Valuable Coin Stories UPDATE... a Coin Blog

Valuable Coin Stories seem to come from everywhere. My interest in coins has never been overly specialized. I like them all, and am always happy to learn of new coin-related information.

When I do, you can bet that a new page will be added to this site!

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Nov 19, 2008, Using metal detectors to build coin collections is fun in two ways

Using metal detectors to find old coins adds interest and excitement to coin collecting. And, you can’t beat the price of your inventory!

Nov 19, 2008, Are the New Jersey Quarters Historically Inaccurate? Would It Matter?

New Jersey Quarters bear an image taken from a painting portraying an important event with less than precision. What are the inaccuracies and are they important?

Nov 16, 2008, 1856 Flying Eagle Cent was not exactly cleared for takeoff

The 1856 Flying Eagle Cent, the first US small cent, somehow reached circulation without authorization. The story begins with…

Nov 16, 2008, Metal detector technology explained. How metal detectors work.

Metal detector technology has gone down several paths. Each of the three major approaches has its strengths, and all are presently available.

Nov 15, 2008, The American Large Cents were similar to British pennies in size.

The first American pennies were the Large Cents. Similar in size to the British pennies of the day, these one cent coins have been “pennies” from the beginning.

Nov 15, 2008, Indiana Quarters Depict Two Lanes of American History

Indiana quarters, such as the one pictured here, call attention to two of the many subjects of interest associated with the 19th US state.

Nov 14, 2008, Metal detectors offer a high benefit, low cost way to collect coins

Metal detectors offer an active diversion from the couch, the paper, and the TV remote. Gain in health, and maybe wealth… What Will You Find??

Nov 14, 2008, Boulton and Watt Use a Steam-Powered Coin Press to Produce Pennies

Boulton and Watt developed a steam-powered coin press to produce pennies of higher quality with greater efficiency. Their enormous two pence coin is a marvel of the Industrial Revolution.

Nov 13, 2008, Screw Press Produced High Quality Coins and Anxious Mint Workers

The screw press was advanced coining technology when introduced in the 1600s. The resulting well struck coins were approved by all, except for mint workers and coin clippers.

Nov 13, 2008, The Value Of A Penny Involves Multiple Calculations

The value of a penny may seem trivial, but think again. What do you really know about this humble servant of everyday commerce? Here are stories you shouldn’t miss…

Nov 12, 2008, The New Hampshire State Quarter offers a philosophical drop kick

The New Hampshire State Quarter bears the state’s motto, a phrase that, blunt as it may seem, reflects well the historical underpinnings of this rock ribbed state.

Nov 12, 2008, Collectible paper currency – face value investment potential

Collectible paper currency you see every day is a bargain when compared to coins of the same quality, especially over the long term. Could that be true?

Nov 11, 2008, The 1999 Delaware Quarter – Two Documents and an 80 Mile Ride

The 1999 Delaware Quarter is the first coin of the US Mint’s 50 State Quarters program. It has a midnight rider, but it’s not Paul Revere…

Nov 11, 2008, Ohio Quarter honors state contributors to flight

The Ohio Quarter focuses on flight, and the contribution of noted Ohioans like the Wright Brothers, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong. Others who should share the limelight are …

Nov 10, 2008, The Flying Eagle Small Cent – A Lesser Size, A Greater Beauty

The Flying Eagle penny was the first small cent. Known for its exquisite design, it was the first regular issue US coin made of a nickel alloy. It was often called …

Nov 10, 2008, The Tennessee Quarter plays a different tune from all other State Quarters.

The Tennessee Quarter alludes to three musical genres, and by inference, the three regions of the state that produced them.

Nov 9, 2008, The Braided Hair Cent – Artistic Revision, Technical Improvement

The Braided Hair Cent was yet another attempt to produce a design acceptable to the Mint’s many critics. Artistic values aside, the coin is evidence of improving technology.

Nov 9, 2008, The 1931-S cent - the few, the hoarded, and the fake

The 1931-S cent was sparsely minted, greatly hoarded, and diligently counterfeited. Read my about my personal adventure with this coin!

Nov 8, 2008, The Draped Bust Cent – a collectible coin of the first US Mint.

Any Draped Bust Cent you can acquire, regardless of condition, is an artifact of the difficulties and challenges of the early years at the Philadelphia Mint.

Nov 8, 2008, Medieval silver pennies were produced throughout the continent of Europe

Medieval silver pennies, descended from the ubiquitous denarius of the Roman Empire, were small, hammer struck, with designs that evolved at a glacial pace.

Nov 7, 2008, The Coronet Head Cent – also known as the Matron Head Cent.

The Coronet Head Cent was the design of the same Robert Scot whose work (and age) so frustrated Mint Director Robert Patterson eight years before.

Nov 7, 2008, The Roman denarius is the penny’s earliest ancestor.

The Roman denarius, arguably the most celebrated coin of ancient Rome, was also coined in Rome’s far flung territories, notably in the land they called “Britannia”.

Nov 6, 2008, Coin Auction Site Answers The Big Questions of Coin Collecting

This coin auction site page, actually a site within a site, helps answer the most frequently asked question of coin owners – What’s my coin worth?

Nov 6, 2008, A world silver coin that demonstrates early globalisation

A world silver coin? What else would you call a coin made under Spanish authority in Mexico that circulated in China, picking up local chop marks along the way?

Nov 5, 2008, The Classic Head Cent memorializes the perseverance of John Reich.

The Classic Head Cent was created in reaction to mediocrity in current coinage design, then bedeviled with declining quality in the raw material of which it was made.

Nov 5, 2008, The British lion is descended from two Norman French lions.

The British Lion, the lion of English kings, was inspired by the two Norman French lions (on a red field) that arrived in 1066. The arms of Henry II reduced their number to one golden lion.

Nov 4, 2008, Early Cents on eBay… Right Now.

Early Cents are the pennies made from 1793 to 1796.

Nov 4, 2008, 1922 penny – a Denver coin with a Philly kind of look

The 1922 penny with no mint mark, also known as the 1922 Plain penny, was a Denver mint product. Was this a vast, uh, penny-ante conspiracy?

Nov 3, 2008, Coin Making is 2500 Years of Art, Technology, and Economic Indispensability

Coin making is not a lost art. But it’s an old one. This ancient craft became a vital technology and a fundamental support of popular commercial exchange.

Nov 3, 2008, The Fleur-De-Lis Story – How it played in France, England, and Spain

The Fleur-De-Lis is well known in heraldry. Its appearance on coins of France and other countries is a valuable coin story for collectors worldwide.

Nov 2, 2008, Hammered coin production required strength and accuracy.

A hammered coin is the product of the earliest of all coin producing technologies. From the fifth century BC through the late 15th century, hammer struck coins were the only coins.

Nov 2, 2008, Monroe Dollars, James Monroe, the Monroe Doctrine, and more

The Monroe Dollars, the first coins of the Presidential Dollar Series of 2008, connect to the career and achievements of James Monroe, the fifth US president.

Nov 1, 2008, Morgan Silver Dollars – Favored by Dollar Collectors – But Why?

Morgan silver dollars have so much going for them as a target series for US coin collectors. They are big, heavy, and beautiful. They are relatively abundant in fantastic condition, and…

Nov 1, 2008, A coat of arms symbol on circulating coins affirms national identity.

Bearing a coat of arms symbol, a coin speaks to national identity. Heraldic devices emblazon older European coins – and major early United States coins.

Oct 31, 2008, Dollars Pictures Include the Earliest Appearance of Seated Liberty

Dollars pictures showing the evolution of Gobrecht’s Seated Liberty design as silver dollars return from a three decade hiatus.

Oct 31, 2008, Half Dime was the first US coin. Was it made from General Washington’s silver?

That the half dime, the first US Mint coin, was made from Washington’s own silverware is questionable. But it is a fact that he kept his image off its face.

Oct 30, 2008, United States Silver Dollars – Quintessential Collectible Coins

United States silver dollars are desired by nearly all US coin collectors. Do you have one? Do you know its history? Have you seen all the major types?

Oct 30, 2008, The 1793 large cent – what they had there was a failure to communicate.

The 1793 large cent was the first coin authorized for production by the US Mint. The goal was to begin a coinage adequate for the United States. So where’s the failure?

Oct 29, 2008, The Presidential Dollar Coin Program can win big – in two ways.

The Presidential Dollar Coin series is now underway at banks near you. The mint, flushed with the success of the 50 State Quarters Program, can win in two ways with the “presidentials”.

Oct 29, 2008, US Certified Coins – Coin Investment Becomes (More) Mainstream

US certified coins are the backbone of any major coin auction in the United States. Coin collectors and dealers have benefited from a more orderly approach to the hobby, and the business, of coins.

Oct 28, 2008, The history of the penny you just dropped spans more than two millennia.

Although the history of the penny is likely to end in the not so distant future – they cost more than a penny to make after all – before they go, read their story!

Oct 28, 2008, The colonial coin story of Lord Baltimore – jail for sixpence?

The royal charter said colonial coin for Maryland was swell, but the mint guy snitched and Lord Baltimore was nearly jailed for stylish pocket change!

Oct 27, 2008, Cob coins are just a bit unsettling at first…

Cob coins just don’t really look like coins. Many aren’t even round… hey, they’re not even even! But for some odd reason they were highly valued.

Oct 27, 2008, The feral hog coinage of Bermuda – worth more than a ham sandwich.

Known as Hogge Money, these coins proudly display a fierce feral hog -- with gratitude! Learn more about the nice piggy and Sir George Sommers…

Oct 26, 2008, US gold dollars were among the smallest American coins ever made

US gold dollars were produced from a wave of California gold that washed over the American economy, beginning in 1849. But they were tiny little things… worth a lot… and hard to hold on to!

Oct 26, 2008, To appreciate early American coin history, start with NO COINS.

Colonial Americans, before the first early American coin, had a serious economic problem -- no pocket change.

Oct 25, 2008, Gold Half Eagle as Commonly Found - US Half Eagles – Gallery Three

Gold half eagle types of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries were produced in larger quantities and are therefore more familiar to collectors of our own time.

Oct 25, 2008, Pirate treasure – high risk, high adventure – sometimes government sponsored

Pirate treasure was traditionally lost from ships whose misfortune was to meet sea-going outlaws like Sir Francis Drake, Henry Morgan, or Edward Teach (aka “Blackbeard”).

Oct 24, 2008, Gold 5 Dollar Coins - US Half Eagles -- Gallery Two

Capped Head and Classic Head gold 5 dollar coins reflect changes at the mint, and in the economy beyond American shores.

Oct 24, 2008, Kentucky Quarters, My Old Kentucky Home, and a Fine Looking Horse

The Kentucky Quarters were designed with time honored symbols of the state front and center. Kentucky is known for its fine racehorses and wonderful old southern homes.