Comments on: Reference Question of the Week – 4/24/11 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/ or, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Fear and Loathing at a Public Library Reference Desk Thu, 23 May 2013 18:19:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Erin http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2717 Erin Tue, 24 May 2011 16:27:42 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2717 You get some really interesting & cool questions over there!I love the links that you post for how you did your searches!

]]> By: Brian Herzog http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2690 Brian Herzog Thu, 19 May 2011 12:01:27 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2690 @Erin: Not at all, and I’m glad you still have them – it always amazes me when I find one in the wild, but I do occasionally get them in change.

]]> By: Erin Apostolos http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2685 Erin Apostolos Wed, 18 May 2011 20:07:12 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2685 Wow, Brian. Time to turn in the silver coins I collected in my college days while working at a self-service gas station. You wouldn’t believe what people gave me for a pack of Camels! I swapped out my quarters and dimes for the silver ones all the time. I guess my years there weren’t a waste after all.

Erin

]]> By: Brian Herzog http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2644 Brian Herzog Sat, 07 May 2011 23:53:55 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2644 @Terry: I know, which is too bad. For the tough questions, I always ask for contact information and I get back to them if I find anything else, but I don’t always remember to ask on the “easy” questions. Too bad we don’t have a fancier called ID.

]]> By: Terry http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2625 Terry Tue, 03 May 2011 17:06:01 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2625 “After I hung up with her, I kept searching to see what else I could find.”

This is one of those librarian things patrons don’t know about. They should always come back later and ask what else we’ve found. :)

]]> By: Emrikol http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2616 Emrikol Mon, 02 May 2011 05:01:44 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2616 Please do keep us posted if you casually get a true answer, as my curiosity sense is tingling.

]]> By: Brian Herzog http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2614 Brian Herzog Mon, 02 May 2011 01:54:01 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2614 @zognog: I found a 1941 nickel – too bad the war nickels are mid-1942 – 1945.

@Emrikol: Now that you point that out, I do remember it – although the USA Today article only mentions pennies and nickels (so does the US Mint rule it is talking about), in response to the rising copper prices. I honestly don’t know about silver coins, but searching online did produce some sites that buy them for above-face value (sketchy as all get-out, but this whole industry kind of is).

Coinflation.com has an FAQ on melting coins, but it’s from 2006 (same year as the USA Today article). It refers to Section 331 of Title 18 of the US Code (Section 332 seems also relevant), but the law doesn’t seem to outlaw melting coins – only changing them and still trying to pass them off as coins.

There’s a more recent article on About.com, which also doesn’t answer the question, but is interesting nonetheless.

I am certainly not a lawyer, and I don’t know how US Mint interm rules fit in with the US Code. Next time I see one of those cash-for-gold places, I’m going to ask them what they do with coins they buy.

]]> By: Emrikol http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2613 Emrikol Sun, 01 May 2011 20:19:08 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2613 I thought it was now illegal to melt down and sell metal from coins?

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-12-14-melting-ban-usat_x.htm

]]> By: zognog http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/04/30/reference-question-of-the-week-42411/#comment-2603 zognog Sun, 01 May 2011 03:41:20 +0000 http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/?p=1865#comment-2603 Those war time nickels are only 35% silver, 56% copper, and 9% magnganese. They will have a large P on the back top. (Above the dome of Monticello.) I think it only lasted 4 years. I have found one metal detecting myself.

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