

AgMe

While this story doesn't concern coins, I thought you all might appreciate it.

When I was very young (maybe 7-9 yrs old), I used to play at a great aunts house, at the house they had this trunk full of obsolete currency, old Republic of Texas currency and Confederate paper, I remember how crisp the notes were when we first started playing with them... I'm talking stacks and stacks of currency. The family didn't think anything of us kids playing with these bills, because "they weren't worth anything".

There was a glass jar of buttons (the women liked to sew), so we would use the buttons "as coins" and take the paper currency as use it "as our real money". I used to have a pair of shorts that had a hole in the front pocket, we would fill it with buttons and walk around, the buttons would fall out and I would say "I'm losing my money". (It was funny at the time LOL)

We had hours and hours of fun, but we destroyed every single bill in the process.

I remember seeing some coins (supposedly from when my family came over to the New World, before the USA existed) when I was young, but they knew those coins had silver & gold in them, so I wasn't allowed to "hold them".

hehehehe

I lost a small gold bar (when in middle school) in our backyard, so maybe their opinion was warranted.

Sadly, I'm at the end of a very long line to get the coins.

My little cousin saw my old train set in storage a while back & wanted to know if we could have it (so he could play in the dirt with them), I told him "no" and moved them out of storage immediately, sure enough I saw him looking for the trains to play with an hour later (he was 7), he even asked where they were now...

Kids.

I remember I had one of these as a kid also:



Since it didn't have a "value" on it, I thought it was a "junk coin". Imagine my surprise while flipping through Red Book (years later), "hey there's my coin..."

People used to give me "family coins", there aren't any other collectors in the family, they just know that some of them are old. They still can't understand why I collect...

~g

Hedger

I've unloade tons of 64 Kennedys, dimes and quarters. Spent many dateless and common buffs and common indian heads. Just unloaded a bag full of BU 40's mercs this month.

FullStrike

<< <i>I know I have spent weat backs, Who hasent. I'm even sure I have spent a vdb, but I couldnt say 09s vdb. >>



Bust into your Dad's collection did you?


I'm about to head to the laundromat ( my washer refuses to work ) and I just broke into my stash of DE, PA, NJ Quarters. I guess these are relatively worthless anyway.

FullStrike

<< <i> I used to have a pair of shorts that had a hole in the front pocket, we would fill it with buttons and walk around, the buttons would fall out and I would say "I'm losing my money". (It was funny at the time LOL) >>



Well at least you didn't walk around with a pocketful of marbles.

barberlover

Funny you should ask, because right now somewhere in your home town where a crooked postal employee has aquired a new coin [in a package addressed to you]...a 56 frankie with some light reverse rainbow toning. I hope this scum gets caught doing that one day, I never could understand people willing to risk their jobs to steal someone elses stuff from the post office....maybe its the thrill of risking getting caught ???

Les

Nap

When I was a kid I got a silver quarter in change from a candy store after buying some rock candy. It was around the time I first had an interest in coins, and I was so excited. But I forgot about it several hours later and accidently spent it in a vending machine. It's funny how you remember little stories like that.

I've also spent some Canadian and Eastern Caribbean coins in the states, by mistake, not on purpose, but I'm sure someone will appreciate finding them in change, even if I did make off like a bandit with the exchange rate.

Lakesammman

In the early 60's spent my merc/roosevelt colections on fireworks. Seemed like a good idea at the time.