This page addresses
several things. First is the obligatory "About Us" section, detailing
the who, why, what, and where of this website, US Coin Values
Advisor. Thirdly, we provide answers to the most
frequently asked questions
about coin collecting. Things like "how much is my old coin worth",
"what makes a coin valuable", etc. |
Where is the home base of US Coin Values Advisor? |
We are located in the Wichita, KS area. For geography-challenged individuals, this is smack-dab center of the United States. |
What online coin reports are available now? |
Now available are trend reports for Flying Eagle cents, Indian Head cents, Lincoln cents, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, Washington quarters, Seated Liberty Dollars, Morgan silver dollars, Peace dollars, $10 Gold Eagles, Standing Liberty quarters, and Walking Liberty half dollars. Many more coin value trend reports will be posted as time permits. Click the Coin Value Tables link to gain access to the trend report pages. |
Are reports formatted for downloading and printing? |
Yes. They are converted over to PDF format for easy downloading and printing later. You may get printed reports by visiting our US Coin Reports Print Center. At this time, not many of the online reports are converted over to PDF format. Plans are in place to expand the printed report selection. |
How was the coin value trend data researched? |
Very meticulously! The older information in these reports was researched from vintage advertisements, auction results, and a variety of numismatic publications, largely obtained from the vast holdings of the American Numismatic Association library. We obtain current data by monitoring present day coin market conditions. |
How far back in time does the data go? |
The Coin Value Tables track values for collectible United States coins, estimating retail prices from as far back as 1950, up to and including the year 2016. |
What if I have a coin whose % rate of return is not found in the Coin Value Tables? |
The Coin Value Tables contain compounded annual return rates from 1950 to the present (a very long time period), 1980 to the present (a long time period), 1995 to the present (a relatively short, but not too short time period), and 200x to the present. This data is normally sufficient to flush out "blue ribbon" coins deserving your attention. However, if you have a coin whose compounded annual return rate is not adequately represented in the tables, jump over to our Coin Rate of Return Calculator, enter data specific to your situation, hit the "Calculate" button, and get your answer. The best part is that it's all FREE! |
How was this website built? |
This website, US Coin Values Advisor, was built through a system called Site Build It!, known as SBI! for short. The nice thing about SBI! is that you don't need to be a technogeek to create a website capable of attracting thousands of visitors a day. SBI is like a 'paint-by-numbers' Internet success kit. The most important ingredients for success in the SBI! system is a passion for some topic or hobby (in our case, it's US coins) and a desire to share your knowledge with others. SBI can turn your passion into a business and make your business a passion. Click the button below to learn more (don't worry, the button is safe!) SBI! sites come in all shapes and sizes. Take a look!
A much bigger listing of high-flying sites built through SBI! is here. |
How much are my old coins worth? |
In addition to learning how your coins have changed in value over a period of many years, you can also use the Coin Value Tables to identify approximate retail values in today's market. However, we do not have tables ready for every coin group yet, in which case you may use the information in our Current Coin Values section. |
How do I collect coins? |
Since it is virtually impossible to collect everything, most serious numismatists choose to specialize in some way, such as collecting a series of coins (for example, Mercury dimes, 1916-1945), or Type coins, where the goal is to find an example from each coin series over a period of time (say, the Civil War), or of a particular monetary denomination. Try obtaining a specimen of each basic silver dollar type... now there would be an impressive collection! |
How does a beginner get started? |
Visiting this website, as well as other
coin-related educational sites, is an excellent start. Learn something
about coins before you make your first coin purchase. Invest a little
up front in knowledge-building, and you'll save a lot of time, money,
and frustration later on. One book we highly recommend for the novice
is Coin
Collecting for Dummies. This is a great reference for the budding
coin collector, but it flows so well that even veterans of the hobby
will have difficulty putting it down. Another good one is Coin
Collector's Survival Manual |
Where should the new collector start looking for coins? |
A good place to start collecting is to search for coins out of regular circulation. You'll get a taste for what coin collecting is like, with virtually no downside risk by collecting State Quarters, which has become a very popular pastime in the USA these days, with many State quarter collectors bridging over to mainstream coin collecting. Flushed with state pride, US history, and artistic excellence, no small wonder this program has helped to swell the ranks of collectors. One overlooked area for beginning collectors is Jefferson nickels. Surprisingly, with the exception of WWII silver alloy issues, nearly every Jefferson date and mintmark can still be found in circulation. Go to the bank, get some rolls, and have hours of fun looking for that rascally elusive 1939-D! |
Where can I purchase collectible coins? |
If you've been bitten by the "coin bug", sooner or later you'll likely want to move on to collectible coins. Since you don't stand a chance of finding an 1877 Indian Head Cent in your pocket change, for example, you'll have to pay money to someone who has one and is wanting to sell. There are numerous routines for buying coins, discussed in detail at our Coin Buying Advice section. |
What is the best way to handle and store valuable coins? |
Valuable coins should be handled and stored with great care. Adding wear or inducing damage to your collection can reduce its value significantly. Fortunately, a wide range of Coin Supplies is available to meet your specific needs and your budget. |
What is coin grading all about? |
The condition of a coin, that is, the state of preservation defined by the amount of wear on the coin, is what determines its grade. The grade is an important factor in determining value. Go to our Grading Coins page to get an in-depth introduction to grading coins. |
What makes a coin valuable? |
Ultimately, values are based on essentially the
same set of rules as any other commodity. If everyone wants to buy,
prices go up, but if everyone wants to sell, prices drop. Let's take a
look at the supply/demand theory and how it relates to coin values.
What exactly is the supply? Simply stated, the supply can be defined as
the number of coins available for sale at a specific point in time.
Mintage is the first indicator to be studied when guessing the
available supply of a given coin. The mintage figure for a given date
and mint mark tell you that the existing total today can be no large
than that number. Survivorship is the key modifier to the original
mintage quantity. Over time, many millions of coins have been melted,
destroyed, lost, or otherwise eliminated, to reduce the supply. More
concisely, the volume of coins issued in the past is finite, can never
increase, and in all likelihood will shrink even more over time due to
attrition. |
Is it a smart idea to clean my coins? |
If you have a valuable coin, then the answer,
generally speaking, is NO!!!. You will probably do more harm
than good. Abrasive treatments are the absolute worst. Coins that have
obviously been cleaned always suffer in diminished value. If you have a
coin of some worth spoiled by unsightly tarnish or other foreign
substances, contact a numismatic professional with experience in
cleaning coins. Expert coin cleaners have techniques, such as dipping,
to remove unattractive adherents without doing damage to the coin. |
How do I know if a coin has been cleaned? |
If cleaned with an abrasive, the coin will have hairlines,
visible under magnification. Also, some dirt will still remain in the
deepest crevices on the coin. Coins cleaned with abrasives are
relatively easy for the trained eye to catch, and should be discounted
in value severely. |
Are coins good investments? |
Well, they can be, but they should be viewed
first for their artistic and historic qualities, with secondary
consideration given to their investment potential. However, no one buys
coins with the desire or expectation to see them fall in value.
Naturally, most buyers hope their coins will increase in value over
time. For this reason, many numismatists select coins primarily for
their collecting pleasure, while simultaneously building a collection
that will be worth more in the years ahead. One purpose for including
the Percent Return Rate computations in the Coin
Value Tables is to assist individuals with this dual strategy to
reach their goals. |
Can I get my coins appraised? |
Yes, there are places where you can get your
coins appraised. However, if you tap into the resources shared on this
website, you should be able to approximate the value of your coins
yourself. From there, you can decide if its worth the effort to take
your coins somewhere to get them appraised. |
What if I have a question that's not addressed here? |
If we can't provide an answer to one of your questions, jump over to the website of the American Numismatic Association, the largest numismatic organization in the world. They've got many years of experience at fielding coin-related questions and have prepared answers on FAQ page to dozens of the most popular queries put to them from the general public. |
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