Old Coins

Regardless the origin all coins are pretty much similar: they have “Heads” and “Tales.” If a coin has portraits on both sides, then the “Head” is the one with a date or the name of the country. The third side of coin is the “edge” which may be lettered, reeded, ornate or just plain. These signs help to identify coins. For instance most of ancient coins have a plain edge while coins from 19th century have reeded edge.

How do you identify the origin of coins? Some coins may have square holes in the center. The origin of these coins usually is China, Japan and Korea and they were made in 15th century or earlier. Some coins originating from countries with unique alphabet are the most difficult to identify. However other signs and symbols can help you to get an idea. For example, almost all coins from the Tibet area have a lotus sign.

What are old coins worth worth? If you got an old coin and you think its valuable, there is an easy way to get an accurate estimation of the value of your coin. You can visit the “What’s it Worth” site and then go from there. There are some very rare US coins that have a fantastic value. The most expensive coin was US 1933 Double Eagles which was auctioned off on July 30, 2002 for $6.6 million and sold for $7,590,020. The next is 1894-S Barber Dime, which was sold for $1.9 million recently. The most expensive cent is 1793 Chain cent worth of $275,000.