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Edit--If you have any questions about paper money (currency) feel free to ask away! Somebody more knowledgeable than myself should be able to help you out. Wondering how much those old coins you have lying around are worth? Myself and other experienced collectors can give you the answer! Close-up pictures of the obverse and reverse of the coin are best, but we can still give you a rough valuation with the following info:
Some info about me: I've been collecting coins for about a decade now. My interest started when I inherited my grandfather's collection. He had amassed a large collection of U.S. coins through 40 years working in a bank. I've added to the collection with purchases from coin shows, coin stores, and eBay. I've been working on a type set (one coin of every type ever produced by the U.S. mint) for a while now, but college has cut into my disposable income so I've had to put that on hold. But my interest hasn't waned and I'm sure once I graduate and land a job, I'll start I don't claim to be an expert, but I'll do my best to give you an accurate idea of how much your coins are worth. Again, close-up pictures of each side of the coin are best but without that, a thorough description of the coin is ok. My knowledge is primarily limited to U.S. coins but I'll try my best to help you with any other nation's coins. Rule of thumb: if it's a foreign coin from the 20th century and it's not silver, chances are it's worthless. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Oct 26, 2013 |
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Jan 28, 2013 06:13
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Unless they're in near-perfect condition, yeah. There were nearly a billion produced at each of the mints, so they're pretty widely available.
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Jan 28, 2013 19:40
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I'm not sure if I'm familiar with those ads. I have seen a lot of print ads selling 1/10th ounce Eagles or 1 ounce silver Eagles. If they're selling American Eagles, those are the bullion coins struck by the mint so they do have some actual value. But the company selling them is definitely marking them up way over bullion value. If you do want to buy gold, you'd find a much better deal on eBay or even a coin store. Gold and silver have shot up a ridiculous amount since the financial crisis so those companies will show charts promising you a 200% return based on past performance, which is probably unrealistic at this point. I know some other companies sell gold-clad coins, which are worthless. They put a few pennies worth of gold over a base metal and sell it for an exorbitant price. So yeah, short answer is, never buy any coins from t.v. commercials or advertisements. ^Yeah 312 nailed it. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Jan 28, 2013 |
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Jan 28, 2013 20:35
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Trench_Rat posted:how much is confederate money worth? There weren't really any true Confederate-designed coins struck during the Civil War. The Confederacy took control of the mints in New Orleans, Dahlonega, and Charlotte but produced few coins as they sold most of their bullion to Europe to raise money for the war. The Confederacy struck about a million half dollars and a small number of double eagles (Gold $20 coins) in 1861 at the New Orleans mint, but these are indistinguishable from the pre-Confederacy coins struck at the mint in 1861. The Confederacy did commission a penny and a half dollar but neither saw circulation. Here's the obverse of the penny:  There are an indeterminate number of later restrikes made from the penny's dies that range widely in value. There are also many counterfeits and copies sold online. There were four Confederate half dollars struck to test the dies, each of which is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (possibly even millions if they ever see the open market again). There is also a small number of restrikes (valuable) and many counterfeits/copies (mostly worthless).  I think it might be easier to find a legitimate Confederate banknote than a coin. I know those are widely collected as well but I'm not sure about the values. Pittsburgh Lambic posted:Found a 1964 dime the other day that looks unusual. It's brighter in color, and less reflective, than other dimes. The mint mark was hard to find, too, but I think it's "D" -- on the back of the coin, underneath the "B" in "E PLURIBUS UNUM." skipdogg is right. U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars were all struck of silver through 1964 and have a distinctive color compared to modern nickel-plated copper coins. Half dollars from 1965 to 1970 are 40% silver. Nickels even had some silver content during WWII. Judging from your description, it's only worth melt value. But it's still worthwhile to check your change for silver coins, as $2 vs. 10cents isn't a bad deal.
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Jan 28, 2013 23:25
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the posted:-Buffalo nickel? Indian on the front, no year Can you identify any parts of the date? Partial date Buffalo nickels are worth more than missing date nickels. Here you can see where the date would be:  These were poorly designed and it's very common for them to be missing the date. If it has no date, it's worth less than a buck. 1936 quarter: Assuming a typical degree of wear, about $6 or $7. If it's got a higher level of detail, then the value climbs a fair amount, particularly with the Denver mintmark. 1940 Canadian cent: Less than a dollar. 1964/65 nickels: Generally Jefferson nickels aren't worth much (except for some 1942-44 nickels that were struck on a silver alloy). If these are actually in mint condition (no wear whatsoever, contact marks ok), then they could be worth maybe $5. If they have "full steps" (all the steps on Monticello are clearly defined) then that adds to the value, as it was somewhat rare for a nickel to be struck that well. In terms of other coins from the 40s/50s, the pennies and nickels will all most likely be fairly worthless. Quarters, dimes, and half dollars have much more value because of the silver content. As for the silver certificates, I'm not too familiar with paper currency. Obviously the older they are, the more valuable they're likely to be. Notes with a star next to the serial number are worth a bit more and I know that 1935 silver certs with a brown seal or a yellow seal (for Hawaiian or North African distribution during WWII) also demand a premium. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Jan 29, 2013 |
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Jan 29, 2013 00:40
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the posted:It's missing the date. Here's everything I have, enjoy. Yep, the 1936 quarter is worth $6 or $7, the 1953 quarter bullion value ($5), the wheat pennies aren't worth much, the Jefferson nickels aren't worth much unless you happen to have a 1942-44 with a large mintmark above Monticello, in which case it's one of the wartime silver alloy issues and is worth a couple bucks. The only other Jefferson nickel worth anything is the 1950-D. Bombtrack posted:How abouw the Walking Liberty and Ben Franklin half dollars? I'm gonna go ahead and upload some pics so people know what these coins look like.  The Franklin halves are worth about $10 in average circulated condition. There aren't any real rarities in the series. The Walking Liberty halves get a bit more interesting. Halves from 1930 onwards are worth $10-15 in average condition (with one exception, the 1938-D). There are a lot more semi-key dates (rare coins) in the teens and 20's. The Walking Liberty half is one of my favorite designs. If you can get one in mint state, it's a beautiful coin.  
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Jan 29, 2013 03:45
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RC and Moon Pie posted:Kinda fun that the CSA stole a previous US design. eBay is actually a fairly good place to buy and sell coins. As long as you're wise and restrict buyers to Americans with a minimum feedback score, it's safe and will generally get you a better price than a coin store. Take a look at typical auction listings and follow their format, start with a low minimum price and no reserve and make sure your auction ends on a day/time with high activity. It helps if you have a decent feedback score yourself, so maybe buy a few cheap things first. You might not be able to sell the wheat pennies or Buffalo nickels for much, but you could get $30 at the very least for common-date Morgan and Peace dollars in average circulated condition.
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Jan 29, 2013 04:29
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Now we're talking! First, some background info on the coins. The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (1907-1933)  When Teddy Roosevelt became president he wanted to change the nation's coinage, calling it "atrociously hideous" with typical bluntness (and he was right). To solve that, he commissioned the famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to design the nation's gold coins (which could be changed without congressional approval). The ever-enthusiastic president encouraged Saint-Gaudens to produce a high-relief design, despite warnings from everybody actually working at the Mint. When the designs were finished and the dies prepared, the ultra high-relief design ended up taking 11 strikes of the dies to actually bring out all the details. As all other circulated coins require only one strike, this meant the design was a bit impractical. The design had to be modified to low-relief in order for the coin to be struck efficiently. The ultra-high relief coin. Less than 20 exist, and each is worth more than a million dollars.  The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles rarely saw circulation but were prone to scratches and marks because of their softness and weight. As a result, most of them are in low mint-state. Each contains nearly an ounce of gold. The 1933 Double Eagle was once the most valuable coin ever sold, setting an auction record of $7.59 million. The 1933 was never meant to see circulation. Somebody smuggled one coin out of the Mint, and it passed through private collections for 60 years before it was found in a Secret Service sting operation. The coin was confiscated but the dealer successfully sued to gain half the proceeds of the auction sale. A couple years later, another ten coins surfaced but the feds weren't so nice and confiscated them. As it stands, only the 1933 Double Eagle that sold for $7.5 million can be legally owned. The new auction record for a coin is $10 million, set recently by a 1794 silver dollar. The rare coin market is pretty lucrative. cerebral posted:1910 Your descriptions seem to fit low mint-state so I'll assume that. The 1910-S is probably worth $1800-2000 depending on the exact grade. The 1914-S is worth maybe $1700-1900. I'd say it's definitely worth getting those appraised at a coin shop if any in your area offer free appraisals. It might even be worth getting them authenticated and graded by a third-party company (NGC or PCGS) if you intend on selling them, as that will probably raise the value. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Jan 29, 2013 |
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Jan 29, 2013 07:30
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No mintmark means that they were struck in Philadelphia. Depends a lot on how much gunk there is, but I'd estimate about $1800-1900 if there's only a little bit and it isn't obscuring any major design details. Good call on deciding not to clean it, if it's done improperly it can really affect value. Again, it'd probably be worthwhile to take that to a coin shop or coin show and get a professional opinion on it. Depending on the type of gunk, it might be possible to clean it off. As for the 1895, in circulated condition it would go for maybe $1700-1800. Double eagles tend to sell within a limited price range as the actual gold in the coin accounts for such a large proportion of their value (currently $1600). Back when gold was around $500, there was a lot more variation in values among dates and mintmarks.
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Jan 29, 2013 08:45
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cerebral posted:I'm really happy I hung onto them. A mason jar full of them was found buried on my grandparents' property back in the mid nineties, (around half "disappeared" into an unscrupulous uncle's pockets) the rest were given out for the next few Christmases to my generation. My cousins pawned them the second the stores opened, but I've held onto mine because I viewed them more as interesting pieces of family history rather than a source of quick cash. I sure wouldn't mind getting a Saint Gaudens for a Christmas present. I did inherit a liberty head double eagle, but I don't think the design is nearly as nice. My grandfather hated FDR for some reason, so he hoarded all the gold he could when FDR issued a gold confiscation order in 1933. FDR's order was part of the reason later-date double eagles like the 1927-D are so valuable. Many of the later-date coins were never actually issued into circulation and remained in Treasury vaults until they were melted down. Brennanite posted:What would you say is your favorite coin? I have a real soft spot for wheaties (because that's the collection my dad let me help with), but there's something about the Morgan silver dollars I like too. Morgans are great, especially when they get some nice toning. For those unfamiliar with the term, toning is when coins (usually silver) form a multicolored patina from various chemical reactions over a period of many years. If the toning is attractive, it can substantially increase the value of the coin. Toning is particularly prevalent among silver dollars because many of them sat untouched in Mint bags for a long period of time. Here's a pretty dramatic example of a toned Morgan.   As for my favorite, I'm not sure I can pick just one. I love the ultra high-relief Saint Gaudens double eagle I posted up there, but it's obviously a bit out of my price range. I also like Mercury dimes (1916-1945):  the silver three-cent piece (1851-1873), the tiniest U.S. coin ever made  the $50 Panama-Pacific commemorative coin (2 and a half ounces of gold!)  and the Oregon Trail commemorative half dollar, among many others. 
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Jan 30, 2013 01:19
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the posted:Alright! I finally found some more of my coins. Check these out! The bicentennial coins, SBA dollars, and Eisenhower dollars are all worth little more than face value. The Kennedy halves post-1970 are face value, the halves 1965-70 are worth about $5 because they're 40% silver, the 1964 halves are worth $11 because they're 90% silver. The Franklin halves are worth $13-14 each, the walking liberty halves are worth $15. As for the paper money, the $2 bills are worth face value as they're pretty widely available. The silver certificate looks like it's worth $3 or $4. The U.S. stopped forcing banks to exchange those certificates for actual silver back in the late 60s because the bullion value of a silver dollar exceeded $1. They're still legal tender though. Chamale posted:It's funny to see a dollar bill from the days when the U.S. still used the silver/gold standard. There's one or two valuable date/mintmark combinations in the 30s, more in the 20s and 10s, and if you manage to find a 1909-S with the engraver's initials "VDB" on it, you've got a $1000 coin. Pennies from the 40's generally aren't worth too much except for the steel wartime issues.
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Feb 4, 2013 01:51
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fivre posted:I keep a silver dollar in my 5th pocket ever since finding one in a couch at college. It was originally a Morgan dollar, switched to a Peace dollar when I lost it in the dryer. I'm looking for something of similar size and heft to replace it or rotate out with it in either silver or gold, what is there that's attractive? Are you looking for something older, with historical value, or something newer? What's your budget? In terms of U.S. silver dollars, the price rises above $100 once you go further back than Morgans and Peace dollars. If you'd be open to a half dollar, there are more options. Alternatively, there are many good options for contemporary foreign silver dollar equivalents that would be much cheaper. A gold coin of similar heft would be $1000+, unless you're thinking of something gold-clad. A bunch of private companies like the Franklin Mint sell clad coins, but I'm not a big fan of those. eBay would probably be your best bet to buy Russian coins. Buying from U.S. sellers is the safest bet, but you might have to buy from some Russian sellers if you're looking for modern commemoratives. Just make sure the seller has a good sales history and feedback score, and make sure they aren't charging $50 for shipping.
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Feb 4, 2013 03:48
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fivre posted:Sub $100, something attractive. Probably not gold in that case, it should be something I can lose without breaking the bank. Guessing there's no database where you can filter down by diameter, material, weight, and such No database that I know of. There are plenty of books and online resources that list all the different types of U.S. and foreign coins though. You might see if you can find a Krause catalog of world coins at your library. pairofdimes makes some good suggestions. I would also suggest Mexican or Spanish colony pesos and reals. Setting a saved search on eBay might be your best bet for that Gogol coin. I kind of doubt a local coin dealer would be willing to find that for you without an exorbitant mark-up, but if you live near a big city you might check out a coin show or convention and see if there are any dealers who specialize in foreign coins. Chas McGill posted:I know it isn't within the strict definition of the thread, but since there's a lot of knowledge here - what are some coins with particularly good depictions of Athena/Minerva/generic national war goddess? I'm more concerned with aesthetics than value and I don't mind what currency they're in. It depends on whether you're talking modern or ancient. Many coins from the 19th and early 20th centuries feature female national personifications, probably because of the rise of nationalism. There are plenty of attractive U.S. coins with the personified Liberty (walking liberty halves, standing liberty quarters, etc). A lot of British coins also feature Britannia. As for ancient coins, as Gao says there are many options--some aesthetically pleasing, others less so. One of my favorites is the Greek Athena/owl coin which was coined by Athens starting in the 5th century BCE. Unfortunately, they usually cost a few hundred dollars and there are many counterfeits. If I were you, I'd check out Xenopus' SA thread. He knows a hell of a lot more about ancient coins than I do and should be able to recommend you (or find you) something good. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Feb 4, 2013 |
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Feb 4, 2013 21:19
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Aika posted:So what are morgans worth? I have several 1922s and I believe an 1878 in good, circulated condition. I can't check the mint mark because i'm in another country -- but i'm really curious! Morgans are generally worth $30 minimum in low circulated condition. Do you mean 1921? That's when the Morgan series ended and the Peace series began. None of the three possible Mints for the 1921 Morgan are that scarce. As for the 1878, there are many different varieties that vary in price depending on how many tail feathers the eagle has. And if you have a CC (Carson City) mintmark, its worth a bit more. Same goes for almost every coin with a CC mintmark--Carson City coins tend to be relatively scarce. It should be pretty easy and cheap to get mint condition pennies--it would be hard to buy them individually because it wouldn't be worth it to the seller, but you should be able to find a set like this pretty easily. Kritzkrieg Kop posted:What are some cool Canadian coins? All I know are the sterile new coins with boring designs that they sell at the post office marked up to 500%. From what I know of it, Canadian coinage tends to be pretty bland. Coins pre-1968 were struck in silver (except for the pennies and nickels), so there's that. I do think the silver and gold maple leaf bullion coins are pretty nice:  I also like the silver Voyageur dollars, old Canadian bank tokens like this halfpenny one, the late 19th/early 20th c. large cents, and the brass wartime nickels. I'd also recommend checking out the mint website as well as ebay for modern commemoratives.
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Feb 6, 2013 02:38
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Leviathan Song posted:My great-grandfather gave me some old coins from around the civil war era. I've always wondered if they're anything special. The Indian Head cent (1859-1909)  There aren't any mintmarks on these because they were minted almost exclusively at the Philadelphia mint, which had no mintmark as it was the original mint of the U.S. 1861: $15-20 1882: $1-2 1859: <$10 The Flying Eagle cent (1856-1858)  Replaced the large (half dollar-size) pure copper cents that had been struck since 1793 (they became too expensive to make). Only lasted a couple years because the coin was designed poorly and didn't strike well. People picked these out of circulation at the time, so they're fairly cheap today. 1858: $10 1858 pitted: $5 worn cents: <$1, the cross stamped one might have some collectible appeal The Two-cent piece (1864-1873)  During the Civil War, people started hoarding coins because they thought coins would hold their value better than paper money in case of a Northern defeat. The U.S. gov started striking these to address the shortage of coins. 1864: the most common date. probably $5-10, though it's possible the stamp could have some significance The general rule for foreign coins/currency is that if it was minted in the last 60 years or so, it probably has no value. The communist stuff might have some collectors--I'd look around on eBay to see if any of it's sold on there. MrWilderheap posted:I've got a couple 1922 Peace dollars that I want to sell but they are pretty tarnished, is it safe to just use some silver polish on them? As obscure_reference said, cleaning your coins is literally one of the worst things you can do (except for ancient coins). 9 times out of 10, your attempt to clean the coin will lower the value. Unless you want to try to sell them to people who know nothing about coins, like at a garage sale or something, don't clean them. A dark patina can actually be considered attractive for old silver coins. A polished silver coin looks like poo poo (at least in the eyes of a collector).
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Feb 7, 2013 01:42
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Pooper Trooper posted:So my grandpa left me these coins: Any pictures are better than no pictures. With these, I can actually take a stab at properly grading the coins. Coins are graded on a 70 point scale with a corresponding acronym, MS-70 being a perfect mint state coin with all details fully struck (this is virtually impossible to attain except for some 21st century coins) and 1 being a featureless disc of metal. 60+ is mint state (or uncirculated), which means the coin has no discernible wear. A higher grade doesn't always mean a higher price though--an AU ("about uncirculated")-58 coin might have a tiny amount of wear but still be a lot nicer than a MS-60. Not every number in the scale is used, as the difference between a AU-58 and an AU-59 coin would be impossible to determine--certain numbers are used much more frequently. 1893-S Double Eagle: It's hard to tell how much luster that coin has, but judging by the amount of wear alone I'd grade it AU-50, worth about $1800. 1885-P Eagle: Again, luster is hard to determine, but I'll say AU-50. Somebody on that bus became $900 richer  1942 Mercury dime: VF (very fine)-30 $3 1922 Peace dollar: XF (extra fine)-40: Dirt and rim ding decrease the value a bit, so maybe $25 1913 Barber dime: G (good)-4: $5 1865 Two-cent piece: G (good)-8: $10
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Feb 7, 2013 22:45
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because I actually lost it on the bus the day he gave them to me 
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Pooper Trooper posted:
Some people like to collect rolls of modern coins in the (in my opinion) misguided hope that they'll eventually be worth something. They might also be breaking the rolls open and looking for coins to send off to grading companies in the hope of getting a MS-69 or MS-70, which can demand a premium. I didn't know Canada made glow-in-the-dark dinosaur coins! I guess I have to take back what I said about Canadian coins being boring. Concurred posted:I guess most of these are worth something purely due to their silver, but there were a few I couldn't figure out, mostly due to wear. That's a very well-worn Barber quarter (1892-1916).  Named after the designer, Mint Engraver Charles Barber. In 1892, the nation was growing tired with the Seated Liberty design used on the silver denominations. The Mint decided to hold a $500 contest to find a suitable design replacement. The thousands of entries from all over the country were all terrible, so Barber just designed it himself. The design, used on the dime, quarter, and half dollar, wasn't very popular. Saint-Gaudens made this brutal criticism: "This is inept; this looks like it had been designed by a young lady of sixteen, a miss who had taken only a few lessons in modeling." Your Barber quarter is so featureless that it isn't worth much more than bullion value, so $5-6. Liberty Head nickel (1883-1913)  A wealthy industrialist who owned nickel mines lobbied the government to start producing nickel-alloy coins. He was successful in getting the Mint to start producing nickel-copper 5-cent and 3-cent coins. Previously, both were made of silver. The first true nickel, the Shield nickel, didn't strike well because of its design. The Liberty Head was designed by Charles Barber to replace it. Originally, the reverse of the nickel featured just a "V". Because it was roughly the same diameter as the half-eagle $5 gold coins, some individuals started gold-plating them and passing them off as half-eagles. The Mint caught wind of this and quickly added the word "cents" under the V. 1910 G-4: $1 Standing Liberty Quarter (1916-1930)  Designed to replace the Barber quarters. Liberty was originally holding a broadsword but that was deemed too belligerent of a design at the time. It's important to consider the historical context in which this coin was designed. Liberty is looking towards the east, facing the European war, with her shield pointed in the same direction. She doesn't want to get involved, but at the same time she's ready to gently caress poo poo up if need be. Liberty was originally topless, but in 1917 as it looked like the U.S. was about to enter war with Germany, the coin was redesigned to give Liberty a chainmail vest. The topless Standing Liberty quarters (1916 and part of 1917) are worth more because coin collectors are perverts. The date on the design was originally raised too high and wore off quickly, so no-date coins (pre-1925) are common. No-date quarter: $6 Walking Liberty halves: $15 ea Franklin halves: $13-14 ea Eisenhower dollars/Kennedy bicentennial/SBA dollar: face value Kennedy halves (1965-70): $5 ea I can't really tell what those coins in the left column of your first picture are without a closer look. john mayer posted:I work in a bank and get to see some cool stuff. We get some really dumb customers nearly every day who come in and ask for specific rare coins as if we just keep them around to withdraw and wouldn't take them home ourselves. Loki is right, just look at the sides of the coins. Nickel-clad copper coins have a brown streak along the edge, silver coins are just silver. And if you spot a dime, quarter, or half dollar in loose change that looks a bit lighter colored, take a closer look. Everything pre-1965 is silver. Half dollars from 1965-70 are 40% silver and worth $5 ea. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Feb 10, 2013 |
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Feb 9, 2013 20:53
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errol _flynn posted:My husband inherited a bunch of coins and such. He has 17 1953 two dollar bills, some '53 ten dollar bills, a set of really nice looking 1927 coins--penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar that are set in a case, small stack of "Franklin type liberty walker type" silver half dollars (that are in great shape with only what I assume is tarnish on them)from 1950 to 1959. He has....oh, I'll just make a list of the things that are in good shape and not worn down and see if I can get you some photos later. The 1953 $2 bills seem to be worth about $4 in circulated condition, the $10 bills seem to be upwards of $20. I really don't know much about paper money though, so take that with a grain of salt. I do know that if a bill has a star in its serial number, it goes for a significant premium. As for the 1927 set, does the case say anything on it? Are the coins uncirculated (i.e. no wear, full luster/shininess)? Check for a mintmark on the quarter--it should be next to the lowest star on the left of the date. Franklin half dollars: $13-14 ea I'm just going to assume average circulated condition here: 1925 Peace dollar: $30-35 1927 Peace dollar: $35-40 Pennies and dimes 1910s-20s: a lot of variability here, I would need specific dates/mintmarks 1897 Morgan dollar: if the discoloring is unattractive $25-30. if it looks more like the toned Morgan I posted earlier, $much higher 1921 I'm assuming Morgan dollar: $25 1891 Morgan dollar: $45-50, if it has luster $60+ also check under the wreath for a mintmark. If it's "CC", it's worth a lot more. Walking liberty halves: $15 ea 1964 Kennedy halves: $12 ea 1965-67 halves: $5 ea MayakovskyMarmite posted:Any tips on taking pictures? I can't capture the detail on the coins. Ooh a cartwheel penny! I've always wanted one of those. It was a huge penny struck by Britain in the 18th century. Token coinage hadn't caught on, so coins had to contain an amount of metal valued equal to the denomination (in this case, an ounce of copper). You could probably get $5-10 for a really worn-down one. 1897-S Morgan: Sounds like XF (extremely fine), so $40 1917 quarter: Looks to me like you might have the tits-out (AKA Type 1) variety, in VF-XF. Check the back to be certain. If there aren't any stars below the eagle, it's Type 1 and worth $35. If you have a macro-zoom capability on your camera, that's usually pretty good. Macro-zoom + a tripod + no flash + good natural lighting = best quality. Scanner might be a good option too. Arrgytehpirate posted:This is a great thread! I think I have some old coins somewhere in the attic, and you're getting me interested in the hobby. Where did you learn what you know? Are there any good websites or books I should look into? That's a great question! In coin collecting, or numismatics, the central mantra is "Always buy the book before the coin." The best book for new collectors to buy is undoubtedly the Red Book. It isn't so important that you buy the most recent edition as the prices will always be outdated (and slightly inflated) but it provides solid background information on all the U.S. coin series, and gives you an idea of the relative prices. I personally learned most of what I know from that book and from subscriptions to some numismatic magazines. You might see if you can find a copy of Coins Magazine at wherever they sell magazines nowadays (you could once get single issues at Borders, but so much for that). It isn't a very well-written magazine and the articles can be repetitive, but it still has lots of good info. You might also check out the ANA, the American Numismatic Association. My membership with them has lapsed, but it includes a subscription to a good magazine in addition to some other cool perks. I also learned a lot by going to coin shops and coin shows (where a bunch of dealers come together and sell coins). If you live by at least a semi-large city, there should be at least a couple of coin shows every year. Even if you don't want to buy anything, it's fun to just walk around and see what people are selling. It also might be worthwhile to see if there's a coin club in your area. The members are almost certainly going to be old people, but old people have a lot of knowledge and are always really welcoming to new coin collectors. You could also check out jpscorner for supplies and buy some albums if there any specific series that you're interested in collecting. I got started on a type set ten years ago (one of every type of U.S. coin ever made) and I'm still trying to fill up my album! Finally, I'd check out your local library for books on coins too. There's a good chance they'll have the Red Book, plus lots of other basic informative books. Astiesan posted:Eisenhowers had a proof sets from 1970-1976 that were 40% silver. I have actually encountered some of these in "circulation". The silver ones will weigh 24.6g and the non silver ones weigh 22.6g. True, if you have an Eisenhower dollar with a 'S' mintmark, it was a special San Francisco issue made with 40% silver. Check above the date for the mintmark.
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Feb 10, 2013 21:27
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olin posted:That's gotta be related to the Bohemian Club near San Francisco. Haha holy poo poo you are right. I just looked up the designer--it was a sculptor named Robert Aitken, who did in fact happen to be a member of the Bohemian Club. Orange_Lazarus posted:My grandparents have one of those state quarters like: http://www.cointalk.com/attachments/158538d1327792478-000_1576.jpg The markets for individual types of errors are so small that it really just depends on how much someone is willing to pay. You might search for dealers in error coins online or check out CONECA, an association for error coin collectors. Biggus Duckus posted:I had the chance to buy a US $500 bill from (I think) 1936. The offering price was 500 dollars and it was in mint or near-mint condition. It was most likely the 1934 series--you could have probably doubled your money at least. I'm not much of a paper money guy but I've always thought it would be cool to have one of the super high-denomination bills like the $5000 or $10000. There was even a $100000 bill made for government use. As you can guess, they're all pretty expensive though.
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Feb 11, 2013 06:03
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Yep, those pictures are fine. The Morgan has some nice toning and looks to be in about AU-50 condition, though the obverse is kind of scratched up. $35+ The 1943 steel pennies are in VF-XF (20-40) condition and are worth maybe a buck each. 1943 Steel Lincoln Penny   For those unfamiliar, Lincoln pennies were struck in steel in 1943 due to a copper shortage (copper was used for ammunition). The steel cents proved problematic for a variety of reasons and unpopular with the public, and the Mint switched to a copper-brass alloy for the rest of the war. Steel cents are widely available today and you can acquire a nice mint state example for hardly any money. Steel pennies are also the only magnetic U.S. coin!
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Feb 14, 2013 08:52
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Wow, I didn't expect anybody to have an 18th century U.S. coin. They're very rare for the most part. That is a Draped Bust Cent (1796-1807)   I'd grade yours as AG-3/FA-2 (obverse/reverse, AG=about good FA=fair). Not ideal condition but still highly collectible considering the rarity. You could probably get $60 at the very least if you sold it. There are also a ton of design variations for the 1797 based on minute details like how many leaves the wreath has, so it could possibly be worth more if it's one of the rarer die varieties. If the edge of the coin has regular indentations that's one valuable variety. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Feb 17, 2013 |
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Feb 17, 2013 01:05
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CzarChasm posted:Here's the coin I was talking about before. That wasn't issued by the U.S. Mint but I just did some internet research and it appears to be a commemorative token struck sometime in the 2nd half of the 20th century. A variety of companies made these coins in brass, aluminum, and other cheap alloys and many of the tokens had similar designs (see here and here). Looks like it's maybe worth a couple dollars. Uncle Jam posted:Speaking of really worn down coins, is there an accepted way of getting the detail off of worn coins? Like stereoscopic microscope, laser scan, to identify details? Like pairofdimes said, if it's worn down to the extent that it's unreadable it's probably not going to be worth much unless it happens to be an extremely rare coin. Scanning it might bring out so more detail. If it's a particular coin, you could post a picture here and I can take a stab at identifying it. Big Centipede posted:I have a few old coins: Barber dime (1892-1916)  1911-D for Denver Mint, $5-10 decent circulated condition 1941 and 1942 Mercury dimes, the W is actually the designer's monogram (A over W for Adolph Weinman). $2/ea Jefferson war nickels (1942-45)  Nickel was another valuable metal during the war, so the Mint changed the composition of the nickel from 75/25 copper-nickel to 56/35/9 copper-silver-manganese. War nickels had a large mintmark placed above Monticello to distinguish them. Because of the silver tarnishing, circulated war nickels will tend to have a darker patina. The presence of silver also means that uncirculated war nickels can take on beautiful natural toning like the above example. 1942 and 1943-P (Philadelphia) nickels $1-2/ea 1943-D Steel penny: $1 1942-S "Steel" penny: The steel penny was only struck in 1943 so there are a couple of possibilities here. The most likely one is that you have a scam coin--a 1942 copper penny plated with a thin coating of zinc and sold as a rare error coin. The other highly unlikely possibility is that you have an extremely rare pattern coin struck by the Mint to test the design on a steel planchet, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Is the coin magnetic? If no, then it's a worthless zinc-plated copper cent. If yes, then...
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Feb 17, 2013 23:58
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Nannypea posted:Promise not to laugh, ok. Unfortunately, most of those are worth little more than face value. That applies to: 1946 penny, 1964/46/73 nickels, post-1964 dimes, post-64 quarters, post-70 half dollars, Eisenhower dollars unless they have an S mintmark, SBA dollars, Sacagawea dollars. The foreign coins won't have much value either. The rest: 1943 War nickel (35% silver): couple bucks Buffalo nickels: are these missing dates? if yeah, then they're pretty much worthless. if no, value varies. 1964 dime: $2 silver bullion value 1958 quarter: $5 sbv 1967/69 half dollars (40% silver): $4.50/ea sbv I'm assuming the Walking Liberty Silver dollars are American Eagles?  Are they proof or uncirculated? Proof coins are coins with a mirrored surface that were struck on specially polished dies. Uncirculated is just a normal coin without any wear or signs of use. If uncirculated, worth about $35 each at current silver values. If proof, worth a bit more. Here's a comparison. 1927-D Peace Dollar graded F: $35 Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Feb 18, 2013 |
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Feb 18, 2013 21:41
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Nannypea posted:Thank you for all the information. The Walking Liberty Silver Dollar is an American Eagle and it's NOT a proof. Better than nothing! I have some more "floating" around somewhere. Hopefully better than these! I don't know too much about the different 1972 types, but you might find this guide on identifying them helpful. A jeweler's loupe or a strong magnifying glass should be enough to identify them. Type 3 appears to be slightly more valuable than Type 1. Buffalo Nickels VG-F: $1 ea. Check the buffalo on the 1937. If it only has 3 legs, it's a rare variety worth much more. I'm not sure if that's gold on the Eisenhower but even if it is, gold-plated coins are generally worthless. The amount of metal that goes into plating a coin is miniscule. Soup in a Bag posted:I have this Morgan dollar: 1921-P Morgan dollar VF (Very Fine, 30/70 condition): $30
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Mar 5, 2013 07:37
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ShadowHawk posted:Perhaps you could answer a trivia question -- from what I understand, the law requires "In God We Trust" on the coins as well as the coin's value. I'm not sure if I understand your question, but "dime" (or to be precise, "disme", derived from French?) was established as the term for 1/10th of a dollar back in 1792. So "dime" can be used interchangeably with "10 cents". The dime was originally bigger than the half-dime when both were made out of silver, so the sizes of the coins corresponded to their relative values. But in the mid 19th century the composition of the half-dime was changed to nickel, and the new five-cent coin was bigger than the dime. One of my grade school friends used to brag about how he tricked his neighbor into trading him dimes for nickels after he convinced him the bigger coin was worth more. pasaluki posted:What is the value of an 1863 seated half-dime no mint mark in fine-extremely fine condition? That's fairly valuable coin with a very low mintage (18,000), but fine-extremely fine is a very wide range. On a 70 point grading scale, that's a range of 12-45. Assuming its condition is somewhere in between, it's worth at least $200. Nighthand posted:I have these things: Those proof sets are probably worth about $5-10 each, assuming they're all in that same format. There are different types of the more recent proof sets that are more valuable (silver proof sets, "premier" proof sets, etc). They would be clearly labeled though. As for coins to look out for in circulation, keep an eye out for any pre-1965 quarters and dimes as they're silver and worth a fair bit more. If you do happen to stumble across a half dollar, check if it's pre-1971. Outside of that, there isn't much of worth to be still found in general circulation. Collectors have been cherrypicking coins and raiding bank vaults for decades so the chances of finding something valuable are low. But it's still cool to find something like a wheat penny every once in a while--even if it's not worth much, it still has collectible appeal. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Mar 8, 2013 |
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Mar 8, 2013 01:09
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Yep, that's a 1/10th ounce American Eagle. $200 is about right.
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Mar 10, 2013 00:16
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Pro-PRC Laowai posted:
Nice coins! You already know more than I do about what they are, but if you're looking for more info you might check out a Krause book of world coins. Japanese (and Chinese) coins are great because they're relatively cheap to buy and have some beautiful designs. Unfortunately, part of the reason they're so cheap is that the market is saturated with counterfeits. Buyer beware. Quinoa posted:Thanks for the thread; I've always loved old coins. Unfortunately liking something is not the same as owning them & I've only got one possibly worth more than sentimental value. Yep, that's probably an 1893-S Barber quarter. The only other possible mintmark would be an "O". Looks about VG-8 (Very Good) condition with some dirt/smudges, probably worth $15-20. It's a fairly low mintage date and would normally secure a higher price, but the coin market's been depressed since the recession. Definitely worth holding on to.
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Mar 12, 2013 03:22
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1878 Morgan dollar VF-20 (very fine) condition--assuming no mintmark (check beneath the wreath and above "DO" in "DOLLAR"): $35 1976 Eisenhower dollar: Looks like it might be a proof coin--does it have mirrored surfaces? Is the mintmark S or D? There are many possibilities here. $2-15 1950-P? Washington quarter VF-XF: $7 1943-P Walking Liberty half F: $12 1963 Franklin half VF: $10 Silver dimes--melt value Silver American Eagles--If they have mirrored surfaces, they're proofs. Otherwise, they're just normal uncirculated. If they're proof, value will vary a lot by the date. If uncirculated, they'll most likely be worth around $35 ea (bullion value + small Am Eagle premium). You should post that Roman coin in Xenopus' SA thread. He knows a ton about ancient coins and will probably be able to give you some info on it. That coin's extremely well-struck if its genuine.
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Mar 14, 2013 06:29
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Jimmy James posted:I got on a coin collecting kick a few weeks ago and have a few questions. How do I get good at grading coins? I have looked at lots of pics online and can sort of group things in 10 point intervals up to AU, but I feel like I need more examples to get better. I feel like I can't buy coins intelligibly until I get better at that. I may post some pics for grading feedback rather than prices. Good questions. If you're grading U.S. coins, you should definitely pick up The ANA Grading Standards book if you don't already have it. It's one of the first books a new collector should buy. Has detailed descriptions of each grade and many pictures for every coin, as well as tips on problem areas for certain coins. Ebay is my personal favorite place to buy coins. But unless you're buying low value coins, don't even bid unless there are clear pictures of the obverse and reverse. Search for listings that are going to end soon during non-peak times for a better chance of getting a bargain. Price guide prices tend to be a bit inflated. Many price guides are based on what coin shops/dealers say they're selling their coins for. A non-dealer attempting to sell the same coin could not expect to charge the same price. The coin market's also been somewhat depressed ever since the recession and I'm not sure if the price guides have really adjusted to that either. And like you said, coin shops often tend to be pricey. Many of them double as jewelry-bullion shops, so a good deal of their clientele is non-collectors who have no idea of value. Estate sales are a good idea; I've personally never gone to one. Auctions are great if you're looking for a specific coin and have a fair amount of money to blow. Auction fees can be painful. Like pairofdimes said, coin shows are great. If you can find a decent-sized one nearby, you'll get to see a huge variety of coins. You can search online to see if any are happening near you--sites like this and this have some non-exhaustive lists of upcoming ones. Dealers at coin shows are usually friendly and more than happy to give new collectors advice, tips, and sometimes even freebies. Try to go near the end of the show (or on the last day, if it's a multi-day show) and you might have a better chance of getting a bargain. Bargaining is permitted! Finally, I wouldn't spend too much time practicing cleaning methods. If a coin shows evidence of cleaning (and unless you're an absolute master, it will) its value drops dramatically. You might be able to dump it on ebay with noone the wiser but an experienced coin collector is not going to want to buy a cleaned coin. 99% of the time it's a bad idea to clean, repair, or otherwise modify your coins.
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Mar 27, 2013 08:05
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Alfalfa posted:How old does a US proof set need to be to really start being worth something valuable? Most normal proof sets from 64 onwards are $5-10. Silver sets and Prestige sets are at least $25. If you give me a date range I can identify the more valuable year sets. Pro-PRC Laowai's right about the Eisenhower dollar.
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Mar 28, 2013 21:24
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ConfusedUs posted:My wife has some old coins she swears are worth a fair amount. I recognize a couple of them from this thread, so she might actually be right. Or not The 1921 dollar coin is a Morgan silver dollar struck in Philadelphia. Uncirculated (mint) condition with some toning, $40-50 The smaller coin is a Walking Liberty half dollar, heavily worn with no date but nice coloration. $10 The 2010 coin is a silver one-ounce American Eagle bullion coin, worth about $30 at current silver prices. The George Washington tokens are most likely copies of a funeral medal struck shortly after George Washington's death. Copies were struck in large quantities by private companies throughout the 20th century in various metals. The vast majority of them are worthless. The denser corroded one is probably pewter.
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Apr 29, 2013 00:19
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ConfusedUs posted:Thanks! That's about what I expected. No problem! I'm not much of an expert on currency but you might check out eBay listings to get an idea of value.
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Apr 29, 2013 18:25
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That's a 1900 Liberty Head double eagle ($20 denomination) in uncirculated condition. Contains a little less than an ounce of gold and is worth $1700-1800.
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Apr 29, 2013 20:03
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DominusDeus posted:My incomplete (due to lack of $$) Dansco 7070 album: Yeah completing a type set can be a pretty substantial investment, especially with the pre-Morgan silver dollars. Looks like you've got a good start though. Thanks for including both the obverse and reverse, I took my best stab at grading them and giving a rough valuation. 1805 Draped Bust half-cent G-4 w/pitting (corrosion): ~$40 1798 Draped Bust cent G w/pitting: ~$50 1826 Coronet cent VG-8: $20 1851 Coronet Braided Hair cent VF-XF: $20 1858(?) Flying Eagle cent FA-2: $5 1859 Indian Head cent AG-3: $5 1908 Indian Head cent MS: $20+ 1909 VDB Lincoln cent F-12 w/scratches: $5 1940 Lincoln cent AU-50: $3 1943 Steel cent MS: $2 1963 cent Proof: $3 1865 Two-cent piece G: $10 1853 3-cent piece G: $20 1868 3-cent piece F: $20 1829 Capped Bust half dime AG: $10 1853 Seated Liberty half dime AG-G: $7 1868 Shield nickel F: $20 1883 Liberty Head nickel VG: $5 1912 Liberty Head nickel VG: $2 1937 Buffalo nickel VF-XF: $5 1963 Jefferson nickel PF: $1 1944 War nickel VF: $1 1831 Capped Bust dime XF with nice toning: $60+ 1838 Seated Liberty dime VG: $10 1853 Seated Liberty dime XF: $30 1897 Barber dime F: $5 1937 Mercury dime VF: $2 1963 Roosevelt dime PF: $3 2005 dime: one dime 1838 Capped Bust quarter VF: $100 1856-O Seated Liberty quarter FA: $8 1853 Seated Liberty quarter AG: $10 1873 Seated Liberty quarter VG: $30 1894 Barber quarter F: $10 1917 Type 1 Standing Liberty quarter VF+: $30 1926-S Standing Liberty quarter VG: $10 1963 Washington quarter PF: $8 1985 quarter: face value 1836 Capped Bust half VF: $60 1876-S Seated Liberty half VF w/some toning: $70+ 1906 Barber half VG: $15 1943-S Walking Liberty half F: $12 1963 Franklin half PF w/fingerprint: $10 1964 Kennedy half MS: $15 1966 Kennedy half MS: $5 1982-S GW Commem Half w/some chemical damage PF: <$10 1986-S Statue Liberty Commem half PF: $5 1893 Columbian Expo Half XF: $15 1921-S Morgan XF: $30 1922-D Peace MS: $30 1978 Ike: Face value Total value: at least $867. Took me a while so I hope it's good news! w0nka posted:I have been collecting informally since middle school. While I haven't cared to look into the value of anything, two pieces have always piqued my curiosity. V.D.B. are the initials of the coin's designer, Victor David Brenner. When the Lincoln cent was first struck in 1909, including the designer's initials on the coin in such a prominent position was controversial. The Mint decided to remove the "VDB" midway into 1909, after millions of cents had already been struck and released into circulation. This makes the 1909-VDB coins more valuable. Unfortunately, the coins that are most valuable are those struck in San Francisco with an "S" mintmark below the date. Less than half a million of those made it to circulation and even the lowest grades are worth hundreds of dollars. Your coin lacks a mintmark so it was struck in Philadelphia, with a mintage of 28 million, but it's still worth about $15. Obdicut is right about your New Jersey quarter. It's a relatively common error with that particular quarter so probably not worth more than a couple bucks. Dead Pikachu posted:I found a penny a couple weeks ago, on my wedding day (had the intention of taping it to my shoe but I forgot). It is really worn, and the edges are nonexistent. It's almost paper thin. The date says 1913 or 1918, it's a wheat penny. Looks like an acid-treated penny to me. Is it about the diameter of a dime? People used to wear down pennies with acid to make them dime-sized for parking meters and vending machines. Also, I saw somebody accidentally created a new thread yesterday asking what their coins were worth instead of replying to this new one. If you're reading this, make sure to click the Reply button instead of Post. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 21:59 on May 5, 2013 |
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May 5, 2013 21:57
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^ Those are pretty neat, I especially like the Palestine one with Arabic/Hebrew/English. Would there be any interest if I started a SA Mart thread for selling coins? I could sell U.S. issues (unusual coins like the 3 cent piece, 20 cent piece, 2 cent, etc, birthyear sets, and nice examples of most of the coins in this thread) as well as other historical coins. Anything from the last 500 years or so--coins of Napoleon, Louis XIV, Cromwell, or any other monarchs/rulers. I'd be happy to hunt down pretty much anything semi-modern; I'd leave the ancient coins to Xenopus.
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May 27, 2013 04:24
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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. Ron Don Volante fucked around with this message at 01:40 on May 30, 2013 |
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May 28, 2013 00:32
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Obdicut posted:I'm sorry if you already covered this, but what are the basic rules about patina and cleaning up a coin? Is it always best to leave it in whatever condition you find it in? My mom has some old copper coins with the green verdigris on them, and one some the features are slightly obscured by it. Nine times out of 10, you don't want to clean a coin as that will decrease its value. Most patinas are considered a natural result of the aging process and should be left untouched, as cleaning often causes more problems than it solves. But if you're just keeping the coins for yourself and aren't likely to resell them, there are a couple of gentle cleaning methods you can use on copper coins. One is soaking the coins in olive oil or distilled water (fresh water each day) for a period of days before gently rinsing it off. Another method is to stick the coin inside a potato overnight. Whatever's in the starch (I'm not strong with chemistry) will break down the grime. You may want to try a test coin first though, as the potato method can sometimes turn your coin black instead. All that being said, I just want to reiterate that cleaning a coin can dramatically lower its value and polishing coins is even worse. But if you are going to do it, those are probably the least harsh methods.
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May 28, 2013 17:07
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Sammus posted:I was handed a 1964 quarter today, and before I even looked at my change I knew it was unusual. It just felt strange in my hand, probably because it's noticeably thicker than a modern quarter. Did I just win a $2 lottery? You just won a $4 lottery! At current silver prices, pre-65 dimes are worth $1.60, quarters $4, and half dollars $8.
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Jun 6, 2013 00:01
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I've just started a thread in SA Mart to sell off a few extra coins from my collection. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3553350 I'd also be happy to find you a coin if there's something you're looking for, whether it's a coin from a certain ruler, country, historical period, or any one of the coins featured in this thread!
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Jun 8, 2013 18:52
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It might not be worth much, but it's extremely rare to find a Liberty Head nickel (1883-1913) in circulation. It's rare enough to find a Buffalo nickel (1913-1938), but finding any sort of 19th century coin in circulation is a pretty awesome find.
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Jun 9, 2013 20:20
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