Monday Marvels and a Moronic Mistake!

Hey Guys!

        Happy Monday! Things have been crazy fro me with my work schedule and the website that I am building right now to talk about my interests! Thankfully among the insanity there were some exceptional coin finds this weekend! On Saturday I had a customer giving me change and ask what this coin was...

A 1997 Mexican Peso in alright condition!

        Naturally I told her it was a Mexican Peso and once she learned I was a coin collector she traded it to me for a nickel! Apparently this coin is worth approximately $0.55 right now, but since this was the only foreign coin she had I don't think a trip to a currency exchange location would have been useful.

         Sunday was a very busy day at the grocery store and full of unique coin finds! First off was this 1954 D nickel!

A 1954 D nickel with a LOT of nickel oxide on it!

         While there is a lot of nickel oxide present it is unusual to find a nickel from the 50's in modern circulated change, so for five cents this was a good pick up! Next I found these two Canadian cents from 1977 and 1986 from the same cent roll that I had opened near the end of my shift!

1977 Canadian Cent

1986 Canadian Cent

       And as I was leaving for home I saw this shiny cent stuck behind the tray of the CoinStar machine. Turns out it was a 2009 D cent with lots of luster left and a Lincoln bicentennial reverse!

The coin I found Sunday is on the left and the older coin I had is on the right

Just look and the difference in luster (and the lack of gunk on the new coin)!

        So many awesome finds in just two days! The only downside of these new coins was putting them in holders in preparation for this post. I was thinking about something else and nailed my finger with the stapler!

Don't try this at home kids!

      Nothing terrible put still an experience I would not recommend others repeat!

Talk to you all tomorrow and Happy Collecting!

- Sean

A Dazzling Date Discovery!

Hey Guys!

       So yesterday I was walking to the employee lounge I found this cent lying in the Coinstar return tray.

A full view of the coin 

A close up shot I took of the date. This is the max that my camera can zoom in sadly :/

         This is a 1970 S U.S. cent! It is one of the unusual coins in the Lincoln cent collection that has two significant variations which are considered separate coins. There is the more common "Large Date" cent with the numbers forming the date being of equal size and then there is the much rarer "Small Date" where the numbers in the date are different sizes (most recognizable the 7). The Small Date variation goes for up to a premium of $20 in mint condition! It probably would go for more if the variations were more noticeable, as it is even experienced collectors have trouble differentiating the two types of this cent. To try and correctly identify my cent I went on to a site called The Lincoln Cent Resource and looked up my coin and its varieties. 

          After five minutes with a jeweler's lens I found that this coin is a "Large Date" variety. All of the letters in the word "LIBERTY" are clearly defined and well struck. In addition the inner curve of the 9 points towards the mint-mark rather than the 7. Both of these features are classic examples of a "Large Date" 1970 S, which is worth about $0.10 or so in the condition I have it in. Usually people will pay a dollar or two extra for a better quality one. So my chances of selling this one are basically nil. After further research I discovered that 1970 S large dates are one of the cents that have a known doubled die example! Not for this one but I will have to keep my eyes open for the future 1970 S cents I come across! 

        Oh well! It was a fun experience and I do not regret it! If any of you know for certain what this coin is please let me know in the comments!

        Have a great weekend and Happy Collecting everyone!

- Sean 

Observations on Nickel Oxidization

Hey Guys!

       So yesterday's post got me thinking about a trend that I have picked up with a number of the older Jefferson nickels, which you can see in the picture below:

The coin I am looking at in question is the 1940 nickel in the middle bottom of the picture.

         As you can see the 1940 nickel stands out from it counterparts because it has this unusual black stuff surround every high point of the design. It particular this black substance surrounds the date and letters on the obverse of the coin, as well as the letters on the reverse.

        After looking on the internet for clues as to what this mystery material is, I believe I have found a likely culprit.

Nickel Oxide in its Processed Form

  

         This charming pile of black is actually a compound known as Nickel Oxide (NiO). It is created when elemental nickel in some form comes in contact with water and then proceeds to deteriorate and form this compound (in essence NiO is the equivalent of rust for a nickel)!

         To prevent nickels from oxidizing the U.S. National Mints actually use the a 75% copper, 25% nickel composition of metals in their nickels. The properties of these two metal combined with a thin protective non-reactive coating over the coin prevents it from oxidizing.

        This would explain why I generally only see nickel oxide on older coins...the decades of circulation have removed the protective coating and allowed the nickel to come in contact with water!

        I hope you all enjoyed this science lesson today! Please leave a comment if I left something out of this explanation!

Have a great day and Happy Collecting!

- Sean

A Technique for Finding the Treasures of Time!

Hey Guys!

       So a quick update from yesterday...

       The first coin I saw of the day, hardly 30 seconds after I had started my shift was this 1940 D in great condition

Obverse of Wheat Cent with the date and mint-mark being clearly visible (SQUEE!).

Reverse of Wheat Cent

       Such a big find! It is hard to find wheat cents from 1940 or before in circulated change. Especially when they are in good condition like this, where they are free of copper oxide, big scratches and gummy residue. Definitely a good addition to my collection!


       And now onto the main event!!!

       So today I am going to discuss how I quickly search piles of coins for any ones that may interest me. It is actually a very simple process and it begins with me encountering a container of coins like the one pictured below:

Can you spot the cent that is not like the others!

          What I am primarily looking for are older U.S. cents in a pile like this, so automatically I ignore any cents with a shield back (which was used starting in 2010) since it is a newer coin and I also don't typically look at cents with a bright coppery luster. As you can see in the picture above the only cent that immediately stands out from its fellows is the wheat cent in the bottom right corner which as you can see has no luster left on its surface. The line of cents below help emphasize this point. As you can see circulation quickly deteriorates the luster of a coin so older coins will appear as a much darker brown compared to the almost red sheen of their younger counterparts.

The newest coins are on the left and the oldest coins are on the right. See the difference in color that is brought on by circulation?

Which coin is out of place?

             Since all I am looking for is coins that don't quite fit in with the others, this technique also helps me spot foreign coins hidden among U.S. currency. In the picture above the Canadian coin stands out clearly from the others due to its radically different design! I even use this technique with nickels like the ones pictured below.

Do you see the 1940 nickel?

           This time we continue to ignore the new designs and high luster of the modern coin and instead focus on the older ones. The trick is that since nickels are not made with copper (duh!) they exhibit age differently than cents. In this case the 1940 nickel located in the middle bottom of the pile has this black varnish that surrounds all the high points of the design. Not only that but it also appears much smoother to the eye as all of the high relief areas have been worn down by circulation. These attributes are common with older nickels and you should keep your eye open for them if you are working on a Jefferson nickel collection!

           Well I have to get on with schoolwork and other personal projects. Have a great day guys and talk to you all tomorrow!

Happy Collecting!

- Sean

Coolific Coins!

Hey Guys!

        I am ecstatic to say that my luck of finding cool coins is back!! Two days ago I found three awesome coins and the trend keeps on going!

        Yesterday I found these four coins...

All of the coolific coins I found (and yes I just made up a word)!

       The nickel is a 1970 S, which is awesome because I do not have it and 1970 is the last year that the San Francisco Mint produced coins for circulation! Starting in 1971 the only coins it minted were special proofs and collector sets (fun and useful fact for you Jefferson nickel collectors out there!). The Canadian cent in the top row is from 1993 and the one on the bottom is from 1965. The wheat cent is a 1951 D in okay condition though I already own one in better condition.

      All in all a great haul for a single day! I am definitely checking that jar of pennies that my store has for the mechanical pony again (since I found two Canadian cents there!). Since tomorrow is a day off for me I will be writing a special post explaining the techniques I use to find and recover coins that may have interest to me. It actually a very simple system!

Stay tuned and Happy Collecting all!

- Sean

      

Big Comeback with the Coins

Hey Guys!

        Man this past weekend was weird! I went to both a local thrift store and a library book sale and found NOTHING of interest! I think this gif sums up my emotions when I realized this...

I was SO SAD!!!

      Thankfully some awesome coins finds occurred on both Saturday and Sunday to help me feel better. Saturday's finds consisted of a 1940 and a 1968 S Nickel and a 2000 Canadian cent! Not a bad haul for one day!

Apparently my phone did not like me today...sorry for the quality of the picture guys :/

      Sunday kept with the trend as I found a 1958 D U.S. wheat cent with copper oxide on the front (thankfully I have found others in better shape) and a 1967 Canadian commemorative cent representing the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation.

The finds from Sunday.

      Hopefully the finds continue during my shift today. I will keep you guys posted on what happens and if no coins appear than I am going to talk about a simple trick to find older coins quickly.

Happy Collecting guys!

- Sean Bolon

1920's Wheat Cent! (Could not Think of an Alliteration for this Topic)

Hey Guys!

      BIG find yesterday for me! Was wrapping up my shift when I opened my change drawer and this beauty!

Obverse of the Coin

Reverse of the Coin

        I haven't seen a wheat cent in several weeks and this one goes a step further by being one of the earlier wheat cent years! This is the second oldest coin I have found at my job site (the oldest being a 1920 S cent I found during my second week)! The condition has definitely been heavily circulated but is in very good condition considering this cent has been used for exactly 90 years!

        Going to a local thrift store later today as well as that library book sale I told you guys about. Stay tuned to see the results of those expeditions this upcoming Monday!

Happy Collecting and have a great day everyone!

- Sean