Baby Boomer Pocket Change

Coin Terms You Might See on Ebay-What is Extra Fine?

If you ever visit Ebay to purchase or sell coins you will see a lot of different coin terms. Now,  especially if you are buying a coin you should become familiar with some of the coin terms.

So this series will share definitions of some of the terms often seen in the headlines of an Ebay Sale. So to get the ball rolling here is a title on Ebay. Let’s examine it as closely as possible.

1892 COLOMBIAN HALF DOLLAR COMMORATIVE EXTRA FINE

Wikipedia states the following :

The Columbian Exposition half dollar commemorative coin, commonly referred to as the Columbian half dollar, was minted for the Columbian Exposition1892 to 1893. It honors the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America.

Now it is important to know that the better condition the coin is in the better the collectability. This is additional info I found on Wikipedia:

Most coins can be had in mint state grades, and can be had for a nominal sum. Due to creditors dumping many half dollars used as collateral for loans, some coins are sometimes encountered with signs of circulation wear.

So what condition is this coin in according to the title? Extra Fine

What is the Extra Fine Grade?

The definitions below are according to the Professional Grading Association.

Extra Fine

Alternate form of Extremely Fine.

Extremely Fine

The grades EF40 and 45. This grade has nearly full detail with only the high points worn, the fields rubbed often with luster still clinging in protected areas.

Of course if you would like to add to this discussion it is more than welcomed!

Tags: coin terms, extra fine, half dollar

2009 Lincoln Penny Errors

As I sit down at the table with a magnifying class examining a 2009 Lincoln penny, found in my pocket change, I am in total awe. I have a few pennies that are the Lincoln Professional.

Coin errors are not easy.I usually refer to a few error books like the Cherrypickers’ Guide This book comes in two volumes and extensive guide on errors.
I also simply love Strike It Rich with Pocket Change

Be sure to get a magnifier with at least 7x up to see some of this errors.  It can be relaxing to look at each coin. So come along with me on this journey of learning. Remember, I am using this site to share some of the things I am learning. I hope it is helpful.
Now get out those new Lincoln pennies. If you don’t have any yet you can get them at your local coin dealer, Ebay or directly from the mint. As of this writing some of the rolls are sold out but you can get them in the 2009 Proof set.

The Mint News Blog has an insightful article about possible double die errors on the 2009 Lincoln Formative years cent. The Lincoln Formative Years cent is the second in the four new coins released this year. Be sure to read the engaging comments at the end of the post.

A bootstrap error has been reported on the Lincoln Formative Years Series. This was featured on a CoinLink. It appears that you may not need a high magnification to see this error.

I will revisit this later I am sure. Meanwhile, I will keep learning so if I see one in pocket change I will know what I am looking at. Please share anything you might know with this babyboomer. Thanks

Tags: 2009 Lincoln penny, 2009 Lincoln penny errors, baby boomer, Error Coins, pocket change

What is a Double Die Coin Error?

I recently saw this error coin being sold on Ebay. It is for one of the new Lincoln pennies. The error shown is a double die. Ok, if you are new at this, like I am, you want to know what a double die error really is right?

Well according to coin expert, Susan Headly

A doubled die coin is a coin that was struck from a die that had a partial or full doubled image on it. The doubling comes from mistakes in the die hubbing process, where more than one image is transferred from the hub to the coin die. The 1955 doubled die Lincoln Cent (see photo) is the classic example of a doubled die, and sparked the start of the error coin collecting hobby in the U.S. Although no other doubled die types exhibiting the remarkable degree of doubling seen on the 1955 cent have emerged from the U.S. Mint, noteworthy doubling has also been found on 1972 and 1995 Lincoln Cents.

I also checked out a great resource site for double die coin errors. So I will be referring to it. The site is called Wexlers Die Varieties .

I especially like this site because it shows and explains die errors for current coins like the Lincoln penny and others that came out in 2009.

So keep looking at that pocket change.

Tags: double die variety, lincoln pennies, Pennies

Stop! Don’t Throw Silver Into Those Automatic Coin Machines

Many folks are using automated coin machine to flip their coins into cash. I am hoping that there are coin collectors helping to count the change that comes out of those machines.

I wish I could get a part time job counting that change. I would find a way to purchase all the old quarters and dimes that contain silver. The only point I want to make is to look through your coins before you dump them into those machines.

Ok, here is a very quick short list of coins to look for before you dump that are worth the value of silver. Of course how much you get is based on the value of silver that day. I have a page tabbed on this site that will give you the price.

• Nickels-1942-1945 (They have 35% silver
• Dimes 1946-1964 have 90% silver
• Quarters 1032-1964 have 90% silver.

I heard about someone who had 290 dimes  with silver in them.They were planning to dump them into the coin machine and did not feel fooling around with rolling or looking at them. A friend convinced them to go to a local coin dealer.  They were able to get  $320 dollars that day based on the price of silver. You do the math.

Tags: pocket change, sliver in pocket change

What’s In The Pocket Change Today? 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar

Look what was in this pocket change. That’s right a 1984 Kennedy Half Dollar. Is it worth anything?

Tags: coins, half dollar, kennedy half dollar