It’s time to dig into those cushions and look for loose change. You may find a special type of quarter that’s demanding quite a premium price right now. According to Good Housekeeping, people are selling the coin for $35,000.
So what’s the deal? Certain quarters minted in 1970 feature a small, easily missed mistake that’s making some collectors excited.
These special quarters were minted over 1941 Canadian quarters and, as a result, feature a teeny-tiny “1941” marking above the word “DOLLAR” and on the tails side of the coin.
The eBay listing here provides more details on the quarter and how to find the imprint. While there’s a rare chance of actually having one of these, it can’t hurt to check that piggy bank and scour the couch cushions, because you could get lucky.
This is a proof quarter, which means it was a test piece.
According to coin expert (and the owner of one of these quarters) Mike Byers:
“Proof coins are struck by technicians who hand feed the blanks into special presses. They are produced, examined and packaged using extreme quality control. It is very unusual to find major proof errors. A few broadstrikes, off-centers, double strikes in collars and off-metals have been known to be found in sealed proof sets.”
The reason why this coin is believe to be worth so much?
“Proof errors are aggressively sought after by many error collectors,” according to Byers. Well, that makes sense.
Byers came to own one of these quarters after buying it at auction from the State of California. The U.S. Secret Service sent a collection of coins with proof errors to the state after it was discovered in a group of San Francisco coins.
“There is a significant amount of detail on both sides showing the design of the Canadian Quarter. This is one of the most fascinating and intriguing proof mint errors ever discovered,” Byers wrote.
Here’s a photo and an illustration from Byers that shows the “1941” imprint marking. It’s pretty hard to make out, but it’s there!
Byers has written a book called “World’s Greatest Mint Errors” if you’re curious about other flawed coins. It’s a coffee table-style book with “the most dramatic and amazing mint errors and die trials ever found in the U.S. and across the world,” according to the book description. This guy is a serious collector, too.
Right now on eBay, he’s got several coins listed for tens of thousands of dollars, including this two-headed Jefferson nickel that he wants to sell for $100,000. Yep, you read that right, $100,000.
He’s also selling this copper penny for $22,500. According to Byers, there are only three coins like this in the world.
Byers and others like him are called numismatics, the fancy way of saying they study and collect coins. There are numismatic clubs, organizations, conferences and newsletters for die-hard coin collectors.
Other Common Household Items Worth A Lot Of Money
If you’re one to hold on to collectible items, betting that they’ll be worth more money down the road, now is the time to open those dusty boxes in your attic and see if you’re sitting on a gold mine.
For instance, your Precious Moments figurines could be worth hundreds of dollars. This “God Loveth A Cheerful Giver” figurine is on sale for $399.99 on the website Retired Precious Moments right now.
And what about old boxes of LEGOS? According to the website, BrickLink.com, certain LEGO pieces can sell for hundreds of dollars. This red Darth Vader helmet has sold for between $325 and $400. And a red antenna with side spokes is selling for $218.
If you’re a fan of Disney movies, today may be your lucky day. If you grew up in the 90s, I’m pretty sure you had stacks of Disney VHS tapes in your home. If you still have some (and they’re in pretty good shape), keep reading.
Some sellers on eBay will sell a single movie, like this original Black Diamond Beauty and the Beast movie (it’s currently listed for $6,500). Others will list an entire collection, in hopes that they can catch a favorable price for an avid (and wealthy) Disney fan. But do people really pay thousands of dollars for Disney movies? I did some research a while back and this is what I found:
Over 7,400 Disney VHS tapes (or tape sets) have been sold on eBay, the top one being a collection of 15 movies that sold for $60,000— what?!
Of those 7,400 transactions, about 25 of them sold for over $500.00.
Of those 7,400 transactions, a few hundred of them sold for over $50.00.
So there you have it. While you most likely will not get filthy rich from selling your Disney VHS movies, you could potentially make a few hundred dollars if you have a great collection, they’re in mint condition and you’re willing to take the time to put them on an online auction site like eBay. Best of luck to you!
Related video: How to make a beautiful table top with pennies
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