Hobbies & Crafts - The Fun Times Guide to U.S. Coins

Why Collect Coins? Reasons For Collecting Coins In The Past & Present

Why do you collect coins? There are as many reasons as there are coin collectors in this world. Photo by

Have you ever asked yourself why you collect coins? I mean, really – what keeps you motivated to stay in the hobby? What do you like about coin collecting? And, when is it that you first realized you were a coin collector? For me, my foray into coin collecting began when I found a 1941 Lincoln wheat cent in some allowance money I was given when I was 11 years old in 1992. I was intrigued by that old coin, and wanted to learn more about it and find other wheat cents. Within a couple … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Myths, Trivia & Facts, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: coin folders, coin sets, Lincoln cents, pennies, pocket change, wheat pennies

Collecting Fake Coins – A New Facet Of Coin Collecting That’s Gaining Attention

It used to be that you never uttered the C word or the F word in coin collecting; of course, those words would be counterfeit and fake, as in counterfeit and fake coins. Nowadays, many coin collectors use another term for these less-than-real coins that is a little more... ahem... politically correct, and that is “replica coins.” Novelty coins, replica coins, copy coins... No matter what term you use, though (even if it is fake coins!), collecting coins that aren’t 100 percent mint made … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coin Collecting 101, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: coin dealers, gold coins, nickels, novelty coins

The Joys Of Being A Penny Collector

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: budget coin collecting, coin dealers, coin folders, coin sets, Lincoln cents, pennies, pocket change

What’s A Business Strike Coin?

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: Lincoln cents, pocket change

How NOT To Clean Coins: Tips On Cleaning Coins

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: cleaning coins

Lincoln Wheat Cents: Values Of Key Dates

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: Lincoln cents, pennies, pocket change, rare coins, wheat pennies

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

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: dollar coins, pennies, pocket change

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

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: 1943 coins, error coins, Lincoln cents, rare coins, silver coins, U.S. Mint

What’s the Most Expensive Coin Ever Sold?

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: dollar coins, rare coins, silver coins, U.S. Mint

Looking Through Penny Rolls Can Be Rewarding and Fun

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...]

Filed Under: Fun With Coins, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: Lincoln cents, pennies, wheat pennies