{Category Archives} Coin Collector Education
Coin Trading - Susan’s Coins Blog
Oct 9 at 10:10pm
Coin trading is a fun and inexpensive way to collect coins from around the world. In the simplest trade, you would send 10 to 15 coins from your country to someone overseas, who would send 10 to 15 coins from their own country to you. The exchanges happen simultaneously, and are based on trust. To make the exchanges easier among people who speak different languages, it is best to keep communications very brief and to the point. Most experienced coin traders make a list of the coins they have for trade, to make finding coin trading partners easier. Here are some tips to get started.
Read article: Coin Trading - Susan’s Coins Blog
Filed in: Blogs, Coin Collector Education, Susan's Coins Blog
Article Tags: Coin Blog, Susan's Coins Blog.
Dropped letter on state quarter - Numismatic News
Oct 7 at 9:09pm
Tracy Miller of Florida found a 2005-P West Virginia state quarter with a “Dropped Letter” showing as a letter “T” dropped out in the field. This is the result of the “T” of WEST being clogged with debris that was packed in so tight that when it eventually fell out of the die cavity of the “T,” like Jello from a mold, it was struck into the field of the coin leaving behind this very interesting incuse “T.”
Read article: Dropped letter on state quarter - Numismatic News
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, Numismatic News, U.S. Coins
Article Tags: Numismatic News, Quarters, State Quarters.
Hoskins knew how to spot a counterfeit - Numismatic News
Oct 6 at 2:02pm
This month as a tribute to the memory of Charles Hoskins, my former boss and mentor, I’ll share with you what I remember about my first authentication lesson at ANACS in 1972.
Hoskins was the first director of the American Numismatic Association Certification Service. In the beginning, ANACS was a two-person operation on an upper floor of an old office building overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. If you have ever seen an old movie from the 1940s or 1950s with a detective’s office, you’ll understand the setting.
Read article: Hoskins knew how to spot a counterfeit - Numismatic News
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, Counterfeit Coins, Numismatic News
Article Tags: Counterfeit Coins, Numismatic News.
Something for Everybody With Circ Morgans - NumisMaster
Sep 30 at 7:07pm
Anyone can collect Morgan dollars. The fact that some Morgans sell for very high prices in grades of MS-65 and above does not mean Morgan dollars are only for the rich. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a lower grade and lower priced Morgan dollar collection and in fact such collections may be even more fun.
I am not saying that merely because it sounds good. I have had enormous fun over the years with Morgan dollars and have probably never owned a single MS-65. It all started with my grandfather. Every Saturday he would come to the house and bring my brother and me a silver dollar.
Read article: Something for Everybody With Circ Morgans - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster, U.S. Coins
Article Tags: Morgan Silver Dollars, NumisMaster, Silver Coins.
U.S. Mint picks clad coinage to cut production costs - Coin World
Sep 29 at 7:07pm
In 1965, the United States Mint began issuing the first of its clad coinage. A clad coin, in the case of the U.S. issues, is one in which outer layers of one metal or alloy are bonded to an inner core of another metal or alloy.
From 1793 to the mid-1960s, virtually all U.S. coinage compositions were either a pure metal (the copper half cents and cents of 1793 to 1857) or homogenous alloys of two or more metals. Only the 1943 Lincoln zinc-coated steel cent broke the mold…
Read article: U.S. Mint picks clad coinage to cut production costs - Coin World
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, Coin World
Article Tags: Coin World.
Coins Replace Bank Notes in Circulation - NumisMaster
Sep 29 at 7:07pm
At one time when coins were specie (valued at their precious metal content) rather than fiat money (accepted in commerce only due to the public’s trust in the domestic economy and government issuing the coins) coins rather than bank notes dominated the currency landscape.
Following first the demise of gold coins and then silver coins in circulation during the 20th century, all coins increasingly became relegated to the function of small change, while bank notes flourished.
Read article: Coins Replace Bank Notes in Circulation - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster
New Orleans Top Branch Mint Before War - NumisMaster
Sep 24 at 7:07pm
The half dollars produced at New Orleans starting in 1838 were the first half dollars of the United State to be produced outside of the main facility at Philadelphia. As it worked out, the first New Orleans half dollars would also be the start of a fascinating story that would see New Orleans as the only facility other than Philadelphia to produce half dollars for an extended period only to have New Orleans production cut short by the Civil War and then return decades later.
Read article: New Orleans Top Branch Mint Before War - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster
Article Tags: NumisMaster.
Tips on How to Avoid Fraud on Collectible Coins - BellaOnline
Sep 23 at 8:08pm
Many people enjoy shopping online where there are great buys of coins that can be found. A person may prefer do his shopping while he is at home because it is convenient and time-saving instead of going out looking for stores that sell collectible coins and other souvenirs.
A person can differentiate between a live auction and an Internet because an online auction can take several days to complete. They entertain bids for the highest price up until the time the auction is about to close…
Read article: Tips on How to Avoid Fraud on Collectible Coins - BellaOnline
Filed in: Coin Collector Education
Article Tags: BellaOnline.
First Mint marks appear on a variety of U.S. coins - Coin World
Sep 22 at 8:08pm
Here’s a numismatic trivia question. What is the common link with the following coins – the Wartime 5-cent coins, Seated Liberty dime and dollar, Coronet gold eagle and double eagle, Classic Head half eagle, a commemorative coin and a centavo?
Need another clue? Or was that too easy? The correct answer is that a coin among each type listed was the first United States coin to bear the Mint mark of one of the nine U.S. Mints or Branch Mints.
Read article: First Mint marks appear on a variety of U.S. coins - Coin World
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, Coin World
Article Tags: Coin World, Mint Marks.
Selecting a Coin Holder - NumisMaster
Sep 18 at 8:08pm
Last month I started on the topic of coin storage and detailed the danger of housing in PVC-containing holders. This is particularly a problem if you live in a hot, humid climate.
In reading about coin preservation, one of the most interesting (and scary) passages I’ve encountered is in the latest edition of Scott Travers’ The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual. According to Travers:
Read article: Selecting a Coin Holder - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster
Article Tags: Coin Holders, NumisMaster.
Coin Dealer Ethics - Goodwill - Susan’s Coins Blog
Sep 17 at 11:11pm
This edition of “Coin Dealer Ethics” deals with inheritance; not the kind of inheritance where someone dies and you get their fabulous coin collection, but where a coin dealer decides to retire and sell his business to another person. Should the new owner benefit from that dealer’s “goodwill?” Here’s the scenario:
Read article: Coin Dealer Ethics - Goodwill - Susan’s Coins Blog
Filed in: Blogs, Coin Collector Education, Susan's Coins Blog
Article Tags: Coin Blog, Susan's Coins Blog.
Finding Rare and Collectible Coins - BellaOnline
Sep 14 at 10:10pm
Coin collecting was started only as a hobby for most people, however you can hear what other people say (or you probably have heard yourself) about news of people cashing in on their old coin; and that encouraged more people to go on a coin-collecting streak. If you are one of those people who want to invest in coins, here are several places to start your collection.
Read article: Finding Rare and Collectible Coins - BellaOnline
Filed in: Coin Collector Education
Currency offers more than face-value - Sicamous Eagle Valley News
Sep 11 at 10:10pm
Coin collecting isn’t a science unless you happen to be a practising numismatic.
For 53 years Les Copan has been studying coins, tokens and other forms of currency, developing significant collections of his own along the way, as a member of what is now called the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association and an acting Fellow of the Canadian Numismatic Research Society.
Read article: Currency offers more than face-value - Sicamous Eagle Valley News
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, Uncategorized, World Coins
Article Tags: c.
Buyer beware: The dark side of coin collecting - TXCN.com
Sep 10 at 9:09pm
Stocks are down, savings accounts are paying piddling interest and houses are losing value. In times like these, where can you make money? Many Houstonians have turned to an unlikely source: coin collecting.
“You know, I think people are looking for different places to put their money besides the bank,” John Duncan of U.S. Coins & Jewelry said.
Read article: Buyer beware: The dark side of coin collecting - TXCN.com
Filed in: Coin Collector Education
Updating an Axiom, Researching Coins - NumisMaster
Sep 4 at 12:12am
One of the interesting mysteries that abound in the hobby is why otherwise intelligent collectors will cheerfully cough up hundreds (even thousands) of dollars to buy a coin but they won’t spend a cent to research the coin. As an author, I have a vested interest in this situation, and, yes, an ax to grind.
There’s an old hobby axiom that has always been one of my favorites: “Buy the book before you buy the coin.”
Read article: Updating an Axiom, Researching Coins - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster
Article Tags: NumisMaster.
1910 Barber a Sleeper That Needs a Wake-Up - NumisMaster
Sep 2 at 11:11pm
Everyone loves sleepers. The 1910 Barber half dollar is not alone in a group of Barber dates that could be classified as sleepers. However, it has simply been lost in the shuffle.
The reason the 1910 Barber half dollar does not stand out is because the 1913, 1914 and 1915 Barber half dollars all had mintages of less than 200,000. With a mintage of 418,551, the 1910 does not seem all that impressive.
Read article: 1910 Barber a Sleeper That Needs a Wake-Up - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster, U.S. Coins
Article Tags: Barber Quarters, NumisMaster, Quarters.
Historic coin pedigrees lost - Coin Values
Aug 27 at 10:10pm
An increasing number of comments from both collectors and dealers suggest that through grading and re-grading, pedigrees of many important coins are being lost or even intentionally dropped by submitters.
Lost provenances include important and historic pedigrees such as “Garrett,” “Norweb,” “Pittman,” “Eliasberg” and “Clapp.”
Read article: Historic coin pedigrees lost - Coin Values
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, Coin Values
Article Tags: Coin Values.
Single Cent Die Found Its Way to New Orleans - NumisMaster
Aug 27 at 10:10pm
Were any of the large cents struck at one of the branch mints?
There were a number of claims and some confusing evidence that a few 1836 cents might have been struck at New Orleans, but further research shows that what actually happened was that there was a single 1836 cent die left by accident…
Read article: Single Cent Die Found Its Way to New Orleans - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster, U.S. Coins
Article Tags: cents, NumisMaster.
Collecting Barber Quarters - NumisMaster
Aug 27 at 10:10pm
When you think of popular U.S. quarter series, the first one that probably comes to mind is Washington quarters, because of the popularity of the state quarter series. Or, you might think of Standing Liberty quarters, which almost everyone agrees have a wonderful design. You might even think of Seated Liberty quarters, because of the challenge of collecting such a lengthy series.
But Barber quarters may be overlooked in your consideration of popular U.S. quarters.
Read article: Collecting Barber Quarters - NumisMaster
Filed in: Coin Collector Education, NumisMaster, U.S. Coins
Article Tags: Barber Quarters, NumisMaster, Quarters.
Find Error Coins in Pocket Change in 8 Simple Steps - Susan’s Coin Blog
Aug 18 at 10:10pm
To me, one of the most amazing things about coin collecting as a hobby is that you don’t need a lot of special tools or equipment to get started. Sure, these things help, but anybody can begin collecting coins right out of their pocket change! 140 million Americans are collecting State Quarters, and trying to put together a complete set of one of each State Quarter type out of pocket change is tougher than you might think!
Read article: Find Error Coins in Pocket Change in 8 Simple Steps - Susan’s Coin Blog
Filed in: Blogs, Coin Collector Education, Coin Errors, Susan's Coins Blog
Article Tags: Susan's Coin Blog.