What is the best way to clean coins without damaging them?

As a accepted rule, bill should not be bankrupt at all as accomplishing so may end up ruining the coin's budgetary value. The wisest advance is to leave your bread accumulating clear and stored in the able holders.

The acumen that charwoman bill is rarely a acceptable abstraction is that charwoman is apt to adapt a coin's apparent or toning in an abominable address (such as abrogation baby "poct marks", spots or scratches on the coin's surface) unless abundant affliction is taken and the able charwoman adjustment is selected.

It is a acceptable abstraction to argue a bread banker or added bread able to abetment you in chief whether charwoman a accurate bread is a acceptable idea. When in agnosticism do not apple-pie a coin.

If you adjudge to apple-pie your coins, actuality are some pointers to accumulate in apperception to abstain or abbreviate the affairs of damaging them.

Dirt and crud that accumulates on bill can about be cautiously removed by applying a band of Vaseline to both surfaces of the bread with a QTip and again acclaim abrading these surfaces apple-pie with a actual bendable lint chargeless cloth.

Soaking a bread in olive oil or balmy bubbling baptize is addition adjustment that can about cautiously abolish clay or added substances adhering to a coin.

Always use non-abrasive cleaners such as abrading booze or olive oil to apple-pie coins. Bartering adornment and metal polishes are usually too harsh. Never, for archetype use argent befoul remover to apple-pie argent bill as it will abnormally affect a coin's accustomed toning.

Always bathe the bill with distilled baptize afterwards cleaning. Tap baptize should not be acclimated as it contains minerals which may actualize spots on the apparent of a coin. Let bread air-dry afterwards charwoman - never rub a bread dry.

Tarnished bill should alone be bankrupt (if at all) by a able application a action accepted as "dripping". Do not attack this action yourself.

Some collectors like to use baking soda as a charwoman adjustment to accomplish a beat bread attending agleam and new. This is not recommended as it will about ruin the budgetary amount of a coin.

Never apple-pie draft or rub the apparent of any Proof coin. If there is dust on the bread artlessly draft the dust abroad gently.

Finally it should be acclaimed that distinctively fabricated bartering bread cleaners are accessible at best bread accumulation shops but these tend to be rather expensive.

Important Factors to Evaluate your Coin Values

There are assorted types of bread collectors. Some will aggregate them because they attending acceptable others will aggregate them because there is some amount that they can get from the coins. Dissimilar ethics are placed on altered coins. The bread ethics are for the best allotment founded on the altered bread allocation systems used.

Before any amount is anchored for the coins, it is actual important to attending at the bread value. Accepting as abundant advice about bill and bread accession is a acceptable way to accomplish abiding you are accepting a acceptable deal. If you are new to bread collecting, some of the best means to get that ability is by account actual that deals with bread allocation and bread values. You will again apperceive what ancestry and mark are looked at by bread dealers.

Once you apperceive the basal foundation of bread allocation you should booty your accumulating to a bread boutique and ask for a bread appraisal. This is one of the best means to ascertain the bread ethics for the altered bill in your bread collection. But consistently accumulate in apperception that to accept a acceptable abstraction of the amount of your bread collection, you will charge to accept assorted bread appraisals. This mainly due to the actuality that altered bread dealers will accept altered amount of ability about bread allocation so by accepting altered ones evaluating your bread collection, you will get added of a accepted abstraction of your bread values.

An important point to bethink is that bread ethics are based on the concrete action of the coins. If you are new to bread accession you may be tempted to apple-pie you bedraggled bill (if you accept some). Never anytime attack to apple-pie them. The charwoman action can account accident to the coins. You should consistently booty them in their as-is accompaniment and let the bread banker see what the bread ethics are like.

Here are some of the factors that actuate the bread values:

- Rarity (major factor)

- The action or Grade

- Bullion Amount (The amount of the adored metal it contains)

- The demand- Quality

Remember the college the all-embracing affection of the coin, the faster the bread is activity to sell. The affection of your attenuate bill is accordingly absolutely important, not artlessly for your own artful amusement but additionally for the bread-and-butter amount and clamminess of your investment.

Fingerprints And Conservation

There is a actual way to handle your bill for a reason. Our calmly accommodate anatomy oils, which can be acidic. There are additionally a array of added elements that we accept appear in acquaintance with, that back transferred to the bread by abnormal administration can account abiding accident to a coin's surface.

There is a actual way to handle your bill for a reason. Our calmly accommodate anatomy oils, which can be acidic. There are additionally a array of added elements that we accept appear in acquaintance with, that back transferred to the bread by abnormal administration can account abiding accident to a coin's surface. It is amazing how abounding bill we see at the NCS with fingerprints. They not alone accomplish the bread unsightly, but additionally may assuredly compose its apparent if larboard untreated. The best way to accord with fingerprints is to abstain putting them on your bill but accidents do occur.

If bent back they are fresh, fingerprints can be removed from a coin's surface. Back removing fingerprints from a coin, use the mildest analysis possible. This will accumulate the bread in its best accustomed accompaniment of canning and abate the affairs of damaging the coin's aboriginal surfaces or accustomed color. There is a big aberration amid submerging a bread in a band-aid and abrading its apparent with an annoying chemical. There is a achievability to leave hairlines on its apparent if some dislodged dust is pushed about with the chemicals.

As a fingerprint's residues mature, they will "set" on the coin. In these cases, a balmy acerb dip may be bare to abolish it. If bent in time, and done by professionally, there will be no trace of the book actual and the bread can be alternate to its aboriginal appearance. It is additionally acutely important to appropriately abrogate the bread to abate the affairs of problems developing in the future. In animosity of what you may accept apprehend before, a few submersions in a actual balmy acerb band-aid may accept no arresting aftereffect on a coin's boldness if they are performed appropriately and abortive immediately. However, do not attack this on chestnut coins.

If fingerprint residues are accustomed to abide on a coin, they may absolutely compose the surface. Once this has occurred, it is around absurd to abolish it after annoying charwoman or stronger acids, which will about absolutely accident the coin. The categorical apparent cannot be adequate and will be addled and lifeless. In these cases, the charwoman can be calmly detected.

When in agnosticism about the abatement of any contaminant for adopted actual from a coin, argue a professional. The accident that can aftereffect from abnormal charwoman is about consistently irreversible.

Challenge coin display cases and challenge coins tips

I find it amazing that the interest and popularity of challenge coins and challenge coin displays keeps rising. I get many questions about military challenge coins so I have decided to gather some valuable tips for you.

The most popular challenge coins are navy challenge coins, marine corps challenge coins, army challenge coins, air force challenge coins and police challenge coins. Which one do you prefer?

Challenge coins are more precious than one can imagine - they usually worth a couple of bucks, but they have a sentimental value no one can evaluate. That's way; you must protect your military challenge coins by using a challenge coin display case.

Buy a challenge coin display that totally answers your needs:

1. One that will make you proud of your challenge coins collection - Some have dozens of challenge coins from navy challenge coin, marine corps challenge coins and army challenge coin to air force challenge coins and police challenge coins. A collection like this could be really impressive.

2. One that will fully protect your challenge coins - Most of the challenge coin display cases have a plastic capsule for each individual coin.

I find the military challenge coins a bit magical. Did you know that no one can point exactly when the first challenge coin was made? Some say that the first one is date to World War 1. Others say that the first military challenge coin is from the Vietnam War.

I believe that people are just starting now to understand the real value of challenge coins. A good investment would be purchasing as many different challenge coins as you can. They are going to be an expensive collectible item in a few years.

But one should remember that a challenge coin represents values before everything - support to the organization minted on the coin whether it is a navy challenge coin, marine corps challenge coin or any other organization.

How do I sell my Coin Collection?

So, you feel it is time to sell your coin long-time collection, or you have inherited a collection and you know nothing about coins and you want to sell them. As with the sale of anything, you want to make sure you get a fair price. Sounds simple enough, right? In the area of numismatics, when it comes time to sell, offers for your collection can vary greatly. The following tips will help guide you to getting a fair and reasonable offer. I will talk more on the term “reasonable” a little bit later. Coin Dealers, like any other profession, number in the thousands. From part-time single person businesses to huge companies that buy and sell millions of dollars of coins annually. And like other professions and industries, we have a few crooks. By following the general tips in this article, you should be in a better position to realize your collections value. So here we go!

First and foremost, you need to know what you have. Why? If you do not know what you have, how do you know you are getting fair value? If you have thousands and thousands of wheat cents, I am not saying you need to inventory them all. In fact, it may not be worth your time. The chances of finding a key coin are slim at best. But you should know how many pennies you have. How? Simply weigh them. Wheat pennies come to about 148 pennies per pound. The same rule can apply to other common coins such as pre 1965 Roosevelt Dimes and Washington quarters as you may just a bullion price on these. For the rest of your collection, you may want to count the number of each piece. Make sure you have a complete list of your collection.

OK, time to contact a dealer? No, not yet. How do you know you are getting an honest one? Before contacting a dealer, you need to do some homework. Does the dealer belong to any organizations and clubs such as ANA or BBB? How long has s/he been in business? What is their reputation? Check out a couple of dealers before you make that call. Also, just because they advertise in a major coin collecting publication, does not make them honest. I know of one dealer who advertises in a major publication and sells cleaned coins as BU/Unc originals. Most novice collectors would not know the difference.

Now that you have done some research, it is time to contact the dealer. This can be done in many ways. You can give them a call or if you are the shy type, just send them an email. In your email, identify yourself and that you have a collection for sale. Include in the email the inventory you completed. This may come as a shock to many, but some dealers will NOT want your collection. Many dealers specialize in certain types or series, or just may have too many coins in their inventory. If your collection is an average collection of common coins, you may be disappointed to learn that many, if not all of the big dealers simply do not want to bother with you. It is too time consuming to sort the common collections and the margins are too small. Do not fret, all is not lost. Many smaller dealers will welcome the chance to obtain your collection. Many of these dealers work in mail-order only and may have only email or a PO Box as contact information. While they may appear shady, these folks generally are quite reputable. As before, contact the dealer and ask if they are interested. If they are not, just move on to the next dealer. If they are, ask them for their “buy price” list. Many dealers will publish a list of what they are willing to pay for certain coins.

After some hard work, you have a couple offers on the table. The offers are not anywhere near what you expected. Remember what I said above about a “reasonable” offer? Here is the painful truth. Coin Dealers are in business to make money. Sure, many of us chose this profession because we love it, but like everybody else, we still have mortgages, car payments, and college for kids, etc. Many people will look in the latest Coin Prices magazine to come up with an idea of what there collection is worth. Magazines such as Coin Prices are really a list of prices of what you can expect to pay a dealer for a specific coin, not what you can expect to get paid. Markups can range from 20-50% or more for smaller denomination coins such as wheat cents. As I mentioned earlier, some dealers just may not want what you have. Also, many, if not all dealers, reserve the right to revise the offer on inspection of the collection. If you think all your Morgan Dollars are BU, but they are really AU, this would make a huge difference in price. Grading is highly subjective. Also, for larger, more diverse collections, a dealer may spend a considerable amount of time reviewing the collection to ensure a fair price.

So, what to do? Take the best offer and run? Maybe, maybe not. If this is an inheritance, and you have no emotional attachment, you can just sell and never look back. If this is your collection of 50 years, well this may be painful. You can continue to contact different dealers and wait for a better offer. If you feel your collection is really worth more, you can always consign it for auction. With some of the fees the major auction firms charge, it may not be worth it. You can also try your hand at eBay but unless you have a strong feedback profile, many buyers will not bid on your items. You can also locate eBay members who will auction off your collection for you for a percentage of the take. Sometimes this works out well and sometimes not.

For now, let's assume you have a reasonable offer and you decide to sell. By the way, this should be a written offer sent via the mail or sent via email. Many times, the buyer may be located in another city/state. No buyer will send you a check until they have seen the collection. If the collection is large enough (many, many thousands of dollars), some buyers will come to you. If not, your very viable option is to send the collection to the buyer via mail. Yes, that is right, via the mail. Wait you say, that sounds risky. It can be, but if you take precautions, you will have no problems. First, package the collection up very well. Make sure there are NO LOOSE coins jingling around. The sound of jingling coins is music to a thief's ear. So be sure to wrap them up well and tight. When sending via the mail, the USPS is fairly safe. Usually, you will want to use USPS Priority Mail. Contact your local post office as you can usually get free boxes. Generally, you will want to use the Flat Rate options as you can ship up to 70 pounds for under $10.00 (not including insurance), but ask your local postal clerk for options. For your protection, you MUST insure your package and pay for delivery conformation. Include in your package an itemized list. Most dealers will appreciate this as they will audit the shipment to the list. If all is well, you can expect a check in the mail in no time.

In summary, here are the tips

1. Know what you have, prepare a comprehensive inventory
2. Research some dealers before you contact one.
3. Talk to dealers before sending coins to gage interest
4. Send your coins. Package them well and insure them
5. Review the offer
6. Collect the cash!

As always, happy collecting!

Tips When Buying Gold Coins

old coins have gone up a great deal in value in the last couple of years and since they are now so expensive, there are a few things you should watch for when making your purchases. With the advent of the internet, you are not limited to the local coin dealer anymore. This can give you the opportunity to get better prices on many coins, but also may introduce a few more things for you to think about when buying your gold coins.

1. Whether you are buying from a bricks and mortar dealer or buying online through a website or and auction site like EBay, check the reliability of the dealer first. For a store, at least check with the local Better Business Bureau. If the dealer is a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), that is a big plus. For an EBay auction, check the seller's feedback rating. If it's very low, or there are many negatives, think twice (and a third time) before spending a large sum with them. Even if the feedback seems good, look closer, some people will buy or sell a number of very inexpensive items to build up their ratings, then jump in selling big ticket items. On large ticket items, ask if the seller will agree to use Escrow.com. They act as a middleman in the transaction and the money doesn’t pass to the seller until the buyer is satisfied with the item. There is a charge, which the buyer would be expected to pay, but its well worth it when big money is changing hands.

2. One of the biggest problems buying collectible gold coins is grading. Your idea of an MS65 may be different than the dealer's. Many coins have a huge gap in value between grades. Avoid the issue by buying only coins that have been graded by one of the third party grading services. Make sure that you only accept the major services (ANACS, NCG, PCGS, NCS, ICG) grading, there are some lesser known grading services whose grading may be suspect. You should also want the grading to have been done in the recent past. Grading standards have changed over time and what was an MS65 five or ten years ago, might only be an MS63 or 64 today.

3. Make sure the seller has a return policy that will allow you a refund if you are not satisfied with the coin. This should apply to both on-line and off-line dealers. This is especially important if you are buying a non-certified coin. You want to have the option to return it if your grading service returns a lower grade than you bought it at.

4. Buy the scarcest coin in the best condition that you can afford. Many collectible gold coins sell near the melt price of gold because there are more than enough around to cover demand. This is especially true in the lower grades. When gold increases or decreases in value, these coins will follow by a like percentage. But the higher the grade, the lower the population and demand will push up the price rather than just following the price of gold.

5. Try to invest regularly. As with the stock market, it's very difficult to call the tops and bottoms of the coin market. Over the course of time, you will fare better by dollar cost averaging than investing a large amount at one time.

Don't Clean Your Old Coins

The first thing on your list of what not to do is the golden rule of coin collecting: Don’t clean your old coins. That’s coin-homicide and can mean a significant reduction in value of the coin’s mint state.

Knowledgeable buyers certainly won’t look twice at a coin that’s been cleaned so avoid the temptation. It’s not worth it in the end. It’s also one of the first things that I did when I was younger.

Since my coins weren’t looking nice and shiny and some of them were a bit dismal in color I gave them a nice thorough cleaning with soap and water and dried them off with a hand towel.

That was a disaster waiting to happen naturally and when I loaded them back into my small coin vault unfortunately some of them hadn’t dried properly and I ended up with green tinged coins instead of the slightly non-shiny ones I had earlier.

So avoid temptation and keep your itchy cleaning fingers away from your coins. Unless of course you just dug it up from your backyard – or someone else’s backyard – and it’s covered in mud. In this case you can clean it, but follow directions carefully on how to clean your coins.

There are many ways to do this but I can’t give any of them to you since I’ve stayed firmly away from cleaning any type of coin after that first disastrous attempt. Nowadays I just give it over to someone who’s better trained than I am and leave well enough alone!

For the most part though you really won’t want to clean your coins, they’re better off in the state they are and don’t need added help to appeal to other collectors. Part of the appeal lies in its current condition anyway, and you don’t want to be messing with that.

Remember, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Your coin isn’t broken so don’t attempt to fix it. It’s supposed to look like that.

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel - Disputed Origin

It’s probably every coin collector’s dream to own a truly rare coin. A coin that only a few can own, one rich in history and appeal. The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is one such coin. The story behind this unique coin is also full of mystery. To date no one knows for certain how many were produced or who authorized the production. Only five pieces are know to exist.

The Liberty Head nickel was first minted in 1883 and production was suppose to stop in 1912. A new five cent piece, the Buffalo or Indian Head nickel went into production the following year. However, seven years later collectors were stunned to learn that examples of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel may have surfaced. In September of 1919 Samuel W. Brown, a former U.S. Mint employee and coin collector, placed an ad in The Numismatist offering to pay $500 for one of the coins in proof condition. The first 1913 Liberty Head Nickel appeared at the 1920 American Numismatic Association convention in Chicago and displayed by none other than Samuel W. Brown.

It is known that 1913 Liberty Head Nickel dies were made by the U. S. Mint prior to the decision to change nickel production to James Earle Fraser’s popular Buffalo Nickel. However, U.S. Mint records does not indicate any production from these dies.

So who made the five coins that are known to exist? Some say Samuel W. Brown either made the pieces or obtained them from a U.S. Mint employee who did. The last 1913 Liberty Head Nickel sold at public auction for $1,840,000 in 2001. Four of the five are accounted for, while one remains missing. One example is in the Smithsonian Institution and another in the American Numismatic Association Money Museum. and the others are in private collections.

Glyn Farber has published a catalog of all known Hickey Brother Cigar Store Tokens and co-authored a book about Louisiana Trade Tokens. In addition he wrote several articles for The Token and Medal Society (TAMS) and The National Token Collectors Association (NTCA). Glyn has been a devoted collector of Louisiana Trade Tokens, Louisiana collectibles and Lake Charles, LA postcards for almost 40 years.

Coin Value

There are multiple types of coin collectors. Some will collect them because they look good others will collect them because there is some value that they can get from the coins. Different values are placed on different coins. The coin values are for the most part based on the different coin grading systems used.

Before any price is fixed for the coins, it is very important to look at the coin value.

Having as much information about coins and coin collecting is a good way to make sure you are getting a good deal. If you are new to coin collecting, some of the best ways to get that knowledge is by reading books that deals with coin grading and coin values. You will then know what traits and mark are looked at by coin dealers.

Once you know the basic foundation of coin grading you should take your collection to a coin shop and ask for a coin appraisal. This is one of the best ways to discover the coin values for the different coins in your coin collection. But always keep in mind that to have a good idea of the value of your coin collection, you will need to have multiple coin appraisals. This mainly due to the fact that different coin dealers will have different degree of knowledge about coin grading so by having different ones evaluating your coin collection, you will get more of a general idea of your coin values.

An important point to remember is that coin values are based on the physical condition of the coins. If you are new to coin collecting you may be tempted to clean you dirty coins (if you have some). Never ever attempt to clean them. The cleaning process can cause damage to the coins. You should always take them in their as-is state and let the coin dealer see what the coin values are like.

Here are some of the factors that determine the coin values:

• Rarity (major factor)
• The condition or Grade
• Bullion Value (The value of the precious metal it contains)
• The demand
• Quality

Remember the higher the overall quality of the coin, the faster the coin is going to sell. The quality of your rare coins is therefore is quite important, not merely for your own aesthetic enjoyment but also for the value and liquidity of your investment.

How To Evaluate Your Old Coin Prices

Coin collectors are not rare, in fact you can find then in every walk of life. Depending on the type of collector, they will pay different prices for different coins. The actual price of any coin is based on the current grading system. This system is used everyday to evaluate coins whether they are new or old. But first the smart thing to do before evaluating your old coin prices is to gather information that will help you out.

The thing is old coins are not always available on the market, so it would be a good idea to gather information about the old coins that do appears on the market and in what condition. To gather this information you could consult the reference section of you library or any other books about coin collecting. Another way to find such coins would be to use the internet. The internet can be a very useful tools when it comes to know what coins the collector are looking for and most important what there worth.

All coins, new and old needs to be studied before any price can be placed on them. One area you should consider studying if you manage to become a coin collector is the coin grading process. The information you will gather will greatly help you evaluate your old coin prices. On top of that when you bring your coins to a coin dealer for a proper appraisal, you will have a better understanding of the whole process. IMPORTANT NOTE: Since you will evaluate old coins you should always be very careful in the handling process to avoid any damage to the coins.

You must be aware of the various aspects that coin experts look at when they evaluating your old coin prices. Being aware of those special characteristics will help you perform better coin appraisals. When you perform your own grading make sure you do it on a clean surface. There should be no substances that have the ability to degrade you old coin prices.

The first step I would recommend during your inspection would be to look at the faces of the coin first. Make sure you note all the marks and special characteristics you see on the coin. Do that for each sides of the coin.

After that by manipulating the coin carefully you should look at the side. Make sure you touch the bare minimum of the surface area. Handling your coins with care will avoid the coin being damaged by wear and tear marks.

After taking a good look at your old coin and trying to evaluate your old coin prices, the smart thing to do should be to consult an expert to get a coin appraisal. These experts can be located at your coin dealer or shop near home. Doing this will then tell you if you where close to the real value of you coin or not. Take note that the coin grading process is not an exact science; the value of your coins can vary from one expert to another depending on their knowledge of the coin grading system.

Steps to Help Keep Your Coin Collection Value High

When you get bit by the coin collecting bug you may find yourself spending many of your waking hours on your coin collection. You have a lot of time and money invested in this hobby of yours so you need to be as careful as you can with your collection. You need to make sure you do not hurt the value of your coins by mishandling them in any way. Make sure you do not expose your coins to the elements or store them improperly. Be careful when handling your coin collection and only clean your coins if you know what you are doing. This article will look at some of the things you can do to ensure your coins value does not go down.

The place you decide to keep your coin collection will have a major effect on their condition. The temperate and humidity need to be as close to normal as possible. Storing your coin collection in a cold garage or basement or a hot attic is not going to help keep your coins in good shape. Dry conditions should always be a priority. Wet coins may oxidize. Keep your coins in the proper atmosphere and keep them in the proper holders. Your coin collection should stay in good shape for years to come under these proper conditions.

Make sure your coins are stored in proper storage containers. Although the choices for storage are many chose something that will give your coin collection safe storage for the long haul. Choose something sturdy and strong as the place you store your coins. Keeping your coins safely tucked away in your coin storage choice helps with another problem faced by the coin collector, handling your coins.

Constantly getting your coin collection out of the storage device is hard on your coins. Your hands contain oil, and it is all too easy to accidentally scratch that prized coin with your fingernail. Excessive handling of your coin collection could cause the coins to discolor or show excess wear. You have worked hard to acquire all of those great finds so try your best to keep them in the same shape they were when you got them.

Do not try to clean your coin collection if you do not have the knowledge to do so. Many a coin has been ruined by improper cleaning methods. Always seek out an expert before you do any coin cleaning.

Keep your coin collection in good shape and it will reward you when the time comes to sell off your collection. It sometimes can be hard work to find that perfect coin so do your best to keep it in great shape.

Removing Tarnish From Your Coins - Coin Collecting Tips for the Beginner Coin Collector

As a beginner coin collector, one rule you should know backwards and forwards - don't clean your coins. Or rather, have a professional do it, or know what you are doing.

Why shouldn't you clean your own coins? Because coin dealers and people who make collecting coins their business like to see and buy coins that are in their original condition.

If your coin is tarnished, resist the impulse to use commercial cleaners or silver tarnish removers. They will remove the natural toning that happens on silver and copper coins.

Trying to remove tarnish, if not done properly, will potentially harm your coin and lower the value of it. Removing tarnish incorrectly will leave scratches and spots on your coin and can possibly lower the value as much as 80-90 percent. A coin dealer that I know told me that he will reject anywhere from 15-25% of the coins that come in to be sold because they are damaged from improper cleaning methods.

Here are a few things to remember if your coins are tarnished:

- If you really want them cleaned, take them to a professional. Your local coin dealer can direct you where to go for that. Professionals will use a method of cleaning tarnished coins called "dripping".

- Handle your coins on the edges only. Leaving fingerprints on the coin surface will build up and add to the dirt already there.

- If you cannot read the date on your coin and the details are worn down or covered with dirt, ask the advice of coin collecting dealers and and professionals on how to clean and handle the coin.

- If you are selling coins that you know have been cleaned previously, then you must tell the buyer.

Basically, there's no real reason for you, as a beginner coin collector, to clean your own coins. Let someone else do it. Sometimes, most often than not, you won't need to have them cleaned. Tarnished coins have a value that goes beyond money. It's part of the natural history of the coin.

Coin Collecting Terms to Help you Stay in the Know

There are many terms used in coin collecting. Information on coin collecting terms is widely available on the internet and in many books that deal with coin collecting. The field of coin collecting is so expansive that there are numerous terms that are coined. Many internet sites offer glossaries and other resources to assist the novice coin collector in increasing there knowledge base. These sites may not contain all the terms but are sufficient to be an introduction to the field and its terms.

Coin collecting terms are found in many books authored by coin collector experts. In addition to guidance on terminology these books also provide valuable information on the do and don’ts of coin collecting. There are many books on the market that also target the veteran coin collector as this hobby continues to grow and there is always new information that can be valuable to these individuals.

Another way to learn about coin collecting terms is by the use of the many magazines available on this field. These magazines always have up to date information and are great resources for those wishing to learn about the field of coin collecting. Some of these magazines are Coin World, Coin Connoisseur and Coin Value. There are several others as well that offer great features that include up to date guides on prices as well as discounts for subscribers on coin collecting supplies.

Another way to familiarize one’s self with coin collecting terms is to associate with clubs or associations that are involved in the hobby of coin collecting. This is perhaps the simplest way to familiarize one’s self with the field and gain valuable knowledge. These associations often have training sessions and other activities that are geared towards improving the skill of its members in the field of coin collecting. It is vital when in getting involved in any hobby to ensure that you increase your knowledge base as this is the key to success. Coin collecting terms are not a short list by any means and will indeed take a long time to become totally familiar with. Even experts in the field may not know all the terms and acronyms that are associated with coin collecting.

Some of the most important coin collecting terms are related to the very basic concepts of coin collecting. One of these is in fact the term for coin collecting itself. This term is numismatist and is the complex term for the coin collector. Another set of basic terms are those that relate to the description of the sides of a coin. Most people refer to these as either heads or tails but serious collectors call these the obverse and the reverse. Terms associated with the actual coin are the legend, inscription, rim and field as well as the motto, mint mark, edge, portrait, date and many other terms related to coin anatomy.

How To Value Coins Using A Coin Value Guide

One of the most important pieces of information that a coin collector will want to know is how much a coin is worth. By knowing what a coin is worth will affect what they are willing to pay or sell it for. Plus it will help you to look and appreciate your coins much more. There are plenty of US coin value guides available both off and online. But some are certainly more accurate than others. However, what should be remembered is no one guide is foolproof. All the guides available will only provide you with an approximation of the market value and actual coin prices. So if you really want to know the market you should also see what coins are actually selling for.

A great place to look for such information is on auction sites such as eBay as well as various auction houses such as Heritage, Teletrade, Bowers and Merena and Stacks to name a few. Also you could take a look in your local and national coin shows as well as local coin shops to see what prices they have. But below are details of some of the more common US coin value guides that are in use today.

1. US Coin Digest

This is much like the Red Book but it includes coin pricing for more grades. Where in the Red Book has only pricing for six grades of the Morgan Dollars in the US Coin Digest it has pricing for 11 grades. It also contains a bit more background information in relation to coins in general.

2. Greysheet

This is officially called the Coin Dealer Newsletter and is an expensive subscription periodical ($98 per year). It is most commonly used price guide to be used by dealers when setting their own prices. However, it does contain wholesale prices also (so it is a wise choice for the more savvy collectors out there). The prices in this are based on coins graded according to industry standards. But they also include pricing for properly graded raw coins when compiling their figures. However, the biggest weakness of this publication is that it ignores the current state of grading services.

3. Numismedia Price Guide

This is an online service and is similar to the PCGS Price Guide. But the prices on this site can be somewhat higher than those that appear in printed guides. However, this site has been a subscription service since 2003 and costs $96 per year for you to be able to see the pricing of grades above MS-60.

So as you can see from above there are plenty of different US coin value guides available not just in book format but also online also.

Rare Coin Valuation And Price Guides

Coin Price Guides are useful among collectors. In brief, coins are tiny disk shaped metal pieces of currency. Coins come in various categories that are valued as per their face value, currency coins come with an amount printed on them and the printed amount is the price of the coin.

Rare and Historical coins are those that were made centuries before us, these rare coins are very significant in finding out historical information about our ancestors. Historical coins can fetch a very high price in the market; the pricing of the coin is also based on the significance, quality, condition, uniqueness and beauty of the coin.

Gold coins or Silver Coins are mostly bought as an investment; the price of these coins usually depends on the market price. Due to fluctuations in the economy there are no set price guides therefore the price of Gold and silver coins also fluctuates.

Coin Pricing is based on certain criteria's- * The coin must be made of a valuable metal; and the pricing of this coin will be close to the market price of the metal.

* Coin should be of standardized weight and purity.

* The marking on the coin has to be genuine and marked only by an authorized authority.

* Pricing of the coin also depends on the date printed on the coin, as well as its historical significance.

From time to time coin collectors come across coins that are very difficult to analyze a price, for instance a coin collector may own a very unique coin that cannot be priced due to its unclear marking or worsened condition, on such occasions the pricing of the coin is based on the demand of the coin or how many coin collectors are interested in the piece.

Sometimes a very unique coin will not be as well priced, as a coin that is relatively plentiful in nature and this is simply because the more common coin is in higher demand by the coin collectors. For example there are only 30,000 dimes of the 17th century, where as there are nearly 4,000,000 20th century dimes, yet the 20th century dimes are sold at a higher price than the 17th century dimes, and this is only because the 20th century dimes are more popular among coin collectors.

Generally coin prices keep varying, the general rule in the coin price guide is the rarer the coin the higher the coin value, still there are some exceptions as in this case; a 1913 marked Liberty head Nickel was sold for $1,000,000 as there are only 5 pieces of such coins, where as 1000 year old Chinese coins were sold for not more than $100-$200 as there were a number of these coins available.

Coin grade also influences the coin price guide, coin grade depends on the condition, the better the condition the higher the grade will be and the higher price the coin will fetch. However you should bear in mind that the monetary valuation of a coin is not everything, even if one coin does not have a high market value it does not loose its significance as it can still be very much a part of your collection.

If you are interested in pricing, you can get Coin Price Guides that come in print (soft cover and hardcover) and they are also available online in digital format.

Rare coin collecting can be a fascinating as well as profitable hobby.

Understanding Coin Price Guides

There are many coin price guides published; weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and annually. They come in the form of magazines, newsprint, “hot sheets”, and books. All of us have referred to one of these from time to time to ascertain what a particular coin might be worth. Yet, few of us stop to think about what we are getting from any one of these Price Guides, beyond the price or value of a coin. After all, don’t price guides, just give you the price? What else is there?

Basic to an understanding of price guides are two things: 1) the Grade of the Coin; and 2) the Foundation of the price guide. Knowing the Grade of the Coin is required before one can begin. Saying so seems to be obvious, but what more does it mean?

Unless the coin is Graded by an appropriate Professional Grading Company, which has designated what Grade and Identity has been assigned to the coin, most of us are making an assumption about the actual Grade. This assumption we make can be very dangerous because of: a) the difficulty in grading a coin; and, b) the different possible outcomes or results that occur. One Grade “point” or level can make the difference in hundreds or thousands of dollars in the Value of a Coin.

Price Guides assume that YOU already Know the Grade of the Coin. This is why we have the First Rule of Coin Collecting: Know the Grade of Your Coin.

Secondly, ALL Price Guides are founded on the same Principle, which is that the Coin, whose price you are looking up, has been Graded using one Grading Standard. That Grading Standard is set by the ANA – American Numismatic Association – and is entitled the Official Grading Standards For US Coins.

Therefore, ALL Price Guides have a “silent assumption” built in to their guide; which is that the Grade that YOU decide upon, is the True or Accurate, and that such Grade is based on the ANA Standards.

The first difficulty that arises is that most people never know if the Grade that they have decided upon is Accurate. Of course, this difficulty never comes into question, if the coin is Professionally Graded by an appropriate company. There are only four (4) reputable Professional Grading companies that strictly follow the Guidelines set by the ANA, and they are: PCGS, NCG, ICG, and ANACS.

The second difficulty arises because of this “silent assumption” or Foundation of all price guides is whether or not the Grade has been decided upon using the Guidelines or Standards established by the ANA. If you don’t have the skills and training of a professional coin grader, the decision is probably questionable.

Even if you do have the skills and training of a professional coin grader, the decision is still probably questionable. Why? Because even professional coin graders have differing opinions. This is why the reputable professional coin grading companies require the opinions of three (3) professional coin graders to arrive at the “Grade” designation to be placed on every coin.

The obvious conclusion is that a Serious Coin Collector is going to invest in rare and modern coins that are graded by one of the Top Four reputable Grading companies. It is the only certain way to eliminate the disagreements and arguments about the Grade of Any coin being Bought or Sold! It is the only certain way one can Value their coin collection. It also eliminates “getting taken” or cheated buying raw coins.

Have fun collecting your Perfect Coins!

How to Make Your Rare Coin Hunt Easy

Few years back when the business of coin collection was not as flourishing and globalized as it is now, no one could even have thought about using used rare coin guides. In fact, it is still a new concept for many of us, but it is a reality. As coin collection has become a world wide business, the demand for used rare coin guides has reached a peak. In this article, we will tell you about the uses of used rare coin guides.

Being a rare coin collector, you would like to get antique coins of every time period in history. It is your passion but you know they are not easy to get. You have to contact a lot of people, explore various places in the world and you need to be updated with all the features and qualities of antique coins. You will be surprised to know that only a limited number of people are able to do all these things. Most of the people are not so efficient and take the help of professionals. Used rare coin guides help and save you from unnecessarily using the service of such professionals.

The rare coin guide will give you every bit of information that you may need about the places, history, value, checking standards and kinds of antique coins. Therefore these guides are a little costlier than other coin guides. That is why they are sold out as second hand on a large scale. There is no main difference between a new and used rare coin guide as both include the same information and data. But still some basic areas should be checked out before purchasing, such as the number of pages in the book. Make sure that no page is cut out from the guide or remains misprinted. The publisher of the guide should also be checked out, as you may sometimes find fake or misleading information in guides prepared by an unknown publisher.

Used rare coin guides are rare to find. Many people sell them back to the retailers and companies. Thus, you may have to do extra work in order to find them. You can also buy them through websites. There are several websites that deal with the selling of used rare coin guides.

The process of getting them is really easy. You need to visit some of the websites first and check out the guides they are providing you. All websites show the content headings in their sites so you can check the quality and the exclusiveness of the guide. Once you find a guide that provides you with all the data you require for your coin collection, you can order it online and it will be delivered to your home within a week. So, if you are new to this hobby profession, initiate your new passion with the purchasing of a used rare coin guide, update yourself with all the information that it provides and be assured of success in your task.

Important Factors to Evaluate Your Coin Values

Allow me to guide through the aspects of this topic.

There are multiple types of coin collectors. Some will collect them because they look good others will collect them because there is some value that they can get from the coins. Dissimilar values are placed on different coins. The coin values are for the most part founded on the different coin grading systems used.

Before any price is fixed for the coins, it is very important to look at the coin value. Having as much information about coins and coin collecting is a good way to make sure you are getting a good deal. If you are new to coin collecting, some of the best ways to get that knowledge is by reading material that deals with coin grading and coin values. You will then know what traits and mark are looked at by coin dealers.

Once you know the basic foundation of coin grading you should take your collection to a coin shop and ask for a coin appraisal. This is one of the best ways to discover the coin values for the different coins in your coin collection. But always keep in mind that to have a good idea of the value of your coin collection, you will need to have multiple coin appraisals. This mainly due to the fact that different coin dealers will have different degree of knowledge about coin grading so by having different ones evaluating your coin collection, you will get more of a general idea of your coin values.

An important point to remember is that coin values are based on the physical condition of the coins. If you are new to coin collecting you may be tempted to clean you dirty coins (if you have some). Never ever attempt to clean them. The cleaning process can cause damage to the coins. You should always take them in their as-is state and let the coin dealer see what the coin values are like.

Here are some of the factors that determine the coin values:

- Rarity (major factor)

- The condition or Grade

- Bullion Value (The value of the precious metal it contains)

- The demand- Quality

Remember the higher the overall quality of the coin, the faster the coin is going to sell. The quality of your rare coins is therefore quite important, not simply for your own aesthetic enjoyment but also for the economic value and liquidity of your investment.