I've been collecting coins since 1992, which is enough time to have learned more than a few things about the hobby I love. I was still a kid when I first ventured into coin collecting, which means I was at that prime age for touching the hot stove… a
Type set coin collecting has been a favorite pursuit of many United States hobbyists for years, and one of the most popular type sets that collectors build is the 20th-century coin set. For those who don't know, a 20th-century type coin set consists of one coin bearing each design produced by the United States Mint during the 20th century. The spec...
Perhaps you're a coin collector from the days of the 1950s or 1960s, when you could still buy Morgan silver dollars and Peace silver dollars from the bank for face value. Or, maybe you recall the 1970s and early 1980s, when Eisenhower dollars and Susan B. Anthony dollars were circulating widely and could be readily obtained from banks and other pla...
Take a look at your pocket change. How many pennies do you see? Of those, how many sport the classic Lincoln Memorial reverse design that was struck from 1959 through 2008? The Lincoln Memorial penny was struck by the billions upon billions. But there are fewer of them popping up in general pocket change today than before 2010, when the current Uni...
The Roosevelt dime has been largely overlooked by coin collectors for generations. While the dime widely circulates and is still an essential part of daily commerce, it seems Roosevelt dimes don't receive the attention other coins, such as the Lincoln cent or Washington quarter, get from the hobby community at large. There are many reasons why the ...
In 2015 alone, gold coins with a collective worth over 50 billion USD were sold. This number is rapidly rising. If you are a professional investor or a private citizen saving for retirement, gold coins can protect your portfolio from losses incurred due to economic downturns. While that is a tempting reason to buy gold coins, it's important to be c...
Coin collectors and investors who want 2017 U.S. gold coins are in luck, as there are several great options to choose from. As always, there are the $5, $10, $25, and $50 Gold American Eagle coins, and buyers also have an array of 2017 gold commemorative coins to choose from. Here's a brief rundown on the 2017 gold coins that will be hitting collec...
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...
