Got a bag or container of loose change hanging around your home? Maybe a a childhood collection or a keepsake passed down from generations?
It may be worth looking to see if any of the coins are valuable or rare, because you could be sitting on a gold mine.
That's what Luz Quintero and her sister, Angela Malagiere, were wondering about their collection. At her home in Moonachie, New Jersey, Quintero showed some of the coins that could have value: a few buffalo head nickels, an Eisenhower silver dollar, and at least one coin that dates back to 1887.
While the coins may seem to be rare, Quintero said she didn't know where to turn for a reliable review of the coins’ value.
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One group to turn to is the American Numismatic Association, a non-profit group that’s been around since 1891. Although the group doesn't endorse any dealers, they do have a dealer directory on their website.
Among those listed was Neil S. Berman, in Mount Kisco, New York. He shared what he looked for in determining the value of a coin.
"What is it made out of? Is it rare? What’s its condition? And what’s it’s desirability?" said Berman. "The most common thing that you’ll find is silver coins. They stopped making silver coins for the most part in 1964."
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Berman looked at photos of Quintero's collection, which includes quarters dating from 1908 to 1964 in coin collector books, a popular trend in the 1950s and 60s.
"They’d buy a book for a buck or two bucks and they’d try to get one coin for each date that was in the slot," Berman said. "There’s only a couple dates that are worth money...People have a hard time believing that a piece of currency made in 1899 is worth $5 or $10."
For their book of pennies, as well as the buffalo Indian head nickels, half-dollar and dollar coins, Berman estimated the value of the collection at just under $300.
