Ask us how much your old coins and paper money are worth

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask us how much your old coins and paper money are worth

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Ron Don Volante posted:

My dad's got a coin that looks like that. It's a "US SILVER EAGLE" (actually a dollar coin from 1989) in plastic, uncirculated. He's also got an Eisenhower, 1971, what I guess you call a mint proof. Then a few Kennedys, circulated. The Kennedy from 1969 and the Eagle dollar both look like lovely old silver. The Eisenhower is labeled silver but looks like the color of a regular modern quarter. Are any of these worth much more than their metal value, and what would the metal value be?

# ¿ Nov 21, 2013 03:59

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 23:10

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Ron Don Volante posted:

One of these? http://silvereagleguide.com/images/1989-Silver-Eagle.jpg

It's a 1 oz. silver bullion coin struck by the U.S. mint. Silver's currently around $20/oz, and American Eagles sell for a few dollars above that.

The 1969 Kennedy is 40% silver (as are all Kennedy halfs from 1965-1970, pre-1965 90% silver). It's worth little more than melt, about $3. The Eisenhower dollar is a special 40% silver proof issue and is worth around $10.

As for the coin roll hunting discussion, I would agree that it's not worth it. You're going to spend more money on gas than you'll likely find in silver, and you're going to piss off the bank tellers. If you do do it, half dollars are generally the best bet, followed by dimes and nickels. I've heard that the usual rate for half dollars is about 1 40% half per every box of half dollar rolls (500 coins).

Huh. Thanks for the info. How come the Eisenhower looks boring and the other silvers look beautiful vintage? Just the unpredictable effects of... oxidation or something?

On this other topic: if you're a coin freak, don't just walk into a bank and ask what they have if you want to leave with something good. (Especially if you don't have an account there.) Call them during nonpeak hours and ask for the vault teller. Ask them if their rolls are mostly mixed, and so on. They'll happily tell you how many dollar rolls are in the vault, even if they wouldn't tell you how many hundreds are there.

Or if you don't want to make conversation, just tell whoever answers "I want to make a change order; I'll be there in a half hour" and if it's too fancy for them they'll decline it.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2013 06:09

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Somebody told me that >$100 bills are still carted around between federal gov't agencies for their internal transactions. Is this true? I figure this is the best place to ask.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2013 04:47

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

So non-silver Eisenhowers are worth face value. But they're not in circulation. Is it possible to buy them in quantity at near face value?

# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 08:56

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

I just saw a 500, a silver certificate one, and a red stamp two. How much are those worth approximately? The red stamp was a "united states note" but it was series 1963--but I thought red stamps were gold standard notes?

# ¿ Feb 4, 2014 23:59

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Are unbroken BEP and Fed currency straps (not straps OF bills) of any value or interest to anyone?

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 05:59

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

I've got a 1957 silver certificate in pretty poor condition. Mint mark is "F" I think. What's it worth, like two bucks or something?

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 20:21

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Thanks for the info. It's A43143850A. The upper left and lower right have a little F2 and F624.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2014 23:59

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Hope this is related enough: I just noticed that Susan Bs are the same proportions as the newer dollars. Is there a historical reason for this, or was it chosen just because it looked about right? It doesn't seem to correspond to metal values like the rest tend to. By the way, isn't it a shame the alloy they chose for the new ones? They look awful when not mint. Good going pushing this coin so hard without bothering to make it pretty.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 01:57

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

I think its just the standard size for dollar coins. The Sacagawea dollar is 26.5mm in diameter as well.

Thanks for this.

I just bought my first collectible coin. A Morgan from 1879 in good but fairly well circulated condition and a nicely aged color. $32. Any idea how much I overpaid?

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 19:47

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

Do you have a picture of it? My LCS sells average circulation non key date Morgans for $25 a pop. Try to avoid eBay if you can since everything is overpriced because of the 13% fees and shipping costs.

I'll post a pic after work. I only bought it cause it really popped next to the other ones the guy had. Mostly cause it aged a little darker.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 20:00

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Photos. They really emphasize the wear and the contrast on the coin.

Others the guy had--did I choose well? Front side only unfortunately. What do you call the ones with the glory over her head? I might try to buy more from the guy at $25. Like I said, I never bought coins before, but I just love this design and of course the silver.

Years:

25
22
26
21
22
25
81
28
79 (The one I got)
And a couple too worn to tell.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2014 03:46

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Al Harrington posted:

Peace Dollar is their slang term

and the '28 is the better coin, I assume it's an S, if it's a '28 plain it's the key to the series

By year or condition? The lighting there makes it look like it doesn't.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2014 06:13

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

I went to a coin shop and asked for the junk bin. I got a bunch of worthless but really interesting foreign coins for farthings on the kroner. It's fun and I can get cool pieces without getting myself another thing to spend money on. I don't see myself buying more silver dollars and things except for as gifts--it's hard to buy people gifts that are unique and have actual value.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2014 18:24

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

So apparently they just decided on a new image for the reverse of the American Silver Eagle for either 2015 or 2016. I like the design except for the extra text at the bottom. Justice, Integrity, Service my rear end.

At five bucks, shouldn't it be a quarter eagle?

# ¿ Apr 24, 2014 02:01

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

E4C85D38 posted:

There's actually a technical reason for this—the Mint designed post-Anthony dollar coins to have the same size, weight, and electromagnetic properties, so that any machine that already accepted Anthony dollars would also accept the golden dollars without modification (assuming that it only checks those attributes and doesn't do some sort of weird laser-based face recognition too or something).

That's interesting, thanks. I think they could have done a million other things--like subsidizing retrofitting for arcades, laundries, etc--to encourage their adoption instead of just minting countless dollars and calling it good. The US will never have a popular dollar coin.

# ¿ Apr 24, 2014 02:07

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

I got a few halves I thought at first were silver but I think they're just yellowed. drat.

http://m.imgur.com/ANKPCzI

# ¿ May 30, 2014 23:06

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Cool, so silver-looking ones are part silver indeed. How much is that metal worth?

Edit: just dug another late 60s half out of my coin jar!

Mescal fucked around with this message at 01:58 on May 31, 2014

# ¿ May 31, 2014 01:39

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

Check out https://www.coinflation.com to see how much the silver content in your coins is worth.

Less than 20 for the five--not much but not bad for "paying" face.

# ¿ May 31, 2014 02:49

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

I found an old (small-portrait, I mean) ten with a cool serial number. It's I think A11195951A, and it was printed in 95. It feels like a bill that's been sitting in a drawer for 15 years, like the old-style bills usually are.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2014 02:44

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Are star notes worth anything?

# ¿ Aug 5, 2014 16:06

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

Unless they are nice and crisp they aren't worth much more than FV.

My star notes are a five and three ones (2006) that are pretty typical-looking. I've got six special bills that aren't worth selling and I just keep them in the back of my money clip...

# ¿ Aug 6, 2014 23:29

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

What about crisp star notes? I got a five and it's new and near-mint

# ¿ Aug 12, 2014 01:23

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

I spent most of my stash of star notes because my local shop said there's no demand. But what about a pair of crisp new twos that are star notes?

# ¿ Aug 28, 2014 01:40

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Super Aggro Crag posted:

Yup. Already over $15 on eBay.

And no, don't clean any of those Morgans.

Fifteen for six bucks mint?

# ¿ Nov 6, 2014 06:47

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Al Harrington posted:

they're star notes, cheap star notes are pretty popular

I know, it's enough to make me stop spending my stars

# ¿ Nov 6, 2014 07:01

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Are 57 silver certs worth anything?

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 03:34

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Al Harrington posted:

I think you asked this before, but circulated about $1.25 retail and up from there, they printed billions so they aren't worth a whole lot even uncirculated, stars are worth alright money, still really common though, uncirculated non stars are like 10 bucks retail

Ah jeez. My collection's worth over five dollars!

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 05:25

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 23:10

Mescal: Jul 23, 2005

Just got myself four rolls of Kennedy silver halves at face value. Brings me to a total of $45 in silver halves, two of which are 90% silver. I'm thinking I might get rid of half of them and see what silver prices do in the next couple months.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2015 21:38

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask us how much your old coins and paper money are worth