PVC damage: the green slime in old flips
Soft vinyl flips can leach plasticizer. Green or sticky film etches the coin. Cardboard 2x2s or inert flips. Do not…
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The public coin and money library, plus dealer guides — what people bring to a shop, how money works, and how shops run.
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Eagles: the $10 gold piece
An eagle is $10 gold. About 0.48 oz. Liberty Head, then Indian Head by Saint-Gaudens (not the $20). Common dates…
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Half eagles: the $5 gold piece
A half eagle is $5 gold. About 0.24 oz. Liberty, then Indian. Common dates track gold. C and D marks…
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Quarter eagles: the $2.50 gold piece
A quarter eagle is $2.50 in gold. About 0.12 oz. Liberty Head, then Indian Head. Small enough to hide in…
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US gold dollars: three tiny types
1849–1889. Type 1 Liberty, Type 2 Indian princess (small head), Type 3 (large head). About 0.048 oz of gold. Easy…
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Liberty Head gold: the coronet $2.50, $5, $10, and $20
The long 19th-century US gold look. Coronet Liberty. Common later dates often trade as gold plus type. Early dates and…
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Indian Head gold: the $2.50 and $5 with the headdress
1908–1929 quarter eagles and half eagles. Incuse design. Real gold. Common dates track gold plus a type premium. Weigh and…
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Lincoln cents: wheat, Memorial, and Shield
Same Lincoln, three backs. Wheat 1909–1958. Memorial 1959–2008. Shield 2010-on. 1943 is steel. Almost all of a coffee can is…
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Mint errors vs die varieties
A variety is on the die and can repeat. An error happened at the press or to the planchet. Most…
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