Coin Collecting

Serious practitioners of numismatics (the study and collection of coins, paper money and medals) will tell you that you shouldn't clean your coin collection because collectors prefer that "natural...

Protect your coins and you may not have to clean them at all. The question of whether of not to clean a coin collection is one that is hotly debated among collectors.

The coin market is ever-changing. Use this guide to help you, the numismatist, figure out what your coins are worth.

So you want to be a numismatist. Good for you. Grab your magnifying glass, and let's get going.

When it comes to buying coins, buy the best example you can find. And if you get serious about coin collecting, you can call yourself a numismatist--it'll look great on your re'sume'!

Collecting the U.S. State Quarters can be a great way to add to or start a coin collection. The U.S. Mint began producing these quarters in 1999. The quarters honor each state in the United States...

Coin collecting has been around as a hobby since at least the Middle Ages. Once known as the 'hobby of kings'--because only kings had the financial resources available to keep coins as works of...

When you are starting out in coin collecting, the huge number and variety of coins available in the world can be overwhelming. There are so many different kinds of coins to collect, it's hard to...

Grading a coin is the process by which its value is determined and set. The grade of a coin is an important tool to both sellers and collectors of coins. If you are a coin collector or have coins...

Selling rare coins can be a very profitable enterprise. Coin collecting is, after all, one of the most popular hobbies in the United States. There are plenty of serious coin collectors out there...

The Internet has been a boon to the coin collecting industry. Now there are more places than ever before to buy and sell coins. The convenience of using online auctions is appealing. What could be...

If you are relatively new to coin collecting but have still managed to amass a decent number of coins, you may begin to wonder if any of your coins are rare or valuable. It is not always easy to...

Coin shows are great opportunities for buyers, sellers and dealers alike. Buyers get the chance to browse a veritable warehouse of coins for sale while dealers have an audience that is ready to...

If you buy or sell a lot of coins, you will eventually need to do business with a local coin dealer. Coin dealers provide many valuable services to those in the coin collecting community. They buy...

When your coin collection starts to grow, organizing it becomes an important consideration. You've got to have a way to keep track of all of your precious coins. While you would want to organize...

Forgery is common in the world of coin collecting. There are plenty of unscrupulous people out there who are willing to try to make a few dollars by counterfeiting ancient coins. Most of these...

Sixty-six years of age might be a little old for a makeover--unless you are the United States Mint. Their makeover of the nickel came with five versions in a three-year period to recognize the...

Metal detector selection. Choosing the best areas to search. Various shipwreck searching and treasure hunting techniques on sea and land. Library and internet research techniques and other simple...

If you're proud of your coin collection, don't keep it in storage. Show it off with display cases, cherry wood boxes, picture frames, folders and presentation binders. You can use a bookcase or...

Collecting American coins is the primary goal for U.S. numismatists, but many folks also branch out into the wider world of foreign coins. Whether you want to learn about different countries...

You will learn what Presidential Errors to look for and what you shouldn't buy.

Ancient Roman coins are surprisingly easy to buy. The Roman Empire spanned centuries and hundreds of millions of coins were minted. Identifying ancient Roman coins takes practice and good...

Identifying ancient Chinese coins is as challenging as identifying ancient Roman coins. Ancient Chinese coin identification requires a few good references and plenty of patience. The design of...

Cleaning coins is a subject most coin collectors tend to disagree upon. One side says, "Never clean a coin under no circumstances", while the other side says "You shouldn't clean a...

Coin collecting can be a interesting hobby as they are history we can hold in our hands. Coins can also be valuable, so one of the main reasons most people collect coins is to make money. When a...

I spent years trying to find a way to save money. Being in college drained what little money that I had. I figured out a way to save my money by just saving my change in a separate pouch that I...

Some collections or hobbies can be really time consuming or expensive...but not coin collecting! Here are some tips on how to start your own unique collection of coins from around the world.

Pennies are made of copper, which is a bright shiny metal. However, as copper is exposed to air over time, it begins to create copper oxide, giving the copper a dull green appearance. Not to fear,...

Coin collecting is a very popular hobby. There are thousands of coin dealers, at least a half a dozen numismatic TV shows, and several mints producing a wide variety of items. The United States...

You are a novice numismatist. Perhaps you want to introduce one of your children to the world of coins. Maybe you have seen some of the ads on TV from the U.S. Mint. Coin collecting can be...

"A Penny For Your Thoughts" The Lincoln cent is now considered an "orphan" coin, an unwanted old piece of antiquated junk that nobody cares about. Pennies are often thrown away as worthless...

Starting a hobby can be one of the most satisfying activities you can do with your time. And starting an ancient coin collection, can be one of the most lucrative. Not only can your coin...

Most Americans who were alive on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963 can recall exactly what they were doing at the moment they heard the news of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Walter Cronkite's CBS bulletins...

The Commemorative Coin Program Act provided for the design and minting of the 50 State Quarters Series. The first of these coins was issued in 1999 (Delaware) and ends with a Hawaii quarter in...

The grading of U.S. coins can be a very arduous process. Prior to creation of the "Sheldon Scale" there was a "loose" system (often called "adjectival" or "descriptive") for determining the...

A basic "Type" Set of U.S. Coins is a collection of one representative piece for each denomination. If there has been more than one design for each domination, these are included too. The first...

Civil war and pre-civil war coins are highly collectible in the world of the numismatist. These coins were minted in Dahlonega and Charlotte beginning in 1838 and were produced for circulation in...

It's a good thing you searched for "how to clean silver coins" before you got started. If you have valuable silver coins, you actually shouldn't clean them at all. While silver coins can...

The Peace type silver dollar was issued from 1921 to 1935. It was intended to be a commemorative coin and a limited issue. Peace dollars were minted under the terms of the Pittman Act which...

Buying and selling gold coins is a profitable business in almost every market worldwide. The price of gold continues to climb with every passing valuation and is always a smart investment vehicle....

Many coins are dirty and hard to read when they are found. It's sometimes necessary to clean your copper coins to reveal their natural luster. If done right, this cleaning can make them look like...

The Franklin half dollar was minted from 1948 to 1963. The relatively short duration of this coin was not by plan. Most new series had a minimum run of 25 years. The unexpected and tragic death of...

The death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April of 1945 created a strong sentiment to issue a commemorative coin. After this idea was rejected, a regular issue coin was considered. Lincoln pennies...

Coin collections can be very valuable and subject to theft. To protect your investment, get the right kind of insurance policy. Old and rare coins have different parameters than newly minted or...

Clean up that dull looking penny! Here's a quick easy quide to making your copper shine!

One of the most artistic coin designs ever used by The United States Mint was the Buffalo (or "Indian Head") nickel which went into production in 1913. The coin, designed by James Earle Fraser,...

When the Buffalo nickel (minted in 1913 and one of the most beloved coins of all time) was nearing the end of its run in 1937, there was a growing sentiment to issue a coin to honor Thomas...

During World War II, the materials used to make pennies--copper and nickel--were in short supply because of the war effort. In order to deal with the shortage, pennies minted in 1943 were made of...

This is the first of two articles on collecting U.S. one dollar coins. Included here are Susan B. Anthony (SBA) dollars and the Sacagawea (SCG) dollars. Both were issued with the intention of...

Antique coins are precious in terms of both monetary value and personal pride in owning a rare and unique artifact. Shopping for antique coins however is a complex process that requires knowledge...