Another Week With Little To Show. Did B.F. Skinner foretell my response?

This week proved to be the worst in for the year.  I have now been unsuccessful in finding any silver coins for 2 weeks straight.  With these types of returns one begs the question of whether or not this hobby is really worthwhile.

One could make reference to the works of B.F. Skinner to explain why so many of us continue to do this.  If you will forgive the comparison, what we do is very similar to the responses seen in the pigeons studied by B.F. Skinner.

Basically, we are just like the rats who push a button to release a pellet of food.  It's a variable ratio schedule, where we don't know how much we will need to search before we get our reward.  However we know there is a reward, so we keep on searching (pushing the button) until the reward is released (i.e., we find silver).

This form of operant conditioning is one of the easiest to form in lab test animals, and also has a very high resistance to extinction.  Which explains why people continue to hunt for silver even if they have been 'skunked' for many weeks straight.

Alright enough with the psycho-babble.  This week wasn't a complete bust.  I was able to find a 1903 victory nickel.  I thought it was a penny at first because the color was so different from the other nickels.


Will I continue to hunt for silver?  Yes.  :)



Let me know what you think. 
If you feel your hobby isn't just some real-world version of a classic psychology experiment...
Leave a comment!

Nickel Coin Roll Hunting

With all the fun so many of us have been having not finding any keepers in our Half Dollar hunting.  I decided on a whim to also pick up some boxes of Nickels and Dimes at my return bank.

First I wouldn't call this a relapse.  I figure I'm good as long as I don't start sorting Pennies.

Anyways the Dimes turned out to be a complete waste of time.  We've all seen the amounts of boxes people search to get 1 or 2 silver Rosies.  

The nickels turned out to be a little more fun.

Keeping right up with last weeks Half Dollar hunting results, I found a solitary War Nickel that also happened to be on the end of one of my rolls.

I haven't searched nickels in a while so it was a refreshing change to see one of these and on the end to boot.  Too bad I didn't simply keep that one roll and return the rest, and save myself a heap of time hunting.

I also found a couple rolls worth of 2010 and 2011 coins.  They were lightly circulated but still look pretty good. 

Not the biggest treasure find, but when you're not really finding a lot of anything it's nice to get something now and again.

I think I will be bothering a couple of my banks in the neighborhood to pick up some more boxes.

As always Happy Hunting!

~ JobIII

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Coin Roll Hunting Blues

After searching more boxes of half dollars then I would like to admit.  I come up almost completely empty handed.  I feel it is necessary to mention silver is still out there for the taking.  If you are one of the lucky few who find themselves in a location that is yielding good silver percentages, congrats to you!  

This was the first box I searched and thought I was in for a good night of roll hunting.  Take a close look at the picture to see why I thought I was in for a good night.  By the end of the night I learned that I would only be rewarded 1 silver coin for my multiple hours of work.

I really hope that I see some better results in the next weeks.  And too all you who are posting those awesome Silver Roll returns (you know who you are) I'm totally jealous.  Congrats and keep it up!

~ JobIII

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Penny Error 1957 D - Double Die or Machine Doubling

Stumbled upon this coin while putting a pile of wheat pennies into jars by decades.  There is clearly something going on with the Obverse.  The front of Lincolns face, and parts of the date show signs of what i would call doubling.  The doubling is most pronounced on Lincoln's face, the date also has minor doubling but you need a loupe to really see this.

The Reverse does not have any doubling.  There are a couple areas on the Reverse that have wear.  Just under the "E" in ONE, and below the America between the wheat stocks at the bottom. 

Take A Look.  And Let Me Know What You Think.  Double Die or Machine Doubling?

**Update New Photos Below**
As requested I have taken 7 new pictures.  These were all taken looking at the coin directly overhead.  I also was unable to make use of the magnifying glass.  The original pictures can be found at the bottom of this post.