Coins

Image courtesy of Teletrade Coin Auctions, www.teletrade.com

Teletrade Coin Auctions of Irvine, California has launched a newly redesigned and more user friendly website. I have been using Teletrade for years and when I saw the new webpage I was presently surprised. Unlike the U.S. Mint's website redesign of a couple of years ago that just added some new pictures on top of a dysfunctional website, Teletrade's overhaul added improved functionality too. I particularly like the new search feature which is more intuitive and allows you to search current and previous auctions simultaneously. You can also refine your search criteria on the fly by simply clicking on the refine button on the bottom of the search results page. The most significant improvement was to the high quality photos of the coins. You can now select a detail photo with just a mouse click and zoom in to extreme detail by using the wheel on your mouse. Additional improvements to the "Track and Bid" feature make it even easier to compare and track coins.

Grading Morgan Dollars is easier than you think. I have attended week long classes taught by professional coin graders, read just about every book on coin grading and spent countless hours at the coin shop honing my grading skills. All of this knowledge is condensed into one article that you can use to sharpen your Morgan Dollar coin grading skills.
This article covers grades ranging from About Good (AG-3) to the ultra-rare Mint State 67 (MS-67). The Morgan Dollar Grading Guide is the third in a series of U.S. coin grading guides that I have developed. The descriptions and pictures will teach you how to grade this popular series of U.S. coins.

Quick Links:

• Grading Morgan Dollars Made Easy

Image Courtesy of: Heritage Auction Galleries, Ha.com

With the price of gold and silver going up and down daily, these price changes can have a ripple effect on coins that are not made out of gold and silver. I am continuing to update all the value listings on this website to reflect current market conditions. Two of the most popular coin series that coin collectors assemble are the Indain Head pennies and Lincoln Wheat pennies. Additionally, I have expanded the listings to include the values for an "average" circulated and uncirculated specimens for each date and mint mark. Also, values for popular die varieties are now included.

Updated Coin Value Charts:

• Indian Head Penny Values
• Lincoln Wheat Penny Values
• Buffalo (or Indian Head) Nickel Values
• Morgan Dollar Values

2012 Proof Silver Penny Image (c) 2012 James Bucki

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• 2012 Fine Silver Canadian Proof Set - 200th anniversary of the War of 1812

The United States Mint has announced the pricing for the 2012 commemorative coins. The two themes for this year commemorate the Star-Spangled Banner and the Infantry Soldier. The 2012 Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coins will consist of a five dollar gold coin and a silver dollar while the 2012 Infantry Soldier is honored on a silver dollar. The chart below lists the options available to collectors. The gold coins will be priced according to the mint's gold pricing chart based upon the spot price of gold at the time of issue. The mint did not list the product's release date.

Image courtesy of: The United States Mint

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."

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.

Quick Links:

• How to Grade Buffalo Nickels

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.

Quick Links:

• Lincoln Wheat Penny Values
• Buffalo (or Indian Head) Nickel Values
• Morgan Dollar Values

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.

Quick Links:

• How to Grade Lincoln Wheat Cents
• Lincoln Wheat Penny Values
• What is Coin Grading?

The American Numismatic Association (ANA) has released its catalog of courses that will be available this summer at its annual Summer Seminar series in Colorado Springs in Colorado. These week long seminars are offered for two weeks beginning at the end of June. I attend in the summer of 2010 and it is an experience that I will never forget. I honed my grading skills by learning to grade from professional graders from PCGS and NGC. I ate meals with Cliff Mishler (ANA president), Kenneth Bressett (editor of the Red Book), Bill Fivaz (author of the Cherrypicker's Guide) and many others. If you're a beginner and looking to dive deeper into coin collecting or an advanced collector looking to specialize on a topic, you will find something that will interest you. Check out the catalog and see what interests you.

Quick Links:

• ANA Summer Seminar Catalog

Image courtesy of: American Numismatic Association