- Scenty
- Feb 8, 2008
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Wondering how much those old coins you have lying around are worth? I can give you the answer! Close-up pictures of the obverse and reverse of the coin are best, but I can still give you a rough valuation with the following info:
- Date
- Denomination (i.e. quarter, half dollar, etc)
- Mintmark--This is a small letter found somewhere on the coin that indicates where the coin was minted. The most common 19th and 20th century mintmarks are S (San Francisco) and D (Denver). Others include O (New Orleans), CC (Carson City), D (Dahlonega, on some gold coins in the 19th c.), C (Charlotte), P (Philadelphia), and W (West Point). These play a large part in determining a coin's value. For example, a 1916 Mercury dime minted in Denver could be worth $1000 while a San Francisco 1916 dime would be worth $5. Not every coin will have a mintmark.
- Condition--The more descriptive you can be, the better. Does the coin still have its original luster? Is it scratched up or fingerprinted? Are the design features still sharp and distinct or worn-down?
Glad to have found this thread! After my grandfather died I found an extensive coin collection that I never even knew he had. I am attached to them and probably wouldn't sell them, but I am rather curious about some of them.
First, are indian head pennies worth anything? I have a bunch of those from certain dates, but I remember reading that *most* years are only worth about $3.
Now on to the coins:
One Cent - these are very big, larger than a quarter. Nearly everything is worn off except for the outline of the front and "one cent" across the back. One of them is very badly damaged with deep groove marks, but the other two are fine besides being worn off. The one with deep groves is a matron head and I can make out the date 181?. Another I can make out enough to tell it is a liberty head, but not date. I believe the other to be a matron head to. You can just make out the outline of the head on these, but again no date. (These decisions are based off of wikipedia pictures and me using a flashlight to look at them.)
one cent (flying eagle) - 1857 - I don't see a mint mark? - the penny is very dark in the middle with the details (year, outer rim, and design) being a bit more shiny, the wings are harder to see than the body of the eagle. Otherwise is in good conditions.
2 cent coin - 1864 - i dont see a mint mark? - dark with some greening, but details are visible. Two small gouges along the outer rim.
Are there any resources for international coins? I have a 10 cent coin from Italy 1863, a panama coin 1904. I've also got some pretty old British coins from various areas like a one shilling from India, one from west africa, etc.
Thank you for any info! Also, how can I store these coins best so they do not deteriorate any further?
Scenty fucked around with this message at 20:05 on May 27, 2013
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May 27, 2013 07:21
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May 10, 2024 15:37
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- Scenty
- Feb 8, 2008
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Indian Head pennies can be worth quite a lot if they're in better condition, but most of the dates after 1880 aren't worth much more than a couple of dollars in average circulated condition (two notable exceptions being the 1908-S and 1909-S). Pennies from the 1870's and 60's are a different story.
From the condition you've described, the large cents probably aren't worth much more than a couple bucks each. Visible dates are key to a coin's value.
1857 flying eagle cent: $10+
1864 two cent piece: $5-10
As for international coins, you might check your local library for a copy of the Krause World Coins catalog, there's one for each century. The values they give you are pretty meaningless as the market for foreign coins is small, but they do give you some general info. I've got copies of the 19th century and 17th century editions.
For storage, a cool, dry place is best. Mylar flips, available on Amazon, are fine for holding coins longterm. Avoid flips not clearly labelled either mylar, as there's a good chance they're made of PVC, which degrades over time and leaves a nasty green chemical coating on the coin.
The most common way to store coins is to use 2x2 mylar in cardboard coin flips. They can be purchased online in bulk for just a couple cents each. Some people prefer to use 2x2 flexible plastic holders, and those work too.
I collect German coins, as well as some other countries in smaller amounts. The NGC website has a world coin price guide that you can use as a reference. It has all of the exact same information that the Krause World Coin catalog will have. I think the only difference is that the physical catalog has additional values for a wider range of coin grades. With that being said, the prices can't be taken at face value. For the bulk of german coins, the prices are 20-50% higher than what you can actually get the coin for. I recently bought an NGC graded MS-63 1952E East German 10 pfennig on eBay for about 30 bucks. The price guide indicates that the coin is valued around 700 bucks at that grade. Did I get a good deal? No. It's probably worth about 30 bucks and the catalog is wrong. You really have to watch the market and get to know the market before you can really start making informed evaluations, but the catalogs can be a good starting point.
As a general rule, each respective country is an expert on its own coins. The US has the best resources for US coins. England has the best resources for English coins, and Germany has the best resources on German coins. The Krause manual does not even approach the level of detail that we use for US coins, where different varieties of the same coin are treated differently. Each respective country will have it's own publications, and those will ultimately be the best source of information.
1863 Italy 10 cent - It's at least worth a few bucks, and can be worth considerably more if it's in good shape.
1904 Panama coin - Unless it's in an uncirculated grade, you would be hard pressed to find someone who cared about it beyond the "Oh, that looks neat, I'll give you a quarter for it" level of interest.
British Colonial Coins - There is a decent market for these, and if they are sufficiently old and in good shape, then you may have some winners. English coins seem to be the most collected country in the US behind Canada and Mexico.
Thanks for the help you two! I really appreciate it. Everything is just about as I figured. The Italian coin is in pretty good darn shape, probably the best of the lot. The British Colonial ones also. I'm going to get some of the mylar/coin flip things. Like I said anyways, unless something was worth an absurd amount of money I wouldn't sell them anyway since they have sentimental value, but it is nice to know some info on them.
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May 30, 2013 09:20
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May 27, 2013 07:21
