I went to the 3 coin dealers in my town, first one offered ME a buck apiece. Second one asked me what the other offered as he has a bunch he would like to get rid of too. Third one didn't even want to talk about them as he already has 400 and can't sell them till he gets $1000 face- I said buy mine and you'll be that much closer, um NO. I thought I was relegated to holding them till I got $1000 face myself. Then I stumbled on this deal, I asked him if he would be interested in more as I get 100-200 a month but was no response to that. I still may go to the second dealer and offer him a buck apiece for his ifn he wants to make a quick sale- if I had heard word that this guy would want more and more I would have already done that haha. So may have been a one time deal but the green is in my pocket ready to go hunting for more. Trying to get money together for $1000 face of 90%'s as those are more rare here but I do manage to get a few (2 walkers and a '64 out of 2 boxes tonight and of course 15 more 40%'s). Gonna try out a couple boxes from a new bank tomarrow- head teller wouldn't tell me how much she has in the vault- only that "these aren't silver, their circulated and have only been in the vault a few years"! The possibilities look good to me. Good luck with your 40%'s, HH Mark

Thanks and good luck with those boxes in the vault. There's a good chance there is some 40% in them.

I've been reading your threads on treasure.net by the way. HH!

__________________

Hi Handyman. Good deal on the woodworker’s bench.

Interesting that there are a lot more buyers at your auction. Maybe they are recently unemployed and looking for a new source of income. I saw this happen years ago when things got tight and there were too many bidders at storage locker auctions. I quit going when the bidding rose beyond good sense. They probably burned themselves out when they couldn’t sell at a profit. It is wise to watch for this and quit before you lose too. I prefer one on one dealing since I have better control and no competitors. Whole different psychology.

I suggest that you check out estate sales; the kind held by family members and not professional auctioneers. I have had good luck there and at several garage sales. As I wrote before, sometimes garage sales are actually estate sales and can yield some surprising items.

As things become tighter, others will attempt to supplement their income and sometimes outbid you. You have to be creative here and find sellers through places like bulletin boards, word of mouth, asking around, maybe obituaries.

My son and I went garage sailing last Saturday and there were only four that we attended. A lot of glassware and outdated appliances. The only things I got were a pair of new car speakers and enclosures for $15, a computer floor mat for free and a huge oil drain pan for $1. At the first garage sale, there were a lot of buyers and so little decent merchandise for sale that I was quite surprised. In fact, it was this way at all of the garage sales. I am often surprised and that is much of the fun.

I told my son that I wanted 33 1/3 records and DVD movies but am in no hurry as I believe that after times become tight, things will be for sale in greater quantities and lower prices. If I am wrong, it would mean that prices stayed high or even rose higher. A situation where I wouldn’t be buying anyway. After all, this is what I want and not what I need.

I did talk with a serious record collector and he laughed when I asked if he had any records for sale. He said that there was hardly anyone selling the old vinyl LP records and there hadn’t been for the last couple of years. He felt that someday the prices for old records would increase greatly and collecting them was a smart long term investment. Maybe so, but like silver, I got my records for as little as a nickel each. Some I paid a dollar for and a few I paid more in the beginning of my collecting. In the future, I hope to find someone selling out their huge collection.

I was standing in an auto registration line today and struck up a conversation with someone who has a collection of 22 Corvairs and a barn full of old flathead and other early engines. We exchanged numbers and may later do some dealing. Always be open to possibilities.

Best wishes,

Agnut

Hey Turner-son,
Told you I would post results from the "searched" half stash at the bank. First $1000 netted me 9 40%ers and a new friend at the bank- the donuts were good I had one LOL. At the time I picked up the first batch I asked how much more was in the vault and when could I get them. Again she reminded me there is no silver, these have already been searched. $1200 I picked up this morn cleaned them out. Since I was there (with more donuts) I asked what bank policy was for ordering boxes. I now have a date 10am every Thursday for $1000 until I cancel the order. Never asked if I was a depositor and I didn't volunteer that I'm not. Anyways she saved the best for last. $1200 of "searched" hand rolls netted me 37 40%ers and 3 '64's, one roll had 13 40%'s and 7 clad (almost got my first solid silver roll haha). So total I got almost 8 ozt silver where I was guaranteed not to find any. Never let them talk you out of tryin them out. Even if I had got skunked it would have been worth it to have another 2 box weekly continual supply. HH, Mark

Hi Me Co (Mark). Congratulations ! I have wondered if some banks in small towns would have more 40% or even 90% halves than rolls from big city banks.

Your recent posts #301, 303, and #306 detailed your success in finding more silver halves. Isn’t is funny; taking precious metal from the banks ? And your not listening to the teller saying that the halves had already been searched was a wise move on your part. And your using your paycheck to first buy bricks of halves was a stroke of genius. I often find people in authority being wrong. After all, they aren’t allowed to think for themselves and can only parrot the company line. In other words, think for yourself; if you don’t, someone will do it for you.

As for pennies, I have experienced about 20% 1982 and earlier copper pennies in a $25 brick of pennies.

The best way to make money sometimes is to not spend what you already have in the first place. Otherwise known as being frugal. Much fast food is bad for you anyway and home cooked food tastes better. I haven’t gone to a sit down restaurant in ages. Take out sushi is our occasional treat. My older son even makes homemade sushi now and it is better and cheaper.

Ponce said that his bank is telling him that he may not be able to get any more nickels. Something about a shortage I think.

So if you want nickels to have and to hold for the long term and as a possible diversification, especially rather than holding paper dollars, there may not be much time left to get hoppin’.

Your searching for 40% and 90% silver halves sounds like the best way to accumulate free silver and I consider it better than accumulating pennies and nickels. You can’t trade in nickels and pennies for profit while you can with the silver halves. It’s not easy and it’s not fast but steady. When the time comes that you aren’t finding enough silver halves to be worth your effort, you should already have another plan in place.

I suggest that you start looking around for items you can obtain for practically nothing and then resell them for a profit that you could use to buy more precious metal. I have found lots of items and accumulated them until the right person came along. A car that needs some minor cosmetic work can net a thousand dollar profit. Maybe more. Lots of surprises out there if you are open to them.

Just be careful as I have cautioned readers that we are in a tightening time and people are having less and less discretionary money for items. I would expect the next months to set up the spring and summer for lower prices as well as more items to be dumped on the market. The peak in ARMs doesn’t hit for another few months and it takes several months beyond that for foreclosures to appear. That takes us into the mid summer to the fall of 2008. We should be seeing some noticeable changes by then.

Thanks for sharing your silver half dollar story and I hope to hear more from you as time passes. The paper fiat dollar is straining against the fractional coins and it is only a matter of time until U.S. coins become scarce, starting with the pennies and nickels which are worth more in their metal content than their face values. If this inflation accelerates, their disappearance will also accelerate. I sometimes wish I could afford more bricks of nickels but then stop and realize that what I have is in proportion to my total in assets.

It is all a matter of liquidity, diversification, adaptability and preparation. Several years ago many PM investors were writing that they would soon be rich and be able to buy exotic cars and other toys. We don’t see much of that these days, do we ? That is because the playing field has since then changed to where anyone with an ounce of sense plainly sees the seriousness of the world situation. In other words, the mass perception has changed. To me this is an indication that we are in for a fall off a precipice rather than running over a mere speed bump.

I have plenty of vision but can’t see how luxury items will be in high demand after a depression gets underway. Oh, they will be worth something but they will have to obey the laws of supply and demand and their prices will be according to how it all comes down.

Maybe it would be a good idea to find someone to go to garage sales and estate sales with. Split the driving and halve the costs.

My older sister and nephew are visiting for a few weeks and have been helping around the property. My nephew has been helping cut down dead trees for firewood and my sister is rearranging the household. She hit the garage sales last Saturday and got a new Disney embroidered sweatshirt for 25 cents; it was about $40 or more in the store. She also got a nice winter coat for a dollar.

It is no wonder that so many folks are in financial trouble. Strange that they can’t weigh the pleasure of finding a bargain at a garage sale against the pain of paying retail for the same item. And many of them are buying with credit which means they are actually paying a lot more that their purchase price. So far I haven’t seen anyone accepting a credit card at a garage sale; cash and carry only. That is probably contributory to slow garage sales volume. As they say, money talks and bullshit walks. The latter, credit, is the bullshit.

Best wishes,

agnut

People are strange - even when they know a coin has silver and is valuable they often don't want to be bothered with it.

For a recent example: an employee at my bank, last year, sold me a bunch of silver coins that were collected over however many years of working at the bank. This person knows enough to have exchanged money out of pocket for silver coins being deposited over the years. Sold them all to me last year for my offer of 6.5 times face for 90% and 2.5 times face for 40%. I probably could have offered less, but felt we both made out well this way.

That's not the strange part. Yesterday, I was informed a customer had recently deposited a 1969 40% half, and it had been saved for me whenever I'd be in next. At face value. So I traded 50 cents I had and got the 40% half.

My point is, this is someone who knows it is worth more for its silver, was willing to bother saving it from the deposit, yet wasn't willing to keep it, despite having done that previously and being financially rewarded for doing so. I find that strange.

Just a quick post before I go to work but I just gotta share this. There was only one 90%er but with 235 40%ers I and not complaining. This was an awesome box. Got more boxes coming, hope I'm on a streak. Second pic is the best roll, sorry blurry but I couldn't sit still haha. Only 5 clad in that one. HH all, Mark

Hi davehorus. Just goes to show how oblivious the general public is regarding currency vs. real money. The other day I was in a pawn shop and they had two small bags with 5 90% silver quarters for sale for $10. They also had a bag with four 90% Kennedy halves for $10. I bargained for two bags of quarters and a bag of halves for a total of $25. If he had any quantity I would have snapped it up too.

I asked my bank if they could order any boxes of halves and they said that they had to pay a premium to get them. They all but refused to help me. I had been getting boxes of nickels and pennies from them and I suspect that they don’t want to bother with them any more. No profit to be had. I suspect that the boxes of nickels will not be available; when, I don’t know. If you want some, now is the time to request.

However, no shortage of paper dollars. HaHa.

Best wishes,

Agnut

Agnut,

I agree, the chances banks will oblige to provide boxes of coins will fall over time. When I saw rising metals prices I made sure I spent my idle time sorting for pre-1970 halves, pre-1982 pennies... and buying rolls of nickels occasionally. If you're going to keep some fiat handy, it might as well be in forms worth more than face value. And it even provided a little bonding experience with my coin-collecting nephew.

Hi again Davehorus. Nice to see that you are helping your nephew with coin collecting. Maybe he will be open to learning about what is real money and what is not. It took me a while to learn to “collect” according to weight and purity.

It seems that many are beginning to catch on to the penny and nickel metal value; not much percentagewise of the general population but those who are on the internet. Why ? Because the mainstream media is mum about the metal content of our pennies and nickels. If they were to do so, it would cause a run on these coins. Gresham’s law only works when people recognize relative value. The American public is so dumbed down and ill informed that, as a group, they are easily manipulated.

If the dollar were to fall to half of its current .77 valuation in the basket of currencies, when would “investors realize that a Dow of twice as high as it is now (about 14,000), to about 28,000, would net absolutely NO increase in purchasing power ? This is the “shabby secret” of the end game of fiat currency. In fact, a nominal increase would cause a higher tax; a silent actual decrease in purchasing power.

We who are aware of this downward progression of fiat currencies have the ability to protect ourselves.

Buying food stocks now is a good example. Considerable savings (and tax free too ! ) as inflation does its dirty work. A year ago when a can of food was 50 cents and is now 79 cents. Doesn’t seem like much but there is benefit in numbers. A 29 cent saving translates to making interest of 58 percent. And most “interesting” is that you would have your investment right at home, with no strangers between your investment and you. That’s about as close to your investments as you can get. Anyone think food prices will decrease in the future ? I sure don’t. Food investment, like precious metals is an anti dollar investment.

Changing buying habits is another. Big, big savings here. A garage sale coat for $2 that would cost $50 new in a store will keep money at home where it can be utilized for further protection against ongoing currency devaluation. And a used rather than a new car saves almost countless thousands. Not to mention those nasty monthly car payments. I have owned hundreds of cars and only made payments on two of them; neither left fond memories.

Selling unneeded assets and buying items that will have greater value in the future is another. We have gone over this in the past but this is a reminder to look around and see what you (me included) don’t need.

Once money is treated as a tool for protection rather than a supplier of wants, all sorts of opportunities and possibilities come to mind. This is a way of life and we all better get used to it as it will be forced upon all of us anyway. Better to think and act in terms of the future than to have to react when it happens. I can still remember my grandmother’s boxes of cloth materials. She made crazy quilts from the scraps. And she kept a box of twine too.

In the last depression there was no television or computer. People occupied themselves in making and repairing things as they listened to the radio. That is, if they could afford a radio.

What I have been trying to say is that the future doesn’t have to be depressing if we will plan for it. Come on, do you really think we are going into easy times ?

My own family thinks I am depressing when I talk about the future. I don’t relish it but see it as a necessity. They have become aware through the years and now understand the benefits. It is a process, not something absorbed overnight.

We live well and sometimes have luxuries. The thing is that we realize they are luxuries and may well disappear in time.

A friend told me that he had a stockpile of food. I asked him how long it would last him. He said two months. I asked what he was going to do after that. He paused a long time and said that he would have to make do. And he has about a hundred thousand in the bank. Obviously we don’t see eye to eye. We have talked about preparations for years and apparently this is his comfort zone. It is funny that the other day he said that I had warned him about something four months ago and now it was happening. Funny because these two months of food and some other preparations is as far as I can convince him to go.

How much we prepare depends upon how we perceive the future. That is, if we are not in denial. And that denial will prove to have been deadly if things get as bad as some of us anticipate. I’m not willing to risk the worst that can happen. And besides, it is comforting to know that I have done all I can for my loved ones. Even if they don’t appreciate it now. For if even some of the things I see coming, they will think I am a friggin’ genius. Little do they know that I had so much help from others like Ponce and many others here on GIM.

Being depressed in a depression is the inevitable consequence of having lived the oblivious lifestyle. I think it was the movie “Winning” where the race driver said that when another driver had crashed and was in flames, he hit the throttle rather than slowed down to rubberneck. Sad to say, many will be immobilized in a depressed situation. But this is not your problem; it is your opportunity to speed ahead. Don’t feel guilty about it; the masses didn’t feel guilty in their driving demand wild and therefore prices. Had the masses been conservative and saved wisely and tended to their government‘s shenanigans, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in now.

And lastly, being successful is largely a solitary endeavor. It is lonely at the top; we have all heard that. More appropriate that it is alone at the top. If you can’t stand to be alone, well… Misery loves company. Your choice.

Best wishes,

Agnut

P.S. Maybe talking about cars and their sensibilities for the future would be a good idea. I have already changed my vehicles to take advantage of what I see coming.

Hello ME CO,
I thought your posts would be a good way to help teach my teenager
more about the history of money in our country.
So...., In your fine fashion...
I ordered a box of halves last week and we had some together time and we found qty 4- 40% pieces.
Not a lot,
but a lot was shared, and she started to think we were looking for " treasure".
Part 1 was successful as far as I was concerned.
The folks at the bank were very curious, so I finally told some guy that
" Yessir, you are correct, I am looking for errors "
What I did not tell him was that in my opinion the "errors" were the ones I returned to them...
Will do another batch this week and I will post results.
Thanks ME CO !! for the ideas...
Agnut, I owe you some correspondence, but have been swamped,
good analogy on the grocery canned goods going up so much % annualized...
Folks down my way are really starting to talk about this stuff.
Regards to all,
Haystackneedle

Hi Haystackneedle,
Glad you have someone to sort coin with you. Time spent with kids is priceless no matter what your doing. It is like a treasure hunt and especially so if your daughter feels it is and not a waste of time. I have an addictive personallity so a box only lasts me a couple hours tops therefore it takes two to keep ME occupied for an evening. I found its just as easy to pick them up 2 at a time also.
I would suggest taking the rejects back to another bank- that way the same people aren't doing both ends of the transaction, that is frowned upon sternly haha. I also found them gold chocolate coins make nice tokens of appreciation, little mesh bag with 8 or 10 costs a buck. I am going to have to look for a quantity supply as I give out 10 or more bags a week. The chocolates look like Kennedy halves and the tellers can't tell if I'm flirting with them or just being a smarta$$ cause they just carried a heavy load for ME. I don't waste them on the male tellers but usually the girls get stuck with ME.
I found my first 1970 half today, they were only minted for mint sets and proof sets so for me to find this someone stole it either from parents or Breaking & Entering. The black marks on the pic are really just scratches reflecting and are not dark in person. Here's a pic

I wish you two continued success in your box hunting. Here's a site I like for mintages http://www.coinfacts.com/ The 87's were only minted for special sets also so any of those are keepers also. I have also found some proofs- alot came from one or two boxes, not worth much cause they're a little scratched up but still neat to look at. HH Mark

Had another good day. $400 yielded 119 40% halves and two BU '63 Bens. Here's a pic.

Next full box netted me 17 Bens, all BU cept 2, and one 40%er. Here's pic.

Total silver for the day 24.75 ozt with a face value of $70. Mark

Hello ME CO,

Hey, did you get those Franklins from box searching ????

Yep. Sometimes you can find Walking Liberties too and on rare occasions a Barber but I haven't found one YET, but I will this month haha. I've got some duplicate clad proofs if you wanna start a book of Kennedies for your daughter. I would let them go for a buck apiece- you can PM ME if interested. HH Mark
Here is an example of what a proof looks like.

Hi Haystackneedle and MeCo. Your hands on sharing with family is priceless. It says and teaches so much about what is money and what is not. And does it without lecturing too. Great for family closeness; the family that plays together stays together.

As I said, my bank refuses to get me halves. Maybe another bank will but I am reluctant to ask when I don’t have an account with them. If it were highly profitable and I had free time, I would pursue it with more vigor. Your recent post #315 with the 119 40% halves and the 90% Franklins was a shocker. Did you get these out of $400 in halves you got from your bank ? I must be misunderstanding somewhere or I will be quitting my day job and going into silver half retrieval full time. HaHa

I checked with Tulving and they are selling $1,000 face 40% bags for $4410. That would be $2.20 per 40% Kennedy half. And your net ”profit” would be $2.20-$.50=$1.70 ! And that $1.70 times the 119 coins you displayed totals to…wait for it…$202.30 ! Additionally the two Franklin halves are each $5.30 for another $10.60.

My sons are already well versed on coins and fiat currency so there‘s not much to teach them there. I will make them aware of what you have done and see what they say.

Most of our efforts are going into building the transmission business. I’m still discovering refinements that make things more profitable and efficient. This old dog can learn new tricks.

Current events point out that we should hold cash at home rather than trust others. A member here on GIM recently wrote that his bank was now beginning to hold his paycheck for a week before they would allow him to take cash. That would give me the willies. Are the banks “kiting” customers’ paychecks in order to increase lost liquidity ?

If you haven’t seen it yet, there is only 0.2% of the money out there that is in physical form. That’s $200 out of $100,000.Either you are thinking “So what ?” or your mind is reeling with the implications. As for me, my mind is still reeling. If I had this $100,000 in a bank and suddenly knew that there was only $200 for cash on demand I sure as heck would be getting it out of there as fast as possible. Probably leave skid marks.

Now this is just what I would do with $100,000 cash and NOT advice. I would buy $70-80K of silver, maybe a little gold and keep the rest in cash which I would use to buy deals and some more food stocks. By the way, my local Dollar Store has two pounds of pasta for a dollar. I have over 100 pounds so far and intend to get more. It lasts about forever as long as the bugs don’t get it. Also Hunts spaghetti sauce in the large cans are also $1. I buy them by the case. Food is very much on my agenda lately. More price rises are in the pipeline as well as the risk of availability problems.

The reason I would load up on silver with this $100K windfall would be to preserve purchasing power as well as take advantage of a silver price rise. It could be quite dramatic and in the near future. I would be getting out of paper fiat and into physical silver and selling the silver as needed, thus riding the price rise. I have done some of this in past years and it has worked quite well. Of course, there is the buy and sell premium so it has the effect of making me reeeealy reluctant to part with any silver. Call it a forced savings plan. Lately the dollar seems to be sliding downward toward where all fiat currencies have ultimately landed. That is ZERO ! All this talk by the MSM doesn’t directly address the process. Have you EVER heard them talk about what has happened to every ( as in EVERY DAMN TIME, without exception ) past unbacked fiat currency ? Hmmm…

If you took a taxi and discovered that the driver was drunk and suicidal, careening all over the road, wouldn’t you ask to stop and get another vehicle ? Maybe even leap out before the inevitable smashup ?

That’s how I see fiat currency. The masses always lose and contrarians always win. There probably isn’t one in a thousand invested seriously in precious metals. Talk about contrarians.

Chris Laird of the Prudent Squirrel financial advice website, recently wrote that there could be a serious cash crunch as investors had to sell assets to cover their losses. We’re talking about dollars being hard to get while they are still unbacked by anything other than debt. And that the FED couldn’t get the money to replace those losses into the hands of those put in dire straits. As in many trillions of dollars of losses. This makes it imperative that we know the fragility of getting money out of the bank and into our hands. Once again, Ponce’s quote applies; “If you don’t hold it, you don’t own it”. Anyone between your assets and your physical possession of those assets can screw you. Maybe a bit extreme but still a wise way of thinking.

At this point I may seem to be talking out of both sides of my mouth. So I better clear up what I mean. Although fiat dollars are heading downward doesn’t mean that they will be flooding the man on the street. The weekly billions of new currency is going into trying to stop the fall of markets and not going into our hands. As you can tell, I don’t trust the future for the dollar. The dollar could get extremely hard to get for a time but it is only part of the whole picture as the dollar joins the scrap heap of all other failed fiat currencies. So I use these dollars with an eye on their value at that time. They are merely a tool. Currency means current, as in what it buys at that current time, not what it will be as a store of value for reliance upon for retirement.

To put it crudely, fiat currency floats in a toilet bowl until the job is done. Then it is flushed down, taking its stink with it. It is toxic waste of the most unpleasant and odiferous. Knowing shit from shinola comes to mind. Silver and gold shine, don’t they ? Also the futility of polishing a turd comes to mind. A little potty talk to think about.

As of 10:56 A.M. Nov.6, silver is up 67 cents at $15.34 and gold is up $14.60 at $821.70. Notice that it is only being mentioned in passing by the MSM (mainstream media ). If you don’t know shit from shinola by now, you will soon be stepping in it. HaHa

Ponce says that we are only seeing what they want us to see and what they can no longer hide. The whole truth is enormous/overwhelming and for the public to become aware would throw the world in turmoil. It is going to happen anyway; the piper has to be paid. Both Ponce and I are watching and waiting because the wheels can fall off the juggernaut any day now without warning. Look up juggernaut; our economy is better described by this rather than as an investment vehicle. Not to worry, only the faithful fanatics threw themselves under the wheels. And we are most definitely NOT worshipers of fiat currency. In great measure, we have the GIM website to thank for that.

This post is just a heads up for us all to be aware of where our assets lie and to ACT if we feel it necessary. I wrote a few months ago that I felt that discretionary money was fast disappearing. And now I feel that it has gone past disappearing. Some people are using their credit cards to pay their mortgages. Paying interest upon interest. Financial insanity and suicidal too. What follows next is lots of items for sale but few buyers. We are seeing this happening now. And after a time, these items will be priced at what the market will bear. Marked to market. Remember when Bear Stearns tried to sell some of their bundled debt obligations back in August ? They thought they would get a particular price for them but when the bidders only bid 5 to 10 percent of what they expected, they quickly closed the auction. Probably so that the general population wouldn’t see what these toxic loans were really marked to market. Well, as I understand, there are TRILLIONS of dollars of these loans out there. When they are marked to market, all Hell will break loose. Pensions, retirements, money market funds are all involved. I’m sure you can see where this leads.

A new lower plateau takes time to establish wherein sellers will become aware and accepting of these lower prices. So now seems a wise time to hold cash (hopefully it won’t lose much of its value) and watch as the drama unfolds.

We have to be futurists and imagine the possibilities and be ready to take advantage after the dust settles. I wouldn’t mind having a quality reflecting telescope and a nice piano. Both luxuries that I feel will take a tumble in the future. And even if they are offered dirt cheap someday, I still may not buy them. Why ? Because my life situation will have changed by then and what wealth I do have could be put to a higher and better use.

CNBC just showed oil paintings for several million dollars each. Who has that kind of money these days ? Balzac said “behind every great fortune there is a crime“. Not necessarily true but I wonder sometimes. How a fortune is made is more important than the size of the fortune. I have known wealthy people who were to be admired and some to be avoided. Never love money more than your fellow man; it may leave you rich on the outside but bankrupt on the inside. Business is bad where somebody loses.

The last two callers for transmissions were quite interesting. The first was an older man who I talked out of a transmission overhaul. With what he said, I diagnosed that his external linkage was the problem. About $15 in parts. For some reason he started talking about the 911 conspiracy and that he has barrels of long term food storage and how he had gotten out of the city as it would become chaotic in time. I just listened and felt his anger at what was going on. I am still surprised that this came up in the conversation since I didn‘t start it. I guess some of the general population are waking up.

The second caller was a lady who obviously couldn’t afford a rebuilt transmission. I told her how she could convert to an earlier used transmission with a smaller clutch.

These are not normal callers and I don’t want you to think I am some kind of business fool or hero. It is just good business and I am here to help others with their problems. The money will always come; it always has. What we are is transmitted to others by our actions and words and they will sense that, even over a phone line. Reputations are built slowly and can be torn down quickly. For every customer you treat well you might get another customer but for every one you cheat, you may lose ten. It is an uphill battle to build clientele and the most powerful tool is your integrity.

I know I ramble around a lot on this bartering and horse trading thread but hopefully it relates to the business of a successful life. It isn’t just about making a good deal but also about growing and learning and about someone you admire and respect. Yourself.

Oh well, ‘nuff said.

Best wishes and JMHO,

agnut

i went through a brinks box once and didnt find a single silver half. waste of time. I had to special order the box from my bank. didnt cost me anything besides several hours of my precious life. lol what's the key to getting a lucky box?

Agnut, you are not misunderstanding anything about ME CO's post. He is one of thousands that sort through all sorts of boxes of coins from banks around the country, keep the silver and turn the rest back in (mostly halves, but others do everything from pennies to quarters).

Here is a great website if you're interested: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?board=224.0

If you think what ME CO has found is impressive, check out lejeuene, TXTim and Old Red. They will blow your socks off.

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The key to getting a lucky box? Just like everything else, being in the right place at the right time, little Karma involved maybe.... Depends on your location and how much competition you got and how serious they are- mainly depends how serious YOU are. You can better the odds some but its still a treasure hunt.
I started out with Brinks boxes myself because my business bank gets coin from them and it was easy, but think of it this way, Brinks is a closed entity meaning they collect coin from the banks that use them, reroll them and redispurse them- even the halves. Take another bank that uses Loomis, in my area Loomis doesn't roll halves, any halves they take in goes to the FED, anybody orders halves they come in a FED box. Now picture a pallet of half dollar boxes, someone orders, boxes come off the top. Loomis brings a truckload of halves back, they get dumped into the rollin machine and reboxed- guess where them boxes go... on top of that pallet. People are believe it or not depositing silver halves at the banks all the time, whether they be stolen or what but they still get into the coin counter bags. I've found alot of people like to dump at Brinks banks- keep them searched halves away from the FED but alas Brinks is dumping at the FED too (since I quit buying from them haha).
Anyways that is why this new developement here for ME is working out so well. A college taking $3500 in halves a week- everything comes off the top of the pallet- Loomis is haveing to pick up $3-5000 a week just for ME and the boxes I'm ordering various places- digging deeper in the pallet is a good thing. And the college will no doubt be getting at least some of our dumps here so this is good. One final note- the more boxes you search the better the odd of getting a lucky strike, or your area may be saturated with hunters, only one way to find out. HH Mark

Yesterday was another good day. 2 boxes gave up 110 40% halves and 6 90%ers so $58 got ME 18.5 ozt. silver. Also got a silver dime in pocket change. Here's pic

So to recap- good day Monday, Tuesdays 2 boxes only gave up 4 40% and one 90%, Wednesday nother good day. Will have to scrounge today to get any silver or take the day off from hunting. Two more boxes coming Friday- please O please let them be like Mon/Wed boxes and not like Tue haha. Having a pretty good week. HH all, Mark

This Thread is simple ! Learn how to live like a TOTAL DIRTBAG and make Profit off JUNK !

Ya know, elmer, I saw your post a couple days ago and I thought to myself "Gee, that's not a very respectful thing to say."
And ya know what? I still feel that way. So tonight I'm gonna say something about it.

Agnut has put a lot of work into this thread and here you are calling him a dirtbag.

I think you should apologize.

JMHO

bf

Well I didn't mean to hurt his feelings ! I just get tired of people telling me how they get stuff for nothing and make money off it ! It gets old where I come from . I learned in life its better to work hard and pay what a product is worth . You will enjoy it much more . But hey you are right Agnut has put alot of work into this thread so I'm sorry ! But it is my opinion !

Wouldn't it just be easier to skip the thread? I enjoy reading this thread and hearing about the different ways people are using to make a buck and get ahead. I wouldn't disagree with your opinion, but sometimes there is just not much need to give it.

Hi ME CO and thanks for posts 321 and 322. A profitable pastime while we watch and wait as the economy does its thing. Your photos and explanation of where you can get a lucky box are really appreciated, even if I personally don’t get some myself. The only halves I own are walking liberty halves and some Franklin halves I got years ago from a coin dealer. I got them for the going $1,000 bag price and got to pick out the ones I wanted. Wish I had bought more now but isn’t that always the case ? Like picking up acorns for the winter.

What you are doing is a good example of time well invested. Imagine all the millions who are watching the boob tube instead. Or worse, shopping on a credit card. What is accumulated for the future ? More like dissipated.

I once read it referred to as “lost opportunity cost“. Time poorly spent can never be recovered. We only have so many hours on this earth. And with what looks to be hard times coming soon (undeniable in my opinion), stockpiling resources of all kinds is the only sane decision.

We live in a world gone mad. Best to not get angry about it but instead seek opportunities. People all over the internet write about things gone awry. Fine and dandy but the knowledge is useless unless we act.

So much depends upon our attitude. Humans as a rule dread change. But if we can see the goal and understand that it is more valuable than the effort and investment required, we should conclude that to do otherwise (aka nothing) is a defeatist attitude. All of this bartering and horse trading and bargain hunting and bulk buying sale items are forms of stockpiling. Like the grasshopper and ant story.

We only have so much time until the economy slows down (a nice way of putting it). Next summer or fall we should see the changes all around us. This is the timeline I have set for myself and as a result I am getting ready as fast as possible. Whether it happens just then is not as important that I set a deadline in which to be ready. Otherwise, there is always tomorrow. Procrastination only allows things that need to be done to accumulate until you are overwhelmed by the enormity of tasks. Throughout my life I have been guilty of this and always paid the price. Recently I have vowed to take care of things as they occur. Thanks go to Ponce for browbeating me into submission. He can make me feel like a moron sometimes; keeps in check any delusions of grandeur I may harbor. And I can tell you that instant action is energizing (like the bunny). I have a running list of things that have to be done and scratch off each one as it is completed. Even small tasks can be listed; helps the ego to complete and scratch these off the list too. Cheap thrills, I know, but even small tasks help the psychology when doing the larger tasks.

Right now my sons and I have been looking for misplaced attachment fittings for a tiller I bought the other day. We have been going nuts looking but to no avail. We stopped and said that further looking would only waste time since we won’t need the tiller until spring and it will probably show up anyhow. So on to the next task which is building a shed on the side of the garage. The plywood and 2x4s we got free from a moving company. They also gave us a 4’x8’ and a 4’x4’ moving box and said that we could have many more. They are about 7 foot high. And they have many 40”x42” plywood pieces that are an inch thick. Also free for the taking. Might make a good decking for a front porch.

If you have need for such a storage container, your local moving company may have several sitting around back. My moving company is only too happy to have us haul them off. Free wood pallets too. I intend to store split firewood and a multitude of items in these boxes. The biggest cost would be for the exterior paint and a couple of hinges for the door, about $20 total. A couple of L shaped steel brackets at the entrance and a few 2x4s here and there would go a long way in making it rigid.

I noticed that seasoned firewood is #4 on the list of 100 things to have on hand for the future. A few more of these 4’x8’ boxes full of firewood and we’ll be ready for a long time.

By the way, I still intend to set up a fire box to heat the spa water. It is low priority; on the back burner you might say. But I enjoy beating the electric and gas companies at their own game.

Someday, and maybe not feasible, would be a steam driven electric generator for the house. We already have located two gas generators that need repair and the price is right; free. Am I boring you with all this free stuff ? Well, it’s just laying around all over and folks can’t seem to figure what to do with it. Seems to me that a steam powered generator could both heat the house and provide electricity at the same time. And dare I dream, heat the spa too ? Oh well, these are just possibilities and if I ever have the time I would like to tinker with them as well as several other ideas.

Had 13 used transmissions dropped off and paid a little over $1K. The core dealer drove in from Montana and I was just one of several stops throughout the Pacific Northwest. I got to meet him for the first time and he seems to be a great guy to deal with. I pumped him for information and he was most helpful. This info and customer feedback helps guide me in where my business needs to go. I have listened to my customers and can now supply them a modified 5 speed transmission that drops the engine RPM 11%. Nobody offers it but me. And I don’t charge any more than the stock rebuilt transmission. Why ? Because the used parts I get to keep are my extra benefit. Why get greedy ? I’m happy with the deal and the customer wins too.

It’s not easy laying out more bucks on top of all the other bills but there are many times when I cannot find these used trannies and I have to always be ready with the cash. Another thing to keep in mind is that new parts to rebuild these units are sometimes unavailable at any price. So I have to stockpile months ahead. I am expecting some large price increases in these parts. Maybe 30-40% increases and on up from there.

I hope that you understand why I sometimes write about the intricacies of my business. It is to show you what goes on in my head in order to get the optimum from my efforts. Everyone around me has been encouraging me to market heavily and get the business rolling. But it has only been recently that I have felt ready to reliably supply my customers. I am a small operation and can only handle so much work. Also, new possibilities and connections are coming my way and I need to absorb them into my production line.

I don’t want to get big; just busy. No employees. I had several in my last business and would rather operate alone or with a family member than grow large. If you are thinking about starting your own business and have any questions, feel free to post or private mail me.

My sons and I have been living on this 10 acre parcel for only a few months and I have to say that it is mind expanding. There are so many possibilities that we could never have explored in the city. Firewood, a well, burning our trash, a septic system, an orchard in the future, a big, big garden, muchroom (an honest typo mistake but it was so cute I decided to let it stand) cultivation, home business, forests, tons of blackberry bushes, raising animals and more. Every day is an adventure here.

There is a white European deer in the field right now. We put out feed and a salt lick and she is a pleasure to watch prancing around. Sort of a nature’s pay per view.

So what the heck am I doing with all this rural talk ? Well, if you can see your way clear to moving out of the city, I highly recommend it. Even if the world economy ain’t gonna go spinning off its axis next month, it is still a most uplifting experience. When we moved here, we didn’t expect to be so happy. No, delirious is more like it.

For most, the biggest hurdle in moving is employment. Loss of income until another can be found can be overwhelming. Admittedly, I was lucky and had family help. Money is a fickle mistress and there are many, many times in my life when I lacked the resources to make such a move. So if you want to move to rural digs and can’t, don’t feel trapped. Most people simply cannot without losing most everything they have built up in the city. It is usually with great effort and sacrifice that folks move to the boonies. In such circumstances I would recommend that you find someone who lives rurally and would be willing to let you stay on his property. The only other possibility is to buy some undeveloped acreage and have a travel trailer or motor home to bug out with. Besides, such a preparation can be enjoyed now and into the future. And who knows; maybe the property will become more desirable and therefore valuable through time.

In my case with the business now at home, I save well over $1,000 a month. Less pressure and more time to spend with family.

Best wishes,

agnut

Following a path can bring with it new opinions and thoughts, both obvious and those that are not obvious. You must always follow your own intuition. You must always do what you feel, rather than what others think. ---Sebastien Foucan

I always listen to all opinions ! even if I hate them .

The latest results from ME coin roll hunting have been dissappointing compared to the great results in recent history. I searched 7 boxes ($3500) this week and got 18 40%ers and two '64's, more than I had last week but awefull dim compared to 100+ out of 2 boxes just a week ago. There are conflicting stories as to why the sudden change- I contend that there is a pallet of halves that gets drawn from when the armoured service needs more halves. Now when halves come in (coin counter bags= alot of dumps) they accumulate and when there's enough piled up they fire up the half dollar roller and boxer. Once boxed they go right on top of our beloved pallet. That is my theory so theoretically there are alot of boxes to be waded through before we get back down into the pallet where the better boxes are.
My friend who lives 120 miles north of ME has a different theory- his idea is that they are continually boxing halves and that some massive silver hoard got dumped that created them good boxes we were getting awhile back. I guess we shall never know for sure but what we do know is our boxes are coming from the same place as he got a roll of them beautiful Bens too just like mine.
So that is why they call this a roller coaster- lots of highs and lows haha. Mark

Hi Elmer and welcome to GIM. I had to laugh at your post. I’m still laughing too ! Don’t be concerned; my feelings aren’t hurt but I AM greatly amused. You made my day.

Those who adhere to this type of marketing propaganda make my life easier and more productive. Bless ‘em all, we need lots of folks to buy at retail prices. Otherwise there wouldn’t be all this almost unused merchandise selling all over the U.S. And we TOTAL DIRTBAGS couldn’t be picking it up for pennies on the dollar.

Think about it though. Everything you buy is used. Go into Wally Mart or Nerdstorms and buy anything. It is now used. Why ? Because you are the buyer, the final user it was intended for. Can you sell it for what you paid or would it have to be less ? Will the store buy it back, even at a greatly reduced price ? I’m not talking about returning merchandise and getting your money back. Stores are not in the business of buying their inventories off the street but rather from wholesalers.

Buy a “new” car. Don’t even drive it off the lot and try to sell it back to the dealership. They will pay you thousands less than you just paid them. Why ? They have to make a profit and you would be asking for that profit back by trying to sell your car back to them. You have a used car now, even if it has zero miles on the odometer. Get used to it.

Don’t mean to insult you but rather to show you that I take a rather jaundiced eye view of “new”.

Apologies in advance to Jeff Fox worthy :

Did you ever go to a garage sale or swap meet and buy anything ?….You might be a TOTAL DIRTBAG !

Did you ever own a previously owned house ? ……You might be a TOTAL DIRTBAG !

Did you ever buy a “previously owned” car ? ……You might be a TOTAL DIRTBAG !

Have you ever bought any antiques ? ……You might be a TOTAL DIRTBAG !

Do you sleep only with virgins ? (Are you sure ?) ……You might be a TOTAL DIRTBAG ! (Just thought I’d throw this in for comic relief.)


I know a few millionaires who are TOTAL DIRTBAGS; some are in my family. And some of them are dumpster divin’ millionaires. Chokes me up; I’m so proud of them.

And lastly, I am a TOTAL DIRTBAG and proud of it and hope to pass this on to my children and other family and friends. Not everyone can be a TOTAL DIRTBAG; there wouldn’t be any great deals then. No, no this is a limited membership club. The key to the club is to understand that items for sale, like people, have to be evaluated on an individual basis. Prejudice is limiting in both cases. Almost rhymes, huh ?

When did thrift and sound financial policy fall out of favor ? If I am uncool, I can live with that. In my last post I said that we live in a world gone mad. Someday we will outstrip our remaining resources to the point where digging through our old trash heaps will be like a gold mine. Ponce predicted this some time ago and I believe that he is right.

As I have said several times, at this period in time we are transitioning from form to function. A Jaguar may be fun to drive but I feel it has no place in my life during a depression. A functional high MPG car or pickup truck is all I want. This would be a bad time to be strutting down the avenue like a peacock while onlookers are starving.

Elmer, you are welcome to join the club any time. But like the saying “Once you lose your ignorance, you can’t get it back”, I say once you open your eyes to bartering and horse trading you won’t be going back to your old ways. In fact, a common characteristic of members is that we all wonder what the heck we were doing before we became wise buyers and sellers. Throwing away loads of money and therefore much of our life’s substance.

Misplaced pride is a very expensive belief. My satisfaction is in getting the most value for my money. Don’t care much what others think; they don’t do it very often anyway.

You know what happens after you learn to swallow your pride ? It comes out the other end !

Best wishes (especially to you Elmer),

Agnut

P.S. Just saw an ad that said “Life takes VISA.” Shouldn’t that be the other way around ?

P.P.S. Elmer, Just saw your last post :
“I always listen to all opinions ! even if I hate them .”

Glad to see that you have an open mind. That way, concepts can enter as well as leave. AKA changing one’s mind.

Hi Agnut

Hmmm well it looks like you did not get my point ! There is nothing wrong with looking for a good buy to save money ! I'm talking about getting something for nothing and then taking advantage of people and making alot of money off it ! I have more pride than that so I will pass on being a TOTAL DIRTBAG ! Hey next time you get a great deal try to pass it on ! Don't take advantage of others and you will feel better about yourself !

Have a nice day !

ELMER

elmer could you pass along what metric you use for taking advantage of people? Is it 100% markup from what you paid for the original item(s)? Is it 100% markup from what you paid plus your time figured at $30/hr?

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