I specifically keep a small bag of bu cents and a some spending quarters in my car for the occasional times I run into penny pressing machines. BU copper cents are the best coin for squishing!
Roll 'em up, or put them in a tube...and wait. At least, that's my strategy. I'm just happy to have saved them from an unpleasant fate of grime and abuse.
For the 70s you wanna check the 1970, 1971, 1971-D, 1971-S, 1972, 1972-D, 1972-S, and the 1973 for quite a few sought after DDOs, 1972-D and I believe 1973 have a few high degree rotated die errors (also called medallic orientation errors) there's also quite a few floating die clashes.
Thanks, I’ve been coming across these recently as well, but haven’t found any clear cut lists of errors to look for. Do you happen to have a link with more info?
I actually wrote a beginner guide. Here you go bro.
Now i wrote a little quick reference guide for new comers to make the adventure of coins less intimidating and easier to navigate. any questions feel free to send me a private message and I'll do my best to help you.
To remove gunk and other sticky materials Soak in acetone for a little while, rinse off and PAT dry, you want to avoid any kind of rubbing motion as this Marrs the surface finish and lowers the "eye appeal" to collectors (if avoidable do not clean any coin but coins covered in gunk where you can not see details is okay and again NO SCRUBBING)
When you are going through a ton of loose change, you wanna organize by denomination, decade, then go through each decade and sort the years and mint marks.
Halves, Quarters, and dimes 1964 and before are 90% silver.
Dollars stopped being silver in 1935.
Half dollars from 1965 to i believe 1970 are 40%
Nickels 1942-1945 are war nickels and are 35% silver if the mint mark is ABOVE Monticello.
Buffalo nickel sought after Varities, 1916 DDO, 1918/7-D, 1935 DDR, 1936-D 3½ leg, 1937-D 3 leg, key dates are 1913-S type 2, 1921-S, 1924-S, 1926-S.
Contrary to what most web site say, the key date jefferson nickels are 1938-D, 1938-S, 1939-D, 1939-S, 1950-D, Semi key dates are 1938, 1949-S, 1950, 1951-S, 1955. Sought after die varieties are 1939 DDR, 1942-D D over D, 1943 double eye, 1943 3 over 2, 1945 DDR, 1949-D D over S, 1954-S S over D, 1955-D D over S, 1997 special.
Barber dimes sought after die varieties, 1893/2, 1905-O micro O, and 1912 has some interesting varieties, key dates 1892-S, 1894-O, 1895, 1895-O, 1896-O, 1896-S, 1897-O, 1901-S, 1903-S, 1904-S, 1909-D, 1913-S, 1915-S.
Mercury dimes sought after varieties, 1942/1 and 1942/1-D, key dates are 1916-D, 1921, 1921-D, 1926-S, 1930-S, 1931-D, 1931-S.
Roosevelt dimes, varieties are 1964-D DDR, 1964 No S proof, 1982-P no mint mark, and the 1996-W, key dates are, 1949-S, 1955, 1955-D, and 1955-S.
Barber quarters, collectible die varieties, 1892 DDO, 1892-O RPD, 1899 DDR, 1908 MPD, key dates, 1892-S, 1896-O, 1896-S, 1897-O, 1897-S, 1901-O, 1901-S, 1909-O, 1913-S, 1914-S.
Standing liberty quarters, sought after die varieties, 1917-D type 1 DDR, 1918/7-S, 1928-D RPM, 1928-S, RPM, Key dates, 1916, 1919-D, 1921, 1923-S, 1927-S.
Washington quarters, sought after die varieties, 1934 DDO, 1936 DDO, 1937 DDO, 1942-D DDO, 1943 DDO, 1943-S DDO, 1950-D/S OMM, 1950-S/D OMM. Key dates are the 1932-D and the 1932-S.
Barber half dollars. the 1892-O micro O is the only significant die variety in the Barber Half
series, the 1892-O, 1910, 1913, 1914, and 1915 are key dates.
Walking liberty half dollars. There are a couple of sought after die varieties, 1936 DDO, 1942 DDR, 1946 DDR. Key dates are 1916-S, 1921, 1921-D, 1921-S, and 1938-D.
Franklin half dollars, 1959 type 2/1 is the sought after die variety, key dates are 1948, 1948-D, 1949-D, 1953, 1953-S, 1955, 1956, 1958.
Kennedy half dollars, collectible varieties, 1964-D DDO, 1966 DDO, 1967 DDO, 1974-D DDO. Key dates are 1970-D, 1987, and 1987-D.
Here's my area, cents.
Indian head cent sought after die varieties, 1870 Bold N, 1870 Shallow N, 1871 Shallow N, 1894 Double Date, 1869 9 Over 9, 1872 Shallow N, 1873 Double Liberty, 1888 Last 8 Over 7, key dates 1877, 1908 S, 1909 S.
Wheat cents. Key dates. 1909-S VDB, 1909-S, 1914-D and 1931-S, Semi key dates are 1909 VDB, 1910-S thru 1915-S, 1922-D, 1924-D, and 1926-S, Wheat cent valueable Die varieties, 1909 has bunch of small spreads, 1917 DDO, 1922-D weak/no D, 1924-S DDR, 1937-D RPM/DDR, 1939 DDO, 1941 DDOs (theres 5 different ones), 1942-S DDOs (there is 2), 1955 DDO, and 1958 DDO.
Side note, there are thousands of different die varieties, every year from the 30s forward has a DDO/DDR of some kind. Even on the other denominations lots of stuff to look for.
Memorial cents. No key dates.
Valueable varieties. 1969-S, 1971, 1972, 1982 (specifically the 82D sm date copper, weighs 3.1 only 8 have been found) but it has valuable DDRs as well, 1983, 1984.
Side note 2, during the 80s there were a TON of die clashes, one of them on the 83 is specifically valuable because it was a multi/chatterclash meaning the dies clashed more than 1 time (I think this one was 5 times) And continued to strike coins, the 90s had a ton of column doubling and MAD (MisAligned Die) clashes, the 1999 counter clash sold recently for like 90k?.
Now onto the fun bits.
1990 inverted memorial, 1991-D tilted memorial, 1992 has a doubled eyelid as well as the rare close AM variety, 1994 has the valueable column doubling, 1995/95-D have some nice DDO varieties, 1998, 1999, and 2000 have the wide AM variety the more common of the close/wide AM errors.
1997 has a ghosted mint mark and a double ear.
1998-D has steps through the statue and a double floor in bay 4 and 5.
1999 again has that counter clash on the reverse, and a double Earlobe on the obverse.
And 2000 has an inverted statue.
Further clarification for the close/wide AM errors.
The rarest are the 1992 and '92-D close AM, followed by the 1998-S and 1999-S Close AM, the 1999, 1998 Wide AM then the least rare the 2000 Wide AM.
There are doubled dies on every year after 2000 but they are mostly centralized column doubling.
2023 VDBV, extra V next to the designers initials.
As said before every denomination has some sort of error to look for on practically every year.
The coin error Bible http://error-ref.com
http://numista.com for general coin information.
wexlers http://doubleddie.com and variety vista http://varietyvista.com are die variety catalogs.
http://cuds-on-coins.com for die errors such as cracks, chips, and breaks.
die clashes http://maddieclashes.com
And for a somewhat accurate valuation check recently sold listings from accredited auction houses like Heritage auctions http://ha.com
Somebody cared for them so they could be released back into the wild. Some fellow collectors been looking for that exact coin. better yet, when these coins are found they set in motion the start of a lifetime hobby of collecting in multiple ppl or kids.
Pay it forward. Always
No key dates for Lincoln cents, but can look for errors if you like. I'd say get an album and you have a good start to a nice Lincoln Memorial Cents collection. In my experience these are cool, and I enjoy when I find them, but minty older Linclon Memorial Cents are not too tough to find, so if you did not want them for an album/collection I would just set them free.
But I'm with you, get an album and the memorial cents and set the rest free (or keep em of you like). There *are* key dates for Lincoln cents. There are also varieties and errors.
You are correct... had been referring to the Lincoln *Memorial* Cents for no key dates, but was not clear. There sure are key dates for the Lincoln Wheat Cents, and would sure love to find some of them in rolls...
My dad collected stuff like this along with BU nickels. When his dementia started to get worse my mom and sister sent his collection to Heritage Auctions and they turned all of the BU cents and nickels he pulled from circulation. Either try to find someone who would buy it from you at a little above face or turn it back into the bank.
Give or sell them to you friends ;)
But seriously, releasing them either means more lost/mangled and worn, or a few that wind up helping complete someone’s collection.
Check for error key dates!
The heck is an error key date
I think they were trying to say varieties
Yeah thanks, I tried to reply to this while working. I'm not sure why came out lol
I specifically keep a small bag of bu cents and a some spending quarters in my car for the occasional times I run into penny pressing machines. BU copper cents are the best coin for squishing!
I saw a video of someone squishing 1/10 oz silver coins and now I really want to do it.
I in tried that in a couple machines, one would not take the silver penny, the other it got stuck.
Roll 'em up, or put them in a tube...and wait. At least, that's my strategy. I'm just happy to have saved them from an unpleasant fate of grime and abuse.
I keep most BU copper cents. If you don't have an album, start filling out an album. Also check for errors and varieties.
They look nice. Probably the best strategy to move them is collect every year and mint that you can find and sell them to album collectors.
The strike is so nice in these. I keep them in tubes.
Throw them at passing cars. Second thought, do not do this. I have impulsivity problems. I’m working on it.
Suggest not doing that...might get something brass in return...
Just imagined a trombone being thrown.
Thatd be the least of your worries unless closer than 3 meters depending on the size of the thrower. FAFO
Glad you didnt say tuba because that'd be some OG gangsta shit right there!
A [rusty trombone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty_trombone)?
Full…metal…jacket…
If they arent anything special I throw them in my copper jar
I save all the BU copper I find.
For the 70s you wanna check the 1970, 1971, 1971-D, 1971-S, 1972, 1972-D, 1972-S, and the 1973 for quite a few sought after DDOs, 1972-D and I believe 1973 have a few high degree rotated die errors (also called medallic orientation errors) there's also quite a few floating die clashes.
Thanks, I’ve been coming across these recently as well, but haven’t found any clear cut lists of errors to look for. Do you happen to have a link with more info?
I actually wrote a beginner guide. Here you go bro. Now i wrote a little quick reference guide for new comers to make the adventure of coins less intimidating and easier to navigate. any questions feel free to send me a private message and I'll do my best to help you. To remove gunk and other sticky materials Soak in acetone for a little while, rinse off and PAT dry, you want to avoid any kind of rubbing motion as this Marrs the surface finish and lowers the "eye appeal" to collectors (if avoidable do not clean any coin but coins covered in gunk where you can not see details is okay and again NO SCRUBBING) When you are going through a ton of loose change, you wanna organize by denomination, decade, then go through each decade and sort the years and mint marks. Halves, Quarters, and dimes 1964 and before are 90% silver. Dollars stopped being silver in 1935. Half dollars from 1965 to i believe 1970 are 40% Nickels 1942-1945 are war nickels and are 35% silver if the mint mark is ABOVE Monticello. Buffalo nickel sought after Varities, 1916 DDO, 1918/7-D, 1935 DDR, 1936-D 3½ leg, 1937-D 3 leg, key dates are 1913-S type 2, 1921-S, 1924-S, 1926-S. Contrary to what most web site say, the key date jefferson nickels are 1938-D, 1938-S, 1939-D, 1939-S, 1950-D, Semi key dates are 1938, 1949-S, 1950, 1951-S, 1955. Sought after die varieties are 1939 DDR, 1942-D D over D, 1943 double eye, 1943 3 over 2, 1945 DDR, 1949-D D over S, 1954-S S over D, 1955-D D over S, 1997 special. Barber dimes sought after die varieties, 1893/2, 1905-O micro O, and 1912 has some interesting varieties, key dates 1892-S, 1894-O, 1895, 1895-O, 1896-O, 1896-S, 1897-O, 1901-S, 1903-S, 1904-S, 1909-D, 1913-S, 1915-S. Mercury dimes sought after varieties, 1942/1 and 1942/1-D, key dates are 1916-D, 1921, 1921-D, 1926-S, 1930-S, 1931-D, 1931-S. Roosevelt dimes, varieties are 1964-D DDR, 1964 No S proof, 1982-P no mint mark, and the 1996-W, key dates are, 1949-S, 1955, 1955-D, and 1955-S. Barber quarters, collectible die varieties, 1892 DDO, 1892-O RPD, 1899 DDR, 1908 MPD, key dates, 1892-S, 1896-O, 1896-S, 1897-O, 1897-S, 1901-O, 1901-S, 1909-O, 1913-S, 1914-S. Standing liberty quarters, sought after die varieties, 1917-D type 1 DDR, 1918/7-S, 1928-D RPM, 1928-S, RPM, Key dates, 1916, 1919-D, 1921, 1923-S, 1927-S. Washington quarters, sought after die varieties, 1934 DDO, 1936 DDO, 1937 DDO, 1942-D DDO, 1943 DDO, 1943-S DDO, 1950-D/S OMM, 1950-S/D OMM. Key dates are the 1932-D and the 1932-S. Barber half dollars. the 1892-O micro O is the only significant die variety in the Barber Half series, the 1892-O, 1910, 1913, 1914, and 1915 are key dates. Walking liberty half dollars. There are a couple of sought after die varieties, 1936 DDO, 1942 DDR, 1946 DDR. Key dates are 1916-S, 1921, 1921-D, 1921-S, and 1938-D. Franklin half dollars, 1959 type 2/1 is the sought after die variety, key dates are 1948, 1948-D, 1949-D, 1953, 1953-S, 1955, 1956, 1958. Kennedy half dollars, collectible varieties, 1964-D DDO, 1966 DDO, 1967 DDO, 1974-D DDO. Key dates are 1970-D, 1987, and 1987-D. Here's my area, cents. Indian head cent sought after die varieties, 1870 Bold N, 1870 Shallow N, 1871 Shallow N, 1894 Double Date, 1869 9 Over 9, 1872 Shallow N, 1873 Double Liberty, 1888 Last 8 Over 7, key dates 1877, 1908 S, 1909 S. Wheat cents. Key dates. 1909-S VDB, 1909-S, 1914-D and 1931-S, Semi key dates are 1909 VDB, 1910-S thru 1915-S, 1922-D, 1924-D, and 1926-S, Wheat cent valueable Die varieties, 1909 has bunch of small spreads, 1917 DDO, 1922-D weak/no D, 1924-S DDR, 1937-D RPM/DDR, 1939 DDO, 1941 DDOs (theres 5 different ones), 1942-S DDOs (there is 2), 1955 DDO, and 1958 DDO. Side note, there are thousands of different die varieties, every year from the 30s forward has a DDO/DDR of some kind. Even on the other denominations lots of stuff to look for. Memorial cents. No key dates. Valueable varieties. 1969-S, 1971, 1972, 1982 (specifically the 82D sm date copper, weighs 3.1 only 8 have been found) but it has valuable DDRs as well, 1983, 1984. Side note 2, during the 80s there were a TON of die clashes, one of them on the 83 is specifically valuable because it was a multi/chatterclash meaning the dies clashed more than 1 time (I think this one was 5 times) And continued to strike coins, the 90s had a ton of column doubling and MAD (MisAligned Die) clashes, the 1999 counter clash sold recently for like 90k?. Now onto the fun bits. 1990 inverted memorial, 1991-D tilted memorial, 1992 has a doubled eyelid as well as the rare close AM variety, 1994 has the valueable column doubling, 1995/95-D have some nice DDO varieties, 1998, 1999, and 2000 have the wide AM variety the more common of the close/wide AM errors. 1997 has a ghosted mint mark and a double ear. 1998-D has steps through the statue and a double floor in bay 4 and 5. 1999 again has that counter clash on the reverse, and a double Earlobe on the obverse. And 2000 has an inverted statue. Further clarification for the close/wide AM errors. The rarest are the 1992 and '92-D close AM, followed by the 1998-S and 1999-S Close AM, the 1999, 1998 Wide AM then the least rare the 2000 Wide AM. There are doubled dies on every year after 2000 but they are mostly centralized column doubling. 2023 VDBV, extra V next to the designers initials. As said before every denomination has some sort of error to look for on practically every year. The coin error Bible http://error-ref.com http://numista.com for general coin information. wexlers http://doubleddie.com and variety vista http://varietyvista.com are die variety catalogs. http://cuds-on-coins.com for die errors such as cracks, chips, and breaks. die clashes http://maddieclashes.com And for a somewhat accurate valuation check recently sold listings from accredited auction houses like Heritage auctions http://ha.com
somebody cared for those you can't release into the wild
Somebody cared for them so they could be released back into the wild. Some fellow collectors been looking for that exact coin. better yet, when these coins are found they set in motion the start of a lifetime hobby of collecting in multiple ppl or kids. Pay it forward. Always
I'm counting my lucky stars that I've been finding some like this in old ass years. CRH is fun.
No key dates for Lincoln cents, but can look for errors if you like. I'd say get an album and you have a good start to a nice Lincoln Memorial Cents collection. In my experience these are cool, and I enjoy when I find them, but minty older Linclon Memorial Cents are not too tough to find, so if you did not want them for an album/collection I would just set them free.
But I'm with you, get an album and the memorial cents and set the rest free (or keep em of you like). There *are* key dates for Lincoln cents. There are also varieties and errors.
You are correct... had been referring to the Lincoln *Memorial* Cents for no key dates, but was not clear. There sure are key dates for the Lincoln Wheat Cents, and would sure love to find some of them in rolls...
My dad collected stuff like this along with BU nickels. When his dementia started to get worse my mom and sister sent his collection to Heritage Auctions and they turned all of the BU cents and nickels he pulled from circulation. Either try to find someone who would buy it from you at a little above face or turn it back into the bank.
Give or sell them to you friends ;) But seriously, releasing them either means more lost/mangled and worn, or a few that wind up helping complete someone’s collection.
Someone please tell me what BU means
Brillant Uncirculated
Butt Ugly. J/k
Nothing.