One man recently found a box of old coins he’d inherited from their grandfather. He turned to social media for tips on what to do with the rare coins , and received key advice.
While cleaning out his grandfather’s home, Reddit user u/wborstiv and his wife found a box full of old silver coins. The stash of quarters, nickels, and dimes were stored in rolls, leaving the man with lots to sort through.
After emptying out several rolls of old quarters, he still had over 50 more rolls to go. The quarters he found were mostly from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. He posted pictures of the haul on the r/coins subreddit, where he asked for help.
“What should I do next?” he asked.
“Grab a beer. Get a good coin book and explore,” one person said in response to his question. “Sorry for your loss.”
Another offered a common piece of coin collectors’ advice. “Don’t clean them,” they said.
To many, cleaning or polishing a coin may seem like a great way to see its shine and determine exactly what kind of coin it is. To collectors, though, this is an easy way to destroy a rare coin’s value. Old coin values typically depend on the grade, the quality of the surface. Cleaning can leave marks and scratches on coins, eating away at their worth.
Some said the old quarters, which made up a large part of the collection, would sell for $5 each. One pile of quarters the user had already unwrapped could be worth “around $1600 in silver alone,” according to one commenter.
Until the coins are appraised by professionals, though, the value remains unclear.
