Thursday, November 13, 2008

A Proof!

Last night I did some coin roll hunting.

I searched a partial box of dimes, 2,000 coins. I didn't find anything in the rolls and was a bit bummed. I looked into the box afterwards and noticed an extra dime was in it, laying on the bottom. When I picked it up I noticed it was a 1991S! That's my first proof dime. I was quite pleased. Now I just have to find a proof penny (I've found three proof nickels, one proof time, one silver proof quarter, countless proof halves and a few proof dollars.).

A box of nickels, 2,000 coins, yielded just one Buffalo (1914D) and one Canadian. The Buffalo is a rarer date and a new variety for me, but it is terrible condition. I had to use Nic-A-Date on it three times in order to see the date. I sure wish the mint had decided to design the Buffalo nickel just slighly differently with a recessed date. Searching nickels and finding Buffalos would be so much more fun.

5,000 pennies, a box and some hand rolled coin, turned up twelve Wheats, twenty Canadians and one US dime. The Wheats all came from the hand rolled coin as the box had no pre-1983 coins. I think that's the first time that has happened to me. The Wheats were:

19XX, 1940, 1944(2), 1952D, 1953D, 1956D(3), 1957, 1957D(2)

Found: 1 penny (outside White Hen Pantry)

3 comments:

James (UK) said...

Save me having to trawl the 'net, what exactly is a "proof" in this context, and the meaning of that "S" with regards to it being a specific proof?

Thanks

kestrelia said...

A proof is coin made by the mint for collectors. For the past thirty years or so they are the only coins that came out of San Fransisco, whereas before SF was a regular mint like Philadelphia (P or no mint mark for pennies) and Denver (D). Generally they have a mirror like finish. They cost way more than face value, but sometimes they slip into circulation.

James (UK) said...

Ah, yes. I get it now. Thanks for that, and nice one!

I think my Mother and Father bought "my Henry" a full presentation set of the English coins for the year he was born.

I just gave him a load of newspapers for that day. Much cheaper! ;-)