Do you think twice before opening a roll?

chrsb · Member

I have come to a dilemma in my search for varieties. Over the past few months I have acquired a decent collection of OBW rolls with the intention of opening them up and searching them for varieties and errors. I figured I would be slowing down at work this time of year (usually have a month of so off) and wanted to make sure I would have something to do. Anyways, I have slowed down and organized my collection, as I wrapped it up and started think which roll should I tear into first, I had a second thought. Should I leave them like they are for resale value? Some of the rolls are pretty neat and probably rare. I have not seen a collection like this for sale though, so maybe there would be no interest in it and I am second guessing myself for nothing.

This is pretty much a 55-82 complete OBW collection, the missing rolls are on there way. My seller is going to sell me the remaining 50-55 rolls after Christmas.

I am sure some understand the frustration of staring at these rolls and wanting to tear them open and start searching. I figure they would be more safe in plastic tubes after they went under my microscope of course. Anyways, am I the only one who has second guessed himself before tearing these open? Here are some pics of the collection, everybody always knows that pics tell a better story-

Ziggy9 · New Member

Are you collecting them because you like them or for resale?
If you like lincoln cents rip into them! The hours of fun searching for varieties, rpm's and errors is worth far more than any difference in resale value!

Richard

Dick · Expert Member

Amen to that! I value coin, (rolls especially) a whole lot more for the pleasure of being able to "see what's there", than for the profit that I might gain. Then there is the thiought of having to re-aquire them, again, if you decided you wanted to make a second search. I am a "pack-rat! I don't throw nothin' away! (I do have to locate more boxes tor storage, every now and then).
Dick

eagames · Expert Member

Nice set of rolls there!

I think about keeping rolls but I can't resist but open them and look.

If you want a great roll set you sort of need to look to see if the coins are spotted or nice. I've had gem rolls and others that were so bad I had to spend them and get others to replace them.

Wink

chrsb · Member

I have been thinking all morning, I think I will start with the ones that I have multiples of and are common rolls or loose and probably already been searched. There are a number of memorials that are common wrapped with the brown red or red white and really are not OBW. Most (90%) of the memorials I only paid $3 a roll for, so no big loss. I will hold off on the Federal Reserve wrapped rolls (ie:1943D, 1955, 1969S etc) save them for special occasions. The 25c Lincoln rolls I will put away for a rainy day and maybe open the multiples of those. I just can not sit here and look at them anymore, they need to be set free!!! Thanks for the support, I figured the answers here would be to tear them open, just the push I needed!

coop · Expert Member

When I get a box of Cents that are from the same batch, I search a few rolls and if nothing is found I will save them to sell later or return them to get other rolls. The nice thing about OBW rolls is this: You are the first one to check them. On circulated coins, your not the first one to look at them. On tubed Cents you also maybe not the first one to check them. It just depends on who searched them and ofr what reason. If they are searching for varieties, they will be picked clean. If they were just tubing them as they felt the OBW roll may not be good enough for them, you might be the first variety collector to check them. So I take a chance on them back a few years ago as not many colled varieties then. Some search for the high grade coins. But it depends on your extras from one year. Are they from the same bag of coins when they were rolled? If they are, then after a few rolls you will know watching for markers you can tell. But if they are not from the same batch run to fill the bag you received coins from or have different markers or have different wrappers, I may not view them as duplicates, but ones I would search every roll. Your choice, But I've got my first hunch to search and save the rolls as your eye will get more train and maybe you missed something. I have to re-check my rolls and that will keep me busy for a long time.

Rhubarb · Senior Member

I have several roll's that I have broken open and haven't regretted doing so. There are some that I opened and didn't find anything. As coop said you can alway's go back and search again, I have, and found coin's I missed before.

Rhubarb

Dick · Expert Member

Now youi know why I don't turn any back to the bank!
Dick

coppercoins · Site Admin

I never think twice about it and dig right in...even with OBW rolls of 1935, 1943, etc...I have always been quick to tear them open. A number of reasons:

1. The paper is probably worse for them than plastic tubes.
2. The higher grade coins possible in the roll would pay for the roll many times.
3. The die varieties in the roll would pay for it many times over.
4. The chances of finding something worth more than the resale value of the roll are good enough to outweigh the resale financially.