Have you ever heard about error coins? Simply put, an error coin is a mint-made mistake -- in the process of creating the coin at the U.S. mint, some sort of mistake was made affecting the "look" of the coin itself. There are many types of error coins, and the exciting thing about error coins is that they can often be be found in circulation. Here's the kicker: error coins are often worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars! … [Read more...]
One of the most interesting varieties the U.S. Mint created over its decades of producing Lincoln cents came in 1943. That's when the Mint, pursuant to 1942's Public Law 815, temporarily suspended use of copper in pennies to ration the metal for use in war materials. Thus, 1943 Lincoln cents were struck with a steel core which was coated with a thin plating of zinc. Zinc, by the way, is currently used in the core of all Lincoln cents struck since 1982. These steel pennies have a weight of 2.70 … [Read more...]
Wheat pennies have been a popular coin to "snag" out of circulation ever since the Memorial design on the reverse of the Lincoln penny replaced the two wheat stalks in 1959. While wheat pennies are getting increasingly hard to find with each passing year, they are still located in pocket change occasionally, and many people have wheat pennies by the hundreds -- and even thousands -- in penny rolls, food jars, clothes drawers, attic boxes, and coin collections. In general, most wheat … [Read more...]
World War II caused the United States and its citizens to ration certain materials with the purpose of keeping around important resources for winning the war. The United States Treasury and the U.S. Mint followed suit. While most people are aware of the steel Lincoln pennies which were produced in 1943, fewer seem to know that the Jefferson silver nickels also spent a short period of time being produced under a special composition issue. With nickel an important military material, the United … [Read more...]
Among the most popular U.S. coins are Lincoln wheat pennies. Millions collect them, and they have been highly popular with coin collectors of all ages and incomes for decades. But which are the rarest wheat pennies? And what are the low-ball pricing figures and values for these rare Lincoln wheat cents? Let's examine these 7 rare wheat pennies closer. … [Read more...]
The Lincoln penny is one of the world's most recognizable coins. In 2009, it will be marking two significant occasions: The Lincoln cent will be turning 100 years old. The United States will be celebrating the bicentennial of the man whose bust has appeared on the coin for the past century: Abraham Lincoln. … [Read more...]
Thinking about dabbling in coin collecting?Have a few interesting coins that you found in your pocketchange and now you're wondering if they're worth holding onto?If you were going to keep a small collection of coins, which ones would they be?While there is no single answer that defines the "best" coins to collect (because everyone has a different opinion as to the best coins worth holding onto), here are some ideas and opinions from others who collect coins. See which coins they've … [Read more...]
The Lincoln penny has gone through a few changes over the years, and now it looks like there is another change on the horizon for this coin. The Lincoln cent was first introduced in 1909 when it replaced the Indian head cent. The Lincoln penny was initially created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Now, with the year 2009 and Lincoln's 200th anniversary approaching, it appears that there are big changes in store for the Lincoln penny. That's right, the penny you … [Read more...]
Now that I've covered the Westward Journey nickels, I might as well cover the rest of the nickels. Let's start with the more common Jefferson design. These are all the nickels that you find in your everyday change. More About Jefferson Nickels First off, nickels are made of .750 copper and .250 nickel -- with the exception of war nickels, which I will get to in a minute. The Jefferson nickel was designed by Felix Schlag, who won a $1,000 award for it in a competition of … [Read more...]
A Word About Silver Quarters... Did you know that all quarters from 1964 on back were made of silver? Yep. But none of the new quarters are silver. Silver quarters are worth about 10x face value, because silver is up right now. updated 1/25/08 History Of The Washington Quarter The history of how the Washington quarter came to be is one of the more interesting... In 1931 it was decided that a 1-year commemorative half dollar coin should be made in 1932 in honor of the 200th anniversary of … [Read more...]
5 Rare Coins For You To Find In The Lincoln Memorial Penny Series
Old Indian Head Pennies: What Are They Worth?
How Much Are Silver Quarters Worth?
Little-Known Facts About Buffalo Nickels And How Much They Are Worth
How Much Are Jefferson Nickels & War Nickels Worth?
No Date Buffalo Nickels - Why Are Some Buffalo Nickels Dateless Anyway?
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