Coin collecting for beginners
Discover the power hiding in your pocket change.
Start collecting with the change in your pocket. See which coins are worth real money, and check any coin with a picture — free.
Found something cool? Show me: [email protected]
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Start here
A handful of change is a collection. Here's all you need to know.
They hide the most treasure. Get a Lincoln cent folder — a few dollars, or in the store — and fill the holes by year.
D is Denver, S is San Francisco, no letter is Philadelphia. Same year, different letter = a different coin.
Fingerprints and polish erase value forever. Keep the good ones in a cardboard 2×2 flip, not a bag.
Few were made that year, at that mint. A 1909-S VDB penny is worth hundreds. A plain 1909: a few dollars.
An untouched coin is worth many times a worn one. That's the whole reason for edges-only.
Doubled letters, a design off to one side, a bite out of the edge. Collectors call them errors — see them below.
Check a coin
Snap any coin. See if it's special, and what shape it's in. Then type the year to see what to check. Nothing gets uploaded.
One coin, filling the frame, on a plain background.
Tap the button below, or drop a picture here.
Tap what you can see and the list narrows. You don't need to know its name — that's the whole point.
Worth money
Coins you can really find in change.
| Look for | How to spot it | Worth about |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat penny1909–1958 | Two wheat stalks on the back. | 3¢–25¢ · rare dates $100+ |
| 1943 steel pennysilver-colored | Sticks to a magnet. One that doesn't could be the copper one — six figures. | 10¢–$2 |
| Silver dime or quarter1964 and older | The edge is solid silver — no orange stripe. | a few dollars each |
| W quarter2019–2020 | A tiny W under "In God We Trust". | $5–$20 |
| 1995 doubled-die pennycommon find | LIBERTY looks printed twice. | $15–$80 |
| 2004-D Wisconsin quarterextra leaf | An extra leaf on the left of the corn. | $80–$500 |
Guide ranges for worn coins. Nicer condition brings more.
The store
Real coins with real mistakes, plus folders and flips to start with. I email you back the same day.
Placeholder listings — swap the STORE list for real stock and everything follows.
Buy now takes a card right away; otherwise I email an invoice. Coins ship tracked and insured, free over $250. Seven-day returns, no argument.
Go deeper
The real references — free, and run by the people who wrote the book on each one.
Grade by photo at PCGS Photograde. Want an expert opinion? CONECA attributes coins for a few dollars — or send it to me.
Contact
Email a photo of both sides and I'll tell you what it is and what it's worth — free.
