Rolls Were in Demand Several Decades Ago
Question: The following half dollars in good condition--not uncirculated, not excellent, but “good”--include a 1941-S, 1942-D, 1943-S, 1944 and 1944-S, 1945-S and 1947-D. Also there’s a roll of 1964 quarters and a roll of 1964 halves, all in good and fair condition. Then there’s a silver-certificate 1935-G dollar with the signature of Henry Morgenthau Jr. and a blue seal; and a 1935-A paper dollar with Hawaii printed twice on the front with a gold seal and gold serial numbers.--R.E.S.
Answer: There are several interesting aspects of your letter. When you described your half dollars as being in “good” condition, you were unwittingly using a specific numismatic term to describe low-grade circulated coins, which I suspect accurately describes your 50-cent pieces. If so, they are worth about $1.50 each, primarily because of their silver content.
You also mention a roll of quarters and a roll of halves. Both of your rolls are worth about $35 each. The reason is there are 20 coins in a roll of halves and 40 in a roll of quarters. Again, the value is primarily in the silver.
Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, it was popular to collect coins by the roll. It took 20 coins to make up a roll of dollars, 50 for a roll of dimes, 40 for a roll of nickels and 50 for a roll of cents. You don’t see too many original rolls nowadays. Many have been broken up and the coins sold individually. But some collectors still prefer rolls, either original from the bank or put together from circulation.
As for your $1 bills, the 1935 silver certificate is just worth face value. The $1 Hawaii overprint is worth about $5.
Coin News
The Western Wall, considered by Jews their holiest shrine, is commemorated in an Israeli medal that depicts the hand-hewn stones of the wall on the obverse with the inscription in English and Hebrew: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem . . . .” (Psalms 135:5). The medal (pictured) also features the Hasmonean subterranean aqueduct on the reverse. Medals are available in bronze, silver and 18-karat gold. For information contact Intergold Israel Coins and Medals, 23326 Hawthorne Blvd., Skypark 10, Suite 150, Torrance, Calif. 90505; telephone (800) 472-6327.
Ancient coins and antiquities will be auctioned May 29 by Joel L. Malter & Co. at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. In addition to Greek, Roman, Judean and Byzantine coins, the auction will feature antiquities from those areas plus Egyptian pieces. Catalogues are $10 from Malter, 16661 Ventura Blvd., Suite 518, Encino, Calif. 91316; telephone (818) 784-7772.
A guarantee is being offered by the American Numismatic Assn. Certification Service for its encapsulated coins, known as Caches. ANACS will regrade coins that owners consider overgraded. If the new grade is lower than the original, ANACS will pay the owner the difference between the fair-market value of the coin and the new grade. ANACS will also refund the $15 regrading fee. For information, contact ANACS at 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. 80903-3279; telephone (800) 367-9723.