Wheat Penny Hunt #2

We've got about 20 penny "short rolls" this time.  This will be a shorter hunt than last time, probably 90 mins maximum.

These coins were rolled mostly in Las Vegas casinos in the 1960s and given out to guests as they stayed at the hotel. The hope was that they would put them in the slot machines, get hooked, and end up gambling a bunch more money. Some of these rolls survived, and a seller I know on eBay purchased hundreds of them. I bought 20 of them from him - most of the coins inside haven't seen the outside world since the 1960s. Most rolls come from hotels that don't exist anymore, like Stardust, Riviera, or El Rancho, which burned down in 1960.

Since these coins were wrapped 60+ years ago, most of the coins in them will be what's known as "wheat pennies". Pennies minted from 1909-1958 have the same front as today, with Abraham Lincoln facing to the right, but their back is different. They feature wheat ears surrounding the phrase "one cent". Wheat pennies on their own carry a bit of a premium, with even a common coin worth about 3-4 cents, but there are rare ones worth a lot more.

There are two things to look at on a wheat penny - the year, and the mintmark. The year just tells you the year it was minted, but the mintmark tells you where it was minted - D = Denver, S = San Francisco, no mintmark = Philadelphia. My goal here will be to look through the coins and see if any particularly valuable ones are inside. Coins from the 1950s and 1940s typically aren't too exciting, but the 1930s and before have certain date/mintmark combinations worth a lot of money. The 1914-D, for instance, is worth at least $150 even in bad shape, but can sell for $1,000 or more depending on its condition.