Baby Boomer Pocket Change

A Quick Look at the Reverse of the Northern Mariana Islands Quarter

Take time to look at the artistic design of your money. Okay, lets peek at the last of the quarters in the quarter series. It is the Northern Mariana Quarter.  Each quarter tells a historical story but there is also a work of art.

The Reverse of the coin is the side opposite the Obverse. I call the obverse side the “Head” because that is usually where you see the picture of someone famous.

The Northern Mariana Islands  Quarter was released in November, 2009. Now the mintage was very low for this quarter.  There were 37,600,000 coins minted in Denver. And there were 35,200.00 made in Philadelphia. So when you look at your coins and you see D that means Denver and the P means Philadelphia.

It was sculpted by  Phebe Hemphill and designed by Richard Masters. You really want to see some of the other designs done by the sculpter and engraver at the US Mint. Perhaps later I will do a series for those interested in the engaging artistic side of coins.

The Northern Mariana Islands quarter reverse design represents the wealth of the islands in its natural resources of land, air and sea. A large limestone Latte (an architectural structure from ancient Chamorro times) stands near the shore. A canoe is present to represents the people’s excellent seafaring skills. Two white fairy tern birds fly overhead while a Carolinian mwar (head lei) borders the bottom of the design near the inscription, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. The mwar is present as a symbol of the virtues of honor and respect.

Now isn’t that interesting?

Tags: Coin Design, mariana Islands Quarter

New State Quarter is a Piece of History

There is a State Quarter that will show up in your pocket change. When you see one in good condition hold on to it!

This quarter is the sixth and final quarter in the DC & US Territories Quarters Program was first released into circulation on November 30, 2009.

You can purchase a set of the coins online.

Read more about the Northern Mariana State Quarter

Keep your eyes open for those quarters!

Tags: Quarters

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

Will Your State Quarter Be Valuable in the Future?

I was wondering about the future value of single State quarters in the future.  I know that the should be in excellent condition and is based on the number of coins made. There is a guide that uses an interesting calculation to determine the future value of a quarter based on how many were minted.

View this article and look for your State to see if you should be saving those quarters.

Tags: collect state quarters, state quarters, value of state quarters

New Quarter Series in 2010

Get ready for the release of the new quarterseries. This new series will feature the National Parks.

After my brief immersion into coins I have discovered that it is better to get the coins uncirculated. If you can also consider getting proof coins from the Mint or your local dealer.

The resale value is better when they are not circulated coins and in great condition. Also, proof coins are just prettier and made for collecting.

In addition each coin will be a piece of art. They will be designed by artists and collecting them will be like collecting a piece of artwork. So if you think about it an uncirculated coin is like seein the work in an art exhibit or on TV. An uncirculated coin from the bank rolls is like getting an open edition print. Whereas a proof coin is like buying a limited edition print. The Silver Proof, in my opinion, is llike buying the original.

So,keep an out out for the coin holders and the release of the coins. You can read an article that was in the Wallet Pop yesterday on the new quarters.

Tags: artists, national park coins, Quarters

Quarter Errors

I love looking for error coins. But you already know that if you have read any of my posts. So, here is an article from Coin World on quarter errors. Enjoy!

Tags: coins, Error Coins, quarter errors, Quarters

Are You Still Collecting Quarters?-Check for Mintage Numbers

Are some of you still collecting quarters from the new series being minted? Well if you are, I have found out that the number of coins minted at a facility is important. Now from what I gather, the lower the mint run the more valuable the coin to collectors.

So, quarters like Puerto Rico, Samoa and Guam should be quarters you hang on to. This article, by Coin News Gives a good overview of the mintage.

Also refer to the Coin Value report on the Mintage of State Quarters.

Of course, after the newly released quarters are gone from the Mint then you will need to purchase from a dealer, on Ebay or at a coin show. However, read the Ebay descriptions very carefully. I saw one set of coins with a picture of them in cases that looked like they had been certified. However, when you read the description the seller says “In their opinion ” the coins would be certified as MS70.

Would you like to add anything?

Would you like to add anything?

Tags: coin collecting, coin values, mintage

Have You Seen an Extra Leaf in The Wisconsin State Quarter Yet?

I have read about this coin but never saw one in person. I thought this video clip was very informative. Wish I had one.

Tags: state quarters, Wisconsin

Unopened Bags of Puerto Rico Coins Purchased at Mint Go For Higher Price on Ebay

I am observing that Puerto Rico Quarters are selling for higher than the purchase price from the Us Mint on Ebay. I am told that it is because the mintage was low for these new quarters.

I am sure there are other reasons but for now I see where an intial investment in these uncirculated coins is a good thing.

I was also told that you should not open the bag. The reason is because some collectors want to search the bag themselves for error coins.

In additon investors who purchased both mint marks, (S and D) are getting greater value. I am still very new at this so any insights from others would be appreciated.

Tags: coins, puerto rico quarters

Looking for The Mint Mark But Can’t Find It?-Quarters

Look for the mint marks on the following quarters:

Type of Quarter

Barber quarter(1892-1916)     Below the eagle

Standing Liberty Quarter (1916-1930)   To the left of the date. Not to be confused with the M for the designers name.

Washington Quarter(1932 to 1964)  Below the eagle

from 1968 to the present -to the right of George Washington’s pigtail

Tags: location of mint mark, Mint Marks, Quarters