Coin collectors throughout the United States and around the world love American silver coins. There are many reasons such diverse individuals enjoy collecting United States silver coins. From the beauty of the designs to the universal familiarity of classic U.S. silver type coins, there is plenty to love about United States silver coins. Coin coll...
Even nearly 20 years after the first 50 States Quarter was released in 1999, coin collectors still enjoy what became one of the most popular commemorative coin series of all time. The obverse of each 50 States Quarter features a portrait of George Washington, while the reverse design incorporates themes relevant to the given state honored on that q...
Just about every coin collector at one time or another has an interest in collecting world coins. While defining what a "world coin" is depends on one's regional perspective, it's safe for just about every purpose to describe world coins as those that originate from a nation other than that in which the collector was born or lives. For a coin colle...
The year 2017 promises to bring many great things for coin collectors who enjoy modern coins. It's actually a big year for the United States numismatic scene, as April 2 marks the 225th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Mint. Thankfully, coin collectors get to enjoy many lustrous gifts during this monumental numismatic birthday ...
United States coins haven't always featured the famous motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Its first appearance on a U.S. coin came in 1864, when IN GOD WE TRUST debuted on the 2-cent piece following public appeal for our nation's money to recognize the Deity. One such plea came in the form of a letter Reverend M.R. Watkinson sent to Treasury Secretary Salmon P...
The $20 Saint-Gaudens double eagle is one of the most beloved of all United States coins. First minted in 1907, these beautiful gold coins were made by the United States Mint for more than a quarter century, until President Franklin Delano Roosevelt abolished the Gold Standard during the Great Depression in 1933. Millions of U.S. gold coins were ma...
I've been a coin collector since 1992, and over the years I've seen many rare coins go up in value. Others, meanwhile, have dropped in price. What's going on? Why don't all rare coins go up in value? Why do other coins continue increasing in price? Should you gamble with investing in coins? Before I answer any of these theoretical questions, rememb...
When Whitney Houston crooned the lyrics, "I believe the children are our future," in her 1985 hit "The Greatest Love of All," she could've been singing about the hobby of coin collecting. I began collecting coins at the age of 11 years old in 1992, and it seems the hobby is no demographically younger today than it was in the 1990s. What happened? W...
The holidays are a great time to be a numismatist, because you stand the chance of receiving some really great coin collecting gifts from those who know you're a collector. But what do coin collectors want for Christmas or any other gifting holiday in the year? Each coin collector has his or her own gift wishlist. Here's mine to help inspire those ...
I've enjoyed collecting United States Mint uncirculated coin sets since the 1990s. Uncirculated sets, often referred to as mint sets, are collectible sets of coins packaged by officials at the United States Mint. What comes in a mint set, and why are they so enjoyable to collect? A mint set is a set of coins from a given year that generally contain...
Many hobbyists enjoy collecting classic Morgan and Peace silver dollars from the United States or Canadian silver dollars from the mid 20th century bearing the likenesses of King George V, King George VI, or Queen Elizabeth II. But it seems far fewer coin collectors consider the world crown-sized silver beauties from Mexico. The coins of Mexico sho...
I, like many other coin collectors, enjoy world crowns. They're beautiful coins with high silver content and relatively affordable prices. By no means are crowns an economically efficient vehicle for buying bullion – silver bars and traditional bullion coins are, gram for gram, cheaper for silver stackers by far. Still, world silver crowns are amon...
The Presidential $1 coin series that began in 2007 with the George Washington dollar is wrapping up in late 2016, and the last coin is winning one for the Gipper – Ronald Reagan, that is. The Ronald Reagan dollar coin has become one of the most popular issues in the series that honors our nation's former deceased presidents. Meanwhile, the concurr...
Many readers ask me about what their 1776-1976 Bicentennial quarters are worth. I think a lot of people find 1976 quarters interesting because they look so different than many of the other quarters in their pocket change. I started collecting coins long before the 50 States Quarters were first released in 1999, and I remember when 1776-1976 Bicente...
The November 17 release date draws nearer for the 2016 Walking Liberty half dollar commemorative gold coin – the final installment of the three-coin Liberty Centennial gold coin program that began earlier this year. Many coin collectors couldn't be any more excited about this United States Mint commemorative coin program. The Walking Liberty half d...
The 2016 Standing Liberty Quarter gold commemorative coin was released by the United States Mint at 12 Noon on September 8, 2016, receiving an impressive response from coin collectors. Even with an ordering limit of just one coin per household, the 2016 Standing Liberty gold coin had already flown out of the Mint at a rapid pace. More than hal...
Bullion coins were originally designed for metals investors who want to store gold and silver in an easily manageable and accessible form. Yet, over the last few decades, gold and silver bullion coins have become a popular area for diehard numismatists. Whether United States silver and gold bullion or world bullion, coin collectors are increasingly...
You don't really hear much about Susan B. Anthony dollars in coin collecting circles. The collectors who were around in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Susan B. Anthony dollars were originally struck, largely remember them as a failed attempt to introduce a dollar coin into widespread circulation. Those who are younger or simply didn't pay att...
When coin collectors are strapped for cash, they often turn to building short sets that circumvent the need for buying rare dates and other expensive coins. A short set is a collection of coins that represents a small slice of the issues contained within an entire series. For example, a short set of Standing Liberty quarters, which were struck from...
Coin collecting doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, there are ways for coin collectors to assemble entire sets of coins without spending more than a few hundred dollars to complete their sets. Several United States coin series lack expensive key date coins – the types of coins that can leave the cash-strapped collector staring at hopelessly empt...