This weekend, I picked up some intriguing items while visiting yard sales! One in particular caught me by surprise—a stunning Susan B. Anthony dollar.

Whenever I visit yard or estate sales, I always head straight for the jewelry boxes. They often contain the most valuable items, and every so often, you can find coins there too. Sometimes, you’ll come across single coins or coins that were once worn as pendants. That’s where I found the Susan B. Anthony dollar in question.

This time, the jewelry boxes were right at the entrance. Sitting prominently in the middle of the top row was this Susan B. Anthony coin, just inviting me to grab it. As I picked it up, two things stood out: First, it was in a clasp meant for wearing as a necklace. Second, it appeared to be gold, which left me puzzled! For those who don’t know, Susan B. Anthony dollars are typically silver in color, made from copper and nickel.

I knew it looked unusual but couldn’t pinpoint why until I searched on eBay with my phone. That’s when I realized I had found a 24k gold-plated Susan B. Anthony dollar. Not quite as thrilling as solid gold, but still unique and worth a bit more than $1. The clasp may even be more valuable than the coin itself, though I doubt it’s gold.

I approached the sale organizer to ask the price.

“What is it?” he inquired.

“It’s a pendant with a dollar coin in it. So you should charge me at least a dollar!” I joked.

“Hmmm… how about $5.00?”

“Ummm… Let me think about it. Not sure I want it that much,” I replied coyly. I always play it cool, no matter how excited I am!

I wandered around the house to see if anything else caught my eye. Then, I returned and offered him $3.00, which seemed about right for its value. He chuckled and made a comment about me trying to swindle him, which was ironic since he hadn’t known what it was moments earlier. I explained it wasn’t worth much, according to my phone search, and he agreed to my offer.

Before leaving, I discovered a few more interesting finds, including items from a former postmaster general! I didn’t know their value initially, which is part of the fun, but they only cost a dollar. After doing some research, I realized they weren’t worth much more, but they could have been treasures!

I’m still learning about stamp collecting, so I used my “Stamp Blackbook” and Google to identify my finds. In fact, if you’re into stamp collecting, I wrote an article a while back about a collection I snagged for just $20!

Later in the morning, I found something even cooler in my change from another yard sale—a star note! This was my first one found in circulation, and its serial number is low, starting with two zeros. According to MyCurrencyCollection.com, it was part of the first run series of replacement notes, printed in Fort Worth, TX, in February 2009.

If you remember my previous article about star notes, these are replacement notes for damaged ones. They’re not worth much more than their face value, but they’re exciting to find.

Overall, it was a busy and rewarding Saturday for my hobby adventures! I hope yours was fun too!

P.S. I had some fun with Instagram filters on the pictures of the Susan B. coin. They turned out pretty cool, don’t you think?