As valuable as the coins themselves?
Blackin
Posts: 9 ✭✭
Grandpa died in 1985. I was 14. His coin collection remained on the floor of the closet of his house that my parents went ahead and moved into after his passing. Couple weeks ago, parents gave all the coins to me. 30+ rolls of pre-1950's pennies, 25ish rolls of Indian Heads and a ton of random containers_(tupperware, old medicine bottles, etc)_ of misc other coins. Dollars, half dollars, nickels, dimes, Canadian, etc. Even some cool stuff from overseas from when he was in the war.(WW2)
Also a fat stack of old $2 bills and an envelope of old $1/$5 silver certificates and such.
SOOOOOO much to go through, and I'm a complete novice. Already making mistakes, but learning from them as I go.
I'm sure I'm going to find some valuable stuff while going through all this, but I feel like this is possibly the most valuable part.... he sorted and labeled all the paper rolls of coins by hand.
His handwriting. From sometime before 1985. 
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Absolute n00b!
Inherited a few thousand coins from grandparents. Mostly Indian and Lincoln wheats. Trying to learn the art of collecting!!
Comments
I would not expect to find stuff that is very valuable. Hoards like that rarely do beyond bullion. But, as you say, the value has little to do with the coins themselves. Enjoy.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
I have my grandpa's coin collection as well, with his writing on some of the holders - pretty cool.
The main mistake to avoid is to try "cleaning" the coins.
This will easily destroy the value.
[Edit to add:] Oops, I see in the other thread that you already did this.
It's a natural mistake that many people make when getting started.
If you grandpa had a "Red Book" ("A Guide Book of U.S. Coins"), that is a good place to start when looking up the values.
The prices might be slightly out of date, but it will still show you if a coin / date / mint mark is more valuable than the other ones.
No books. Just the coins/bills.
HOWEVER..... I've already bought the 2026 Red Guide off Amazon, along with a couple Lincoln and Indian head specific books(Also official Redbook).
While I'm honestly in it for the novelty, not trying to make money, I figured it couldn't hurt to have the books just in case something does turn out to actually be valuable enough to mess with.
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Absolute n00b!
Inherited a few thousand coins from grandparents. Mostly Indian and Lincoln wheats. Trying to learn the art of collecting!!
Yes, it is unlikely there is anything of high value, since it appears he collected these from circulation, and part could be his childhood collection.
Looking them up will confirm it.
I saw you already found some 1908-S Indian Cents - that is way better than what is in the average collection from circulation.
The book also shows you where the mint mark locations are, and gives you the basics on grading the different coin series.
Enjoy the search, ditto the comment do not try cleaning any of the coins, and you might want to select out the best looking of each type and post a good photo. Maybe there will be a surprise.
A friend's father in law died and he wanted me to go through his collection. He had traveled quite a bit. Most of what I saw were foreign coins from the 1920s and 1930s that weren't worth much. I did see an occasional British coin from the Queen Victoria era which was had some original mint luster, and an Australian large penny that looked like new that had some numismatic value, but they were the exception to the rule.
The Redbook will be helpful re identifying key dates and mint marks in each coin series you review. The silver coins - pre 1964 dimes, quarters, halves - are worth at least the melt value re their silver content. I am guessing worn Indian Head Cents are worth fifty cents up, depending on mint mark and condition.
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I believe it more important for you to pass the coins on to the next generation (your kids) keeping anything handwritten in your Grandfathers hand and passing that on. Sure look thru everything but you are walking thru your family history. Go spend the face face vale stuff but pass thing on.
What a great gift and memories!
I would slowly go through everything. It wasn’t uncommon to just keep rolls of coins, and you can use that as a start if you’re interested in starting your own collection. It’s very likely he collected more than just pocket change too.
If you sell, I would find a local club, join and get references. They will likely have local dealers who can give you an honest opinion on what you have. But don’t expect them to sort through thousands of coin.