When I bagged groceries at the local store, around 1970, I found merc dimes (1917 earliest, all the way to 1945), SLQ's ( several.1920 only readable date) and the occasional buff nickel.
An 1865 3 cent Nickel------when I was in elementary and Junior HS, I had all the lunch line ladies saving me any silver coins they got....I'd get them for face value! One day, one of the ladies showed me a coin that someone had used as a dime, stating she 'wasn't even sure it was real'----needless to say, I knew it was...and in uncirculated condition at that!! After a couple of days, I got concerned it may have been stolen and took it to the principle's office (yeah, I know...... but I was the Student Council president and even then had a conscience!!). They turned it in to the police, but no one claimed it and after several months it was mine!!! I still have it today (over 30 years later) and love it just as much as when I got it!!
Great story RAD! I find the occasion Indian Head Cent and quite a few Wheaties when looking through rolls of pennies. Found a 1909 & a 1911 Lincoln just recently and a nice 1913-S a year or so ago. My oldest find is an 1880-something IH found in a circulated roll.
Monster Wavy Steps Rule! - 1999, WSDDR-015, 1999P-1DR-003 - 2 known My EBay Store/Auctions
Okay, I guess I MUST be getting old...back in the early 1960's I found a 1906 Barber Dime in AU 58.
Back then a few IHC's were available found in rolls, more Buffao's than you could image, a few slick V nickels, and more SLQ's than you could imagine. I wish I knew then what I know now in determining the difference between a 1916 and a 1917. If the date wasn't decernable, I just spent them. Walkers were only kept if they were 1933-S or earlier or were choice AU 55-58 or better, and there were plenty of those.
Then in 1965 everything seemed to dry up because of the silver content.
Mike Hayes ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
I doubt I've ever found a coin more than about 85 years old in change. When I was a kid in the 70s, I found a few things. A 1909 cent or two, one IHC, a couple worn SLQs, dateless buffalos, a Walker, and three or four Mercs.
Recently (say, in the last 5 years), the oldest coins I've found in circulation are a 1919 cent, 1952-D quarter, and two 1938 Jeffersons. I did find an 1889 cent while walking down an old logging road last week, but it wasn't exactly circulating.
Recently I found a 1927 buffalo nickel and when I was a kid (40 yrs ago) I found a flying eagle cent. I always thought it was cool to find a coin over 100 years old. The 27 was a VG / F coin, I was surprised at how good it looked.
Retired United States Mint guy, now working on an Everyman Type Set.
My oldest coin that I received in change used to be a 1918 Lincoln until last year when I received a 1908 IHC. It doesn’t surprise me that it was being circulated because it was very dark and worn and almost unreadable. I had to scan it and enlarge the image to read the date.
I the early sixties indian head nickels were common as were SLQs and WLHs. Liberty nickels and indian cents were not uncommon. I delivered the Grit and would stop by this one lady's house so she could go thru the silver to build her sets, I saved cents for mine. A soda vender friend of her family would let her go thru his change also. She completed her SLQ, WLH and Liberty dime sets from change. She tipped the vendor $20 or so when she found the 16-D dime.
Just 2 months ago, my friend walked into my office with an 1853 Arrows Seated dime he got in change! It was completely slick on the reverse, like it was cut down for a love token, and darkly toned VF on the front. I would love to know its history, but it was amazing enough to see pre-civil war coinage taken out of someone's pocket in the year 2005.
Comments
Second oldest was a dateless Shield Nickel.
I find the occasion Indian Head Cent and quite a few Wheaties when looking through rolls of pennies. Found a 1909 & a 1911 Lincoln just recently and a nice 1913-S a year or so ago. My oldest find is an 1880-something IH found in a circulated roll.
My EBay Store/Auctions
Okay, I guess I MUST be getting old...back in the early 1960's I found a 1906 Barber Dime in AU 58.
Back then a few IHC's were available found in rolls, more Buffao's than you could image, a few slick V nickels,
and more SLQ's than you could imagine. I wish I knew then what I know now in determining the difference between a 1916 and a 1917. If the date wasn't decernable, I just spent them. Walkers were only kept if they were 1933-S or earlier or were choice AU 55-58 or better, and there were plenty of those.
Then in 1965 everything seemed to dry up because of the silver content.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coin collecting is not a hobby, it's an obsession !
New Barber Purchases
Recently (say, in the last 5 years), the oldest coins I've found in circulation are a 1919 cent, 1952-D quarter, and two 1938 Jeffersons. I did find an 1889 cent while walking down an old logging road last week, but it wasn't exactly circulating.
She completed her SLQ, WLH and Liberty dime sets from change. She tipped the vendor $20 or so when she found the 16-D dime.
W.C. Fields