Coin Finds: ‘W’ Quarters Galore

I found my second “W” quarter in the same place I found the first one back in September 2019; emptying the quarters from one of the pool tables at work. It is another Lowell design, but in a much nicer condition than the first one I found. It would probably grade about MS-63 due to a couple of heavy bag marks on the obverse.

Daryl Conley
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

 

When paying for purchases with my debit card, I always get $3.00 cashback in quarters to search for 2019-W Washington Quarters. While paying for my groceries recently using my debit card, I got $3.00 cashback in quarters, which were 2019 Lowell Park. After getting home and going through them, to my surprise out of the 12 quarters, two had the 2019-W mint mark. On another occasion, I received a 2019-W San Antonio Mission quarter. This is a great way to search for 2019 “W” mint mark quarters without going to the bank.

Ken Copeland
Chesapeake, Va.

 

These finds are different from your usual reported ones. When I was 12 years old (in 1957), my dad would let me stop at any bank that we passed on vacation trips. I’d ask tellers to see their silver dollars and they’d usually pull out one or two. My father would buy any dates and mints at face value for ones I needed. I stored these in Wayte Raymond boards. On one trip to see an aunt in N.J., I visited her bank and asked my usual question. The teller asked how many I wanted. Excitedly I asked how many he had – 5,000 was his reply. This was before credit cards, and my father would take only $150 in cash on vacation. The teller let my father buy $50 at a time and return what I did not want. I looked at these recently for the first time in years. To sum up, at that bank I acquired 99 different dates and mints spread across Morgan and Peace dollars, no Seated Liberties. The condition was mostly VF to AU. There were no great rarities or CC’s that came out in 1962 in the Treasury hoard. Two better ones in VF were 1893-CC and 1895-O. I also kept a dozen proof-like 1878-S dollars; of course, these had the usual bag marks.

Nearly all my collection of cents through halves came at face value from daily finds pulled out of my mother’s “milk and cracker” change from her elementary school, approximately $50 each week, that I rolled for her. From this weekly search, I found a complete set of Buffalo nickels, which were as common as Jeffersons. I did find one 1950-D nickel in VF, a surprising circulation encounter. I never did get a 1916-D dime, but I did find a VF 1942 overdate. Roosevelts were too ordinary to save. I found loads of Standing Liberty quarters without dates but a complete date and mint set starting in 1925, three VG Washington 1932-S and one VG 1932-D quarter, a pair of AU 1932-S and 1932-D quarters, and all Walking Liberty and Franklin halves. I uncovered no Lincoln keys. As a curiosity, I saved all steel cents, accumulating a couple thousand in a blackened state, which my father used as poker chips. The few Indians cents and Barber coins were mostly worn; an exception was a VF 1896-S half dollar, saved for me by my school lunch cashier. My last additions were the circulation finds ending with silver coins found until about 1970.

So, what to do with all this? My grandson and granddaughter, ages nine and six, are the only ones in the extended family with an interest in collecting coins. Regularly, we sit and search rolls so they can fill their state quarter albums. I also drop a bunch of the above on the table for them to keep. One aside, I showed my grandson my contemporary arithmetic book from elementary school, illustrated with Lincoln wheat backs, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, and Standing Liberty quarters. He was pleased to see that children his own age had also known about these coins.

Edward Cohen
Address Withheld

 

I usually look through bank-wrapped boxes of half dollars. Usually, I find one silver Benjamin or Kennedy half per box with an “s” mintmark, or a 1965-70 Kennedy half. I was amazed to find eight coins in one box. How lucky! Then, I found four more in another box. I hope my luck continues because this is fun.

Geoff Gersuck
San Bernadino, Calif.

 

I had two interesting finds. In change at a local bookstore, I received a 1963-D silver quarter! A day later, in change at a restaurant, I received a 1942 wheat penny! I look at every single coin I get every day. It’s fun and, as the above shows, productive.

Steve Barnes
Fishers, Ind.

 

I had a fun Christmas Eve in 2019 when I received a coin in the change dispenser at Walmart. I thought “Wow, that looks like a war nickel.” Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a 1942-D Jefferson nickel in Fine condition. Imagine that!

Michael F. Stake
Woodward, Okla.

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