I was investigating a potential roof leak and had to head up into the crawl space above my master bedroom. There I found this tin with 402 Eisenhower dollars and 2 Susan b. I have no coin knowledge and will do some research, but even it they’re just worth face value it’s a great score.
Okay here is the thing with Eisenhower dollars: some of them are worth a lot of money. High grades can sell for thousands of dollars but they need to be perfect. Grading itself is expensive ($20-30 per coin depending on how many you send in). That one in the middle with the green spot is definitely not worth sending in.
Here is a price guide but take 20% or so off of the price listed for a given grade. In any case, the coin must be graded by either PCGS or NGC.
Here is a simple guide:
MS65: a couple of hairline scratches in the fields (the background area) and a few nicks here or there
MS66: clean fields, clean cheeks, to the average person it would appear to be perfect
MS67: same as MS66 but the rim is also perfect, no flaws of any kind; if there is anything negative about the coin that catches your eye at first glance you are not going to get MS67
The toning on that 1976 on the left side of the tin is highly desirable (unless it is just a reflection of the tin itself) but the green spots on some of the other coins is the complete opposite of that
Don't forget the reverse; everything mentioned above must apply to both sides and there is a least common denominator effect
Not paying attention to the reverse and the rim is usually what messes up the grade
When looking at these to figure out which ones are worth sending in use a lamp with incandescent light bulb (surprisingly hard to find these days), close the curtains, and turn off all of the other lights. Rotate the coin to look for any imperfections. Rotating helps you notice scratches and spots you otherwise wouldn't have seen.
Also, the 1979 Susan B. Anthony has a variety that could be worth a lot of money: wide rim.
If I had to guess out of that entire tin only 4-5 will be worth sending in. Take the best 5 to a coin shop and have the dealer send them in to PCGS or NGC (the grading companies) because you have to be a paying member in order to submit things, which is like $200/yr. Unless you plan on doing this long-term it isn't worth signing up yourself.
Do not rub the coins with your t-shirt, microfiber cloth, or anything. Handle them from the edges with clean hands.
Based on what I see, silver prices are the last thing you should be looking at right now. There is some good stuff in that tin with real numismatic value. I would gladly pay a premium over face value for the contents. Good luck!
Whiskey___Neat on September 23rd, 2019 at 23:21 UTC »
I was investigating a potential roof leak and had to head up into the crawl space above my master bedroom. There I found this tin with 402 Eisenhower dollars and 2 Susan b. I have no coin knowledge and will do some research, but even it they’re just worth face value it’s a great score.
jesuschin on September 24th, 2019 at 00:00 UTC »
You must have been all excited to get some danish butter cookies but then sad trombone coins
pennies0000000001 on September 24th, 2019 at 04:16 UTC »
DO NOT CLEAN THEM
Okay here is the thing with Eisenhower dollars: some of them are worth a lot of money. High grades can sell for thousands of dollars but they need to be perfect. Grading itself is expensive ($20-30 per coin depending on how many you send in). That one in the middle with the green spot is definitely not worth sending in.
Here is a price guide but take 20% or so off of the price listed for a given grade. In any case, the coin must be graded by either PCGS or NGC.
Here is a simple guide:
MS65: a couple of hairline scratches in the fields (the background area) and a few nicks here or there
MS66: clean fields, clean cheeks, to the average person it would appear to be perfect
MS67: same as MS66 but the rim is also perfect, no flaws of any kind; if there is anything negative about the coin that catches your eye at first glance you are not going to get MS67
The toning on that 1976 on the left side of the tin is highly desirable (unless it is just a reflection of the tin itself) but the green spots on some of the other coins is the complete opposite of that
Don't forget the reverse; everything mentioned above must apply to both sides and there is a least common denominator effect
Not paying attention to the reverse and the rim is usually what messes up the grade
When looking at these to figure out which ones are worth sending in use a lamp with incandescent light bulb (surprisingly hard to find these days), close the curtains, and turn off all of the other lights. Rotate the coin to look for any imperfections. Rotating helps you notice scratches and spots you otherwise wouldn't have seen.
Also, the 1979 Susan B. Anthony has a variety that could be worth a lot of money: wide rim.
If I had to guess out of that entire tin only 4-5 will be worth sending in. Take the best 5 to a coin shop and have the dealer send them in to PCGS or NGC (the grading companies) because you have to be a paying member in order to submit things, which is like $200/yr. Unless you plan on doing this long-term it isn't worth signing up yourself.
Do not rub the coins with your t-shirt, microfiber cloth, or anything. Handle them from the edges with clean hands.
Based on what I see, silver prices are the last thing you should be looking at right now. There is some good stuff in that tin with real numismatic value. I would gladly pay a premium over face value for the contents. Good luck!