# How Much Are My Coins Worth? Find Out Here! The online place for you to learn how to value or appraise your own numismatic coins > HowMuchAreMyCoinsWorth.com is a website for people to use to learn the value of their coins for free. Our partner, PriceThatCoin.com is an inexpensive, fast place to have a professional look at photographs of your coin to give you much more accurate coin grades and evaluations. > This is a repository for general US coin values. ## Pages - [Test](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/test/) - [Basic Visual Coin Pricing Guide - Most Popular Collected Coins - backup](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/basic-visual-coin-pricing-guide-most-popular-collected-coins-backup/): Images and information important to collectors for the most popularly collected U.S. coins. Scroll down by type and era, swipe left and right for more of each type. - [AoC 2018 Market Analysis Archives](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/aoc-2018-market-analysis-archives/) - [Which Morgan Silver Dollars are Worth Money?](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/how-much-is-my-morgan-silver-dollar-worth/): That’s a great question! Depending on date and condition, your Morgan Silver Dollar could be $12, or it could be... - [Which Lincoln Wheat Cents are Worth Money?](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/what-is-my-lincoln-wheat-cent-worth/): That’s a great question! Depending on date and condition, your Lincoln Wheat Cent could be $0. 02, or it could... - [Home](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/home/): What Makes a Coin Worth Money? The Academy of Coins© Staff take you through each piece that makes a coin... - [Coin Market & Auction News](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/coin-market-auction-news/): 2018 Archives: Academy of Coins© Numismatic Market Analysis - [Basic Visual Coin Pricing Guide - Other Popular Collected Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/visual-coin-pricing-guide/other-popular-collected-coins/): These are popularly collected U. S. coins. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, scroll down for more U.... - [Cookie Policy for HowMuchAreMyCoinsWorth.com](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/cookie-policy/): Cookie Policy for HowMuchAreMyCoinsWorth. com This is the Cookie Policy for How Much Are My Coins Worth, accessible from https://howmucharemycoinsworth.... - [How To Sell Your Coins: Coins Valued $500+ (Coins Worth Money)](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/how-to-sell-your-coins/coins-valued-over-500-dollars/): The first thing you to do with coins worth money is ensure they're authentic. If authentic, you should likely get them certified before sale. - [How to Sell Your Coins: Coins Valued Under $10](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/how-to-sell-your-coins/coins-valued-under-10-dollars/): If you want to sell coins valued under $10, it's usually not easy. A collector will likely pay you the most. Sell them in a large eBay lot with excellent photographs, especially if you have a well-established eBay account. - [How to Sell Your Coins: Coins Valued $100+](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/how-to-sell-your-coins/coins-valued-over-100-dollars/): If you have coins valued over $100 each, you should probably get them graded to be sure you know what you have. You can sell them, but buyers will have more confidence buying your coins if they're certified. - [How to Sell Your Coins: Coins Valued Under $100](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/how-to-sell-your-coins/coins-valued-under-100-dollars/): To sell your coins valued under $100 each, be sure they are what you think. Get a second opinion about your most valuable coins. If they're not worth over $100, certification may be too expensive. Sell your coins at a coin show, to a collector, to an interested dealer, or sell them on eBay. - [Natural Versus Artificial Toning (or Color & Tarnish on Coins)](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/natural-versus-artificial-toning-or-color-tarnish-on-coins/): Beautiful naturally toned coins sell up to 30 times price guide value. Ugly naturally toned coins sell for as little as half price guide value. Coins with artificial toning sometimes gain a premium, but not when they are recognized as artificial. Price guides are most accurate when a coin is untoned or has subtle natural toning. - [Bullion Versus Numismatic Value for Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/bullion-versus-numismatic-value-for-coins/): The bullion value of a coin is the intrinsic value of the metal in the coin. The numismatic value of a collectible coin is its price to the collector market. Collector supply and demand for coins of similar type and quality of preservation (grade) drive a coin's numismatic value. - [Coin Grading - How a Coin Grade Translates to Market Value](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/coin-grading-how-a-coin-grade-translates-to-market-value/): A coin grade describes its:1) authenticity, 2) problems, and 3) fineness.. Grade has a significant impact on the coin's perceived value to collectors. - [What are Rare Coins - A Look at Numismatic Rarity](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/what-are-rare-coins-a-look-at-numismatic-rarity/): A “rare” coin is one of which fewer than 75 exist. A “very rare” coin is one of which fewer... - [What Are Problem Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/what-are-problem-coins/): Problem coins exhibit undesirable traits on the coin’s surfaces resulting from mishandling or the storage environment. Also called, “Details Coins”,... - [Third Party Grading (TPG) Certification Service Considerations for Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/third-party-grading-tpg-service-considerations-for-coins/): The cost of a numismatic Third-Party Grading Service like PCGS or NGC to certify your coin and grade is usually... - [6 Pieces That Make Coins Worth Money](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/): Coins are valued for their bullion content (like, silver, gold, or platinum), rarity, and condition (grade), or some combination of each.We want you to understand what makes your coins worth money, so the Academy of Coins© Staff have taken on each piece to help you understand. - [How To Sell Your Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/how-to-sell-your-coins/): Coin collectors and dealers sell coins of different values using different means. It can be tough to sell your coins when they're inexpensive. Selling valuable coins comes with questions. Should you grade and certify before you sell your coins? - [Basic Visual Coin Pricing Guide - Most Popular Collected Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/): How much are my coins worth, you ask? A quick visual guide to most popularly collected U.S. coins. Scroll down for more, older U.S. coin types. ## Posts - [1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle - Decent Buys](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/coin-types-and-their-values/1932-10-indian-gold-eagle-decent-buys/): In this article, you'll find a list of 1932 $10 Indian gold coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below PCGS Price Guide. - [1931-S Lincoln Cents - Decent Buys](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/coin-types-and-their-values/1931-s-lincoln-cent-decent-buys/): In this article, you'll find a list of 1931-S Lincoln Cents available on eBay that we found for you available at or below NGC Price Guide. - [1921-D Morgan Dollar - Decent Buys](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/silver-coins/1921-d-morgan-dollar-decent-buys/): In this article, you'll find a list of 1921-D Morgan Dollars available on eBay that we found for you available at or below PCGS Price Guide. - [AoC Market Report: Niel Armstrong Sale II, The Price of Armstrong Coin Pedigree](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-niel-armstrong-sale-ii-the-price-of-armstrong-coin-pedigree/): The second batch of Armstrong coins hit the auction block, and the results were very similar to the first batch.... - [AoC Market Report: Top of Pop Silver Roosevelt Dimes](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-top-of-pop-silver-roosevelt-dimes/): This week, we took a look at some early silver Roosevelt Dimes at the top of the population. We’re not... - [AoC Market Report: Rarity Versus Condition in Capped Bust Halves, Pt. 2](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-rarity-versus-condition-in-capped-bust-halves-pt-2/): Following along from last week’s data, boy do I have some interesting information to share. I’m not going to get... - [AoC Market Report: Rarity Versus Condition in Capped Bust Half Dollars, Pt. 1](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-rarity-versus-condition-in-capped-bust-half-dollars-pt-1/): This week, it was my turn here at AoC to bite off more than I could chew. As an avid... - [AoC Market Report: The Market for Signed American Silver Eagle Slabs](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-the-market-for-signed-american-silver-eagle-slabs/): This week the job of the AoC Market Report falls to me. And I want to share something I’ve noticed... - [AoC Market Report: Coins To Collect - Eisenhower Dollars](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-coins-to-collect-eisenhower-dollars/): The Eisenhower Dollar series has a lot to offer. In fact, it’s second only to Morgan Dollars as perhaps the... - [AoC Market Report: U.S. Quarter Types Part 3: SLQs and Washingtons](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-u-s-quarter-types-part-3-slqs-and-washingtons/): A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed Bust Quarters. Last week, with a little help I looked at Seateds and... - [AoC Market Report: The Current State of U.S. Quarter Types – Part 2: Seated Liberty Quarters & Barber Quarter Dollars](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-the-current-state-of-u-s-quarter-types-part-2-seated-liberty-quarters-barber-quarter-dollars/): Last week, we had a nice look at the state of the early US Quarter numismatic market. We examined the... - [AoC Market Report: The Current State of U.S. Quarter Types - Part 1: Early U.S. Quarters](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-the-current-state-of-u-s-quarter-types-part-1-early-u-s-quarters/): The first of three articles addressing the current state of U. S. Quarter Types. Draped Bust Quarters and Capped Bust... - [AoC Market Report: How Much are Steel 1944 Lincoln Wheat Pennies or Cents Worth?](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-how-much-steel-1944-lincoln-wheat-pennies-worth/): We recently saw a bronze 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent (non-collectors call this type of US coin “Wheat Pennies” or “Lincoln... - [AoC Market Report: How Much are Bronze 1943 Lincoln Wheat Pennies / Cents Worth?](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-bronze-1943-lincoln-wheat-cents/): We recently saw a bronze 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent – non-collectors call them Wheat Pennies or Lincoln Pennies – sell... - [AoC Market Report: 1996-W Roosevelt Dimes - PCGS versus NGC Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-1996-w-roosevelt-dimes-pcgs-versus-ngc-coins/): This week, we look at one of my favorite modern coins: the 1996-W Roosevelt Dime. It’s a true modern key... - [AoC Market Report: The Price of Toning](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-the-price-of-coin-toning/): A quick aside about the general numismatic market: things are definitely improving. Between crypto and the stock market both getting... - [AoC Market Report: Lincoln Cents Winning and Losing](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-report-lincoln-cents-winning-losing/): Let’s look at Lincolns, shall we? How about Wheats? You like that? I do. Okay. Game on. So this is... - [AoC Market Analysis: Continental Currency Dollars Still Going Strong](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-continental-currency-dollars-still-going-strong/): Earlier this year, Early American coin collectors were surprised to hear a new theory about Continental Currency: that they were... - [AoC Market Analysis: Cooling Common Morgan Silver Dollars](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-cooling-common-morgan-silver-dollars/): Well, the original title of this article was, “Hot Common Morgan Dollars”. But after analyzing the data, that didn’t work... - [AoC Market Analysis: Proof 3-Cent Nickels with the Most Bang for Your Buck](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-proof-three-cent-nickels-most-bang-for-buck/): This week, we look at 3-Cent Nickels. 3-Cent Nickels make lovely type coins. Proof strikes often lack the character of... - [AoC Market Analysis: Seated Liberty Dime Type Coin Guide](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-seated-liberty-dime-type-coin-guide/): Which Seated Dimes Make the Best Type Coins? Good question! So, you’re looking to get a Seated Dime, eh? Great... - [AoC Market Analysis: The Influence of Bullion Market Sentiment on Generic Gold](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-influence-bullion-market-sentiment-generic-gold/): This was a fascinating study for me! After reading my colleague’s most interesting report on the Armstrong Family Collection coins,... - [AoC Market Analysis: The Price of Pedigree - Neil Armstrong Family Collection](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-price-pedigree-neil-armstrong-collection/): Recently, the World, and in particular Americans, had a real treat: the first sale of Neil Armstrong’s collected personal effects... - [AoC Market Analysis: Modern Coin Prices Through the Lens of 1979-S Proof Lincolns](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-modern-coin-prices-1979-proof-lincolns-cents/): Top modern coin prices seem to be falling. Every time I look at a price guide, I see more red... - [AoC Market Analysis: Toned 1896 Morgan Dollar in '5](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-toned-1896-morgan-dollar-in-5/): This week, we’ve picked an interesting one. This 1896 (common date) Morgan Silver Dollar is graded PCGS MS65, Green CAC.... - [AoC Market Analysis: Silver Roosevelt Dime Sets](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-silver-roosevelt-dime-sets/): Thinking about creating or upgrading your silver Roosevelt Dime set? It’s a great time to do it. Here’s why: Silver... - [AoC Market Analysis: 1932-D Washington Quarters in Mint State 64](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-1932-d-washington-quarters-mint-state-64/): This article seemed like a fun, straightforward task – let’s have a look at Mint State 64 Key Date Washington... - [Market Analysis: The $100,000 Franklin](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/aoc-market-analysis-100000-dollar-franklin/): It was as if millions of coin collectors gasped in shock and were suddenly silenced. I fear something inexplicably inexplicable... - [Market Analysis: The Impact of Advancing Set Registries on Capped Bust Half Dollars](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-the-impact-of-advancing-set-registries-on-capped-bust-half-dollars/): Registry Sets have had a huge impact on coin collecting. “The common coins stay common, the rare coins keep getting rarer.” Case in point: Capped Bust Half Dollars. - [Market Analysis: 2009 Ultra High Relief Double Eagle](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-2009-ultra-high-relief-double-eagle/): With all the hoopla surrounding the palladium eagles this week – and don’t take this author wrong, the hoopla may... - [Market Analysis: 1853 Arrows & Rays Quarters](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-1853-arrows-rays-quarters/): The old adage goes, “buy the best you can afford. ” Yeah, well, not always. 1853 Arrows & Rays, a... - [Market Analysis: 1909-S VDB Lincolns in 65 Red](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-1909-s-vdb-lincolns-in-65-red/): After compiling the data, it seems to all of us here it’s time to buy 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cents... - [Market Analysis: A Tale of Two Two Million Million Gold Coins](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-a-tale-of-two-two-million-million-gold-coins/): It’s somewhat incredible that a 1913 V Nickel, an 1854-S $5 and the 1792 Gold Washington could sell in the... - [Market Analysis: 1913 Liberty Nickel](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/market-analysis-1913-liberty-nickel/): The Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Nickel sold last week for $4. 56M. What does that mean to the numismatic marketplace? Well,... - [A Brief Look at Recent Brilliant Proof Franklin Half Dollar eBay Sales](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/a-brief-look-at-recent-brilliant-proof-franklin-half-dollar-ebay-sales/): Review of brilliant Proof Franklin Half Dollar eBay sales. Should you have your coins certified? Are they rare? How much are they worth? The Academy of Coins Staff helps out. - [Proofs Prove Positive in 2018](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/proofs-prove-positive-in-2018/): Proofs remain popular with the serious collectors steaming into the third quarter of 2018. Stack’s Bowers sold a top-graded Flowing... - [The Fall of the Continental "Dollar"?](https://howmucharemycoinsworth.com/numismatic-market-news-information/the-fall-of-the-continental-dollar/): The status of the Continental "Dollar" may be changing from, "perhaps the first dollar coin made in America" to "a commemorative medal made in Europe celebrating the New United States." # # Detailed Content ## Pages Basic Visual Coin Pricing Guide- Most Popular Collected Coins Scroll down to see the most popularly collected U. S. coins. If you don't find what you're looking for, scroll down for more, older U. S. coin types. Or try our basic visual coin pricing guide for other collected coins. The Academy of Coins© has an easy, quick, low-cost coin grading service: PriceThatCoin. com. Small U. S. Cents (1856 - Present)Almost 3/4 inch US Lincoln Memorial Cents: Random eBay Listings US Lincoln Wheat Cents: Random eBay Listings US Indian Cents: Random eBay Listings US Flying Eagle Cents: Random eBay Listings WE DO NOT BUY OR SELL COINS Pro tips for seeing real market values: #1: Look for reputable dealers #2: Look for completed / sold auctions #3: Know the dealer is honest? check Buy It Now Reminder: Toned coins can have very different prices. What makes a coin valuable? Still not sure? Use PriceThatCoin. com Vintage U. S. Silver Dollars (1794 - 1935)About 1 1/2 inches Modern Bullion U. S. Coins (1986 - Present)Sizes Vary Large Vintage U. S. Gold Coins ($10 - $20) (1795 - 1933)1 1/8 to 1 1/4 inches U. S. Large Cents (1793 - 1857)Slightly larger than a modern quarter Modern Copper-Nickel U. S. Dollars (1971 - Present)About 1 1/2 inches (1971 - 1978)Slightly larger than a modern quarter (1979 - Present) U. S. Half Dollars (1794 - Present)Around 1 1/4 inches Modern Copper-Nickel U. S. Quarter Dollars (1965 - Present)Slightly less than 1 inch Silver U.... AoC Market Report: Lincoln Cents Winning and Losing - Let’s look at Lincolns, shall we? How about Wheats? You like that? I do. Okay. Game on. So this is some interesting stuff. I chose 4 Lincolns to deep dive: 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent, 1909 plain, 1956 Wheat Cent and 1957. I then looked at public auction results for coins certified Mint State 66 Red and finer. I compared these findings to the major price guides: PCGS, NGC, and FMV. Here’s what I found. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cents Certified Mint State 66 Red and Finer In general, the popular price guides don’t concur with the public auction results. AoC Market Analysis: Continental Currency Dollars Still Going Strong - Earlier this year, Early American coin collectors were surprised to hear a new theory about Continental Currency: that they were not American-made speculative patterns, but rather satirical pieces made in England. It’s still a widely debated topic. What hasn’t changed at all is their attraction to collectors of early American coins. In October, a couple of PCGS MS62+ pieces came to auction through Stack’s Bowers. One was a Newman 1-C, the other was a Newman 2-C. They both brought strong (if not top) dollar. They were both out of the Archangel Collection. Let’s look at the 1-C. This exact coin AoC Market Analysis: Cooling Common Morgan Silver Dollars - Well, the original title of this article was, “Hot Common Morgan Dollars”. But after analyzing the data, that didn’t work out so... That’s a great question! Depending on date and condition, your Morgan Silver Dollar could be $12, or it could be $2,200,000! Spoiler alert: it’s much more likely to be $12. But you never know... Morgan Silver Dollars - some of the most popularly collected coins on the planet. Some of these are worth many thousands of dollars, some many hundreds. But not all Morgan Dollars are worth a lot of money. How Much is Your Morgan Dollar Worth? We'll get into more detail, but we offer a service for a small fee through our website PriceThatCoin. com that will answer your questions with extreme accuracy. Rarity Most authentic, common date Morgan Silver Dollars are worth between $12 and $32. I say authentic because there are tons of counterfeits! And fake Morgan Dollars have been around since the Mint started making them in 1878, so don’t think just because you know the history of your coin going back 50 years it’s surely not fake. That said, common date Morgan Dollars in average circulated grade are extremely common. The Mints made tens of millions of these silver coins, and it’s illegal to melt them because they’re United States currency. (That doesn’t mean people didn’t melt them, sometimes they did. But they’re still common. ) Condition Most common date Morgan Dollars are in what numismatists (coin nerds) call Uncirculated, or Mint State condition. Most of them were minted, put in bags, and stored in Mint or bank vaults for decades. Because uncirculated coins... That’s a great question! Depending on date and condition, your Lincoln Wheat Cent could be $0. 02, or it could be $1,200,000! Spoiler alert: it’s much more likely to be $0. 02. You can find out with extreme accuracy using the services available at PriceThatCoin. com. Here's a table of coins worth getting checked out. If you're not sure if your coin is in this grade or if it is problem-free, ask the professional numismatists at PriceThatCoin. com before having it certified by a reputable TPG. 1909 S (check for S/S): All Grades 1919 D: Choice MS 1909 S (check for S/S): All Grades 1919 S: Choice MS 1909 S VDB: All Grades 1920 D: Choice MS 1909 VDB DDO: AU+ 1920 S: MS 1910 S: MS+ 1921: Choice MS+ 1911 D: Choice MS+ 1921 S: MS 1911 S: AU 1922 D: MS 1912 D: AU+ 1922 No D Strong Reverse: All Grades 1912 S: AU 1922 Weak D: VF+ 1913 D: MS+ 1923 S: AU 1913 S: AU+ 1924 D: EF 1914 D: All Grades 1924 S: MS 1914 S: EF+ 1925 D: Choice MS+ 1915: Choice MS 1925 S: MS+ 1915 D: Choice MS 1926 D: Choice MS 1915 S: EF+ 1926 S: AU+ 1916 D: MS+ 1927 S: Choice MS 1916 S: MS 1928 S: Choice MS+ 1917 DDO: All Grades 1931 S: VF 1917 D: Choice MS 1936 DDO: VF 1917 S: MS+ 1943 D/D: Choice MS 1918 D: Choice MS 1944 D/S: All Grades 1918... What Makes a Coin Worth Money? The Academy of Coins© Staff take you through each piece that makes a coin really valuable to collectors. Read more: https://howmucharemycoinsworth. com/6-pieces-that-make-coins-worth-money/amp/ How To Sell Your Coins Selling coins can be tricky. These articles help you understand the market and sell your coins for more. Read more: https://howmucharemycoinsworth. com/how-to-sell-your-coins/amp/ Numismatic Market & Auction News Insider insights to the ever-evolving numismatic marketplace. Read more: https://howmucharemycoinsworth. com/coin-market-auction-news/amp/ Basic Visual Coin Pricing Guide - Most Popular Collected Coins See the most popularly collected U. S. coins (heavy graphics). If you don't find what you're looking for, scroll down for more, older U. S. coin types. Or try our basic visual coin pricing guide for other collected coins. Most Popular Collected U. S. Coins Visual Guide (heavy graphics, non-AMP) Summary of Most Popular Collected U. S. Coins Pictured On This Page: Vintage U. S. Silver Dollars Most people don't know that Presidential Dollars, Sacagawea Dollars, and most Eisenhower Dollars are made with a copper-nickel alloy. But everyone knows that Morgan and Peace Dollars are silver! Morgan Dollars are among the most collected coins in the world. They're also heavily counterfeited. Most are worth in the range of $15 to $20, but a very spectacular few are worth in the hundreds of thousands up to the millions of dollars. These are the major varieties of United States Silver Dollar going back to the nearly the beginning of the U. S. Mint. Modern Bullion U. S. Coins Many modern collectors... 1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle – Decent Buys - In this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below PCGS Price Guide. continue reading 1931-S Lincoln Cents – Decent Buys - In this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below NGC Price Guide. continue reading 1921-D Morgan Dollar – Decent Buys - In this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below PCGS Price Guide. continue reading AoC Market Report: Niel Armstrong Sale II, The Price of Armstrong Coin Pedigree - The second batch of Armstrong coins hit the auction block, and the results were very similar to the first batch. (Here is a link to our first article which followed the first sale, back in November of 2018. ) 1922 Peace Dollar, NGC certified MS-63, from the Second Sale of the Niel Armstrong Family Collection. This coin appears to be properly graded, unlike most others. Coin Grading The grading ranged from, “pretty good – I'd almost buy that story” to “HOLY CRAP WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET HIGH BEFORE GRADING THESE COINS? ”. Just like the first time. The Kennedy Half... continue reading AoC Market Report: Top of Pop Silver Roosevelt Dimes - This week, we took a look at some early silver Roosevelt Dimes at the top of the population. 1947-S Roosevelt Dime,... These are popularly collected U. S. coins. If you don't find what you're looking for, scroll down for more U. S. coin types. Also try our basic visual coin pricing guide for the most popular collected U. S. coins. The Academy of Coins© has an easy, quick, low-cost coin grading service: PriceThatCoin. com. $5 Vintage U. S. Gold Coins (1795 - 1929) Around size of a nickel, up to quarter $1 - $4 Small Vintage U. S. Gold Coins (1796 - 1929) Much smaller than a dime, up to a nickel U. S. Nickels (1866 - Present) Slightly over 3/4 inch Popular U. S. Type Coins (1792 - 1889) Popular Colonial & Post-Colonial Types (1652 - 1830) Some Popular Commemorative Coins (1848 - Present) Some Popular U. S. Medals & Tokens (1781 - Present) Popular Territorial Types (1831 - 1945) If you can't find the coins you're looking for, try our visual basic coin pricing guide for the most popular collected U. S. coins. Included on that page are: Vintage U. S. Silver Dollars Modern Bullion U. S. Coins Large Vintage U. S. Gold Coins ($10 - $20) U. S. Large Cents Modern Copper-Nickel U. S. Dollars U. S. Half Dollars Modern Copper-Nickel U. S. Quarter Dollars Silver U. S. Quarter Dollars U. S. Dimes Pictured on this page: $1, $2. 5, $3, $4 U. S. Gold Coins Small U. S. Gold Coins are very popular with collectors. They have some bullion value, but many are prized as collectibles and... Cookie Policy for HowMuchAreMyCoinsWorth. com This is the Cookie Policy for How Much Are My Coins Worth, accessible from https://howmucharemycoinsworth. com What Are Cookies As is common practice with almost all professional websites this site uses cookies, which are tiny files that are downloaded to your computer, to improve your experience. This page describes what information they gather, how we use it and why we sometimes need to store these cookies. We will also share how you can prevent these cookies from being stored however this may downgrade or 'break' certain elements of the sites functionality. For more general information on cookies see the Wikipedia article on HTTP Cookies. How We Use Cookies We use cookies for a variety of reasons detailed below. Unfortunately in most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this site. It is recommended that you leave on all cookies if you are not sure whether you need them or not in case they are used to provide a service that you use. Disabling Cookies You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see your browser Help for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of the this site. Therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies. The... Before selling coins worth money, coins valued over $500, first ensure they are authentic. Before you sell your coins, have a major Third-Party Grading company certify them. Certification takes time and money, so verify your coins' authenticity before wasting money. Below is a list of coins worth money that you should authenticate and certify before selling. After the list, we've put together some professional advice about how and where to sell your coins to maximize your profit. St. Gaudens Double Eagles are nearly 1 ounce of U. S. Gold. As such, they are currently worth money - a bit over $1000. When they are in excellent condition, they have more numismatic value than bullion value. First, verify your coins' authenticity. You should probably invest time and money into certification. A great first step before spending a lot of money on coin certification is to get a professional coin grading opinion. Our recommendation is to find a reputable coin dealer close to you, look into a major auction house you trust, or sell the individual coins yourself on eBay. You can find dealers and auction houses at coin shows. Get a grading opinion for coins? Yes, this move may save money for novices. Get coins certified by a TPG? Almost always. The best way(s) to sell your coins: Reputable Coin Dealer Coin Show eBay (individual lots) Major Numismatic Auction Coins often seen in this price range: Vintage U. S. Copper Coins Many Post-Colonial U. S. Coins Many Mint Medals Authentic 1776... To sell your coins valued under $10 each, find a collector or dealer who wants your coins. They are most likely to pay you most. Find collectors and dealers at local coin shows. Or, one large eBay lot with many photographs might work. This works best for those well-established on eBay. Auction houses and major coin dealers usually do not have interest in coins valued under $10. Certification is not cost effective in this case. Pick the coins you think are most valuable and get a second opinion, just to be sure. Washington Presidential Dollar coin. The U. S. Mint introduced Presidential Dollars in 2007. Their gold coloration confuses some people unfamiliar with their copper-nickel composition. Unless they are in spectacular condition (much nicer than this pictured version), they're worth one dollar. Below is a list of coins that you should get a second opinion to verify they're common and low-value. After that list, we give you professional advice about how and where to sell your coins. First, get a second opinion on your most valuable coins. You should probably not invest time and money into certification until you're sure your coins are low-value. Then, sell the entire lot of coins on eBay. It might make sense to study eBay and build up your rating before making a major sale. Get a grading opinion for coins? Sometimes a good idea if you think you have possible key dates or possibly high-grade coins. Get coins certified by a TPG? Almost never.... To sell coins valued over $100 each, first be sure they are what you think they are. Coin valuation is tricky! A second professional opinion is a very valuable asset when selling coins like these. Depending on their market values, it may be good to submit them to a major Third-Party Grading service. Before selling your coins valued over $100, make sure your coins are as you believe. Certification takes time and money, so verify your coins' likely market values first. An 1881-S Morgan Dollar graded MS-66. This coin has a current market value of about $180. The market value for one graded Mint State 63 is well under $100. Unless the coin is certified and graded by a reputable TPG, the coin will usually trade for $20 to $30. Below is a list of coins that should trigger you to get a second coin grading opinion before proceeding. After our list, we've made an article with professional advice about how and where to sell your coins to maximize your profit. First, verify your coins' authenticity and value. It might make sense to invest time and money into certification. Find a reputable coin dealer close to you who may help with certification. A local dealer might buy your coins, or you could sell them on eBay in a lot or individually. A local coin show is often a great place to start. Get a grading opinion for coins? Yes, definitely. Get coins certified by a TPG? Probably, if possible. The... To sell your coins valued under $100 each, be sure they are what you think. Get a second opinion about your most valuable coins. If they're not worth over $100, certification may be too expensive. Sell your coins at a coin show, to a collector, to an interested dealer, or sell them on eBay. We put together a list list of coins in this difficult value range. Right after the list, we’ve got professional advice about how and where to sell your coins. First, get a second coin grading opinion. It probably doesn't make sense to spend time and money on certification. For a great starting place, see if you can find a dealer or coin show near you. Otherwise, if you're an experienced eBay seller, you should be able to sell them on eBay. Be aware, uncertified, they won't bring the highest prices. An 1881-S Morgan Dollar graded Mint State 62. This coin has a current market value of about $50. Get a grading opinion for coins? A great idea if you suspect you have key dates or very high grade coins. Usually a good idea anyway. Get coins certified by a TPG? Not usually. The best way(s) to sell your coins: Reputable Coin Dealer Coin Show eBay (potentially in a large lot) Coins often seen in this price range: Vintage U. S. Copper Coins Some Problem, Low-Grade Post-Colonial Coppers Very few Liberty Cap Half Cents Some Classic Head Half Cents Most Braided Hair Half Cents Few lower-grade Draped... Beautiful naturally toned coins sell up to 30 times price guide value. Ugly naturally toned coins sell for as little as half price guide value. Coins with artificial toning sometimes gain a premium, but not when they are recognized as artificial. Price guides are most accurate when a coin is untoned or has subtle natural toning. A beautifully naturally toned 1881-S Morgan Silver Dollar. If you're unsure about your coin's toning, the Academy of Coins© has created an easy, quick, low-cost grading service alternative at PriceThatCoin. com. PriceThatCoin. com is a much less expensive way to find out the value of your toned coin than traditional coin certification. And if you should certify your coin, we'll tell you! If you would prefer to learn to understand coin toning yourself, by all means, read on... Telling Natural Versus Artificial Toning on Collectible Coins "Toning" is a numismatic trade term for tarnish or oxidation. It's completely natural for coins to tone over time, and they tone differently depending on how the storage environment exposes them to certain chemicals. The eye appeal of a toned coin often has a significant impact on its value in the marketplace. The impact of a coin's toning on sale prices is one substantial way that coin price guides fail. It used to be that collectors greatly preferred bright, untoned coins. In the past two decades, there is an incredible bias toward eye appealing, incredibly colorful, incredibly lustrous, unbelievably natural toned coins. Toned coins come a few ways:... The bullion value of a coin is the intrinsic value of the coin's metal. The numismatic value of a collectible coin is its price on the collector market. Collector supply and demand for coins of similar type and quality of preservation (grade) drive a coin's numismatic value. This authentic 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar is graded Extremely Fine 45 by a TPG. The coin is only worth its bullion value, graded or raw. This genuine 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar is graded Mint State 63 by a TPG. Raw, the coin is only worth its bullion value. Graded by a major, reputable TPG, the coin may sell for between $9 and $15. This 1964 Kennedy Half Dollar is graded Mint State 67 by a TPG. Raw, the coin is only worth its bullion value. Graded by a major, reputable TPG like PCGS or NGC, the coin may sell for between $500 and $1000. If you're unsure if your coin should be valued for its numismatic demand or for its bullion content, the Academy of Coins© has created an easy, quick, low-cost grading service alternative at PriceThatCoin. com. PriceThatCoin. com is a much less expensive way to find out the value of your coin than traditional coin certification. And if you should certify your coin, we'll tell you! If you would prefer to learn the to understand the difference yourself, read on! Coins Treated as Bullion on the Marketplace Collectors and sellers sometimes consider a coin's bullion value be it's minimum value. That's... A coin grade describes a coin's: 1) authenticity, 2) potential problems, and 3) fineness, or nearness to perfection. This coin grade has a significant impact on the coin's perceived value to collectors. Most people talk about coin grade as a number describing fineness. However, authenticity and problems or potential problems are critical to coin valuation. When professional third-party coin grading and certification services like PCGS and NGC assign and certify a coin a grade, they guarantee that coin as authentic unless they state otherwise. Likewise, they guarantee a coin to be problem-free unless they specifically note problems or potential problems. If you're unsure about your coin grade or authenticity (and most non-numismatists are unsure), the Academy of Coins© has created an easy, quick, low-cost grading service alternative at PriceThatCoin. com. PriceThatCoin. com is a much less expensive way to find out the value of your coin than traditional coin certification. And if you should certify your coin, we'll tell you! If you would prefer to learn about coin grading and valuation yourself, read on... #1) Authenticity With ever-more sophisticated counterfeiters producing fake coins, the stakes are higher than ever to ensure that coins, which are traded heavily on a hyperactive market, are indeed legitimate. This is an authentic silver 1803 Dollar currently valued around $2000. This is an easily identified counterfeit 1803 Dollar currently valued around $0. 25. It is illegal to buy or sell counterfeit coins in the United States unless they are clearly marked "COPY". #2) Problem Coins... A “rare” coin is one of which fewer than 75 exist. A “very rare” coin is one of which fewer than 32 exist (R-5 – R-6). An “extremely rare” coin is one of which fewer than 13 exist (R-6 – R-7). An “almost unique” example of a coin is one of which there are between two and three pieces extant (R-8 – R-9). Here are two popular numismatic Rarity Scales: Bowers' Universal Rarity Scale Sheldon Numismatic Rarity Scale URS-1 - unique URS-2 - 2 known URS-3 - 3 or 4 known URS-4 - 5 to 8 known URS-5 - 9 to 16 known URS-6 - 17 to 32 known URS-7 - 33 to 64 known URS-8 - 65 to 125 known URS-9 - 125 to 250 known URS-10 - 251 to 500 known URS-11 - 501 to 1,000 known et cetera... R-8: only 1 exists R-7 High: 2 to 3 exist R-7 Low: Extremely Rare, 4 - 12 known R-6: Very Rare, 13 - 30 known R-5: Rare, 31 - 75 known R-4: Very Scarce, 76 - 200 known R-3: Scarce, 201 - 500 known R-2: Uncommon, 501 - 1250 known R-1: Common, 1251+ known These scales are used for shorthand to describe how many coins numismatists (coin nerds, like yours truly) believe exist. What most people mean when they ask the question, “is this coin rare? ”, is, “is this coin valuable? ” Coins do not have to be rare to be valuable – in fact, some of the... Problem coins exhibit undesirable traits on the coin's surfaces resulting from mishandling or the storage environment. Also called, "Details Coins", seasoned coin collectors know to look for these problems. As such, demand for problem coins can be significantly lower on the open market. Problem-free coins almost always bring higher prices than otherwise similar problem coins. Problem Coins (Details Coins) Problems Some of these problems include polishing or cleaning, environmental damage, fingerprints, unpleasant toning (tarnish), PVC residue, damaged, or damaged and repaired (ex-jewelry coins). Problems Coins (Details Coins) Market Considerations Newer coin collectors and sellers are not usually familiar with aspects of problem coins and how problems can reduce numismatic demand and thus sale prices. Serious coin collectors tend to completely avoid problem coins. They prefer to spend more money on problem-free coins. An example of NGC Details coin slab. This coin will trade for considerably less than a non-details (problem-free) example. An example of PCGS Details coin slab. This coin will trade for considerably less than a non-details (problem-free) example. If you're unsure if your coin is a problem coin, the Academy of Coins© has created an easy, quick, low-cost grading service alternative at PriceThatCoin. com. PriceThatCoin. com is a much faster, less expensive way to find out about your coin than traditional coin certification. And if you should certify your coin, we'll tell you! If you would prefer to learn problem coins yourself, continue reading. We're here to help you learn... One common misconception coin sellers have is that... The cost of a numismatic Third-Party Grading Service like PCGS or NGC to certify your coin and grade is usually between $20 and $100 per coin, including shipping and insurance. The process usually takes between three weeks and two months. The cost varies depending on the service you request (speed, attribution, authentication only) and value of your coin. For more valuable coins like ultra-rarities, the certification cost can reach into the thousands of dollars. For faster service, like leaving your coin with the grading certification service at a coin show and picking it up before the show ends, the cost is higher. If you're unsure about whether or not your should get your coin certified, the Academy of Coins© has created an easy, quick, low-cost grading service alternative at PriceThatCoin. com. PriceThatCoin. com is a much less expensive way to find out the value of your coin than traditional coin certification. And if you should certify your coin, we'll tell you! If you would prefer to understand the details of coin certification yourself, please continue reading... The Major Third-Party Coin Certification Services Third Party Grading services (TPGs) provide an incredibly valuable resource to the entire coin collecting community. As counterfeiters get better at faking coins, reputable TPGs are our only defense, certifying our coins as legitimate. But if you believe your coin's value may not be more than $100, it may not make sense for you to spend the time and money to have your coin authenticated, graded, and certified.... Coins are valued for their bullion content (like, silver, gold, or platinum), rarity, and condition (grade), or some combination of each. We've taken each of those three variables and broken them into six major pieces (steps to take, variables to look at) to determine your coin's value. We want to help you understand what makes your coins worth money, so the Academy of Coins© Staff have taken on each piece to help you understand. If you prefer to find out your coin's value quickly, use the Academy of Coins© PriceThatCoin. com Coin Grading Service. Learning to authenticate and grade coins is an art and skill that takes many years. For collectors, this is great fun! TPG coin certification may be a wonderful option for those that have both money and time. PriceThatCoin. com is quick, low-cost, and easy. If your coin should be certified, we'll tell you. Use the PriceThatCoin. com Coin Grading Service. #1) Identify Your Coins First, you have to know what you have. Identify your coin using our Basic Visual Coin Guide. Then, check out the following articles designed to give you insider numismatic market tips and a better understanding of the coin market: Third Party Grading Services Is your coin certified by a reputable Third Party Grading Service (TPG) like PCGS or NGC? If not, should it be? If so, you need to understand how that impacts its value and liquidity on the market. Read about TPG Considerations with valuable coins... If your coin is certified... Coin collectors and dealers sell coins of different values using different means. It can be tough to sell your coins when they're inexpensive. Selling valuable coins comes with questions like, "Should I get my coins graded and certified before I sell them? " The Academy of Coins© put together guides to help you decide how to sell your coins based on their values. The Best Way to Sell Coins Valued Over $500 When you have coins valued over $500 or $1000 each, it should be easy to sell your coins - almost too easy! Protect yourself selling your coins worth money with a dose of industry insider know-how... The Best Way to Sell Coins Valued Under $10 Most coins in the world are worth less than $10. Coin pricing is based on supply and demand. In this case, there isn't much demand. These can be very tricky, but it's possible to sell your coins valued under $10. Read on... The Best Way to Sell Coins Valued Under $100 These coins can be particularly tricky. You shouldn't have too much trouble selling your coins, but you have to know where to go. Should you get them graded and certified, or should you sell them as is? Read to find out more about selling coins valued under $100... The Best Way to Sell Coins Valued Over $100 Selling coins valued over $100 should be pretty straightforward - but there are people who take advantage of limited knowledge. Learn how to protect yourself,... How much are your coins worth? Scroll down to see the most popularly collected U.S. coins. If you don't find what you're looking for, scroll down for more, older U.S. coin types. How Much Are My Coins Worth? Basic Visual Coin Pricing Guide- Most Popular Collected Coins How much are my coins worth, you ask? Scroll down to see the most popularly collected U. S. coins. If you don't find what you're looking for, scroll down for more, older U. S. coin types. Or try our basic visual coin pricing guide for other collected coins. The Academy of Coins© has an easy, quick, low-cost coin grading service: PriceThatCoin. com. Small U. S. Cents (1856 - Present)Almost 3/4 inch Vintage U. S. Silver Dollars (1794 - 1935)About 1 1/2 inches Modern Bullion U. S. Coins (1986 - Present)Sizes Vary Large Vintage U. S. Gold Coins ($10 - $20) (1795 - 1933)1 1/8 to 1 1/4 inches U. S. Large Cents (1793 - 1857)Slightly larger than a modern quarter Modern Copper-Nickel U. S. Dollars (1971 - Present)About 1 1/2 inches (1971 - 1978)Slightly larger than a modern quarter (1979 - Present) U. S. Half Dollars (1794 - Present)Around 1 1/4 inches Modern Copper-Nickel U. S. Quarter Dollars (1965 - Present)Slightly less than 1 inch Silver U. S. Quarter Dollars (1796 - Present)Slightly less than 1 inch to 1 1/8 inch U. S. Dimes (1796 - Present)Under to around 3/4 inch Not Here? Other Popular Collected U. S. Coins >> If you don't see the coins you're looking for, check out our visual basic coin pricing guide for the other popular collected U. S. coins. In that guide: $5 Vintage U. S. Gold Coins $1... ## Posts - Categories: Numismatic Industry Insider Information, Coin Information, Coin Types & Their Values, Decent Buys, Numismatic Coins, Numismatic Market News & Information, Vintage Coins - Tags: $10 Gold, 1932, 1932 Gold Indian Eagle, coin, coins, Gold Eagle, Indian Eagle, Saint, Saint-Gaudens, St. Gaudens In this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below PCGS Price Guide. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, we bring you a story of a rare and valuable piece of American history. It's a coin that was minted during the Great Depression, a time when the nation was struggling to get back on its feet. This coin, the 1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle, is not only a testament to the nation's resilience but also a stunning work of art in its own right. A Decent Buy: 1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle At the end of this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you. These coins are available at or below PCGS Price Guide. While we do not buy nor sell coins, and we do not have any relationship with the sellers listed, if we were in the market for a 1932 $10 Indian Eagle these are some of the coins we would look at seriously. The 1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle The 1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle is simultaneously a symbol of America's past, present, and future. It is a coin that was designed by one of the country's most famous sculptors, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Saint-Gaudens was known for his ability to capture the beauty of the human form in his sculptures, and his work on the 1932 $10 Indian Gold Eagle is no exception. The coin features a portrait of Lady Liberty, who is depicted wearing an Native American headdress. The headdress is a symbol of America's native heritage, and it's a reminder of... - Categories: Numismatic Industry Insider Information, Coin Information, Coin Types & Their Values, Decent Buys, Numismatic Coins, Numismatic Market News & Information, Vintage Coins - Tags: 1931-S, 1931-S Lincoln, coin, coins, Lincoln Cent, Lincoln Wheat, Lincoln Wheat Cent, semi-key, semi-key date coin, Wheat Cent In this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below NGC Price Guide. Good day, and welcome to this installment of Decent Buys. Tonight we're going to take a look at an iconic piece of American history: the 1931-S Lincoln Cent. At the end of this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you. These coins are available at or below PCGS Price Guide. While we do not buy nor sell coins, and we do not have any relationship with the sellers listed, if we were in the market for a '31-S these are some of the coins we would look at seriously. The 1931-S Lincoln Cent, Wheat Reverse For many collectors, the 1931-S Lincoln Cent represents a true holy grail of American numismatics. This tiny copper coin, measuring just 19 millimeters in diameter, is a marvel of artistry and craftsmanship, a testament to the skill of America's early 20th Century coin-makers. A Decent Buy: 1931-S Lincoln Wheat Cent - NGC MS 64 RB on eBay But what makes the 1931-S Lincoln Cent so special? Well, for starters, it's quite rare. In fact, it's one of the scarcest coins in the entire Lincoln Cent series, with only a handful known to exist in the highest grades. Even in low grades, the '31-S Wheat Cent is considered a semi-key date by collectors. The 1931-S Lincoln Cent was produced at the San Francisco Mint in 1931, during the depths of the Great Depression. At the time, the country was reeling from economic hardship, and many people were struggling... - Categories: Numismatic Industry Insider Information, 1921 Morgan Silver Dollars, Decent Buys, Morgan Silver Dollars, Numismatic Market News & Information, Silver Coins, Silver Dollars, Vintage Coins - Tags: 1921-D Morgan Dollar, coin, coins, morgan, morgan dollar, Silver Dollar In this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you available at or below PCGS Price Guide. The year was 1921, and the United States Mint was hard at work producing a new batch of Morgan Dollars. With the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the United States had ample silver to mint dollar coins for the first time in 17 years. They got after it with specially made low-relief dies. Among these coins, the 1921-D Morgan Dollar would go on to become a sought-after collector's item, beloved for its distinctive design and limited mintage. At the end of this article, you'll find a list of coins available on eBay that we found for you. These coins are available at or below PCGS Price Guide. While we do not buy nor sell coins, and we do not have any relationship with the sellers listed, if we were in the market for a '21-D these are some of the coins we would look at seriously. The 1921-D Morgan Dollar But what is it that makes the 1921-D Morgan Dollar so special? To answer that question, we have to take a closer look at the history and design of this iconic coin. A Decent Buy: 1921-D Morgan Dollar - PCGS MS66+ on eBay - Find more decent buys below The Morgan Dollar, named after its designer George T. Morgan, was first introduced in 1878. It quickly became a staple of American commerce, used in everyday transactions and hoarded by collectors alike. But by 1904, production of the Morgan Dollar had ceased, replaced by the Peace Dollar until 1921. It was... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information - Tags: armstrong coins, collector coins, numismatic, peace dollar, pedigree The second batch of Armstrong coins hit the auction block, and the results were very similar to the first batch. (Here is a link to our first article which followed the first sale, back in November of 2018. ) 1922 Peace Dollar, NGC certified MS-63, from the Second Sale of the Niel Armstrong Family Collection. This coin appears to be properly graded, unlike most others. Coin Grading The grading ranged from, “pretty good – I'd almost buy that story” to “HOLY CRAP WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GET HIGH BEFORE GRADING THESE COINS? ”. Just like the first time. The Kennedy Half Dollars appeared to be in the range, one Franklin may have been under-graded (genuine shock! ) and most of the rest of the coins were one to two steps over-graded. The highlights have to be the XF Details Peace Dollars being sold as AU50s. Sure, weakly struck on worn dies gets you pretty far, but ... really? And just like the last time, these are not numismatist's coins or numismatist's grades. A Collection of Peace Dollars with Niel Armstrong Coin Pedigree There were a batch of Peace Dollars, nine in all. They were the kind of Peace Dollars you'd get $10 bucks each if you took them in to a coin shop. In other words, none of them nice. Just run of the mill Peace Dollars. I don't mean to disparage the coins, they're fine. But these are not the finest collector's coins, if you know what I... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This week, we took a look at some early silver Roosevelt Dimes at the top of the population. 1947-S Roosevelt Dime, Mint State 68+ Full Bands, Obverse 1947-S Roosevelt Dime, Mint State 68+ Full Bands, Reverse We're not talking about a lot of coins here: 1946-P in Mint State 68 Full Band/Torch: 4 coins PCGS, 3 coins NGC(incidentally, NGC graded one coin 69, but it hasn't come up for auction since 2004, where it sold for $12,650) 1947-S in Mint State 68 Full Band/Torch: 8 coins PCGS, 4 coins NGC(each service has certified one coin at 8+FB/T) 1949-S (semi-key date) in Mint State 67+ FB/T: 10 coins PCGS, 1 coin NGC So that's an interesting cross-section. We didn't look at the '55 - perhaps that will be the subject of a future article. What we're interested in today is, what are these coins doing? Of all the coins we looked at, the record was for that one NG '46-P in '9. There are other Roosevelt Dimes to have sold for more since then, but not of the three we looked at. We're looking at only 33 coins total, and we're trying to get a bead on the market. 1946 Roosevelt Dime Let's take them year by year: 1946. 1946 Roosevelt Dime, Mint State 68 Full Bands, Obverse 1946 Roosevelt Dime, Mint State 68 Full Bands, Reverse The '46 is always going to be a biggie. More coins were made that year than the rest of the 1940s combined. Well, that's... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Following along from last week’s data, boy do I have some interesting information to share. I’m not going to get into specifics. But I sliced and diced the data already compiled, and the results seem pretty danged clear. 1817 O-106a Single-Leaf Under Wing Capped Bust Half Dollar, Obverse Now first of all, take this all with a grain of salt. The data is noisy and definitely spotty. It only includes auction results - it does not include private sales. And, of course, past performance does not guarantee future results and all that jazz. But this is interesting. Looking at this data assembled in terms of general trends the old adage is decisively proven: Common coins stay common, scarce coins get scarcer! The Last Decade's Value Trends By Rarity for Capped Bust Half Dollars Over the past ten years: All R. 1 coins in all grades are the same price now as they were ten years ago, and The higher grade coins are slightly down. The R. 2 coins are down in lower grades and, in higher grades, are selling for the same prices as they were ten years ago or slightly up. The R. 2 Red Book coins are up in all grades but mid-VF (odd. ) The R. 3 Red Book coins are up in lower grades - even details (? ! ), but the same or lower in higher grades. The R. 4 Red Book coins are at the same price points now as they were ten years... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information 1817/3 Capped Bust Half Dollar, Overton-101 (R. 3, Red Book), Obverse. Ex; Newman, Green This week, it was my turn here at AoC to bite off more than I could chew. As an avid variety collector, I find scarce die varieties intriguing. I surely enjoy the idea of having something very few people have, so an R. 5, R. 6 or R. 7 die variety always gets my attention. But, as a dealer and before, from hearing from dealers, I know it’s true: there just aren’t that many people collecting by die variety. Compared to type collectors, the number of Sheldon or Overton Collectors is miniscule. But, it’s still fascinating, and no matter what anybody says, there is a premium for a scarce die variety. But what is really scarce? "Hand Made" U. S. Coins Just like Early Copper, Capped Bust Halves were created using hand-made dies. As such, these coins have incredible character, and there are many unique die marriages (obverse and reverse dies struck together) creating a plethora of varieties. 1817/4 Capped Bust Half Dollar (R. 7, Red Book), Overton-102, ObverseWhat's interesting about this particular example, which recently sold for close to $100,000, is that ICG graded it VG 8 Details for the massive obverse scratch. PCGS later net graded the coin Good 6. PCGS may know better than me on this one, but I disagree that the scratch is only worth 2 points. Not that it matters for an R. 7 variety of a popular series... Some... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This week the job of the AoC Market Report falls to me. And I want to share something I've noticed lately in the modern market. Love them or hate them, the special slabs are actually having an outsized impact on the modern market. Well, that's not news to anybody who collects ASEs in special slabs. But the fact is, the amount of the impact is becoming more and more significant. 1995-W Proof American Silver Eagle, Moy Signature Slab, Obverse A few years ago, with the mints “curved” baseball coins, we got to see what kind of an impact an important autograph can have on a common coin. It's substantial. American Silver Eagle: The Modern Era's Morgan The same is true for the modern era's version of the Morgan Dollar. Sure, ASEs aren't traded in daily commerce, but they are traded back and forth for cash at bullion shops. They're not normally circulated, but they can be used as a sort of monetary instrument, exchanging the value of their metal for paper or other credit currency. And, just like Morgans were, the vast majority of them are uncirculated, sitting in boxes or vaults around the country and world. So who doesn't want a Mint State 70 Morgan Dollar? Simply put, "Perfect" ASEs (or those close enough to look perfect under 5x or 10x magnification) are just attainable enough to have a substantial market. The Signed Slab Phenomenon And the TPGs have taken these one step further, setting aside set numbers of... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information The Eisenhower Dollar series has a lot to offer. In fact, it's second only to Morgan Dollars as perhaps the best set of U. S. dollar coins to collect. Don't believe me? We didn't believe it, either. But read on - you might be surprised. 1976-S Proof Bicentennial Eisnehower Dollar, Obverse Academy of Coins Set Collectibility Ranking - Eisenhower Dollars: #2, U. S. Dollar Types (6. 8/10) About the AoC Coin Collectibility Ranking We have everyone here score coin types on five factors. Then we take the average of those scores and come up with our Set Collectibility Ranking. Those factors are: Type Coin Cost, Set Cost, Design Appeal, Numismatic Appeal, and Historical Appeal. Our scoring is based on years of experience, yet still subjective. 1) Type Coin Cost - the cost of a single coin compared to other series, 2) Set Cost - the cost to complete an entire set, whether it be by year, year and mint, or year, mint and major variety, 3) Design Appeal - each of our personal opinions coupled with our experience with numismatists and their opinions of the design in question, 4) Numismatic Appeal - subjective based on number of varieties, rarity, and other aspects interesting to numismatists, and 5) Historical Appeal - either historic events that took place during the minting of the type, or historical events reflected well in the design. So, a Flowing Hair Dollar is going to score low on type or set cost, but it will score out... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed Bust Quarters. Last week, with a little help I looked at Seateds and Barbers. This week, I wrap up our three-part look at the vintage U. S. Quarter Market with a look at Standing Liberty Quarters (SLQs) and silver Washington Quarters. Standing Liberty Quarters Minted from 1916 to 1930Key Dates: 1916, 1918/7, 1927-SGreat Years for Type Coins: 1917, 1918, 1920, 1923, 1928, 1929, 1930 Hermon MacNeil's beautiful Liberty Ship Standing Liberty Quarter had but a short run. While most coinage types go for at least 25 years, this silver quarter only ran from 1916 (1917, really) to 1930. 1917 Type 1 Standing Liberty Quarter, Obverse That means it's a nice short set to collect, right? Well, yes. But there are some expensive pieces that will keep you from completing it unless you have quite a few buckaroonies. The cost of a 1916 is prohibitive to most collectors in all but the lowest grades. The 1918/7 is right up there, and in the highest grades is much more expensive. And, at least if you want nice coins, all of these babies get expensive fast. 1917 Type 1 Standing Liberty Quarter, Reverse On the low end, they're utterly collectible. You can collect the whole set, all mints for under $4,000. Under $3,000 if you're really careful. But, as you have to spend over $4,000 just to get a decent 1916 in VF (! ), your set isn't going to be high grade coins. Key Date... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Last week, we had a nice look at the state of the early US Quarter numismatic market. We examined the market for key date and type Draped Bust Quarters and Capped Bust Quarter Dollars. This week, we'll look at some beloved U. S. Quarter types: Seated & Barber Quarters. As you know well, the Seated type lasted a long time - most of the 19th century. And of course they circulated much longer than that. Barber Quarters ended the 19th and began the 20th centuries, but had a relatively short (normal = 25 year) run. Seated Liberty Quarters Minted from 1838 to 1891Key Dates: 1870-CC, 1873-CC (1853-O, 1855-O)Great Years for Type Coins: 1876, 1891, 1844, 1856, 1861, 1853, 1854, 1873 1870-CC Liberty Seated Quarter, Obverse Key Date Liberty Seated Quarters There are two key date Seated Quarters if you have a whole lot of money to throw at coins. If you're not willing to sell your new Porsche to get one, there's really just one: the 1870-CC, mintage 8,430. If you have a spare 5 or 6 figures lying around, you could noodle with picking up one of a handful of 1873-CC No Arrows (supposed mintage of 4,000). But that's not most of us, so we'll just ignore that one today. Note that Carson City minted both types of Seated Quarters for the design type running in 1873, both with arrows and without. And the CC is a key date for both types. But the key date for the full... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information The first of three articles addressing the current state of U. S. Quarter Types. Draped Bust Quarters and Capped Bust Quarters This is the first of three articles addressing the current state of U. S. Quarter Types. We'll look at early quarters today: Draped Bust Quarters, made from 1796 to 1807, and Capped Bust Quarters, minted from 1807 to 1838. Draped Bust Quarters Minted from 1796 to 1807Key Dates: 1796, 1804Great Years for Type Coins: 1806, 1807 1796 Capped Bust Quarter, Obverse Key Date Draped Bust Quarters First up, the key date for the set. If you want a Quarter Dollar from when George Washington was President, rather than a Quarter Dollar that commemorates George Washington as President, you'll have to secure one of just some 6000 pieces made. If you're thinking, 'hmmm, that can't be cheap', yes, you're right. Even at the lowest grades, your going to have to spend over four thousand dollars to add one to your collection right now. Back in the late 1950s or early 1960s, a low grade example may have only cost you about $250. A nice uncirculated piece would run you over $1,000. In the late 1960s, low end coins had doubled in price and high end pieces were going for five times as much. By the '70s, discernment for finer coins was going up. Low end coins largely stuck in the $500 to thousand dollar range, but nicer coins were going up in value, with Uncirculated pieces selling over $20,000. In the late 1980s, with certification and authentication more easily available, Poor to About Good pieces regularly sold for over $1,000. Uncirculated... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information We recently saw a bronze 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent (non-collectors call this type of US coin "Wheat Pennies" or "Lincoln Pennies") sell for over $200,000. Aside: And if you're new to numismatics and curious if you might have a $200,000 Lincoln Wheat Penny (we collectors call them Lincoln Cents), the Academy of Coins© put together a page of Lincolns to look out for. What Lincoln Pennies are worth money? Get your start there. (And it's a handy reference for the rest of us experienced numismatists. ) I wrote up an article about what that sale said about the numismatic market. And at the end of the article, I explained I'd put together about the 1944 Steels, too. So here we are. Steel 1944 Lincoln Cent, AU, Obverse. Ah, the dull dark gray of oxidized zinc over steel. Were this coin were dated 1943, it would be one of hundreds of millions worth a few cents at most. But it's not - it's a 1944. And suddenly, we've got something interesting... But before I get into it, I need to make the same disclaimers about off-metal cents from 1943 and 1944. (Again. ) 1943 Steel Cents are common. You can buy them by the uncirculated roll. You can buy them by the pound. From all mints. 1944 Bronze Cents are common. You can buy them by the uncirculated roll. You can buy them by the pound. From all mints. (Though you should look out for the old D/S. ) Bronze 1944... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information We recently saw a bronze 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent – non-collectors call them Wheat Pennies or Lincoln Pennies – sell for over $200,000. The obverse of the recently-sold Bronze 1943 Lincoln Wheat Cent, NGC AU53. But, perhaps you heard, there were mistakes made leading up to the sale. News outlets began promoting the fact that the coin could sell for $1. 7 Million dollars, and everyone got in a tizzy. Turns out that estimate was wrong only because some knucklehead didn't know what they were talking about. All of the numismatic organizations involved had the numbers correct, it was some hack who didn't know anything about coins who spread the false word to all of the news outlets. Not the first time there would be confusion about 1943 Lincoln "Pennies," surely not the last. It's not surprising because the 1943 Bronze Cent and the 1944 Steel Cents are probably the most confused coins in American numismatics. Every time one of these coins comes up for sale, every person and their uncle, and their sister, and sister-in-law and grandfather comes rushing into every coin shop across the country demanding One Million American Dollars for their rare 1943 Steel Cent. And they turn in smirking disbelief at the proprietor of said innocent coin store, for trying to shirk them of their surely-owed One Million American Dollars. Their '43 Steel or 1944 Bronze Cent lottery ticket is but a common penny? Surely, ye jest, knave. Well, yeah, it is. This isn't hard. 1943... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This week, we look at one of my favorite modern coins: the 1996-W Roosevelt Dime. It's a true modern key date as they were only released in 1996 Mint Sets. Aside from special collector Silver, Proof (and Reverse Proof) Roosevelts, it is the lowest mintage Roosevelt Dime - by a significant margin. That year, the West Point Mint only put out about 1. 5 million coins. That sound like a lot of dimes until you consider that Philadelphia and Denver each minted 1. 4 billion Roosevelt Dimes the same year. Each. The next lowest mintage of any Roosevelt Dime produced for circulation is the well-known 1949-S. In 1949, San Francisco produced only 13. 5 millions dimes, the lowest output up to that time. The obverse (heads) side of a 1996-W Roosevelt Dime. This coin, graded Mint State 69 Full Torch by NGC, sold for just over $400 in 2014. Needless to say, a mintage of 1,457,000 coins makes the 1996 West Point Roosevelt Dime a special coin. It's not exactly rare, but there are and forever will be quite a few dime collectors. It's a coin to have. The reverse (tails) side of a 1996-W Roosevelt Dime. This coin, graded Mint State 69 Full Torch by NGC, sold for just over $400 in 2014. For the purpose of this study, we focused in on Mint State 67, 67 Full Torch/Full Band and Mint State 68, and MS68 FT/FB coins. There are just not a lot of 69s out there, so... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This coin has spectacular, radiant toning that is unique and beautiful. For the purpose of this article, we rate it 8/10. The reverse of this coin, like so many, only rates a 1/10 as it is untoned (but still eye appealing and beautiful). A quick aside about the general numismatic market: things are definitely improving. Between crypto and the stock market both getting shaky, it seems like, as of January 2019, the coin market is much healthier than it has been. Whether it continues this way or not is another discussion. Without further ado, back to your regularly scheduled programming: This was a big one. We took some time to try to figure out the value of toning. It took a lot of work. Unfortunately, there was not a satisfying exact correlation between the beauty of toning and the auction price of that coin. But, there were some interesting things that we were able to glean for you. For us, this coin is absolutely beautiful. The toning, eh, not so much. It's not ugly, but it's not super appealing to most of us here. The colors are lovely, but splotchy and uneven. We rate it a 2/10 for this article. Our goal here is to show you how we came to the conclusions we came to. You're welcome to disagree (completely) with our assessment. In fact, if you do, that proves the outcome of the article. But we had to come up with some sort of scientific basis to quantify... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Let's look at Lincolns, shall we? How about Wheats? You like that? I do. Okay. Game on. So this is some interesting stuff. I chose 4 Lincolns to deep dive: 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent, 1909 plain, 1956 Wheat Cent and 1957. I then looked at public auction results for coins certified Mint State 66 Red and finer. I compared these findings to the major price guides: PCGS, NGC, and FMV. Here's what I found. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cents Certified Mint State 66 Red and Finer In general, the popular price guides don't concur with the public auction results. Now look, I'm not saying that these price guides are wrong! I'm just saying the numbers they're reporting are different than what I can see publicly, their numbers are somewhat different than what we're seeing in sales around here. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent in Mint State 67 Red, Obverse. A nice coin if you can get it! These coins have been falling in price in recent years. If you feel they'll go back up in value, now may be your time to buy! But we know all of the guys doing the price guides, and they're very good. It's an immense task to keep these prices updated, especially when we have a bit of a bear market, as we do now. Prices fluctuate quickly, price guides do and should fluctuate slowly. The major difference between my analysis (one guy talking with a few folks) and the major price guides... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Earlier this year, Early American coin collectors were surprised to hear a new theory about Continental Currency: that they were not American-made speculative patterns, but rather satirical pieces made in England. It's still a widely debated topic. What hasn't changed at all is their attraction to collectors of early American coins. "1776" Continental CURENCY "Dollar", Newman 1-C, Mint State 62+, Obverse In October, a couple of PCGS MS62+ pieces came to auction through Stack's Bowers. One was a Newman 1-C, the other was a Newman 2-C. They both brought strong (if not top) dollar. They were both out of the Archangel Collection. "1776" Continental CURENCY "Dollar", Newman 1-C, Mint State 62+, Reverse Let's look at the 1-C. This exact coin sold in 1976 for $12,500. It's got a lot of eye appeal for a 62, as described by the plus grade. A lot of Continental Dollars suffer from issues, some from their striking and some from the nature of their pewter make-up. In the late 1980s, a Norweb piece sold for $13,500. But by the early 2000s, they were trading for about twice that. And in a huge boom, by the end of the 2000s they were trading for easily twice that again. And in 2014, a Mint State 62 piece sold for a high water mark of $94,000. So would McArthy's assertion that these pieces were made in England, rather than as American-made patterns for the nascent United States impact the value of these interesting things to collectors? Well,... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Well, the original title of this article was, "Hot Common Morgan Dollars". But after analyzing the data, that didn't work out so well. You see, there aren't any at the moment - at least, not according to the data I studied. 1881-S Morgan Silver Dollar, Untoned Mint State 67 - Obverse. A spectacular coin like this was trading for an average of over $800 just ten years ago. 1881-S Morgan Silver Dollar, Untoned Mint State 67 - Reverse. These days, if you're lucky you can pick one up for under $400! This market won't last forever. When it will end, nobody knows. But it's a great time to get a spectacularly gorgeous coin. I analyzed 1881-S Morgan Dollars in Mint State 63, 65, and 67 going back to 2008 to see if I could find any hot trends with these common coins. The news isn't great for sellers, but it doesn't seem bad for buyers. Although I didn't look at it, I suspect the finest-known coins, in the 68+ and 69 range, are probably doing just fine. But then Mint State 69 1881-S Morgan Dollars are not exactly common. Since 2008, the common coins have been falling in value. I'm talking common, untoned, non-premium coins. These are not plus coins, nor are they CAC coins. These are not prooflike, nor are they deep mirror prooflike. They're just straight-graded Morgans. Of the nearly 13M minted 1881-S Morgans, about 500,000 are certified by PCGS and NGC combined. Of those, most (around 80%)... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information - Tags: 3-cent nickel, 3cn, three-cent This week, we look at 3-Cent Nickels. 3-Cent Nickels make lovely type coins. Proof strikes often lack the character of their imperfect business strike sisters, what with their Longacre doubling, die cracks, plentiful die clash, and interesting strike issues. Proof Three-Cent Nickels sometimes show more perfectly how the coins were intended. The numismatic market is a bit all over the place today (as my colleagues have noted here in this column in the past). As you know by now if you're a regular AoC reader, the finest coins are accelerating in value and the next-to-finest are sometimes falling, so I won't try to speculate which coins make the best long-term investment. (Though, I do have my ideas. ) Instead, I'll focus on coins that seem to offer a great buy for their beauty. This is a similar approach to what my friend and colleague wrote last week, when supplying you with a Seated Liberty Dime Type Coin Guide. You could use the information I've researched and will share with you today for the same reason - to maximize your buying power whilst selecting a stellar Proof Three-Cent Nickel Type Coin. I've broken my market analysis into two parts: low mintage and high mintage. That way you can decide what is more important to you: ultimate value or a coin with more numismatic interest, and you can compare the categories to each other. The Low Mintage Proof 3CNs I'll start with the low mintage proof coins. 1865 Proof 3-Cent Nickel 1865... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Which Seated Dimes Make the Best Type Coins? Good question! So, you're looking to get a Seated Dime, eh? Great idea! This is a really fun series to collect, and mostly inexpensive in low grades. You can fill a book with them for the price of a decent proof Morgan if you buy your Seated Dimes raw – except for a few truly rare dates. 1837 No Stars Seated Liberty Dime, Obverse 1837 No Stars Seated Liberty Dime, Reverse Disclaimer: if you're collecting to invest, this article is not necessarily for you. This article is about bang for your buck – the finest coins for the least dough. If doing the whole set isn't your style and you just want to get yourself a great looking coin for your type set, I've got you covered. For the purposes of this article, we'll stay away from Proofs. Not that you should. So what's your budget? You can get a raw Seated Dime for under $20 all in – sometimes even certified. When you go over Very Fine grades, into Extremely Fine territory, however, you're going to have to come up with some scratch. Most coins from this long set get into low three figures (hundreds of dollars) in EF. You should be able to do a whole date set raw in VF or under for under $10,000. If you want all the mints though, including those early '70s CCs, you're looking at $50,000. (Which you need to get certified even in... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This was a fascinating study for me! After reading my colleague's most interesting report on the Armstrong Family Collection coins, I was inspired to sit down and tabulate some data. I haven't done this in a while and I've been meaning to do this for a long time... This report will be short, but the work that went into it was long. 1904 $20 Gold Liberty Head Double Eagle, Obverse - a PCGS MS63 Example What impact does bullion market sentiment have on generic gold premiums over spot? My hypothesis, knowing the collectors and dealers that I know, was that the impact would be significant. If gold was on a long bull run, collectors and dealers both might by up generic semi-numismatic gold to try to ride that wave. Also, if gold seemed to be troughing, they'd buy it up before it's bottom reversal. And, if they thought it was near the peak, they'd drop it. My hypothesis proved incorrect! I studied hundreds of 1904 Liberty Head Double Eagle Gold $20 pieces in PCGS MS63 that sold over the past 20 years. I then narrowed that down to about the last three years. I could have picked NGC coins, but I chose PCGS. No bias, it's just what I went with. I did not tabulate "+" coins or CAC coins, nor did I tabulate coins with particularly interesting pedigree or holders. I looked at generics only. For the record, there are about 35,000 63s in PCGS holders now, out of... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Recently, the World, and in particular Americans, had a real treat: the first sale of Neil Armstrong's collected personal effects and mementos. (Update: there has been a second sale, and we wrote an article about these Armstrong Coins, too. ) From the Armstrong Family Collection Sale - 1969-D Kennedy Half Dollar, Obverse. This coin sold in a lot with three other Kennedy Half Dollars for an astonishing figure - approximately 5,700% of NGC price guide value. From the Armstrong Family Collection Sale - 1969-D Kennedy Half Dollar, Reverse. Since Kennedy started the Moon Race and was assassinated in 1963, just a year after Neil Armstrong became an astronaut. Included in this massive look into one of the most famous American Heroes, were some coins. There's nothing saying these were Neil Armstrong's coins. They may have been. He was certainly not a collector, though a couple of the coins were those that were the quality of a collector. But the most exciting parts of the sale were not the collectible coins, but rather the mundane ones. These were coins of accumulation. They may have been set aside, but not because they were particularly nice examples. And again, they may have had little to do with Neil Armstrong. They simply have his family name on them. So what's the the value of Armstrong family pedigree? Substantial. As in, incredible. As in, more valuable than any coin collector pedigree in the known Universe. These coins seriously sold for moon money. One small step... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Top modern coin prices seem to be falling. Every time I look at a price guide, I see more red than green in desirable grade modern coins. There are clearly some scratches on the holder, but who really thinks this is a proof 70? This isn't universal. There are certainly modern coins that are appreciating. But as we consider modern Lincoln Proofs, we don't see a lot of appreciation. Some of the registry level coins that are being discovered as tougher, and some that were considered tough are no longer quite as rare. Subtle shifts in grading may account. For the price differences, you owe it to yourself to be careful. Let's look at a couple of examples. We'll start with the 1979-S Lincoln Memorial. Both Type 1s and Type 2s have fallen in the last couple of years. When 69s are offered on the open auction market, they're selling for less than certification (often well under $20, even. ) Some 70s are still demanding low fours. As recently as September, a Type 1 '79 in 70 sold at Heritage for just $660. It should be said, that coin was definitely not a 70. For the discerning buyer actually grading the coin, this was not the piece for their collection. But, it was a cheap way into the top spot in the Registry. All 70s were not created equal. PCGS only shows 18 coins in 70 and NGC doesn't list any. They may all be in strong Registry Set hands,... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This week, we've picked an interesting one. 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar PCGS MS65 Obverse, Photo by Phil Arnold This 1896 (common date) Morgan Silver Dollar is graded PCGS MS65, Green CAC. The recent PCGS holder has it pedigreed to the Aurora Borealis collection. PCGS Price Guide for an 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar in Mint State 65 is $150. Hundreds of 1896 Morgans have sold this year for $100 to $200. So why did this coin sell for $4,465? Well, the answer is obvious - it's all about the toning. The pedigree doesn't hurt either! But how did the buyer come up with that price? Is it just a magic number that popped into his or her head when they saw the coin? Let's dissect it a bit and see what we can come up with. First of all, is the coin over or undergraded? Nope. It's right on. The reverse is marked up in the breast, otherwise the reverse could seven. By the way, the reverse has no toning. The obverse shows a pretty weak strike, normal for '96-Ps. It even has massive striations, a planchet flaw, not from any kind of friction or bag. These striations didn't play into the grade. The strike did. Ignoring the striations, as the graders did, and looking purely at the bag marks, the coin could '6+ or maybe even 7, except that a couple of the marks are unmissable. But the strike takes off a point, and the striations keep it out of... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Thinking about creating or upgrading your silver Roosevelt Dime set? It's a great time to do it. 1949-S Roosevelt Dime, Mint State 67+ Full Bands, Obverse 1949-S Roosevelt Dime, Mint State 67+ Full Bands, Reverse Here's why: Silver is down. At the moment, silver is under $15 (! ). That's low. It's possible it could get cheaper, but if you're just beginning to assemble your set, you'll be in the teeth of it while you're reaping the benefits. It's always possible silver could continue to go even lower, but without a way to predict the future, I'd say go ahead and get started. Silver will definitely go higher at some point in the not-so-distant future (under 10 years), so if you want to capitalize at that point, you can. And then you can start again when the cycle repeats. Or, possibly, at that point, the high-grade numismatic coins you're interested in will be mostly unaffected by the spot price of silver. Any way you look at it, get coins you love and you won't have to worry about it. The Roosevelt Dime History mostly reflects fondly on the then-progressive leadership of FDR, the President that lead us into and through World War II. Dumping the beautiful, but then staid Merc dime design in favor of such an accomplished (arguably, I'm sure) President was a no-brainer. At a time when there were no term limits, leadership stability helped the nation. A Quick Aside about Modern Roosevelts Copper-nickel Roosevelt Dimes are always... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information This article seemed like a fun, straightforward task - let's have a look at Mint State 64 Key Date Washington Quarters. This is a heavily collected grade, and it seems like it's a great coin that people will enjoy reading about. A rather nice example of key date Washington Quarter '32-D in Mint State 64. A few light dings mar the obverse, but overall eye appeal is good. A rather nice example of key date Washington Quarter '32-D in Mint State 64. This piece is better struck than some, with detail through much of the eagle's breast. As it turns out, they're not so straightforward. They're all over the place. It turns out that not all 4s are created alike (shocker, I know - but! ). And that's how it's been for quite some time. A lot of people seem to play the crack-out game with them. 4s have degraded over time, 4+s are pretty nice looking, and of course the jump to 5 is pretty substantial. And this isn't a new phenomena. '32-Ds have ranged from 2 to 6k in the past 10 - 15 years. Currently, they've slumped a bit, down under 2k. They seem to be hovering between $1,200 and $1,800 at time of writing, though CAC and + coins seem to bottom out at $1,500 and + CACs have recently gotten close to $4k. That's a pretty wide range. It mostly comes down to eye appeal. The better the strike, the better the luster, the fewer... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information It was as if millions of coin collectors gasped in shock and were suddenly silenced. I fear something inexplicably inexplicable has happened. $130,000 for a Common Date Franklin Half Dollar. Why? 1958 Franklin Half Dollar, PCGS MS67+FBL CAC - Sold Recently for $130,000 Well, lots of reasons. Mostly, at least two people decided they had to have the coin for their collections. #1) Color The color on the coin is natural, if not common. When people haven't seen color like this, they find it unbelievable. And this coin redefines the limit of what is believable. This coin is naturally toned. This is not artificial toning, or if it is, it's very, very, VERY good. What further makes it phenomenal is the coin's age - we seldom see such colorful coins so young. The bright neons are not common either. #2) Grade The grade of the coin is too high from the technical standpoint. It is one of three 1958 Philadelphia issue Franklin Half Dollars to achieve the grade of Mint State 67+ (NGC grades one coin MS 67+*, PCGS grades two coins MS67+). The grade is arguable - whatever your opinion of the grading on this piece (this exact coin was more appropriately graded Mint State 66+ not long ago) - it therefore takes a top spot in the Registry Sets of the universe. Another facet that is fascinating about this Franklin: that it was recently regraded, has technical imperfections beneath its current grade, and yet... CAC agreed to it.... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Capped Bust Half Dollars. I let out a loving sigh. Ahem. Registry Sets have had a huge impact on coin collecting. In addition to gamifying the hobby, they’ve pushed collectors to be competitive. The result is an exacerbation of the old adage, “the common coins stay common, the rare coins keep getting rarer. ” Case in point: well, all coins, really. But let’s have a look at Capped Bust Half Dollars for an example. 1817/3 Capped Bust Half Dollar in AU. These coins haven't held their values hard for a few years. But why not? Is now a good time to buy? First of all, if you’re not collecting Capped Bust Half Dollars, you need to be. And not just registry queens, either. If you don’t have an Overton in your Type Set yet, get a raw one – as problem free as you can find. The grade really doesn’t matter. They’re just beautiful coins! And intricate. And hand made. And the John Reich folks are a giggle, as are the Bust Nuts. (I mean, if you can’t figure that out from the name, you’re doing it wrong. ) And there is good news for those of us without budgets to handle the unobtanium: the common coins staying common keep them in reach for the rest of us. Let’s have a quick look at 1817/3s. Great coins, right? Pronounced overdate – you hardly need magnification. From a fascinating period in American history – right after the War of 1812, right... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information With all the hoopla surrounding the palladium eagles this week - and don't take this author wrong, the hoopla may well be appropriate as they're beautiful! . . perhaps it's a good time to look back the Ultra High Relief Double Eagles. Great coins. They're just beautiful. Some prefer the originals, but some like the modern interpretation. They're both right. 2009 Ultra High Relief St. Gaudens Double Eagle Gold Coins Let's look at them in 70. Right when the coins came out, the mint sold them for just under $1200. Back then, gold was $860 an ounce. Remember those days? As soon as the grading companies got them, it looked like 70s were out there. Nonetheless, pretty quickly MS 70s started trading over $2k - in fact they were steady at $2300 for a while. They steadily climbed and for a while, were going for $5 or six-thousand around 2012. Some of this was speculation as they just kept going up and up and PLs started to become harder find. And, as of course you know, not all 70s are created equal. How the mighty have fallen. Here we are in 2018 and you can pick up a nice MS-70 for under $2k, for the first time in a while. Seems like they troughed last year, too. But this time the trough feels like it might last longer. And I say it's a good thing. More of these beauties for me to buy cheap! - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information The old adage goes, "buy the best you can afford. " Yeah, well, not always. 1853 Arrows & Rays, a true favorite of many collectors, have proven a fascinating market study. There's no question the reverse twinkling flashes coming off lustrous rays surrounding the eagle are absolutely captivating and unique in U. S. coinage, even going back to the beginning. Just beautiful. 1853 Arrows & Rays Seated Liberty Quarter, Mint State 63. The only year of the type, but with a healthy mintage and plenty of availability in all grades but 67. So many times we see people try to pass off 1853s as key dates. Which I suppose technically speaking, they are, as it's a single year type. This is the only year of the rays eagle. So it's a type coin you should have. But with a mintage of 15M, this is no key date for the Seated Quarter set. It's not a scarce coin - especially as so many were saved. There are some wonderful varieties of the type, too - making this single year an interesting piece to collect on its own. Looking back to the 1960s, Good 1853 quarters could be bought for under $5. Today, problem-free goods can still be bought around or even under $20. So that's a multiple of 4x in over 50 years. Not fantastic. VFs are the same. XFs and AUs aren't far off. But Uncs are a different story. In the early 1960s, the market was around or under... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information After compiling the data, it seems to all of us here it's time to buy 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cents in Mint State 65 Red. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent, Mint State 65 Red, Obverse Here's the data. Currently, they're selling for around $3100. We took a look at 5 coins that sold this year. The most expensive of the group sold for $3240 and the least expensive sold for $2880. In fact, the steal of the bunch seemed to be a CAC coin that sold for only $3120... That's pretty cheap. They may be taking a hit on the current summer market, but that's down from a peak in the late 2000s of over $5500. If you're a long term player, all signs point to hold your coin or buy now. (This is just speculative opinion - past performance is no guarantee of future results. Also, we never give investment advice. ) They could still be heading down. There's no way to know. So why is it a good time to buy? Well, timing the absolute trough of the market is always tricky and tough. But '09-S VDBs are always in demand, and they'll surely recover. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Wheat Cent, Mint State 65 Red, Reverse In 2015, they sold for around $3700. But they haven't been under 3k since 2000. In '98, they sold for as little as $1500, certified. Going back much further than that, it's tough because grading standards were so different. In 1957, Uncs sold... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information - Tags: 1792 washington, 1854-S $5, 1913 nickel, gold coins, rare coins It's somewhat incredible that a 1913 V Nickel, an 1854-S $5 and the 1792 Gold Washington could sell in the same week. "A Nickel, a $5 and a 1792 Eagle walk into a bar... " Last week, we compared the Proof 66 Eliasberg (single-finest-known) 1913 Liberty Nickel to a couple of other major collectibles that sold around the same time. When you look at the absolute pinnacle of rarities in other fields, the 1913 Nickel didn't really fare all that well. But when you look at the fact that there are a LOT of Liberty Nickels, comparing the 1913 to almost-pinnacle rarities shows that it really did quite well. So on to two other beasts of 2018 numismatics: a "new" 1854-S $5 and the only 1792 gold Washington "Eagle". 1854-S $5 Liberty Half Eagle, 1 of 4 Known - $2. 16M First, the 1854-S $5. Only the 4th known to exist. It sold for just north of $2M, proving that gold collectors gotta have it. Two of the four live in museums, so this was a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a coin that almost nobody else has. And to be frank, it's not even all that nice. Unlike the 1913 Lib Nickel, this coin (as most coins from this period would be, and all XF gold is) is rather beat up. When will it sell again? Gosh, that's hard to say. As for valuation, it seems $2. 16M is all that the market would bear for a less-than-choice coin.... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information The Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Nickel sold last week for $4. 56M. What does that mean to the numismatic marketplace? Well, it's certainly exciting that a mint produced ultra-rarity should come up for auction, and of course, it's the single finest known. Anything that was part of Big Lou's collection is a big deal, but the 1913 Liberty Nickel is particularly exciting. Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Nickel, Obverse It sold for opening bid at Stack's Bowers - $3,800,000. On top of that, Stack's Bowers collected $700,000 for handling the coin. Of course, they spent a small fortune safely storing, transporting, and marketing the auction event. Of course, establishing an agreement with the seller probably took a great deal of work. It was not one day's work - it was the culmination of years of work. Bruce Morelan and Laura Sperber (Legend) bought the coin back. Will Morelan hold on to it, or is this Dell Hansen's simply efficient and predetermined path to purchase the coin without driving up the bidding? Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Nickel, PCGS / CAC This is of particular interest because while the market generally reflects "the common coins stay common, the rare coins keep getting rarer", this coin seemingly did not become more rare. How much does the top of the market define the health of the overall coin market? It certainly plays in to buyer sentiment. This coin sold for over $1M (the first coin to do so) in 1996. In twenty years, were the coin "investment grade",... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information - Tags: 50 cent piece, 90% silver coin, franklin half dollar, franklins, silver half dollar The Proof Franklin Half Dollar is a beautiful collectible coin. Ben Franklin is a fascinating character from early American history, and his enshrinement on the obverse of the 90% silver U. S. Half Dollar from 1948 to 1963 makes it incredibly popular to collectors. Let's have a look at Brilliant Proof Franklin Half Dollars. Don't confuse Brilliant Proofs with Cameo or Deep/Ultra Cameo Proof coins with some satiny "white" appearance on the devices in contrast with the mirrored fields. These coins are beautiful mirrors all the way across the coin. Cameo and Deep or Ultra Cameo Proofs are also extremely popular with coin collectors, but they are much more scarce and therefore much more expensive. Franklin Half Dollar, PCGS Brilliant Proof 67. PCGS Price Guide: $60. NGC Price Guide: $55. Average eBay Sale of Coin Certified Proof 67: $23 Should you Get your Coin Certified? Possibly. If you feel it is a high grade piece, or if it has substantial cameo in its strike and it is very pretty, there's a chance you should have the coin certified. Uncertified, Proof Franklin Halves (especially brilliant proofs, as discussed here) are typically traded for their silver bullion value. On any given day, that's between $3 and $6, depending on the price of silver. This category includes almost all Franklin Half Dollars. However, a Franklin Half Dollar in extremely high gem proof grade is extremely valuable once certified. Values can reach into the hundreds or even tens of thousands of dollars per coin.... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information Proofs remain popular with the serious collectors steaming into the third quarter of 2018. Stack's Bowers sold a top-graded Flowing Hair Stella back in March for a healthy $74k increase (to $384k) over the last time it sold. Things don't seem to be slowing down as Heritage hammered a couple of proof Morgans with strong prices in July, 2018 at their Summer FUN sale. This 1895 Proof Morgan Silver Dollar recently sold at Heritage Auctions' Summer FUN sale for $78,000. An 1895 (proof-only year) Morgan graded Proof 65 Cameo (no green bean) almost hit 80, topping out at $78k. PCGS price guide seems strong at $95k for the coin, of which there are only 16 or so, though they have record of a coin selling for $94k back in 2013, though most others have floated in the low $70k range. As always, NGC price guide is even higher at $100k. Any way you look at it, it's no longer 2013. The sold coin appears to be for sale right now for $80k. Another strong proof showing was a lovely 1921 Chapman die Morgan. It sold for $72k in a white holder. Oddly, PCGS and NGC price guides are reversed for this coin, with PCGS being the higher of the two, likely driven hard by a $100k sale some time ago. Other notable proofs from the FUN sale include an 1828 Bust Quarter selling for $29,000 in PC blue no bean, a colorful Hawaiian Dime, and a blast Franklin. All of... - Categories: Numismatic Market News & Information - Tags: 1776, continental dollar, currency, e.g. fecit, heritage auctions, mint state, NGC, pewter Probably the biggest piece of coin news at the moment is new speculation that the pewter Continental Currency "Dollars" are not what we've thought they were. David McCarthy of Kagin's is stirring the pot again, calling into question the origin of these wonderful pieces. (No matter what side of the argument you land on, these things are indeed fantastic! ) But, this speculation may certainly (and perhaps already has) impact the value of these important pieces of Early Americana. A Continentnal "Dollar" dated 1776 may have been a commemorative token created in Europe. This change of status may have a significant impact on its importance to collectors, who until now wanted to believe it was a trial piece created in and for the young United States of America. For quite some time, numismatists have held hopefully, without supporting data, that these pewter "Dollars" were among the first coins made for and by the nascent United States of America. There was no documentation to support this fact, but we liked the idea, and so we accepted it. Kagin and Goldstein decided instead to look at the cold hard facts and have decided that direct evidence from the period suggests that these coins are commemorative medals or tokens, made in Europe. This takes the status of the Continental "Dollar" from, "perhaps the first dollar coin made in America" to "a commemorative medal made in Europe celebrating the New United States. " To go from being a bucket list item for every silver... > Use PriceThatCoin.com for appraisals of coins without having to spend the money or the time required by the major Third Party Grading services for coins, like PCGS, NGC, and CAC. PriceThatCoin.com is a much less expensive, faster, yet less accurate option as they only appraise based on photographs.