Monday January 23, 2012
Last week eBay published a press release announcing that all coin replicas and copies will no longer be able to be sold on eBay after February 20, 2012. eBay is currently working with The PNG (Professional Numismatists Guild), a nonprofit organization comprised of the country's top rare coin dealers, to further refine its standards to ensure that all coin collectors have confidence in their eBay experience. According to the press release:
Effective Feb. 20, the current eBay Coins policy will be updated to remove replica coin listings and relistings from eBay.com. eBay defines replica coins as a copy or reproduction of an actual coin, including U.S., foreign and other historic coins. This update better reflects standards across the coin industry, and helps ensure compliance with applicable laws that require replica coins to be permanently marked with the word, "copy."
Thursday January 19, 2012
Grading Buffalo nickels (a.k.a. Indian Head nickels) is not as difficult as you may think. Yes, it takes a lot of practice. But with persistence over time, you can acquire the knowledge and skill that some of the most experienced dealers and coin collectors possess. This article covers grades ranging from About Good (AG-3) to the ultra-rare Mint State 67 (MS-67). The Buffalo Nickel is the second series of U.S. coins that I have developed a series of descriptions and pictures to teach you how to grade this popular series of U.S. coins.
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Monday January 16, 2012
With the price of gold and silver going up and down daily, these price changes can have a ripple effect even on coins that are not made out of gold or silver. Therefore, I have started to update all the value listings on the coins.about.com website to reflect current market conditions. Two of the most popular coin series that coin collectors assemble are the Lincoln wheat pennies and the Buffalo nickels. Additionally, I have expanded the listings to include the values for an "average" circulated and uncirculated example for each date and mint mark. I will continue to analyze the coin market and post updates for additional coin series.
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Friday January 13, 2012
One of the factors that determine the value of your coins is the grade or condition of the coin. Lincoln wheat pennies are fairly easy to grade but remember that a coin's grade is only an opinion and not a scientific measurement. However, numismatists, coin dealers and coin collectors have agreed upon certain characteristics that define each grade.
I have simplified the grading process by using a series of pictures and descriptions that will teach you how to assign a grade to your Lincoln wheat cents for the most common grades. You can click on each of the photos and a new window will open with a larger and more detailed photo for you to study. Enjoy this interactive guide and become a better educated coin collector starting today.
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