Whats the best way to go thru your bulk coins?

PennyPincher57 · August 27, 2020 7:16PM

Whats everyone's recommendation on how to go thru your coins to find errors and coins worth keeping? I have close to a 100 pounds of Lincoln's that I have been separating out by date and then plan on going thru them year by year checking them against someplace like Wexler's, Coneca or Error-ref.
Any suggestions from the experts?

joeykoins · August 27, 2020 7:22PM

Get yourself one of these.Cheap but effective.

Then, you can breeze through coins while checking for varieties/errors. I would first go and separate the keys or low mintages, than go hunting for the varieties. Good Luck. C lbs.huh? Nice

Example with mine.

Good Luck, dude

Coinscratch · August 27, 2020 7:29PM

Separate any gems first and store them in flips before they get any more dings and scratches. Then do as you said however I use the PCGS price guide to learn which errors that they will accept.
Click the plus symbol next to any year to see errors etc.

Hydrant · August 27, 2020 9:23PM

I keep all of my bulk coins in my art deco soup bowels on my dresser. I periodically sort them and then put them in coin tubes. After that I carefully place the tubes in a secure place in my pick-up truck. Then I buy beer using those coins. That way I always have the exact change and I never have to worry about being short changed on those occasional times when I'm not quite properly "focused?" on the situation.

joeykoins · August 27, 2020 9:33PM

@Hydrant said:
I keep all of my bulk coins in my art deco soup bowels on my dresser. I periodically sort them and then put them in coin tubes. After that I carefully place the tubes in a secure place in my pick-up truck. Then I buy beer using those coins. That way I always have the exact change and I never have to worry about being short changed on those occasional times when I'm not quite properly focused on the situation.

"A penny for your thoughts."

Rob9874 · August 27, 2020 9:45PM

@joeykoins said:
Get yourself one of these.Cheap but effective.

Then, you can breeze through coins while checking for varieties/errors. I would first go and separate the keys or low mintages, than go hunting for the varieties. Good Luck. C lbs.huh? Nice

Example with mine.

Good Luck, dude

Nice pic. What brand/model microscope is that?

clarkbar04 · August 27, 2020 11:05PM

One at a time.

joeykoins · August 27, 2020 11:40PM

@Rob9874 said

What brand/model microscope is that?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/USB-Digital-Zoom-Microscope-Magnifier-with-OTG-Function-8-LED-Light-Magnifying-Glass-1600X-Magnification-with-Stand/658454291?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101001360&&adid=22222222228339101189&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=427879186510&wl4=pla-895068997115&wl5=9021581&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=128133340&wl11=online&wl12=658454291&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjws536BRDTARIsANeUZ5-EqImHBsXVTAtHNvcn4rQ3dkA0u2Z0QkzKdYhVxL7zhm1MRzdHi0waAhIYEALw_wcB

Azurescens · August 27, 2020 11:48PM

Amscope makes some good digital binocular scopes that can USB to your PC. You eventually gotta plug something in to transfer the files anyway. Besides, Amscope has fantastic lenses and engineering and they feel sound and balanced when you move them. They're impossible to knock over. Changing lenses is a breeze.

They are likely overboard for coins (kinda not really...) but putting a camera on a scope and looking at your tablet is so cool.

Baley · August 27, 2020 11:58PM

Search the pennies, perhaps find an apostrophe, an o, g, and h.

Oh, there's the lost apostrophe!
Lincolns found it 😉

Jimnight · August 28, 2020 4:56AM

Slow.

TwoSides2aCoin · August 28, 2020 4:58AM

@Jimnight said:
Slow.

May I add: one at a time, again ?

philographer · August 28, 2020 5:14AM

.

PerryHall · August 28, 2020 5:16AM

@TwoSides2aCoin said:

@Jimnight said:
Slow.

May I add: one at a time, again ?

Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time.

Suggest doing maybe a hundred each evening. By the end of the month that will be 3000 coins. There is no rush. This hobby should be fun and not hard work. Let us know what you find.

ricko · August 28, 2020 6:17AM

Take your time.... Look for varieties of value in reference material first and make a list.... Then sort through and segregate by applicable dates.... then go through the dates for the variety. Cheers, RickO

matt_dac · August 28, 2020 8:38AM

Holy moly...100 lbs? You couldn't pay me to look at that many coins - I admire your patience and interest! I hope you find some nice keepers in there. You should buy a few Whitman albums while you're going through the process and fill them out. I recall about $300 for complete Lincoln albums minus the 5 or so key dates.

metalmeister · August 28, 2020 8:48AM

I've seen some neat automatic Copper/ Zinc Cent separators on Youtube if you are a Copper buff.

johnny9434 · August 28, 2020 10:03AM

One at a time. I like doing that when I get a snowed in fwiw

PennyPincher57 · August 28, 2020 3:48PM

Well I have been putting all my change in jugs for years now. Ever so often I would separate them out. I just finished separating the cents by date and was getting ready to go to the next step. I have a scope and agree it is well worth the money because you start seeing double after a couple hundred coins. I do put gem coins in flips or tubes but never really looked for errors or varieties unless something just jumps out at me. Thanks for the info. I haven't heard about the copper/zinc separator but will check it out.
Whats the best place that list varieties and errors?

PennyPincher57 · August 28, 2020 3:50PM

Quarters are next! lol

3stars · August 28, 2020 3:54PM

Skilled child labor.

Hydrant · August 28, 2020 4:06PM

@3stars said:
Skilled child labor.

3stars, I love it!!

Hydrant · August 28, 2020 5:03PM

Good question.

Hydrant · August 28, 2020 5:28PM

.

PennyPincher57 · August 28, 2020 5:31PM

It's hard to find good help. I'd have to pay my kids $10 to go thru 100 cents. Then I would have to go back thru them anyway. Might as well go thru them myself.

Eagleguy · August 28, 2020 7:13PM

I use this

messydesk · August 28, 2020 7:24PM

If I were going through a pile of wheat cents, I'd put 50 or so on a piece of paper, obverse side up, and then scan through them under my scope by moving the paper. Pick out the ones that warrant a closer look, and then dump the rest from the piece of paper into a "looked at" receptacle.

DCW · August 29, 2020 6:16AM

@messydesk said:
If I were going through a pile of wheat cents, I'd put 50 or so on a piece of paper, obverse side up, and then scan through them under my scope by moving the paper. Pick out the ones that warrant a closer look, and then dump the rest from the piece of paper into a "looked at" receptacle.

I assume you would look at the reverse, too?

messydesk · August 29, 2020 7:10AM

@DCW said:

@messydesk said:
If I were going through a pile of wheat cents, I'd put 50 or so on a piece of paper, obverse side up, and then scan through them under my scope by moving the paper. Pick out the ones that warrant a closer look, and then dump the rest from the piece of paper into a "looked at" receptacle.

I assume you would look at the reverse, too?

Are there any decent DDR wheat cents, or are they mostly minor Class VI doubling near the rim? The memorials I'd set aside the dates of interest in the first pass and then revisit the reverses on the second.

PennyPincher57 · August 29, 2020 7:25AM

Beautiful coin! Yes I line my coins up about ten at a time, check the observse, flip them checking if a rotation error jumps out and then check the reverse. Time consuming but I enjoy it. Not able to buy high dollar top grade coins so searching change is one of my best options.

PennyPincher57 · August 29, 2020 7:26AM

My desk is messy also! lol

Whats the best way to go thru your bulk coins?

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Example with mine.

Good Luck, dude

Example with mine.

Good Luck, dude

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