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Curious

Ruffsta

New Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2021
Messages
3
Hi everyone!

I have always wanted to metal detect but never got to do so.. I still want to and maybe one day i will.. However, for now i am curious about something..

What is the point in going somewhere and finding corroded coins when you can't do anything with them?

1.) can't change them at a bank
2.) can't change them in say a coinstar machine
3.) can't use them in vending machines
4.) can't buy stuff with them
5.) can't clean them because "they loose value"
6.) nobody is gonna buy a pile of corroded coins from me - so what do you do with them?

which btw i find #5 funny.. they already have no value.. one would think cleaning them up where you can see the value and date it would increase the value.. then you "might" be able to do something with them.. Currently i look at corroded coins as junk like pull tabs.. they do nothing for me..
 
If you clean your coins ( ie: tumble them ) You can do 1-4. I have spent lots of coins in stores.
Most coins in the ground have already lost their numismatic value so feel free to clean away.
.

Welcome to the forum from Western NY


:fmdfwelcome:
 
i didn't even really think of tumbling them.. but i just watched a few vids.. seems pretty cool and easy.. and i definitely saw a lot of coins that can be put back into circulation.. hence now i can do something with them.. ie: cash them in, coin rolls, spend them.. etc..

at first i was like what do you do with all these green, corroded and what not coins cause if you couldn't do anything with them, then they would be just junk. i just was totally under the impression of to never clean your coins is all..
 
Welcome to the forum! You can do alot with almost everything you find, including relics. I've sold alot of stuff, that most would consider junk, but there's collectors of many things. I once sold a couple dozen musket balls for 88$. You just never know, which is what makes this hobby much more interesting/exciting. Sure there are some spots that are loaded with crusty zinc pennies, but then theres some spots that have nothing but old coins, in relatively good shape, and some in better shape than the zinc garbage they produce now.
 
If you are talkin' corroded zinc pennies. I agree with you. I avoid digging them and toss them in the garbage. Nickels on up, I'll dig them. I primarily look for silver coins and other interesting things. The clad is a byproduct that usually adds up to $500 to $1000 a year.

Basically, I agree with GroundSweeper. It's fun.
 
For me it's the anticipation of finding something really cool. Value wise or history wise.
If I find a coin or relic that was made in the 17th or 18th century...I know when I touch that object I'm more than likely the first person to touch it since it was lost....Thatr to me is exciting......At my age I need all the fun and excitement I can get......Pete

BTW I have never found anything like that....YET, but I'll keep looking
 
If you clean your coins ( ie: tumble them ) You can do 1-4. I have spent lots of coins in stores.
Most coins in the ground have already lost their numismatic value so feel free to clean away.
X2


:fmdfwelcome:... from the Land of 10,000 Lakes - Minnesota! :cool3: Happy hunting! :mder:
 
Like GroundSweeper said, its Fun. And thats enough for me.
And if you ever get the chance to return a treasured item that someone thought was lost forever, well, it is one of the most satisfying powerful emotions you will ever experience. My first one was so intense, it still gives me chills when i think about it.

As to the implied cost analysis of this hobby, my coin finds have paid for thousands of dollars worth of metal detectors. And this doesnt even touch on what my precious metals finds are worth.
(to answer your question, i tumble my coins until the bank coin counter will take them. so i get face value for my coin finds.)

As to not cleaning a coin, that is in the rare case of finding one numismatically valuable. Ive seen exactly one case on the internet that i believe was an actual find of a $5k+ coin. Theres been waaaaay more rare coins that appeared to be bought and then claimed to be found imo.
 
Coins aren't the only thing you might find. You might find artifacts or jewelry. The fun is not knowing what you might find next. If you are detecting to get rich you are in the wrong hobby. You might but I doubt it.
 
You are correct, the corroded coins are pretty much worthless. But every once in awhile, you dig a nice silver coin and that makes it all worth the effort. I dug this 1824 half dollar a few months back. These are the coins that keep you digging...
 

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Who says you cant change them at a bank or coinstar? not every coin comes out of the ground totally toasted, ive never had problems cashing in clad. Also the dont clean or it removes value is only a necessity for coins with numismatic value, and in that case than there are ways of preserving it without decreasing its value. Youd be surprised how well the ground sometimes preserves coins after properly restoring them. Also if you really feel that they have no value, melt them down and sell them for their metal content, you would be making more money anyways, a penny is worth 2 cents. Despite all that, this hobby is for fun, if you are looking for a get rich quick scheme id say your looking in the wrong place.
 
You are correct, the corroded coins are pretty much worthless. But every once in awhile, you dig a nice silver coin and that makes it all worth the effort. I dug this 1824 half dollar a few months back. These are the coins that keep you digging...

Sweet. I remember that one. And that wasn't a function of "every once in awhile you dig...". That was more a function of research and location location location. Right ?
 
Who says you cant change them at a bank or coinstar?...

Correct. I take mine to coin-star all the time, uncleaned (other than to get standing dirt off of them, is all).

Granted, about 10% of the coins won't get accepted. D/t perhaps they have a ding on them or whatever. Those get spit back out. And those I just keep in a tray in my truck dashboard, for loose change to add to a fast-food drive-through order, etc....

If you don't like the % fees that coin-star charges, you can take them to the bank. Which means you'll need to roll them (depending on the bank). And if I were going to do the bank route, to avoid fees, I'd probably put them through the tumbler first. So that they're not black, green, brown, etc.... Otherwise, since you're writing your acct. # on the rolls, someone in the bank could track you back down and gripe. Not that they have any legal standing, but .... still .... it's just not something I feel like dealing with. So I go ahead and accept the coin-star fees, so I don't have to clean, roll, etc...
 
Hi everyone!

I have always wanted to metal detect but never got to do so.. I still want to and maybe one day i will.. However, for now i am curious about something..

What is the point in going somewhere and finding corroded coins when you can't do anything with them?

1.) can't change them at a bank
2.) can't change them in say a coinstar machine
3.) can't use them in vending machines
4.) can't buy stuff with them
5.) can't clean them because "they loose value"
6.) nobody is gonna buy a pile of corroded coins from me - so what do you do with them?

which btw i find #5 funny.. they already have no value.. one would think cleaning them up where you can see the value and date it would increase the value.. then you "might" be able to do something with them.. Currently i look at corroded coins as junk like pull tabs.. they do nothing for me..

I'll tell a funny story, about how to get your cruddy grubby coins cashed in, in a post I'll make shortly :)
 
Just quit digging corroded coins it worked for me [emoji631]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Sweet. I remember that one. And that wasn't a function of "every once in awhile you dig...". That was more a function of research and location location location. Right ?

True, it was near a spot that was once a sawmill back in the 1800's. The sawmill site was picked clean many years ago, but I kept working out from the site in a circle until I found that keeper about 200 feet away from the mill.
 
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