OT: Mercury Dimes.

[GloryDawg]

I was looking in a old shed behind my parents house. The house was built in the 1850's. I found a bunch of coins. They were in a dried out leather bag hanging up in the corner of the shed. There are about 20 mercury dimes. I noticed they were each wrapped separately in brown paper. Are those things safe? Also 10 Liberty Walking Half Dollars. Most of the coins are pre 1940's. Some from 1890's. There was one 1853 half dime. I left them with my parents. They had no clue they were there or they just forgot. I will inherited them one day.

 

[dorndawg]

I was looking in a old shed behind my parents house. The house was built in the 1850's. I found a bunch of coins. They were in a dried out leather bag hanging up in the corner of the shed. There are about 20 mercury dimes. I noticed they were each wrapped separately in brown paper. Are those things safe? Also 10 Liberty Walking Half Dollars. Most of the coins are pre 1940's. Some from 1890's. There was one 1853 half dime. I left them with my parents. They had no clue they were there or they just forgot. I will inherited them one day.

They're not made out of mercury. They're called Mercury dimes b/c the winged headpiece worn by Lady Liberty kind of looks like depictions of the Roman god Mercury.

 

[aTotal360]

Please don't tell me you think there's mercury in them?

 

[dorndawg]

Please don't tell me you think there's mercury in them?

I mean, it's not completely off base if you don't know anything about old coins, and also that somebody had went to the trouble of wrapping them up individually. The ancestors were pretty willy-nilly when it came to mercury usage.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

They're not made out of mercury. They're called Mercury dimes b/c the winged headpiece worn by Lady Liberty kind of looks like depictions of the Roman god Mercury.

Please don't tell me you think there's mercury in them?

PM me and I'll give you my address. I know a very safe place to store them. **

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

The dimes are safe, but do not drive the old Grand Marquis behind the shed ..

 

[aTotal360]

I would have assumed the Roman god Mercury on the side would explain enough. Guess I was wrong.

 

[GloryDawg]

They're not made out of mercury. They're called Mercury dimes b/c the winged headpiece worn by Lady Liberty kind of looks like depictions of the Roman god Mercury.

I don't anything about coins but they were wrapped and the others were not.

 

[thekimmer]

They are mostly silver (90%) the rest is copper. I taught general micro lab at state and we used to do an experiment where we demonstrated the antimicrobial properties of silver coins. They are harmless to people though. Unless you put one in your mouth and get choked on it.

 

[thekimmer]

I don't anything about coins but they were wrapped and the others were not.

Being made primarily of silver they will tarnish so perhaps that is why they were wrapped.

 

[GloryDawg]

Being made primarily of silver they will tarnish so perhaps that is why they were wrapped.

That's why I am sure. It was a honest question. Probably more of a dumbass question. Those are old coins and our goverment use to allow some bat **** crazy **** happen. Kind of like lead in paint.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

It's a legit question as dorn pointed out. Hell, I thought we were still using mercury in thermometers until recently.

 

[DawgInThe256]

I thought this was going to be a thread about the S*Town podcast

 

[MS-halfstep]

So you found a dime bag?

 

[MeridianDog]

You taught General Micro Lab at State? I was in grad school (Master's Microbiology with Biochemistry Minor) in 1974-5. Dr Wang was my advisor and Dr. Tischer was head of the Department. I taught Elementary Microbiology. Dr. Wang's lad was right across the hall from the General Microbiology Lab on the second floor of the annex. Good times there. I also prepped the Medical Technology lab (front corner west end of Harned) for Dr. Turner and worked a little for Dr. Brown on some Corps of Engineering contract work they had. When were you there?

 

[Bill Shankly]

It's a legit question as dorn pointed out. Hell, I thought we were still using mercury in thermometers until recently.

Cursory search shows it's never been used in circulating US coins.

 

[Michael Grove]

Glory, I’m a coin collector and I’m sure they were wrapped for safe keeping, the more they are handled the more they will become tarnished. If you’re ever interested in selling them hit me up, I’ll give whatever fair market value is! HailState

 

[MeridianDog]

I have maybe 200 of them. Always wanted to finish out my collection, but other stuff got in the way. Thought about getting my stuff appraised but have too much to get it done without sending it off and no one is going to handle my collection without me standing there. I guess I need to trust more, but I have had too many bad experiences to trust people.

 

[LandArchDawg]

Very cool. We made a similar find in my in-laws' house when my MIL passed in 2019. Basically a bunch of mercury dimes, several walking halves and Morgan dollars. One cool thing we did find was a 1912 half eagle ($5) gold coin.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

I may be wrong, but mercury won't solidy and hold at these temperatures

 

[Crazy Cotton]

What is a half dime? Isn't that a nickel?

 

[Crazy Cotton]

Okay I took a look on the google machine. If that half dime is an 1870-s you might want to hold on to it.

[h=3]1870-S half dime[edit][/h]In 1978 a coin collector surprised the coin collecting community with an 1870–S (San Francisco) half dime, believed to have been found in a dealer's box of cheap coins at a coin show. According to mint records for 1870, no half dimes had been minted in San Francisco; yet it was a genuine 1870-S half dime. At an auction later that same year, the 1870-S half dime sold for $425,000. It is believed that another example may exist—along with other denominations minted that year in San Francisco—in the cornerstone of the old San Francisco Mint. Later in July, 2004, the discovery coin sold for $661,250 in MS-63 in a Stack's-Bowers auction.[SUP][14][/SUP]

 

[Mobile Bay]

90% silver 10% copper.

For gods sake don't take them to a bank. I will buy them off of you for melt if nothing else. Which is more than you will get at say a pawn shop.

Current melt on a pre 1965 dime is $1.73. Half dollar it's $8.63

https://www.coinflation.com/

 

[Mobile Bay]

He means a specific design of half dollar. Which displays a walking figure of Liberty.

 

[HotMop]

I was looking in a old shed behind my parents house. The house was built in the 1850's. I found a bunch of coins. They were in a dried out leather bag hanging up in the corner of the shed. There are about 20 mercury dimes. I noticed they were each wrapped separately in brown paper. Are those things safe? Also 10 Liberty Walking Half Dollars. Most of the coins are pre 1940's. Some from 1890's. There was one 1853 half dime. I left them with my parents. They had no clue they were there or they just forgot. I will inherited them one day.

I'll buy those dangerous mercury coins from you, 10 for a dollar.

 

[GloryDawg]

What is a half dime? Isn't that a nickel?

It says half dime on it.

 

[GloryDawg]

Glory, I’m a coin collector and I’m sure they were wrapped for safe keeping, the more they are handled the more they will become tarnished. If you’re ever interested in selling them hit me up, I’ll give whatever fair market value is! HailState

They belong to my parents until they die and they pass to me. One day maybe. There was all kind of coins. 1905 pennies. There was probably 40 to 50 Buffalo Nickels. I did not look at them real close but some of them looked silver. The only copper was the pennies. I am thinking my Grand Parents hide them there. They lost everything they own in the Depression and once they bounced back they put the silver in the shed for emergency. When she died back in the 90's we found can food hidden everywhere. I think she was scared it would happen again.

 

[thekimmer]

You taught General Micro Lab at State? I was in grad school (Master's Microbiology with Biochemistry Minor) in 1974-5. Dr Wang was my advisor and Dr. Tischer was head of the Department. I taught Elementary Microbiology. Dr. Wang's lad was right across the hall from the General Microbiology Lab on the second floor of the annex. Good times there. I also prepped the Medical Technology lab (front corner west end of Harned) for Dr. Turner and worked a little for Dr. Brown on some Corps of Engineering contract work they had. When were you there?

A bit later. BS 83, MS 86 Micro. Wang and Tischer were not in dept. Turner and Brown were there. McCamish was dept head for bit. Used to do some work for Dr. Brown myself. He always had a few side hustles going. Taught general and foods micro labs. Taught Botany labs one summer too.

 

[thekimmer]

What is a half dime? Isn't that a nickel?

Yes and no. Both are 5 cent coins and 'half dime' used to be struck on some versions but calling them nickels came about with the change to a nickel-copper alloy for such coins. I don't think 'half dime' was struck on any of those made of nickel alloy.

 

[Jaxdog]

Hey MichaelGrove, I have a question about old some old coins I have. Please shoot me a PM

 

[GloryDawg]

Yes and no. Both are 5 cent coins and 'half dime' used to be struck on some versions but calling them nickels came about with the change to a nickel-copper alloy for such coins. I don't think 'half dime' was struck on any of those made of nickel alloy.

this half dime was silver.

 

[fang]

Www.apmex.com will give the bid/ask for specific items (uncirculated/junk/bars)

 

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Yup, not quite a **** load of dimes.