You know, I don't use cash that much!

Over the past week or so since I've been back at work I've realized that I just don't tend to spend cash that often, at least when I'm working. Actually, I find I mostly just buy gas for the drive and for that a debit card is the most convenient thing going. I take my lunches from home and don't shop. Perhaps that is why after a week and a half all I have in my pocket is 57 cents in change.

I did get a couple of state quarters. These are circulating everywhere so it is not really a surprise. What was a surprise is finding a Denver mint Ohio quarter. I don't see a lot of these from the Denver mint here in the northeast. I also got a South Carolina P mint, a 1990 nickle, and a pair of zinc cents from 1983 and 1999. The best use I've ever seen these zinc things used for is when my daughter dissolved the zinc out of a couple and turned the copper skin into earrings!

Well that's about it for today. I'll try to make a point of spending some cash this weekend, who knows what may turn up in my pocket change.

Another day, another 22 cents!

Well I had to go pick my daughter up at the train station last night after midnight so I made a quick trip to the local Tim Horton's for coffee and a bagel. I ended up with 17 cents change and picked up another nickle from the floor of the car for a whooping 22 cents. Today I got a 1974 nickle and a 2000 P dime, a 1996 and a 2007 zink cent (someone on another site called them Zincolns, I love that!) The real prize was the 1942 wartime nickle. I don't know for sure if that was the nickle in my change or the one on the floor. Very cool, worth about 70 cents just for the silver content.

I took a closer look today at some of the coins I picked up yesterday. My 1836 large cent is clearly an 1835 with the 1836 head. Not super rare or anything, but nice. The 1826 cent is a 6 over 5 overstamped variety, again not super rare, but fun to find. You can take a look at them if you follow the links below:

For the 1826: http://www.tantaluscoins.com/coins/34588.php

For the 1835: http://www.tantaluscoins.com/coins/34589.php

Until next time.

Ben

Not much left in my pocket today....

Because I spent it all at the coin show! OK, I have 75 cents left. I got a 1965 quarter, too bad it isn't 1964! I also got Virginia and Delaware state quarters which will go in my state quarter jar. I really didn't go with a high budget. Rooting through the pick bins I could hear people closing deals for over a thousand dollars. I'm a lot lower budget!

Pick of the day for me was a 1515 Salzberg pfennig. Nice condition with a clear date and only $18! I got a VF 1915 Cuba 5 centavos because it was interesting. I think I have a 10 centavos from the same era. I found a 10 centimes from Napoleon III and a fairly nice 1923-S Buffalo nickle. I think I have this one, but not in as good of condition.

The rest of what I bought are cents & pennies! I got a couple of 1797 British coins, one is marked a 1/2 Penny, one a Penny on the flip, but I think they are both pennies. I also got a British 1/2 penny from 1799.

I added a couple of US large cents a decade apart (1826 & 1836) the earlier one has a pair of initials, looks like a sweetheart token. I also got a couple of nice indian head cents and some Canadian coins - 3 Nova Scotia cents, 1 Newfoundland, and a couple of early Canadian bank tokens. I had to buy a reference to Canadian coins as well since my collection there is growing.

All in all not a bad day.

Just another blog

OK so I've finally jumped into the blogging thing. I really have no reason for it, but I was walking back from the post office this morning and I found a penny on the sidewalk. This got me thinking about the change in circulation in our country. OK, surprise, I collect coins (who else is thinking about them anyway?) so I do think about them a bit. I thought I'd start a blog and a bit of a project to keep track of my pocket change, money picked up from the ground and other things.

From time to time I may feature a coin I've bought, but this blog is primarily about sorting my pocket change. You can have a collection on a shoestring, in fact, you could build a coin collection just from your pocket change or from found money that is lying on the ground.

So just for fun, what have I got in my pocket today? Not a lot at the moment. 36 cents. I have 3 dimes: 1975, 1967, and a dark looking 1969 D that I found in a driveway as I was walking by. I have 6 one cent coins: 1967, 1982, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2008. I think the 1982 is one of the zinc cents so I'm going to throw it, along with everything except the 1967 cent into a change jar. I'll keep the 1967 copper cent separate for now.

Tomorrow I'm going to a regional coin show, perhaps I'll pick up some Buffalo nickles or or something! Till next time.