The Fun Times Guide > U.S. Coins > Articles by: Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

About Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez

My love for coins and numismatics began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I've also been studying meteorology and watching weather patterns for years. I enjoy sharing little-known facts and fun stuff about coins, weather, travel, health, and living green with others.

The Joys Of Being A Penny Collector

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Some people go head over heels for Bust halves while others sing praises for Buffalo nickels. But, I? What coin is it that I love most? It’s the penny – more specifically, the Lincoln cent. Why did I become a penny collector? What is it about the little copper coin bearing the bust of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, that has lured me to collect these coins for most of my life? Well, there was one prevailing factor – pennies comprised about 80% of the coins in my piggy bank back … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fun With Coins, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What’s A Business Strike Coin?

business-strike-coins

If you have spent any time perusing coin listings on coin dealers’ websites or checking out online coin collecting forums, you have probably come across the term business strike. But what’s a business strike coin, and how does one differ from other types of coins, such as proof coins? Business strike coins are intended for the purpose of circulating in the channels of commerce, or, in other words, daily exchanges of money at the grocery store, the bank, and the mall. So, the coins you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Collecting 101, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: ,

How NOT To Clean Coins: Tips On Cleaning Coins

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OK, as I always start every post I write about how to clean coins, I’m going to put this blanket statement out right now: I strongly urge anybody who wants to clean their coins to reconsider. Why? Because an improper cleaning can ruin a coin’s value, damage its surface, and deny future generations the chance to enjoy your coin in its wholly original form. That being said, some people will still engage in cleaning coins anyway in an often ill-fated attempt to make it look brand new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Myths, Trivia & Facts, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With:

Lincoln Wheat Cents: Values Of Key Dates

lincoln-cents-values

If there is one coin I have loved since I was kid, it is the Lincoln penny. This versatile little coin has been struck by the United States Mint since 1909, and over the years has become one of the most popular coins in the whole world. The values of many Lincoln cents far exceed their face value, making them highly demanded by both collectors and investors. Like many coin collectors, I especially pursue Lincoln wheat cents, which have two stalks of wheat on the reverse side of the coin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Values, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: , , , ,

What’s The Lifespan Of A Coin? Find Out How Long Coins Last

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Have you wondered what the lifespan of a coin is? When I started collecting coins at the age of 11, that was one of the first things I wondered – how long does a coin last before it is too worn to use? Not long after I started collecting coins in the early 1990s, my question was answered when I heard about a report that was conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). This study concerned the average lifespan of coins and, more specifically, how much the United States … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Collecting 101, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: , ,

Have a Silver Penny That’s NOT a 1943 Steel Cent? Here’s How to Find Out What You Have

silver penny

A lot of people leaving comments here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins have been asking me about their silver pennies. Of course, many of these silver one-cent coins are 1943 pennies, which really aren’t silver pennies. They're actually made with zinc-coated steel. However, many of these inquiries about silver pennies have nothing to do with 1943 Lincoln cents or even the highly rare 1944 steel cent (a mint error caused by leftover steel coin blanks getting accidentally getting stamped … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fun With Coins, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: , , , , ,

What’s the Most Expensive Coin Ever Sold?

most-expensive-coin

Did you hear about the 1794 United States silver dollar that auctioned for more than $10 million in January 2013? Now the most expensive coin ever sold, the 1794 Flowing Hair dollar was the first silver dollar ever officially minted in the United States. A coin that most collectors (including myself) would have loved to place a bid on, the specimen that sold for $10 million is considered by several consummate numismatists to have been among the first very few made, if not actually the first … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Values, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: , , ,

Looking Through Penny Rolls Can Be Rewarding and Fun

penny-rolls

Ever since I first started collecting coins, I’ve been checking penny rolls from banks and grocery stores for scarce and old coins. I don’t honestly know what prompted me to start doing that, especially as I was only a kid and no one had told me that searching rolls of coins is one of the most efficient and successful ways to make interesting finds in circulation. From wheat cents to foreign coins and off-center coins, too, I’ve found all types of scarce, unique, intriguing, and … [Read more...]

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The Ultimate Guide to the 1944 Steel Penny: Like 1943 Copper Cents, It’s a Coin that Collectors Crave

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If you collect coins, you know about the 1943 steel Lincoln cent. But, what about the 1944 steel pennny? While the U.S. Mint struck more than a billion steel pennies in 1943, about 35 examples of the zinc-coated steel cent are known to have been inadvertently struck bearing the date 1944.   Why Were Some 1944 Pennies Struck in Steel? A popular theory is that some steel coin blanks, or planchets, were left in the hoppers and accidentally distributed. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hobbies & Crafts, Rare U.S. Coins Tagged With: ,

5 Important Things I Learned About Buying Rare Coins

buying-rare-coins

Buying rare coins isn’t monkey business! It takes a lot of money and even more guts to lay out hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single coin, of course, unless you’re rolling in dough and have plenty of pretty pennies to spend on buying a pretty penny. However, having bought a few pretty pennies myself, I’ve learned a lot about what goes into making a decision to buy a rare coin, and that you don’t want to just go dropping $500 or $1,000 (or much more) on buying rare U.S. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hobbies & Crafts, Rare U.S. Coins Tagged With: , ,
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