The Fun Times Guide to Coins

Congressman Pushes For Ronald Reagan $50 Bill -- A Reagan Coin Is Still In The Future

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:21:05 -0600

While there likely won't be any Ronald Reagan coin until 2016, when the Presidential $1 Coin series is slated to honor the Gipper, there are calls in Congress for Reagan to appear on the $50 bill.

North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry has proposed the United States replace Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 bill with the image of Ronald Reagan, who was president from 1981 to 1989.

While it may be like moving mountains to replace the long-standing $50 bill portrait of Grant, it won't be an impossible task -- many have been calling for Reagan to appear on our money ever since he died in 2004.

However, Grant has his supporters, too. Grant was a great war general who helped the Union win the Civil War in 1865; he became president in 1869 and was in the White House until 1877.

Will we be seeing Reagan's face on the $50 bill anytime soon? Who knows, but be sure to stay tuned to what happens with the President Ronald Reagan $50 Bill Act.

Still Smokin': Coin Collectors Love The 2009 Territorial Quarters & 50 State Quarters

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:31:46 -0600

Though the U.S. Mint has already released the America the Beautiful Quarters, the 2009 Territorial Quarters and 50 State Quarters still attract the interest of seasoned and new coin collectors alike.

The 2009 Territorial Quarters may be giving some coin collectors trouble if they're trying to find these coins in pocket change, though.

Why? Because so many people want these coins and they're being pulled out of circulation very quickly.

Finding the 50 State Quarters is somewhat easier because so many billions were made over the 10-year course of the program.

While trying to complete a collection of 50 State Quarters and 2009 Territorial Quarters can have its occasional challenge when seeking them from pocket change, it's still quite possible to do with a little luck, a bit of searching, and a lot of determination!

Silver Dollar Values: How Much Are Your Silver Dollars Worth?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:23:41 -0600

Do you have Morgan silver dollars and Peace silver dollars but aren't sure how much they're worth?

These aren't all the values for Morgan silver dollars and Peace silver dollars, but this will give you a good start in finding out how much money yours are worth:

Morgan Dollars

Most Morgan silver dollars are worth $15 to $30 in typical circulated grades.
The majority of common-date, uncirculated Morgan silver dollars are worth somewhere in the $30 to $50 range.
The most-valuable Morgan silver dollar is the 1893-S, worth around $3,000 and up.
A complete date-and-mintmark collection of Morgan silver dollars is valued at around $10,000 to $20,000 in typical circulated grades.

Peace Dollars

Most Peace silver dollars, including the common dates, are worth $15 to $25 in typical circulated grades.
Uncirculated Peace silver dollars are worth approximately $23 and up.
The most-valuable Peace silver dollar is the 1928, worth around $350 and up in typical circulated grades.

Graphic Photos Of Damaged Coins: These Are The Kinds Of Coins To Avoid Collecting!

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:16:58 -0600

Many people who ask about coin values often get the response ‘if the coin isn’t damaged, then a coin is worth…’

You’re probably asking yourself what damaged coins look like, though.

Does wear, by itself, cause damaged coins? In a word, no.

When coin collectors talk about damaged coins, they're referring to coins that have been cleaned, have holes, are bent, are corroded, and simply have been messed up in one way or another.

Let’s talk a bit about damaged coins, look at a picture of a problem-free coin, and take some glimpses of some damaged coins. These aren't all the different types of damage found on coins, but they're among the most common.

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10 Penny Fast Facts That'll Wow Your Friends & Family (And You, Too!)

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:39:33 -0600

Pennies have been with us for centuries. There are few coins as popular or as important throughout history as the penny.

Let's take a look at 10 amazing facts about pennies that you can astonish your friends and family with!

10: The first Lincoln penny was made in 1909.

9. The U.S. Mint strikes a whopping 30 million pennies on an average day.

8. Victor D. Brenner designed the Lincoln cent in 1909.

7. Frank Gasparro designed the Lincoln Memorial reverse seen on the Lincoln cent since 1959.

6. The Indian Head penny was made from 1859 to 1909.

5. The United States penny used to be a coin nearly the size of a modern-day half dollar.

4. The current U.S. penny weighs 2.5 grams.

3. In 1943, the U.S. Mint made zinc-coated steel pennies to conserve copper for the war effort.

2. Pennies are presently made from a metal combination of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper.

1. The U.S. Mint has been making pennies since 1793.

The Lincoln Log Cabin Penny Is Still Popular With Coin Collectors

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:33:53 -0600

The Lincoln Log Cabin penny was put into circulation during the late winter of 2009 and represents the first of 4 special 2009 Lincoln cent designs honoring the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.

The Lincoln Log Cabin penny is sought after by coin collectors and is especially treasured in uncirculated grades and proof condition.

The U.S. Mint struck the 2009 Lincoln Log Cabin penny (and the other 3 cent designs that year) in 2 different metal compositions:

The usual copper-coated zinc Lincoln cents were made for circulation in 2009.
2009 Lincoln cents made for mint sets and proof sets were made from a 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc composition -- the same metal combination originally used for Lincoln cents when they were first struck in 1909.

Good To Know: Buying Franklin Mint Coins

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:02:44 -0600

You've probably seen the ads on TV, the internet, and in magazines for Franklin Mint coins. The Franklin Mint is highly respected and sells a variety of collectibles, including:

Painted coins
Coin sets and coin collections
Coin jewelry
Graded and slabbed United States coins
Old, authentic legal tender coins and banknotes
Gift sets

While many Franklin Mint coins and products are beautiful offerings that can be pretty hard for some to resist buying, here are a few things you should consider before buying Franklin Mint coins and novelty coins in general:

The Franklin Mint does not strike official, legal tender coins.
While the Franklin Mint does sell many, many authentic, unaltered, legal tender coins, it also sells many novelty coins.
Novelty coins include those which are not legal tender, have been painted, or may have otherwise been altered.
Don't buy novelty coins with the expectation of them being significant investments.
Coin inset into jewelry or otherwise altered lose most if not all their value as numismatic collectibles and investments.

The 10 Coin Collecting Merit Badge Requirements

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:48:22 -0600

Boy Scouts have been earning coin collecting merit badges for decades.

The Merit Badge requirements for coin collecting ensure that any Boy Scout vying for a coin collecting merit badge completes certain objectives and goals which teach young scouts

The value of money
The history of coinage
The many important basics of coin collecting and numismatics

The coin collecting merit badge requirements are not particularly difficult to meet, but they do require careful consideration so that each of the goals is successfully achieved.

Perhaps the most important thing the Boy Scout hoping to earn his coin collecting merit badge should remember is that, upon completing the coin collecting merit badge requirements, he will probably know more about basic numismatics than most others just starting out the hobby of coin collecting!

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Find U.S. Gold Coins That Fit Your Budget

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:56:28 -0600

Gold coins have been the lure of many coin collectors and coin investors for decades and decades.

U.S. gold coins, which currently range in value from a little more than $100 each to over $10,000, represent many great opportunities for coin collectors. You just have to know a little more about U.S. gold coins before diving into this exciting area of coin collecting.

U.S. gold coins come in many forms, including:

American Gold Eagles
Rare U.S. Gold Coins
Commemorative Gold Coins
Common, Pre-1934 Gold Coins

There are U.S. gold coins to suit practically any budget.

Perhaps the best gold coins for a coin collector or coin investor on a strict budget are American gold eagles and common pre-1934 U.S. gold coins. These can be had for as little as $100 to $200 each in some cases.

Rare U.S. gold coins cost several thousand dollars but, being rare, bring the owner some potential profit when selling (note the word potential; there are no guarantees in coin investing!)

Commemorative gold coins can be had for under $200 right now; commemorative gold coins are legal tender but not intended for circulation. These coins honor special people, places, and events.

Wooden Nickels 101: All About Wooden Nickels And Round Tuit Tokens

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:42:10 -0600

Wooden nickels… a lot of us have heard of them, and there are some people we wouldn’t trust giving wooden nickels to.

We’ve also been told never to take any wooden nickels.

But what is a wooden nickel?

Is it a coin we can spend?

Let’s find out more about wooden nickels.

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5 Rare Coins For You To Find In The Lincoln Memorial Penny Series

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:26:29 -0600

For 50 years we used the Lincoln Memorial penny. However, in 2009, the Lincoln cent underwent a major redesign that permanently removed the Lincoln Memorial design from our pennies.

While most Lincoln Memorial pennies are worth only face value if worn and only 5 to 25 cents if uncirculated, there are a few special Lincoln Memorial cents that are worth hundreds -- even thousands -- of dollars.

Here are the values of a few Lincoln Memorial pennies you should be keeping an eye out for:

1969-S Doubled Die cent: $50,000 or more in uncirculated grades
1970-S Small Date cent: $50 in Mint State 63
1984 Doubled Die cent: $75 and up in uncirculated grades
1990 Proof No-S cent: $3,000 and up
1995 Doubled Die cent: $10 to $25 in uncirculated grades

Buying Barack Obama Presidential Coins? Maybe You Should Hold Onto Your Money

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:24:58 -0600

Have you seen the Barack Obama coins? Presidential coins have long been popular with coin collectors, but Barack Obama coins were on fire saleswise back in 2008 and continue to be popular items today.

But are Barack Obama presidential coins rare and good investments?

Remember that Barack Obama coins have nothing to do with the Presidential $1 coin series and are not U.S. Mint products.

In fact, a very high number of Barack Obama coins are simply regular U.S. Mint coins like quarters and American silver eagles painted with pictures of Obama or covered in a Barack Obama sticker.

Essentially all Barack Obama coins fall into the area of novelty coins.

Few if any of the Barack Obama coins are rare or even scarce because so many have been made. What's more, it's doubtful that any of these Barack Obama coin products will be considered good investments... at least not for many, many years.

Check Out Our Fun Coins Facebook & Twitter Pages!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:43:02 -0600

Find fun new things about all types of coins -- from Rare U.S. coins to the coins you see every day in your pocket change.

Plus, lots of helpful info if you're just getting started coin collecting & have questions about the coins in your collection.

Get all the latest news & updates about U.S. coins on our fun coins Facebook and Twitter pages:

The Fun Times Guide to Coins on Facebook

Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coins Are Cheap & Easy To Collect

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:30:40 -0600

Have you ever used Susan B. Anthony dollar coins to pay for anything?

Probably not. And if you did, you were likely one of the countless people who didn't like using the Susan B. Anthony dollar!

The Susan B. Anthony dollar was an unfortunate failure nearly from the moment it hit pocket change back in 1979.

The biggest problems people had with the coin is that they:

Confused it with the quarter dollar, which is only a tad smaller
Refused to use Susan B. Dollar dollar coins because the dollar bill was still circulating
Didn't like carrying around dollar coins, which weigh more than paper currency of equal face value

In 1980, a smaller number of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins was minted for circulation. In 1981 only a tiny number was made for coin collectors. It wasn't until 1999 that the Susan B. Anthony dollar was resurrected, because by that time the demand was rapidly growing for dollar coins in the vending machine and mass transit sector was growing.

While Susan B. Anthony dollar coins have had relatively little following among coin collectors, but considering that less than 20 coins are needed to complete the series and all the coins can be purchased for about $300 or so.

The Important Differences Between Mint Sets & Proof Sets

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:00:12 -0600

You've probably heard about mint sets and proof sets but are not sure what the difference is.

After all, they're both sets of coins packaged at the U.S. Mint, and they both contain shiny, mint-condition coins.

While some aspects of mint sets and proof sets may seem similar, they actually are quite different from one another. Even the values of mint sets and proof sets from the same year can be different!

Here are some of the main differences between mint sets and proof sets:

Proof sets contain one coin of each denomination and design and are carefully produced on polished coin blanks and are struck by polished dies.
Mint sets contain uncirculated coins very close to the quality of regularly circulating coins. Mint sets contain one coin of each denomination and design made at each mint. Therefore, mint sets commonly contain at least 2 coins of each denomination.
Proof sets made since the late 1960s are packaged in hard plastic cases.
Mint sets made since the late 1950s contain at least 2 separate, traditionally cellophane-style packs. All mint sets since the late 1950s (excluding special mint sets made from 1965 to 1967) package coins from Philadelphia in a blue-themed holder, whereas coins from Denver (and on occasion San Francisco) are housed in red-themed holders.