Before the popular Morgan silver dollars and Peace silver dollars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were Seated Liberty dollars.
Silver Seated Liberty dollars, which were struck from 1840 through 1873, were designed by Christian Gobrecht.
How much are the Seated Liberty dollars worth?
Continue reading: Seated Liberty Dollar Prices
Most U.S. silver dollars have been designed and produced for the primary purpose of circulation for and within U.S. domestic commerce.
That is, most U.S. coins are intended to be used for trade within the United States. for goods and services.
The 19th-century silver U.S. Trade dollar, which was struck from 1873 to 1885, is a coin quite unlike the coins that most U.S. collectors are used to seeing.
The Trade dollar was a coin intended for exchange, export, and circulation purposes within Asia -- China in particular.
Here's everything you want to know about U.S. Trade dollars...
Continue reading: U.S. Trade Dollars
Grading coins is one of the most important parts of evaluating and appraising coins.
A coin's grade is absolutely key when determining how much a coin is worth -- given its date and demand.
When you grade a coin, you actually are paying more attention to how much wear a coin has rather than how it looks overall. That's because wear is the key factor in deciding what grade a coin is.
The coin grading system is rather complex. It could take a whole glossary of grading terms just to get to know the ins and outs of coin grading. And it may take years of experience to be able to take one look at a coin and assign it an on-the-spot grade.
For starters though, here are some examples of coin grading criteria:
For example, an uncirculated coin that has fingerprints, smudges, and nicks may grade only "Mint-State 60," which is the lowest possible grade an unicrculated coin can be graded.
However, an uncirculated coin with absolutely no nicks, dings, smudges, or spots whatsoever technically is considered perfect (or, as the coin grading scale would say, "Mint-State 70" - the highest possible grade for a coin).
The U.S. Mint is offering a proof set dedicated to the 4 special 1-cent coins honoring Abraham Lincolns' life and career.
The 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Proof Set brings collectors all 4 special reverse (tail's side) designs which have been included on 2009 Lincoln cents.
Before this, the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial proof cents were shipped in a large proof set offering -- which also included the 2009 nickel, dime, quarters, half-dollar, and dollar coins.
What makes the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Proof Set distinct is that it includes only the 4 Lincoln cents. This gives collectors who want just those coins a chance to avoid having to pay over $20 more to purchase a bunch of unneeded coins (as would come in the regular 18-coin proof set).
Continue reading: Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Proof Sets
Check your pocket change!
A New Jersey coin dealer has released 107 rare coins into circulation to help promote more interest in coin collecting.
Some of the rare coins include the famous and valuable 1955 Doubled-Die Lincoln cent, worth about $1,000 and up.
In fact, the value of all the coins being released is $4,000!
And don't forget, rare coins travel. So these coins can last in circulation for months and even years before being discovered by someone astute enough to realize they are holding a rare coin.
Even if you are outside New Jersey and it is a year or more after the release of these coins, there is a fair chance that some of these rare coins are still floating around in change near (or even on) you!
In fact, even when there aren't advertised rare coin entries into circulation like this, you should still keep your eyes open for rare coins in your pocket change. Somewhere in this country, several rare coins are likely floating around, just waiting to be found by a lucky collector -- and that lucky collector could be you!
Many coin collectors think about the accumulation end of the hobby. That is, they buy, look for, or otherwise select coins to place into their coin collection.
Simple, right?
Well, it is. But coin collectors also need to keep track of the coins they are putting into their collection.
A coin inventory (or coin log) is something that every coin collector needs to have. Keeping track of your coins is important for these reasons:
- Knowing which coins you already have
- Knowing which coins you still need
- Determining the value of your coin collection quickly & easily
- Getting an at-a-glance look at the many coins in your collection
- Documenting your collection for coin insurance purposes
Continue reading: Tips For Keeping A Coin Inventory
Thousands of collectors have ruined their coins thanks to a very common chemical known as Polyvinylchloride, or PVC.
Many plastic items contain PVC. PVC is often found in the piping that plumbers use in homes and businesses. PVC is also found in a variety of other plastic items, including many older coin holders. This is bad.
Why? Because PVC can damage coins. The damage to coins contained inside coin holders made with PVC is often irreversible and causes coins to lose much, if not most, of their value.
Why would PVC ever be used anyway?
PVC was popular in coin holders during the 1970s because the chemical allowed plastic coin holders to be pliable. However, during the early 1980s, the dangers of PVC became known, and production of coin holders containing PVC soon declined. Yet, many of the old PVC coin holders still exist, and you have to be careful to not accidentally place any of your coins within them.
First things first:
Have you ever wondered how to go about appraising your coin collection?
Whether you just have one old coin or several, someday there will come a time when you want (or need) to find the true value of your coins.
Appraising a coin collection, especially if it contains rare and valuable coins, generally requires you to do a few things:
I cannot overstress the idea of getting a general idea as to the value of your coins before actually getting an appraisal. If you don't know what your coins are worth -- roughly -- then you risk getting an appraisal from an unscrupulous coin dealer who will snag away that $1,000 coin for $50.
Check out a current edition of a coin pricing magazine at your local news stand or bookstore to find out more about your coins' values. Most of these price guides also have a basic guide to grading which will help give you a better idea as to what your coins may be worth.
This is yet another big day for the Lincoln cent. This is the first full day we have known of what is to become the third permanent reverse "tail's side" design for the 100-year-old Lincoln cent.
The U.S Mint yesterday revealed the new, permanent design for the Lincoln cent while unveiling the fourth and final design of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial cent series.
The new reverse design features the Union shield with "E Pluribus Unum" emblazoned on a banner that sprawls across the shield.
The Shield design on the one-cent coin is, in many ways, a throwback that hearkens to the days of the Two Cent piece and Shield Nickel, both of which were coins made in the U.S. during the mid-1800s. A shield is the central element on both of those coins.
The highly familiar Lincoln Memorial design. by the way, has not been minted since 2008. The Lincoln Memorial first appeared on the cent in 1959.
The big day has arrived! The fourth and final design of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial Cent series is being released at Noon Eastern Standard Time today.
The new 2009 Lincoln cent is called "Presidency" and shows the construction of the dome of Washington D.C.'s Capitol Building.
The symbolism behind this design is that the U.S. Capitol Building looks incomplete, which was the case for our nation during the time of Abraham Lincoln's presidency (1861-1865). After all, the nation was being torn apart by the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln had to maintain a steady hand to see that our nation would not remain divided. Under Lincoln's guidance, the Civil War ended, and the Union remained whole.
The U.S. Mint has also announced plans to release the new and permanent reverse ("tail's side") design for the Lincoln cent, which will start being used on the coin in 2010.
To order the new 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial cent, be sure to go to the U.S. Mint website, where orders for the new coin will be accepted starting today.
Rare Pennies You Should Hold Onto... Including The 1943 Penny