ok....... I can't seem to pull the trigger myself. Could use some help/opinions.
DBSTrader2
Posts: 3,498 ✭✭✭✭
The past few years, I have been trying to re-assess my collection and collecting in general, as I'm getting older, the "kids" are making their own ways in the world, and my eyesight isn't getting any better since my detached retina forced my early retirement several years ago.
What used to be an enjoyable, visual/tactile hobby for me has lost a lot of its luster/attraction, as my eyes just can't seem to handle looking thru rolls, junk boxes, dealer displays (in stores & at flea markets), etc without the assistance of a magnifying glass or loupe to even just see dates, let alone any varieties.
And even the quickest flash of light reflecting off a coin can ruin my day if it catches my good eye just right (which seems to be most of the time these days).
What has always been a pleasant distraction for me has turned into a growing frustration.
That's not to say I'm going to give up the hobby or turn in everything I've accumulated, but it has given me reason to pause & rethink just what I'm doing here.
I have always been a blue Whitman folder "hole-filler". With few exceptions, that's it. My collection's relatively small value has never been the reason for my collecting. It has always been focused on finding, buying or trading to fill holes & appreciating the beauty of & history behind the coins themselves. And I have had the pleasure of sharing this hobby with my kids as they grew. At this point, I've given up on trying to acquire key or semi-key dates to fill those holes, and my primary focus is on just keeping our folders up-to-date with each new year's issues.
We don't need the money, and hope we and the kids never do, so I'm hoping to pass my collection on to the kids and their families when the time comes, for them to appreciate & hopefully continue keeping up-to-date. As a connection to me & what I found enjoyable during my lifetime.
But, at the same time, I can't see them lugging their "inheritance" around with them as they move about the country and grow their own families. And that's just the "core" part of their collections. Over time, I've also accumulated state quarter rolls, assorted rolls of anything from pennies thru Sac dollars, proof sets from the year each of them was born until maybe a decade ago, etc. As much as they may have some inherent value or represent a lot of time & effort (and sometimes over-face expense) to collect, I just can't see saddling them with the additional task of dragging them along as well.
So a year or 2 ago, I solicited suggestions from members of this Forum as far as what to do with the complete sets of State Quarter rolls I had accumulated, and finally pulled the trigger and either sold-off some rolls or took the ones with no real value over face to the bank & cashed them in.
I'm left with maybe 2 sets of the 15 higher-valued rolls as well as all the various other rolls & proof sets, etc.
I'll be cashing in at the bank on Monday my extra carded set of early-years P & D Prez/Sac dollars.
But I'm still not sure what I should do with the other rolls. And that's where I could use some help (or a push) from members of this Forum, who have offered such valuable info and recommendations in the past.
I'm going to try & list what I have in the way of non-core rolls in the next entry in this new thread (so I don't somehow mess up this one) in the hope that some of you can tell me whether any of them are worth holding on to or trying to sell, or if I should just "bite the bullet" and cash them in.
I don't know why this is so hard for me,er than the fact that they represent "one-of-a-kind" issues that I already have in-hand (so why get rid of them?), time & money invested, or that actually selling them off or cashing them in is an admission that I can no longer enjoy the hobby as I once used to...
Thanks for taking the time to read this & weigh in with your thoughts.
- Dave
Comments
Here goes with the list of rolls, per above:
DENOM. YEAR DESCRIPTION ROLLED BY #
1 cent 1967 H/H Unc. Bank 1
1 cent 1967 Unc? hand 1
1 cent 1973 H/T Unc. Bank 1
1 cent 1974 Unc. hand 1
1 cent 1975 Unc. hand 1
1 cent 2009-P “#1 – “Lincoln: Log Cabin” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
1 cent 2009-D “#2 – “Lincoln: Log-splitter” (H/T, UNC) MINT 1
1 cent 2009-P “Lincoln: Log-splitter” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
1 cent 2009-P “#3 – “Lincoln: State House” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
1 cent 2009-P “#4 – “Lincoln: DC Capitol” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
1 cent 2010-P “Shield” reverse (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
1 cent 2010-P? “Shield” reverse (T/T, UNC) Bank 1
1 cent 2017-P “Shield” reverse; 1st with "P" on obverse (H/H, UNC) Bank 3
5 cent 2004-P Jefferson (old obv.) “Keelboat? Peace Medal?” (H/H, UNC) Bank 1
5 cent 2004-P? Jefferson (old obv.) “Peace Medal” (T/T, UNC) Bank 1
5 cent 2005-P Jefferson side-view obv. – “Bison” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
5 cent 2004-P? Jefferson side-view obv. – “Bison” (T/T, UNC) Bank 1
5 cent 2005-P Jefferson side-view obv. – “Ocean in View” (H/T, UNC) Bank 2
$1 2009-D Native American – “corn” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
$1 2009-? Native American – “corn” (H/T, UNC) Bank 1
$1 2010-? Native American – “beads” (H/T, UNC) Bank 2
State/ATB Quarter Rolls (white or brown bank wrappers):
1999-P Pennsylvania
1999-P New Jersey
1999-P&D Georgia
1999-P Connecticut
2001-P Kentucky
2002-P Tennessee
2002-D Ohio
2002-P Mississippi
2003-P Illinois
2003-P Alabama
2004-P Texas
2005-P California
2005-P Minnesota
2007-P Washington
2010-P&D Hot Springs
2010-P&D Yellowstone
Check the CDN prices. If the rolls are not listed with a bid/ask spread, take them to the bank and cash out. They may not be as one of kind as you think.
Thanks, specialist!
Having always been focused primarily on filling Whitman holes vs buying/selling rolls, I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not familiar with "CDN" or where to find it.
And when I say "one-of-a-kind", I mean that, in my mind, they were "special releases" that just weren't going to be made anymore that were interesting to find/have (like the 4 different 2009 Lincoln cent or 4 2004/2005 Jefferson varieties). For some reason, they just have that "attraction" to me.......
(I would have made a LOUSY dealer!!
I can't seem to let anything go without an internal struggle, and fear of "seller's remorse"..........)
I would pack it up in boxes and label who it goes to. List it in your will and let the kids deal with it when you pass.
You really don't need to have any specific issue with your eyes in order to consistently need to use magnifiers for looking at coins.
i never had glasses or anything related until age 48 and now 10 years later, I have a large, low powered magnifying glass and two Bausch and Lomb loupes. I use all three very frequently.
I don't much understand this compulsion to leave a bunch of old coins to your kids, especially if none have ever shown any interest up until now. My Dad knew that he didn't have to liquidate his collection because he knew that I was a much more fervent coin person than he ever was. But I know that I have to clean up my stuff quite a bit because my kid has zero interest.
I was always taught that family 'intergenerational wealth' should largely be limited to income producing real estate. People typically think highly of their own personal property, but it can be difficult for heirs to realize much from "stuff".
In both instance (eyes and estate), c'est la vie.
Ha! Going through this right now. Not for the exact same reasons, but really need to get rid of large/heavy stuff that accumulated over the past few decades.
Never was a seller, and seem to have a personal attachment to much of my collection. I'm having to step back and figure out what has to go...
Yep...a difficult issue for collectors to deal with. While I am not a roll collector, I have accumulated a considerable collection of coins over the years. Many valuable, some simply of interest to me....not to mention PM's.... I doubt I will dispose of my collection.... someone surely will. Cheers, RickO
I sent you a pm - I'd be interested in some of the quarter rolls and can do better than turning them into the bank.
The state quarters were incredibly popular during the period that they were issued. I knew one dealer who bought 100 rolls of each date thinking that he would have “a lifetime supply” for his shop. He sold them all in a less than a year and had to restock.
Since then things have really changed. Dealers now report here that they can’t get people to take the rolls off their hands at face value. I think you might consider cashing them in at the bank. Millions of them have been set aside, and I don’t think that there is going to be much of a market for them in the near future.
Two months ago, a woman at work referred a friend who's father had just passed.
I visited the home where the very large kitchen table was completely covered with an accumulation.
There were at least 10 different complete state quarter roll sets from the various issuers and repackagers.
Walnut boxes, mahogany boxes, special frames with brass plaques, etc.
All for the grandkids' futures.
I sensed they would have paid me to haul them away.
What a waste.
Always a tough decision on what to do with one's collection as the years pass by. I wrestled with this problem for several years before deciding to sell everything. I also should say the decision was aided by the fact the kids had no interest/knowledge re coin collecting. Dropping a collection of anything on heirs who have no interest in such seems a burden for those on the receiving end.
My dad died over 15 years ago, and am still going through/getting rid of his stuff.
Admittedly, it's done in small increments, but I shake my head at some of the stuff he bought...
PS to my above comment re what to do with collection: Convert it to cash as it is universally collected.
Thanks, all, for sharing your thoughts. I'll be popping on & off the Forum over the weekend between running a lot of errands......
Just 1 quick clarification..... while the kids aren't fervent collectors like me, they both appreciate the collections (mine and theirs) and what they mean to me, realizing that they don't stand to inherit a huge sum of money from them. More something to appreciate & share/pass-on to their kids someday..... They just have so much more going on in their lives with their jobs & friends & activities, etc to devote as much time as I have.
It's really my coming to terms with having to handle the lifetime accumulation of my parents and really opening my eyes to what we have also accumulated & what we really should or shouldn't burden our kids with having to handle/move/etc in the future that's been the driving force lately - - not to mention my personal eye/enjoyment issues.....
Your joy came from the right places. I, too feel as you do. If you don't need the money, leave them to the family. It is your legacy.........and a darn good one!
Pete
My Dad has been gone five years, I'd say there is still 25% of his stuff in situ (his house).
Most of the burden has fallen to my brother and I don't envy him.
Dad's remaining stuff isn't the type of things that can just be thrown away - the throw away stuff was gone within two years.
People overrate their own junque a whole lot. That thought is helping me to whittle down my own pile right now.
If you think about it, it's all just stuff----if it frustrates you, get rid of it.
There's nothing in your list that cannot be replaced if you so desire later on.
Just get rid of it and don't even think about it.
Anyone have a good link to what the current buy/sell prices are for at least the State Quarters?
If most of them & the other rolls listed (except maybe the Sac's) are really worth anything/much above face, I might just crack some of them open (vs turn in at the bank) and spend them where some YN's or interested future collectors might find them in their change & be smitten......
My Dad had framed pastel or pencil portraits of two sets of his great grandparents. These four large portraits were professionally done about 1880 and are very very nice. Actually, these four people have hundreds of living descendants, but otherwise they were historically unremarkable individuals. Yeah, you can send the wheat pennies to coinstar, but what do you do with something like that?
Honestly, there would be very few offers above face, and then you have to factor in your time to find those offers......I would just take them to the bank.
Or you could try listing them on eBay, factor in "Free" shipping and your fees and offer them as a lot.....but, again, likely they won't sell and it's time and effort down the drain.
Just my opinion.
That's something I would hang onto.
With increasing interest in geniology (sp?) there may be some people who would really want the portraits.(Maybe.....)
I feel your pain. I just love accumulating stuff. I was fortunate to have a bank teller that would order $1000 bags of state quarters for me when they were still available from the Fed. I think bought Georgia through New York? All P mints, multiples of GA, CT and MA. After that I bought rolls from the same teller when they had them. I sold tons of them especially GA on eBay while things were hot. I even found a nice 30% off center CT that I think I got about $180 for. The hardest ones to get rid of were the MA. When the market died down I still had about $1000. 00 in molls left over and they languished in a couple of boxes for several years.
I hated to "cash them in" and starting about three years ago I would put $100 or so in the machine at my credit union along with the jar of loose change on my desk. Finally I listed the last $100 on the BST board here and couldn't sell them for $115 including shipping. They now reside in the belly of the change machine at my credit union.
Depending on how long you want to deal with them and how much hassle you want you would probably be better off cashing in the quarters, dollars and probably even the nickels and taking the family out to a nice dinner or two.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
I'm back. Thanks again for the additional comments.
My Dad was a teacher, but also liked to paint & draw architectural plans for his "dream house". They also took TONS of slides of us growing up as a family & summer trips, etc, as well as their trips all over the world as a retired couple.
Most of them are now in my possession in albums or bins or slide carousels, and will likely stay here until after WE pass away. Can't really display them as they deserve, and no way we'd want to get rid of them either. And those are the types of things of ours that we'd hope our kids would want to keep as well. The coins are a nice extra..... maybe just not so many of them........
And I've never really wanted to set myself up on or deal as a seller on eBay.... the most I've really done is bought from there or from Forum members, or traded with Forum members to help each other out.
My suggestion might sound a bit cold, but is likely practical. Take them to a local, convenient dealer to sell for anything at face value or above. If you cannot be rid of them in that manner, take them to your bank and cash them in at face value. The time (effort, resource, whatever) vs. money aspect of these is burdensome to you and you are the only one with a fanaticism for the coins; think of how this balance would shift for your kids.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Spend them or deposit them at your bank.
I agree with mannie gray. There's little profit to be had and a lot of time spent getting there.
Lance.
I had 3 or 4 thousand slides of family vacations from all over the world.
I bought a high quality slide scanner (paid $500 plus at the time) scanned them all. They now reside on my hard drive with back-up on CDs. I sold the scanner when I was finished for about $75 less than I paid including fees. Just a thought.
it's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide
I got a cheap slide converter a while back, and it or my computer didn't work out well at all, so I deep-sixed that idea.
I have also considered sending the slides off to one of those places that converts videos, slides, pics to digital media for a set price for all you can fit in a decent-sized box, as we have done that successfully for our wedding & early family videos to DVD's. But to take all 80-160 slides out of each of the 40+ carousels & package them so they would stay sorted in the right order would be a tall order and time-consuming (I considered buying/using the 2x2 flips boxes to accomplish that). I've also considered going thru each carousel & picking out only the truly memorable or scenic slides to convert a much smaller number of them (especially since my other 2 brothers don't seem as interested as I in preserving or viewing), especially now that I have more time - - but poor vision. I might go that last route. Of course, once done I'll have to hope the storage medium doesn't soon go out of style (many laptops no longer have DVD players, etc)........
But back to coins..............
if you do not need the money or space, I would just keep them - they will always be worth at least face
in a few years you may have (great)grandkids who might enjoy looking through rolls for errors or varieties when they come visit
Not expecting even Grandkids anytime soon...... both kids are still single.....
Agreed, & add this thought - your kids will have to guess what's good and what is just pocket change. They can probably do the work, but they will never have as much certainty as what you already have about what is what. Spare them the doubts.
Speaking as a dealer, I'm going to no-bid any change someone brings in unless accompanied by a set of silver dollars. It's not worth my time to take them to the CoinStar myself.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
Going through similar thing myself. Mom passed on 6/30. My brother isn't the type who would do this and is over a thousand+ miles away anyway.
I've been, slowly, trying to sort things, get some things to the right people, etc.
No bueno. You are right, the coins are the easy thing.
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment