(WSVN) – For many South Floridians, money is tight, but one woman pulled out a coin collection and wondered if that could solve her problems. Her new problem is she didn’t know who to trust to tell her how much it’s worth, so she turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Some things in life don’t seem to make sense. It began with Miriam driving a few miles from her house.
Miriam Rodriguez: “And I saw this huge amount of white pigeons, and I said, ‘God, if I could only have one at home.’”
Now the unexplainable.
Miriam Rodriguez: “Less than a week later, one showed up. Two days later, two were together.”
And now, seven years later…
Patrick Fraser: “How many pigeons do you think you have now?
Miriam Rodriguez: “About 70 or 80.”
Miriam loves the peaceful sounds the pigeons make as she feeds them.
The cooing distracts her from something she badly needs: money.
Miriam Rodriguez: “To pay bills, to get a new roof, which I need, big time.”
Miriam is retired and can’t work. Getting by on Social Security is nearly impossible for her.
And then she thought of something.
Miriam Rodriguez: “‘Wait a minute. I have all this amount of coins that maybe they’re worth some money.’ You can feel the weight on the coins itself.”
Silver dollars from the 1970s, $2 bills.
Miriam Rodriguez: “I want to know how real they are. I wanna know how much they’re worth.”
Miriam could go online and use an app to guess the value.
Patrick Fraser: “You don’t trust the app?”
Miriam Rodriguez: “No.”
There are people who will give you a price for the coins, but Miriam knows crooks are everywhere.
Patrick Fraser: “How do you know you’re not getting ripped off?”
Miriam Rodriguez: “That’s the reason why I called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.”
Well, Howard, how can Miriam protect herself if she tries to sell her coins?
Howard Finkelstein: “There are no specific laws to protect consumers when they buy and sell traditional coins like nickels, dimes and dollars. That’s why you need to find someone who has a great reputation to get what your coins are worth.”
We went to see Pat Olive at the Gables Coin & Stamp Shop in Coral Gables.
Pat Olive: “Anytime you see copper, just go ahead and spend it. They’re just regular money.”
Olive has a reputation for being honest and the knowledge to help Miriam.
Pat Olive: “See where it says, ‘This note is legal tender.’ In 1928, it says this note is payable in gold.”
Unfortunately for Miriam, her two dollar bills are from 1934.
Pat Olive: “This one here, it’s just a regular $2 bill.”
But at least Miriam’s coins are authentic, not like these fake ones Pat showed us that someone tried to sell.
Pat Olive: “That’s why I say be careful what you buy online.”
Being in the coin shop was like being on an old movie set, as people brought in gold, silver and coins.
Pat Olive: “You never know what you’re gonna find. So, yeah, I enjoy it a lot.”
Sadly for Miriam, none of her coins were rare or valuable.
Miriam Rodriguez: “I’m excited because I learned something new: that I had no clue. Disappointed because it’s not worth anything.”
We left, leaving Miriam to find another way to pay her bills. Not what she had hoped for, but not a wasted day, either.
Miriam Rodriguez: “But it’s been interesting, very interesting.”
Sorry you didn’t have a valuable coin, Miriam. Now, to pay for a new roof, to pay her property taxes, Miriam is considering a reverse mortgage on her house. We’ll do what we can to help her with that.
Problems flocking to you? Feel like they’re for the birds? A penny for your thoughts, so we can coin a phrase to help you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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