Thanks all for your kind words. I still get a jaw drop when I find a walker -- it just seems crazy something that old is still floating around out there. I realize it was probably freshly spent or from a recent bank deposit by someone who didn't know any better, but still...awesome. I think I've accumulated a full roll of them in the past few years -- I think I started hunting in late 2013. Persistence and VOLUME.
I have to admit I've gotten lazy in my hunting technique. I do one roll at a time. I used to do a quick edge check of each roll, then check the date/obverse of every coin. Now I do the edge check followed by a fast flip through check of whichever side is up.
The edge check finds 95% of the goodies -- silvers usually pop out, and proofs and 87 and NIFC are often thicker, and/or have really sharp coppery reeding, and anything a different diameter (foreign, quarters, etc) also stands out. I also check grungy grey edges that could be hiding silver. The quick flip through the rest lets me find proofs in not-so-prime condition (mirrory surface,) an occasional silver that edge fooled me, an occasional so-so condition NIFC, or even foreign coins the exact same size as a US half.
The quick flip through them also serves a secondary purpose -- as I flip each one into a pile of coins, the SOUND it makes will aid in finding missed silver (only one has slipped that far past me in the past year) or foreign (none yet but if I'm visually distracted and miss one they are often weird composition that sounds different) and MAGICIAN'S trick halves (about half a dozen so far) which will never be caught visually, but go CLUNK not CLINK when they hit other coins.
I'm typically down to about 30 minutes per box (45-60 when I'm watching TV) which keeps the hobby a maintainable time-suck, lol.
HAPPY Hunting!