Coins Worth Collecting

Let’s be honest. If a collector seeks to acquire coins destined to rise substantially in value over time, there are really just a few rare coins worth collecting. It’s easy to find online coin auctions where tons of collector coins are for sale at any moment, but only a tiny handful of them are likely to reward their owners with strong price advancements in the years ahead.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with assembling a collection while ignoring potential financial returns; in fact, it can be argued this approach embodies the pure essence of the coin hobby. However, numismatic ambitions can be fulfilled while simultaneously buying coins of solid investment potential. The question is, then, how does a buyer sort through thousands of offerings to isolate the coins worth collecting for the purpose of reselling someday at a higher price?

Case in Point: eBay US coin auctions. For sure, rare coin values of exceptional growth potential lurk throughout the massive eBay coin auction universe, but developing an effective strategy to search for blue chippers requires some understanding of long term value trends for individual collectible coins. Succinctly stated:

The underlying cause for their popularity is genuine scarcity, relative to other coins in a given series (e.g. 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent). “Key Dates” is numismatic jargon for these favored coins, and because of the Supply/Demand law, are characterized by the steepest price inclines, when charted against their more common counterparts.

Dark red line illustrates value increase pattern of the Key Date 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent in Good condition, over a period of 50+ years.  The blue line represents value increase of the common date 1920 cent in Good condition over same period of time.  The graph does not depict dollar values of the two coins; it is intended to show the dramatic effect of differing growth rates over time.  Because the 1909-S VDB has a proven track record of performance, buyers of this coin can expect it to easily outpace its common date contemporaries.

US Coin Values Advisor has another name for them: “Bullish US Coins”. We have an entire section devoted to the study of Bullish US Coins, where Key Dates for numerous coin series are identified and reviewed in depth, accompanied by brief forays into American history. Long term value trends demonstrating their consistent appeal were mined from the data of Coin Value Tables compiled by our company.

We believe that if collectors strive to purchase properly graded Bullish US coins, they will attain two lofty objectives: (1) proudly own a numismatic legacy of high regard, and (2) realize much higher prices down the road, should the decision someday be made to sell.

As we research new Coin Value Tables, it is our intention to spotlight additional Bullish US Coins. Much effort goes into the Tables, and at present, only a limited number of them have been developed.

Study Both Coins and History

On many occasions throughout the US Coin Values Advisor website, numismatics is paralleled with story of America. The study of coins is a lot more than just dates and mintmarks; an appreciation of the historical underpinnings of the nation that issued them brings a much broader picture into perspective. Nearly every page in the "Coins Worth Collecting" section explores some historical connection. In that light, we have a section devoted to the joint nature of coins and US history. The image above is typical of the lessons you'll find on US Coin Values Advisor. It is an advertisement meant for gold seekers wanting to get to California from the US east coat by way of boat. Following the discovery of gold, many thousands of "49ers" headed west, soon leading to California statehood and a branch mint for San Francisco.

Public domain image.

Consequently, only a few coins have been named to the Bullish US Coin honor roll. Based on the traffic patterns to our website, we know there are a lot of coin buyers seeking tips on coins poised to climb in price. Unfortunately, we’re turning out Tables at a tortoise pace, making it difficult to deliver Bullish US Coin information in a timely manner.

We have endeavored to speed up the process. Here's how: As do most veteran numismatists, we know what the Key Dates are, prior to compiling any Coin Value Tables. (The trend data we gather generally confirms their bullish nature, and furthermore, ranks the magnitude of their bullishness). The "US Coin Types" link at the upper right hand corner of this page opens the door to individual pages reviewing all regular issue coins issued by the United Stated Mint, ranging from Half Cents to gold Double Eagles. Every review contains a Key Date analysis, plus links to buy these Key Date coins on eBay. These are definitely the coins worth collecting. Also, every coin featured comes with some high level value trend data, so you’ll have a little extra insight as you search eBay coin auction listings.

When you acquire Key Date rare coins, you have every reason to expect them to rise in value, higher and higher the longer you keep them. The biggest risk when you buy coins on eBay, or anywhere else, is with the honesty of the people selling them. We have a full section on coin buying advice to help you avoid frequent pitfalls.

When it comes to buying rare, valuable coins, a good rule to follow is to buy only coins that have been certified by a reputable grading service. Sadly, there are some unscrupulous operators who cheat innocent buyers by overstating the grade of coins they sell. This happens all too often on eBay US coin auctions. To help pull off this fraud, they align themselves with some official sounding grading service that purposely inflates grades. For example, a victim may end up paying an MS-65 price for an MS-60 coin. Two of the oldest and most reputable coin grading companies are PCGS and NGC. There is also ANACS and ICG, both of which are highly regarded. There probably are other good grading services, but these are clearly four of the best.