1895 Barber dime found in cash register!

AnkurJ

Not by me though, one of the cashiers who works in the front found it, and it looked practically new. She said she is going to look up what it is worth first. It is amazing that coins like this are still found in circulation! My best finds are work were a uncirculated 1934 $100 bill, and a 1928 buffalo nickel! What has everyone else found in their change?

Ankur

originalisbest

I would wager a "practically new" 1895 dime found in a cash register was "practically" hot property spent by a "practically" brainless thief. But, that's just cynical old me.

originalisbest

This sorta reminds me of an upstanding young construction man I witnessed proudly inquiring at my local coin emporium about the relative worth of the treasures he'd "found" in a small blue knapsack (buncha common '23 dollars, some worn common silver certificates, and the like.)

Why, it seems he was "taking a pi-- in an alley, and I just found them there! Somebody musta thrown it away!"

How ABOUT that! Shame he didn't also #2 in that "alley", he mighta turned up a pot o' gold!

AnkurJ

I guess you dont beleive so, but I do think there are really good people left in this world who dont lie, cheat or steal.


AJ

originalisbest

- well, I must admit, I did buy a 1927-D double eagle out of the local Target yesterday. It was only XF, so the pleasant cashier agreed my $20 bill was suitable payment.

Smoker

When I was young a little kid stole the Indian cents out of his dad's collection and spent them at the corner store on candy. This is probably a common occurence. That dime could have been through several hands before arriving in that cash register. Most people don't look at their change.

WoodenJefferson

While sitting on a stool looking through a box of carded circulated Mercuries, this young "tatto'd" flame red/green spike hair'd couple came into the dealers store, plunked down a wad (1" thick) of bills and asked "How much for these?" While the dealer peeled off red seals, yellow seals, $2 bills, $5, $10's & 20's he asked..."Where'd you get all this from" After the hem and haws, Mr. Punk sez "My Uncle left them to me?" HOT HOT HOT...I'm surprized there was not on-the-spot spontaneous combustion. The dealer (even though he was drooling) handed them back to him and said, "I don't buy paper money." (even though he had it in the display case) They left, stood outside for a bit discussing something, then disappeared. Probably heading to Wal-Mart or Sonic to spend these valuable bills. I always wondered...had I not been sitting there over hearing this transaction...would he have offered them a token amount to see if they bit? Anyway, coins/bills get into circulation...lady at grocery store in front of me paid for food with rolls of nickels...old nickels. I offered the clerk face value for the rolls but they were already saavy that they may be worth more. Never knew what they were, you know, she put them on the scale and it verified correct weight for a roll of nickels. Didn't know they could do that either! It's late...I'm getting goofey. You hear all kinds of stories about finding coins/bills...those 3 guys who found hundreds of super old bills stashed in a drain pipe while remodling a clients barn, then said they dug it up by a small tree in their back yard...BUSTED! Crime does not pay...your gonna get caught somewhere along the line...promise.

WoodenJefferson

<< <i>When I was young a little kid stole the Indian cents out of his dad's collection and spent them at the corner store on candy. This is probably a common occurence. That dime could have been through several hands before arriving in that cash register. Most people don't look at their change. >>



I had 2 1970-S small date Lincoln's disappear...just about the time my daughters figured out money can buy things.

lordmarcovan

Got a Fine 1937-D Buffalo (four-legged) out of a Pepsi machine, once. And an MS65 full-step 1940 Jefferson out of a roll of mostly-new nickels, which looked better than the new coins that comprised the rest of the roll.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>well, I must admit, I did buy a 1927-D double eagle out of the local Target yesterday. It was only XF, so the pleasant cashier agreed my $20 bill was suitable payment. >>

No way.

Really?

If so, you suck. Majorly.

GaCoinGuy

I found a silver quarter the other day. And I am always putting low-grade buffs and such into circulation. Put a Lib nik in the coke machine once here at work, just to see if anyone got excited when they got it as change.

LanLord

If you believe that a 1895 barber dime could remain in circulation for 111 years and be nearly new looking, I have a bridge to sell you.

Someone stole it and spent it. Plain and simple. The people that got it from the cash register may be honest, but the people that spent it weren't.

lkrarecoins

When I was a teller at a bank, I found a decent amt. of silver coins and certificates...a few rolls of 40% JFK halves as well

I think most (but not necessarily all) of these types found in circulation are there because of collectors like me (who mix in their collection with their change jar etc)

Case in point: I emptied out my 5 gallon poland spring piggy bank jar this past Spring...I found a handful of silver quarters & dimes, which were
kicked out by my bank's counter. I guarantee they got mixed in with my change and I just dumped them in.

lkrarecoins

one more story....my uncle Normie's (who introduced me to collecting) buffalo nickel collection was given out by my aunt to Halloween trick or treaters..

Needless to say, he was not happy

DrPete

One of the reasons that collectible coins can show up in circulation is that a collection or grouping of older coins is inherited and the heirs just roll up the coins and deposit them at the bank or spend them. Not illegal, but especially for small numbers of coins, not worth the effort for some people.

Also I know from my grandmother's collection, she had some really good stuff and she also hoarded coins from circulation from the 50's and 60's. What do you do with a mixed AU roll of 1955-D nickels? They are worth very little and putting them back into circulation is not a bad thing in my opinion.

I think mom's sugarbowl of a few coins gleaned from circulation is therefore the source of some of these random finds in circulation.

Writersblock

<< <i>I think most (but not necessarily all) of these types found in circulation are there because of collectors like me (who mix in their collection with their change jar etc) >>


I agree. I have a change bottle at home which along with the regular change I know it contains large cents, Indian heads, two cent, three cent, v nickels, buffalos and half dimes.

basestealer

There are plently of elderly people that lived through the great depression and for whatever reason, stashed and stored coins in jars, coffee tins, and elsewhere. And many of them probably never spent this money and still have the stashes. I don't find it impossible (rare, yes) that a 100 year old coin makes it's way into circulation looking almost new. When I worked near a retirement home (over a decade ago), couples in their 70's and 80's used to go out for a night on the town, and it was a veritable treasure trove of old currency and coin going through the register. Silver certificates, 70 year old $10 bills, silver coins, and everything in between. Saving cash was far more common back then and with that generation than it is now. And most people don't look at their change or pay any attention to it--as long as it's shiny and small then it's a dime. Otherwise we wouldn't see so many Canadian coins mixed in with our own. So these things can travel far and wide, right into your lap.

Now, my own personal story. My wallet had been stolen so I had no cash, credit cards, or bank cards on me for an entire weekend. Car was out of gas, too. I'm a smoker--and while I could do without food and make do with everything else, I did need to have some cigarettes. My answer to that was cracking open a bunch of proof sets and spending the coins. Not the same as 100 year old dimes, but it's an example of one way things like this can make their way into ciculation.

It's not my experience that thieves steal dimes.

kiyote

I got a 1937 buffalo nickel in change a couple of months ago. I taped it to my cube wall. It made my day.

123cents

I found a 1914-S Lincoln Cent in my change about 5 months ago. It was in VF condition.

the4x4man

Two years ago, while I was in the Navy. A friend of mine was working at a pool hall, and he said a women came in and wanted change for some coins, he gave her $3 in change for the coins. He contacted me, and said he had 3 coins for me if I wanted them. We met up and he showed me 3 Morgans, and asked if I wanted them, I said yep, gave him $5 a piece for them. They were a 1883 P, a 1889 O, and a 1901 O. I still have them.

ziggy29

<< <i>Now, my own personal story. My wallet had been stolen so I had no cash, credit cards, or bank cards on me for an entire weekend. Car was out of gas, too. I'm a smoker--and while I could do without food and make do with everything else, I did need to have some cigarettes. My answer to that was cracking open a bunch of proof sets and spending the coins. Not the same as 100 year old dimes, but it's an example of one way things like this can make their way into ciculation. >>

Okay, we'll add "Addict needs a quick fix" to the list of possible explanations for finding old, high-grade coins in circulation.

jhusman

I always put stuff into circulation, as long as they aren't precious metal. I event spent an old worn out but still discernable shield nickel the other day. I generally do it at Target or grocery stores in the hope that it gets given as change.

I have a bud that manages a Wendys, and one afternoon a bunch of punk kids came in and bought their spicy sandwiches with proof half dollars. My friend asked where they came from, and the kid said "my Grandma told me to spend them"

Riiight.

shirohniichan

It's not my experience that thieves steal dimes.

Maybe they threw out the 1895 dime in AU along with all the other dimes from the collection they stole because the burglars code of ethics prevents them from keeping such finds. Maybe a kid found the dimes they discarded and spent them.

At least all of you dime collectors can rest easy now.

seatedcollector

if i am a kid playing in a dirt pile and i find a nice shiny dime, and spend it does that mean i stole it ? where does the mentality come from that if something is found it must have been stolen somewhere down the line ?

stevek

Back around 1975, I received a three cent piece in a group of change from a supermarket, as a dime. It was in very nice XF condition - I have a feeling "everybody" spending it probably thought it was a Canadian dime or some other sort of foreign coin. LOL

Elcontador

A client's father died. She went to the safety deposit box, brought me the contents, and asked me to have a look. Most of the stuff wasn't anything special -- Bicentennial coinage, some 40% silver Kennedys, etc. But he did have several GSA CC Morgans. I told her the $ range of what I thought they were worth (one was an 84 CC that might have gone 5).

Then she showed me a 37 P Buff in XF. I commented that I hadn't seen one of them like that since I was a kid (a number of higher grade late date circ Buffs are in my old Dansco). She told me to keep it, as she knew the coin would be appreciated (she was right about that).