I started putting all coins dated 1980 and earlier that I received in change in a cigar box for my grandson and just realized that these coins are older than many of the guys on this site.

The oldest ones I have is a 1935 penny followed by a 1954 nickle.

Also have a 1972 Eisenhower silver dollar.

I am surprised about the number of old coins I have collected during the past six months.

I have a note in the cigar box so when I croak my family will know that the grandson gets the coins.

The parents and grandparents got me started many years ago collecting coins. I'm kind of at the point where any missing coins are going to probably have to be purchased from a dealer, unless you have an extra "Lincoln Head 1909SVBD" you want to give away. That would fill all of my penny books.

You might want to look into getting some of the Littleton Coin Books instead of the cigar box though.

http://www.littletoncoinsupplies.com/

Here's another interesting link:

http://www.numismedia.com/index.shtml

My dad got me into collecting coins around 1974. I had books filled with old pennies but managed to misplace it. I bet my little brother traded it in for gum

Ironically, your 1972 silver dollar doesn't contain silver and isn't valued at much more than face valu. Collecting is fun and good luck.

BTW, I found an old buffalo nickel in my loose change the other day.

Pennies since 1982 aren't made of copper either. Zinc w/copper plate.

I gave my son a $20 Double Eagle for his 1st birthday. Do you think its worth anything???

Just kidding.. However, I have purchased a proof set or silver piece for each of his 12 birthdays with the year on it. Just thought it was kind of cool at the time and haven't stopped.

I have an entire book of "coal script" which are coins that that used to give miners to use in the general store back in the day, have some from kentucky, Virginia, etc...all different mines. Very cool looking. looking for 1k for the lot. let me know.

Pennies since 1982 aren't made of copper either. Zinc w/copper plate.

Just read an article that people are hoarding the real copper pennies. The copper value is worth more than face value. Although it is illegal to melt the coins, they are anticipating the "death" of the penny which has been talked about for years. Once the penny is no longer currency it would be able to be scrapped.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/extreme-penny-hoarders-hope-to-cash-in-27476553.html

My father and I started collecting them when I was either five or six. We had close to twenty books filled up, when I quit at twelve. I shudder to think of how much those would be worth now. You see a certain family member who was strung out on oxy's swooped them when he came home from college on a break. He is now one year sober, but he sold them back then. We didn't notice they were gone until he told us he traded em for smack, after he was home for good. I love the boy to death, but this still irritates the mess outta me.

Being in the scrap business for 35 years I've seen everything in that video, except that penny sorting operation, amazing. Back around 73 or 74 copper was about $1.60 lb, inflation adjusted maybe the same value as today, we saw lots of pennies being melted, I never bought them. I did think it was illegal to deface currency.

Some may find this interesting. Xray film 1976 and before were loaded with silver ( not the case anymore), hospitals and labs kept these films quite a few years before they could purge them out. We bought tons and tons of them, these films were worth around 5.50 lb, silver was worth upwards of $50 an ounce back then, this was the hottest ticket around that hardly anyone knew about. We put silver extraction machines in to gather up the silver from the fixing solution, printers got a lot of this stuff too but the value was way less. At the time I thought we were smart, we took no cash from the smelters, in lieu we took the money in the form of silver ingot and sat on them. What goes up will always come down, and silver did to the point where we had little or no profit, so in hind site we outsmarted ourselves, but that's what being a speculator is all about. I held my ingots for over 20 years, sold them not that long ago.

We did the same thing in the gold business, I bought old eyeglass frames, dental gold, computer gold foil, etc. When I see the ads to buy gold today I refer to it as the

"Scrap business with a tie"..........lol

My in laws have some old coins from their parents. 1/2 cents, 2 cents, etc. Could you imagine having a 1/2 cent coin today? The penny is already worthless and the nickel isn't much better.

I've collected coins for years. But, instead of focusing on proof sets or uncirculated collectibles, I'm always looking for double die obverse or stamping error. If you find a true die error penny...say a 1969 double die San Francisco mint it can be worth over $30,000 to a collector.

They are a proverbial needle in a hay stack, but your odds are about the same as winning the lotto.

http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/tp/errorvarieties.htm

Also have a 1972 Eisenhower silver dollar.

There is a tradition in the Army in which a newly promoted officer gives a silver dollar to the first enlisted Soldier to salute him/her. I have a collected four silver dollars this way, and every one of them is dated 1972. What is the significance? Are they just easier to find than others?

Yes. 1972 Eisenhower was a high mint coin.

1972 with no mint mark = Philly about 75 Million units

D = Denver almost 93 M

Highest is 76 @ 113 M + for type II.

Best are the Blue and Brown Ikes

The significance is you are snappy at your salutes to your officers! :-)

I gave my son a $20 Double Eagle for his 1st birthday. Do you think its worth anything???

Just kidding.. However, I have purchased a proof set or silver piece for each of his 12 birthdays with the year on it. Just thought it was kind of cool at the time and haven't stopped.

That is a good idea. Don't stop, proof sets are a good investment for your children....