Rolls

TraderGio

I was thinking of buying some penny rolls. Are there any helpful hints for a beginner?
Thanks.

tjkillian

Yes, stick to uncirculated, original rolls. I would start with the keys, such as 1877 Indian cents and 1914-D Lincoln cents. They have held their value over time. Make sure they are completely red, with no spots or discoloration. Examine each coin carefully.

GoldenEyeNumismatics

<< <i>Yes, stick to uncirculated, original rolls. I would start with the keys, such as 1877 Indian cents and 1914-D Lincoln cents. They have held their value over time. Make sure they are completely red, with no spots or discoloration. Examine each coin carefully. >>



sarcasm is better understood with a at the end

TraderGio

<< <i>Yes, stick to uncirculated, original rolls. I would start with the keys, such as 1877 Indian cents and 1914-D Lincoln cents. They have held their value over time. Make sure they are completely red, with no spots or discoloration. Examine each coin carefully. >>



Forgive me if this is a silly question. If the coins are in rolls how do you exam them?

Windycity

Nothing like a little sarcasm... yes... buy original roll and have fun looking through them. Look for errors, over mint marks and high grade coins. A few rolls can give you hours of relaxation.

TraderGio

Oh

TraderGio

WhaT % OF EBAY ROLLS CLAIMED TO BE ORIGINAL ARE ACCURATELY DISCRIBED?

RW

I couldn't tell you the percentages, but find a seller who looks reputable and then buy some of his rolls. If they seem unmessed with then keep buying from him. It also helps to try and buy in bulk to save on shipping.

pharmer

What are you hoping to find? High quality unc's? Varieties like rpm's and doubled dies?

TraderGio

Looking for quality.

pharmer

Just buy a few inexpensive rolls, different sellers with good feedback, see what you get.

dcamp78

Just go to your bank and buy a $25 box. That should keep you busy for a while...

fivecents

<< <i>WhaT % OF EBAY ROLLS CLAIMED TO BE ORIGINAL ARE ACCURATELY DISCRIBED? >>

Your best bet is buying original bank wrapped shotgun rolls on ebay.

gene2393

<< <i>Just go to your bank and buy a $25 box. That should keep you busy for a while... >>



thats how i got started. found 23 my first time


gene2393

garsmith

<<WhaT % OF EBAY ROLLS CLAIMED TO BE ORIGINAL ARE ACCURATELY DISCRIBED?>>

The rools are original, the coins inside are not

BowTieCoins2

As your buying rolls you can learn a lot from the wraps themselves also, which can help give a clue to what may be inside. If it is truely OBW roll often you can tell from the ends if they where tampered with or not. (to make them look as if they are obw) It doesn't hurt to ask, and they may not have an answer for you, but none the less, how they have been stored. It would be easier if you are looking at the rolls in person vs from a pic, but some people are very good at describing also.

Good Luck!

rmpsrpms

My experience buying rolls on eBay is that ~50% are accurately described, high quality rolls. Look out for "weasel word" descriptions. If the coins are in an original, unopened, unsearched, bankwrapped roll (in other words, machine-wrapped by a bank) then the seller will generally know this is a selling point and say so. Words like "in the original bank wrapper" or "original bank rolls" may be an indication to stay away. Then again, even if they say the right words there is no guarantee they are telling the truth. Another thing to look for is an actual bank name on the wrapper. Paper rolls by Brandt and others were (and are) available to the public for hand or machine-wrapping. Rolls with actual bank markings give you a slightly lower risk that they are not original, but again no guarantees. Bright end coins are rare in original rolls, but I've purchased well-stored rolls that I absolutely knew were original that were full mint red / un-toned on the roll end coins. On the other extreme, don't shy away from rolls with darkly-toned end coins. I've rarely opened a truly original roll with dark-toned ends that was not full of beautiful coins, usually full mint red except for their edges, and occasionally have ran across a well-toned roll. Good luck, and let us all know the results of your treasure hunting!

cladking

Don't ignore rolls just because they aren't original. Many of these will be picked over
but even when they are searched for gems they may not be searched for varieties. A
few of these rolls were actually cherry picked from larger accumulations so will be superior
to original rolls.

With later date rolls remember that the bid price is often determined by the odds of finding
specific varieties or gems. Adjust your price accordingly when you know a roll is different.

Most rolls were assembled from bags and these bags would have only ten or twelve die
pair represented in it. This means each roll from a bag will tend to be very similar in comp-
osition to every other roll from the bag. Rolls can be spot checked and the balance sold
if there is nothing of interest in them. In other words, even original rolls can be checked.

Chasing down nice coins from rolls is an art form and luck won't hurt.

Good luck.