first bank rolls...

Hyperion · December 9, 2005 5:05AM

so i read someplace (maybe here) that banks have rolls of 50 cent pieces for the asking..
so that's what i did today ! (my wife thinks im insane)... though the teller looked at me like i was insane, too !

$80 in coins, not 1 silver one to be found (90%)

1) I wonder what kind of 'hit' percentage i should expect trolling like this. opinions?
(no, I dont mind the searching, that's kinda fun too)

2) if you've ever done this, what's the nicest thing you've found ?

mhammerman · December 9, 2005 5:08AM

Keep digging...you will have fun, it won't cost you much (other than 50 cents here and there) and you will find some cool stuff. Most folks start up like that, searching bank rolls. Get a wad of those silvers and take them to the coin store and trade for some cool coins.

rhedden · December 9, 2005 5:13AM

I started collecting this way, and I had some "inside" help- my grandpa was the vice president of a bank. He's pick wheat cents out of the register during luch break all throughout the 1980's. I have over 3,500 wheat cents from circulation... and the best one was a 1912-P that is arguably worth $0.75. I did a bit better with the Jeffersons, finding a nice XF 1939-D in a bank roll. I never bothered with silver coins except the Kennedy halves, and our bank tellers weren't too nice about handing them over to me, either. The Kennedy rolls are "hit or miss"- sometimes a customer will accidentally turn in a whole roll of Franklins/Walkers and you'll score... but that is rare. If there are any tellers at the bank that know coins, you can forget about finding anything. They give you a hard time because tehy think you are keeping one coin out of each roll, and returning them with a missing coin. I bet they count out every roll when you bring them back, scowling at you the entire time.

I did have some better luck finding silver coins in the cash register when I worked in a store. However, if you want to "find" silver, let me tell you that the best way is to buy a metal detector. You will be able to find 1 silver coin a week at least, if you get good at it. And they are truly free for the taking! In 1999, I found over 100 silver coins in 1 year in upstate NY and PA, and the best was a 1903-S Barber dime in VF, worth $400 or so. You're unlikely to find one of those in bank rolls, but there may be something great on your front lawn that you walk past every day.

lordmarcovan · December 9, 2005 5:13AM

One batch I got was nothing but 40% silver coins, mostly 1967. There was one 1964 and one clad 1971 in the bunch but the rest were 40% silvers. That was a nice lick, considering there were something like four rolls in all.

But I seldom can find halves at the bank. If you can, keep it up. I haven't done it much but I've heard of quite a few silvers, even Franklins and Walkers, being found. Most of the general public doesn't know about the 40% coins so it's not hard to understand how they get deposited. But Walkers and Franklins in rolls would be a strange find. It happens quite a bit to people, though, if the stories I've heard are true.

So keep huntin' those halves. It's good work if you can get it. Maybe you won't score every time, but I'd bet on your being successful in the long run.

Nickels are what I usually search when I'm in the mood to do some bank roll cherrypicking. There are still quite a few early Jeffs out there, including many War nickels. I've even gotten some semi-keys.

lordmarcovan · December 9, 2005 5:14AM

Amen to the detector comment, above.

Hyperion · December 9, 2005 5:23AM

thanks for the encouragment.. i drove to the bank thinking how nice would it be to get a franklin !
100% kennedys. but it was a bit nostalgic seeing the 1976 ones ! I completely forgot about Independance Hall on the back.
I haven't handled one of them since I was about 7 or 9. Great looking obverse.

Speaking of metal detecting, my brother is into that, though I haven't gone with him. I went through some of his finds with him, and he had a few common date Morgans which he has no idea of the value of. When i looked them up and saw them in the 10-15 range he was all fired up. I live in PA and he's gotten permission to detect on some private farms locally, he's found some old stuff, but mostly not-recognizable. but I guess there's a metal detector forum if I start talking about that stuff !

Opus · December 9, 2005 5:31AM

My son collects Kennedy halves so we go to the casinos in Mesquite NV and get $150 at a time. No silver yet but it's an easy when to fill a Dansco. BTW, two of the casinos no longer have halves and they pulled all there half machines too. They look at us like we're nuts when we go asking for them.

SanctionII · December 9, 2005 5:41AM

I have picked up a number of rolls of half dollars from my business bank over the past year. One time the teller told me he had 10 rolls (200 coins total). I bought them at face value and took a look. Out of the 200 coins 23 were silver, mostly 40% Kennedies, but I found a 90% Kennedy and a Franklin. Over 11% of the coins were sliver. Not bad. A little later I bought the stack of about 10 halves sitting in the teller tray. In it was a holed and inscribed Walker from 1944. Someone drilled a hole in it and inscribed their name and Honolulu, Hawaii on the coin in flowing script. Very cool. I imagined that the former owner had it as a pocket piece and momento from being in Honolulu during WWII and that while on shore leave he did as all good soliders do, he got blued, screwed and tattooed. The pocket piece probably was a reminder of his night on the town.

WaterSport · December 9, 2005 6:03AM

Trust us, you will find Silver in them thar rolls !

But be sure to check all the banks!

WS

MacCrimmon · December 9, 2005 6:11AM

Just ask your teller to order you a box from the FED or Brinks ($500). About 10 years ago I "recovered" 74 90% silver from a $500 box; and, 30 of the 40% JFKs.

Weird thing was that 25 of the 90% were Walkers. Grandpa must have carted his cache in for a deposit.

A second bank box only yielded 10 90%, and the third had none, but it was probably 30% mint-fresh 1995 rolls. My teller's only condition on ordering was, "don't bring these damn coins back"!

So, I had to deposit in an account the wife had.......of course, she wrote me a check for the balance.

librtyhead · December 9, 2005 7:07AM

the banks now roll dimes quarters maybe halves in plastic clear sleeves,every week I get some and look I have a network 5-6 people I know that sell me silver coins at face they work at stores pizza places and skating rinks I look forwards to my visits

Weather11am · December 9, 2005 7:18AM

I got 4 40% in 160 dollars worth yesterday. Not bad especially considering how fast silver is going up!

19Lyds · December 9, 2005 7:32AM

Don't get discouraged with your first outing! There is plenty of silver out there for the pickin but at $9.00+ per ounce, it could get real slim real quick!

fishcooker · December 9, 2005 10:48PM

Your experience was typical even back when silver was only $5. The bank tellers and managers know all about silver halves. You will have to find a bank where:

a) you are related to a teller.

b) they don't know about silver coins.

c) no collectors came in before you and picked the silver.

Good luck and don't spend it all on gasoline!

fishcooker · December 9, 2005 10:58PM

The nicest thing I've found is a uncirculated-looking 1967 half.

I found a Walking Liberty that was run over by several semi-trucks. Don't know the date...

I also found many foreign coins of similar size to our halves. They seemed to be pewter or aluminim, though!

first bank rolls...

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