Jars of coins can be gold mines to the knowledgeable collector. The most common find in an old jar is silver. But there’s more than just precious metal to be found.

If you check for nothing else, at least check for silver. Dimes, quarters, and half-dollars have a good potential for being silver. The fastest way to check for this is by looking at the edge of the coin. If there’s no copper ring, then you have a silver coin. If you’re not sure about a coin, check the date. The U.S. made 90% silver dimes, quarters, and halves through 1964, and made 40% halves from 1965-1969.

Next, check your nickels. Look for anything old, or before 1960. The Jefferson design was implemented in 1938, meaning old coins aren’t hard to find. Also, coin jars have been known to have Buffalo nickels in them. This design, minted from 1913-1938, has an Indian head on the obverse and a buffalo on the reverse. Don’t forget to check for World War II 35% silver nickels, made from mid-1942 through 1945. These have large mint marks above the dome of the Monticello on the reverse. And if you have the time, look for these more recent dates: 1960, 1968-D, 1968-S, 1969-S, and 1970-S.

In the end, pennies should yield the most saved coins. Here, it is common to find old coins, namely "wheat ear" cents from 1909-1958. While the obverse is the same as modern coinage, the reverse features two wheat stalks on wither side of the coin with the words "ONE CENT" large and in the middle. Even older are Indian Head cents from 1859-1909. They depict an Indian bust on the obverse and a wreath on the reverse. If you check for no other pennies, check for World War II steel 1943 cents. These were made of steel due to the war and are easy to spot because they’re steel- and not copper-colored. If you have time, check for these Memorial cent dates: 1960 and 1960-D small dates, 1968-S, 1969-S, 1970-S, 1971-S, 1972-S, 1973-S, and 1974-S.

Now you know what to look for and why you should never just cash in an old jar of coins. Sometimes a gar could be worth five or possibly ten times its face value because of old or rare coins. Happy jar-hunting!

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