Because of generally slow activity, some dealers became much more reasonable on their prices. That provided a number of opportunities for bargain hunters like me. I was able to acquire a number of pieces for customer want lists from dealers who typically would price nice coins at levels too high for me to consider them a good value.

In particular, there were plentiful inventories of common and better date classic US gold coins. I was able to acquire some pieces at prices that surprised other dealers. Better date Morgan dollars and Peace dollars were also more affordable than in the past couple of years.

The handful of nice classic US silver commemoratives that I have identified as relative bargains were difficult to find, perhaps even more than in the recent past. Other areas where it was difficult to find nice coins (no matter the price) were Mint State-63 and higher Barber coinage and Standing Liberty quarters.

In general, dealers lamented about a lack of demand for key date US coins. The entire Lincoln cent series is retreating from levels that peaked in early 2009. From discussions with coin dealers, there seems to be a lack of fresh collectors such as occurred after the introduction of Statehood quarters and the Sacagawea dollars. As a result, other popular products purchased by newer numismatists such as proof sets and mint sets are just not moving like they have in years past.

Another factor in market demand is the needs of companies who market to the general public. A few years ago, a lot of small size US currency and generic circulated early 20th century coinage was in strong demand. Today, there just aren’t any aggressive wholesale buyers to speak of. Some of this no doubt reflects consumers tightening their purse strings and avoiding the purchase of such discretionary goods.

1804 Draped Bust Quoter in excellent condition was sold on Ebay. The winner will pay a US $10,601.01 for that interesting and rare coin.

Quarter dollars minted from 1804 through 1807 continue the Draped Bust obverse first used in 1796.

Quarter dollars of the 1804-1807 years are readily located in grades from About Good through Very Fine. Extremely Fine pieces are elusive, AU pieces are rare, and uncirculated pieces are exceedingly rare. Virtually without exception, issues of this design are lightly struck in one or more areas, with the obverse and reverse rims, the stars on the obverse, and the stars above the eagle on the reverse being typical areas of light impression.

Designed by: Robert Scot
Issue dates: 1804-1807
Composition: 0.8924 part silver, 0.1076 part copper
Diameter: 27.5 mm
Weight: 104 grains
Edge: Reeded
Business strike mintage: 554,900

Today we spied another big deal from Ebay’s coin section. The 1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollar in XF was sold sold for US $10,949.00.

Its a very interesting american coin. Designed by Robert Scot, first half dollar type was introduced in 1794. The coin features a right-facing Liberty bust, hair flying back in the wind, and surrounded by stars. On the reverse is a rather scrawny-looking eagle. wings raised within a wreath.

In 1795, production soared for the Flowing Hair half dollar. The total mintage was recorded as 299, 680. This is the highest mintage of any of the Flowing Hair silver coins, whether dated 1794 or 1795. True, the 1795 half dollar mintage isn’t too much more than the 1795 dollar mintage, recorded at a little over 203,000 pieces. But even with nearly identical mintages, the 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar retails at $650 in Good, while the 1795 Flowing Hair dollar retails at $1,150 in Good. It’s a simple matter of demand—more collectors want the big silver dollar coin than want the smaller half dollar. That will probably always be the case. That means the 1795 half dollar will be your most obtainable Flowing Hair silver type coin, both in terms of availability AND price.

There are actually two major varieties of the 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar. There is the standard 1795 half dollar (the one that retails $650 in Good), and the “3 leaves” type 1795 half dollar which retails $1,050 in Good, $3,000 in Fine. There is also a minor 1795 variety, that being the “recut date” type. This variety retails just a little higher than the standard 1795 half dollar.

The interesting and valuable gold coin was sold on Ebay yesterday. Its a 1799 Draped bust $10 with small stars. This rare coin was sold for US $16,350.01. Collectors were made 24 bids from 13 accounts.

As we know, the eagle, or ten-dollar gold piece, was the highest denomination authorized under the original Mint Act of 1792. This was a very large amount of money at the time, and it was anticipated that only bankers and those engaged in international trade would likely use such coins.

U. S. Mint Engraver Robert Scot created the Draped Bust of Liberty that graced this denomination from 1795 through 1804, excepting that no pieces were coined with the date 1802. His Small Eagle reverse, in which the national bird clutches a wreath in its beak and a palm branch in its talons, was used for less than two years. In 1797, it was transitional with the new Heraldic Eagle reverse. This is an adaptation of the Great Seal of the United States of America, in which the eagle grasps in its beak a banner inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM while its claws hold, respectively, a bundle or arrows and an olive branch.

Some people are so interested in coin collecting> that they are more willing to combine various forms and categories. The reason for this fascination for these coins is the very nature of U.S. coins.

The U.S. Mint carefully crafts U.S coins and over the past 30 years it has minted nearly 300 billion coins.

When the Articles of Confederation gave consent for the different states to create or manufacture their own coins, the U.S. coin collections grew at an unparalleled rate. That is why in the middle of 1780’s, states like Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts started creating various coins unique to their states. This prompted the start of “rare coin collection.”

To know more about U.S. coin collecting, here are some of the basic facts that you must know:

1. It was on 1787 that the primary “federally” approved coin of the U.S. was first made. It was in New Haven, Connecticut where the “Fugio Cent,” the name of the coin, was secretly manufactured.

2. The U.S. Mint is responsible for manufacturing the U.S. coins. The agency uses bands of metal that are rolled into loops, with the right breadth and measurements. Each kind of coin uses a particular kind of metal. For instance, metal strips that are made of zinc are used to manufacture pennies, while nickels are made of a 25% “nickel metal alloy” and 75% copper.

For this reason, U.S. coin collecting is further subdivided into categories such as the U.S cent, U.S. nickel, U.S. dime, etc.

People who would like to start collecting U.S. coins, should learn the intricacies or the hobby and find ways to acquire their first coins.

Gold coins were one of the oldest forms of money. This was later followed by silver coins. Gold coins were in circulation in the United States from 1838 to 1933. The design was the Liberty Head bust but this was only made until 1907. The design was then changed to the Indian Head and Saint Gaudens motifs and was used until 1933 when the Great Depression began. This prompted the recall of gold coins which makes them very difficult to find today.

Since these are no longer in circulation, the price for one of this rare commodity is quite high. Gold is now used for other things such as jewelry or bars that people retain as an investment.

South Africa minted its first gold coin called the Krugerrand in 1967. This coin has no face value but merely stands as a symbol. It is made of 1 ounce of gold and can be purchased for investment purposes.

Since then other countries also minted bullion coins. Canada made the Gold Maple Leaf in 1979 and Australia made the Nugget in 1981. These two are much more popular than the South African coin because of its 24 carat purity.

A lot of people retain gold today as an investment because they speculate that the demand will cause its market value to increase. Others hold it as a form of insurance should the financial situation become worse. There was a point in time when the more paper money that was made, the higher the price of gold which maintained gold and cash as equal value. After this standard ended in 1971, this enabled government to produce more paper currency without increasing the price of gold.

So how should one collect (or start collecting) start collecting the very much in-demand quarters?

For the budget-conscious coin collector

If the collector is concerned with his or her budget, many quarters may be obtained as change from purchases. This is a very convenient and less lifestyle-invasive method of procuring quarters. If the collector is serious, bags of these coins can be purchased from coin dealers. Do not forget to choose those quarters that were not circulated!

How to store quarters

For those just starting a Coin collecting hobby, coins they collect are usually placed inside a large glass jar or bowl. This is perfectly fine. Serious collectors prefer coin storage devices especially made for coins that are available in coin shops and from coin dealers.

How to make quarter-collecting fun and interesting

Children are the perfect people to start a hobby such as Coin collecting, quarters most specifically. Nothing beats the excitement of a new quarter in one’s pocket. Quarters are a unique, as well as a very inexpensive, way to get children interested in history. When they find a new coin, they can research it to find out the details of the state from which the coin came, etc. It is an effective way to have fun while learning.

Coin history

The sequence of how the coins are minted, believe it or not, is based on the order of the states. Basic US history tells us that Delaware was the first state; therefore, this was the first quarter minted. For the sequence of the other states, check the schedule from 1999 to the 2008 of the US Mint.

Collecting quarters is a valuable hobby that has many benefits.

There was a situation where a Chinese coin, a thousand years old, sold for only a few of dollars because there were many of the thousand-year-old Chinese available. Compare this to a coin made only in 1913, a nickel specifically called a Liberty Head, which could sell for (hold your breath) one million dollars! It is known that only five of these coins exist, consequently the enormous monetary value.

Is the coin in good condition?

The better the condition of the coin, the better the price that it would bring on the market, because the grade of the coin would match its condition. A coin that is in mint condition – add to this that it is basically an uncirculated coin – is actually worth one hundred times more than a similar coin that is just in average circulated condition.

Demand and supply

Sometimes, when the demand for a specific coin is high, that coin’s worth – despite the number of them available – is just as high.
Take the example of the coin dated 1916-D, and compare it to the value of a coin dated 1798. Many people prefer to collect coins of the 20th century rather than those that are from the 1700’s. The 1916-D dimes sell higher than the much older 1798 coins. The fact that there are more (approximately four hundred thousand) 1916-D coins than there are dimes from the year 1798 (only about thirty thousand), does little to affect the price of each.

For a synopsis of the price of each coin, the following are the basic values of each cent, penny, or dime in the market.

The United States wheat-cent, the circulated ones

The price of these coins made prior to 1958, or those that are dated 1940, are currently being purchased by coin dealers for two cents each, or less. Those made before 1940 command a much higher price – from a few more cents to a few dollars.

The silver-dollars

Silver-dollars from the US, especially those made before 1935, have almost an ounce of silver in them. These coins are the favorites of coin collectors and could be sold for more than their actual value in silver if they are undamaged or not worn severely.

The dollars of Susan B. Anthony

If by luck you happen to get one of these as a change, the value is more than a dollar and proof Susan B. Anthony dollars command even more. They are not easy to fine as they are not usually being circulated.

Quarters, dollars and halves – the bicentennial kind

There were billions of these coins made out, and because there are so many of them, their worth is usually just face value. There are coin dealers however who pay ten percent of the face value as premium for circulated bicentennial coins, and a few dollars more for those that are uncirculated.

A freak coin

Believe it or not, there are two-headed coins out there. Basically, these are coins with two different designs on each face. These coins were made in error and mistake was not discoverer until the year 2000. This type of coins is usually called “mules”. In 1999, it was found that a cent with Lincoln’s face on one side and Roosevelt’s dime image on the other existed.

It you find a coin of this it must be taken to a legitimate coin dealer and assessed to determine if is genuine. If so, this coin could be put up for auction and command a few dollars more.

Here are some tips that should be considered when buying ancient coins:

1. Conduct a research of ancient coins. It is important that a collector is aware of what coins are considered ancient. It does not require a collector to go to a library since many websites on the Internet can provide all the information needed to become well-informed about ancient coins.

2. There is a wide variety of ancient coins available for collectors. A collector can choose from different eras and civilizations. He can choose from a Chinese civilization, ancient Rome, Greek, Persian, etc. It is preferable for a collector to focus on a specific group or era when collecting coins.

3. Once a selection has been made, a collector may then focus on the buying of these coins. To start select coins that are least expensive –set a price range such as $20. Once the collection grows, he may then want to start buying the more expensive coins.

4. A collector may also try searching for ancient coins at auction houses or online auctions where ancient coins are available. Always be aware of possible fraud no matter which venue you are using and take extra care in buying coins at online auctions.

5. It is also suggested that the collector make a list of the ancient coins that he would like to buy. He can list them according to his order of preference which will make his search for ancient coins an easier task. Included on his list should be the amount he is willing to spend on a certain type of coin. The list will be helpful whether online or at an auction house, enabling him to manage his budget easily.

6. It is important to have a separate holder for his ancient coin collection or his other collections. Separate holders will help the collector organize and preserve his coins. Ancient coins are generally more expensive than other collectible coins so it is necessary for a collector to know the proper care for them.

Ancient coins should not intimidate coin collectors. They are an exciting way to enjoy the hobby of collecting coins. Not only do they provide fun but they serve as a source of knowledge for many coin collectors.