Expert: PAPAJACK - 12/15/2008

Question
Hi There!  I have a very worn (or maybe it's just dirty) 1941 dime and several pennies from 1944 on up.  I know the dime isn't probably worth much more than its face value, but would it be worth it to clean it up and save it for another decade or so?  What about the pennies from the '40's and '50's?  Any reason to hold onto them, or will they all be worthless in time?

Thank you!

Answer
Hello Cher,                                

A word of advice, do not try to clean the coins in any way. It makes them non- collectable.
Learning to estimate the grade of the coins and noting any cleaning or mishandling is the key to finding the value.

None of these coins would be worthless over time but they might not go up in value either.

Lincoln Cents are collectable. Most of these modern cents sell for less than twenty cents in circulated grades. And since the dates after 1944 are still plentiful to collectors in Mint State grades circulated coins are less than ten cents each.

The Winged Liberty Head dime (Mercury head); these were produced in large quantities most years. For these 1916 to 1945 dimes locate the mint mark. If it has one, it will be on the reverse, near the bottom left of the fasces, and right of the "E" in the word ONE.

1941 or older dimes having complete rims should sell retail for $1 dollar as a minimum price for the silver in the coin to a few dollars each.

Feel free to let me know when you have any questions.

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Thank You and Good Luck

PapaJack