Which rare coins to look for?

Answer 1

Answer

Cents -- those with the wheat ears on the back instead of the Lincoln Memorial, especially those from before 1934

Nickels -- silver ones from 1942-1945, those dates 1938 or 1939 with a "D" or "S" on the back, 1950 with a "D", and any with a buffalo on the back (1913-1938)

Dimes -- anything from 1964 or older is 90% silver, also look for 1982 with no "P" below the date

Quarters -- anything from 1964 or older is 90% silver, also a 1983 that looks like new can be worth several dollars. Also 1932-D and 1932-S can be worth hundreds!

Halves -- anything from 1964 or older is 90% silver, 1965 to 1969 is 40% silver, and 1970 is a rare date.

Answer 2

This is a rather broad topic and it really just depends on what your interests are.

In general, avoid coins advertised on TV, coins from private mints (like the Franklin Mint) and coins from tiny nations you haven't heard of. These generally sell for initially high prices but sell only for its metal content. If you like those designs, simply buy it secondhand from a coin shop at a fraction of the issue price.

But as for what you can collect, it is limitless. Myself, I specialize in British Coins, with some ancient, medieval, world and a bit of US Coins. It also depends on your budget, with a high budget, expensive coins like a full set of Gold Sovereigns, rare US pattern coins or early proof sets are collectable. If you have a moderate budget, consider coins like US silver dollars, Standing Liberty Quarters or British maundy sets. If you are on a tight budget, consider common-date Mercury dimes, even in mint state they shouldn't cost more than $20 a piece, or assemble a set of wheat pennies, aside from a few key dates (1909 S, 1914 D) they are all very affordable. Or consider just getting various world coins from a local dealer, they are very cheap. Coins with no precious metal content usually sell for 6 coins per dollar, making having a wide variety of coins from nearly every nation possible. Despite what you might think, ancient coins are easily affordable. Common bronze coins in decent shape might only cost $15, while some silver coins might cost around $30 in decent shape.

Bottom line: collect what you want. There's an old saying: buy the book first. Of course, due to the internet, you don't need to shell out the money for a book (though there are some books that are essential if you decide to seriously collect, namely the red book for US coins and Spinks for British Coins). But research before you buy and shop around.

Answer 3

The short answer is, "It depends".

Many serious collectors are looking for coins that are rare and valuable. There are WAY too many such coins to list here but among US coins some silver dollars, large cents, 20-cent coins, and gold coins are much sought after, just to name a few.

Other collectors may specialize in complete sets of a particular coin like Mercury dimes or Franklin half dollars. They may start with coins in any condition but over time may try to trade for better ones so they eventually can have a complete set of coins that have little or no wear.

Still others may specialize in coins from a particular country, so they may look for e.g. current British coins, German coins from the days of the Kaisers, and so on.

And there are even specialty collectors who try to assemble sets of coins with certain themes, like pictures of monarchs or certain kinds of birds!

Answer 4

Although anything is possible, the chances of finding a rare coin in your change are so remote that it hardly warrants looking.

The undated 20 Pence coin started out being rare and valuable, but since there were about 200,000 minted, they are neither rare nor especially valuable as it turned out.

Rare coins will usually only be found in museums, the display cases of a coin dealer, or the collections of coin collectors. You might get lucky and find one in the belongings of a recently deceased friend or relative.

It is entirely up to you and the cash resources available to you as to what coins you would like to look for.

British coins have been minted for well over a thousand years. A good place to start would be at your local library which will most likely have a current or recent coin catalogue. Study the coin catalogue with a view to your budget and figure out what interests you and which coins you would like to focus on.

Answer 5

Coins you can find in your pocket from change that are worth more than face value are...(USA Coinage) Better condition the higher the value...

Pennies:

1983 Double Die Error...ONE CENT words are doubled.

1992 The A and the M in the word AMERICA are close together, practically touching

1995 Double Die Error...Liberty and In God are doubled.

Nickles:

1942 -1945 "War Nickels" Large mint mark (P-D-S) above Monticello's dome. These nickels are 35% silver.

Dimes:

1982 no mint mark. The mint mark P (under the date) is missing.

Have fun looking.

Answer 6

There are a myriad of coins that can be of worth to collectors. Most collectors start with pre-1964 silver U.S. circulated coins.