Feb 3 2010

Who are Coin Dealers?

War Coins
I hope that the next article will help you to better understand this topic.

When somebody becomes concerned in collection coins they look for places and people who will be able to sell, and in some cases advise them about, coins. The best people to look for when you want to buy coins for a coin collection are coin dealers. These people are also interested in coins but their interest does not inevitably breed into collection these coins.
A strike bargainers will actively look for diverse types of coins. They will make sure that the character of all the coins that they are thought of purchasing is of a high quality. The grading of coins that is exploited will be looked into as well before the coin dealers agree to purchase any coins. These coin dealers will also bargain the coins only at the current market prices as coins are valued at the time of inspection.

When the coin dealers have found the versatile coins that they feel will be of good value and interest to coin collectors the coin dealers will make sure that they have the info about their new stock noted down. This selective information will admit the country of origin, the year that it was minted, the condition of the coin, the current market price and a brief history of the coins if it can be found.

All of these items are of rate to the coin collector because it helps them to realize the time value of the various coins that they are concerned in buying. Coin dealers unremarkably purchase their coins from rare coin auctions, internet coin shops, coin collectors who are interested in marketing their coins for a take in and fairs where coins are sold in packets.

In some cases you can find coin dealers who have specialty coins only. These could be coins from one period of time. For example you will find coin dealers who stock civil war coins or colonial coins. There will also be coin dealers who have dozens of experience in dealing with foreign coins. These coins too will be looked at to make sure that they are in a condition that will receive mint collectors to come and look at the stock.

When you are in need of having your coins valued you will generally want a reputable coin dealer looking at these coins. The knowledgeable coin dealers will be able to give you a fair price for the different coins in your collection unless the coins are worthless… for further information, please check our web site by following our link below…

Thank you for taking you time to read through this information if you’re concerned in gathering more knowledge please continue to search this site.



Jan 4 2010

At What Condition are American Coins Considered Valuable?

War Coins
There are lots of different American coins to be found and if you are interested in history you can even collect these American coins. The best way to understand what types of American coins are good to have in a coin collection is by finding material that will provide you with this information.

One such resource that will let you see the American coins that coin collectors want in their coin collections is that of the internet. From this you can find many pages that will tell you what sort of condition your American coins must be in to be considered as being valuable. You will also have to find information that deals with the American coins that were used in the civil war and pre-civil war times. As these types of rare American coins do come on to the coin market once in a while it will help if you can identify them.

Of course these American coins are not the only coins that are considered as being good to have in a coin collection. There are others such as a dime piece that was issued almost at the very beginning of the formation of the United States. You may also want to look in coin shops for American coins that have unusual face designs or small mistakes on them.

Some of these errors are what makes any coin including American coins valuable for coin collectors. You can learn all about the various ways that coins are graded for finding out their values. This information will help when you start seriously collecting coins. As there are many different types of American coins that you can buy you will need to recognize the characteristics that are the hallmark of valuable coins.

While many people store their coins in coin folders you may want to have a coin folder that will hold all of the American coins that you have in your collection. This way you can see the various changes that have occurred to these different denominations. You may want to start filling your coin folder with American coins that are from one period of time. For instance as Kennedy coins are somewhat hard to find you may to see what other coins from that period of time have unusual histories.

Coin collecting is one of the more enjoyable Money that you can embark on. Looking at the various coins will reveal small slivers of history that you may never have even known about. American coins are a testament to the history that has passed us by without our even knowing.



Nov 29 2009

The Parameters Used by Coin Dealers to Ascertain Coin Value

War Coins
When someone becomes interested in collecting coins they look for places and people who will be able to sell, and in some cases advise them about, coins. The best people to look for when you want to buy coins for a coin collection are coin dealers. These people are also interested in coins but their interest does not necessarily extend into collecting these coins.

A coin dealer will actively look for various types of coins. They will make sure that the quality of all the coins that they are thinking of buying is of a high quality. The grading of coins that is used will be looked into as well before the coin dealers agree to buy any coins. These coin dealers will also buy the coins only at the current market prices as coins are valued at the time of inspection.

When the coin dealers have found the various coins that they feel will be of good value and interest to coin collectors the coin dealers will make sure that they have the information about their new stock noted down. This information will include the country of origin, the year that it was minted, the condition of the coin, the current market price and a brief history of the coins if it can be found.

All of these items are of value to the coin collector because it helps them to understand the value of the various coins that they are interested in buying. Coin dealers usually buy their coins from rare coin auctions, internet coin shops, coin collectors who are interested in selling their coins for a profit and fairs where coins are sold in packets. From these places the coin dealers have a good chance at selecting good value coins that they will be able to sell to coin collectors who are interested in those coin types.

In some cases you can find coin dealers who have specialty coins only. These could be coins from one period of time. For instance you will find coin dealers who stock civil war coins or colonial coins. There will also be coin dealers who have lots of experience in dealing with foreign coins. These coins too will be looked at to make sure that they are in a condition that will invite coin collectors to come and look at the stock.

When you are in need of having your coins valued you will generally want a reputable coin dealer looking at these coins. The knowledgeable coin dealers will be able to give you a fair price for the different coins in your collection unless the coins are worthless, in which case you can just chalk these coins up to a way of learning about coins and how coin dealers rate them. After all with so many coins to collect, you’re bound to find some coins in your collection that aren’t worth as much as you thought they were.



Sep 16 2009

Not All Silver is Created Equally

War Coins
When investing in silver or buying silver bullion coins, on of the toughest choices to make is which type of silver to buy.  You may decide to buy silver and, knowing nothing about the different types of silver coins, end up with a sub-par investment with a premium price tag.  This is a big mistake so it is highly recommended you take a few minutes to educate yourself on the different types of physical silver and know what you are really paying for.  Your precious metals investment portfolio (and your pocketbook) will thank you for it.

First things first.  There are many different phrases associated with silver and these terms will usually tell you the purity of the silver.  It is important to know how pure your silver is (aka, how much silver the coins or bullion actually contain).  You don’t want to pay for pure silver if the coins contain anything less than pure silver.  This may sound like common sense but knowing what you’re getting can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Silver War Nickels

Don’t be fooled by the name.  Just because someone calls them “silver”, doesn’t mean “war nickels” contain as much silver as other silver coins.  In fact, a silver war nickel (minted in the U.S. from 1942-1945 and called “war” nickels because of WWII) contains only 35% silver.  The rest of the coin is made from copper and manganese.  So if someone tries to sell you an ounce of silver war nickels and wants the same price as an ounce of pure silver, you can be sure the investment is a poor one.  There’s no reason to pay for the full weight of the coin in silver prices when the majority of metal you receive is copper.  On the other hand, because of the low silver content in war nickels, their “premium” (the amount charged above and beyond the “spot price” of silver) is relatively low.  There just isn’t as much demand for the coins and thus coin shops and bullion dealers can’t charge much “extra” for them.

40% Silver Coins

These coins are just as the name implies – they contain 40% silver.  Thus, they should cost roughly 40% of what a pure silver coin can be purchased for.  I say “roughly” because each coin carries a premium, and the premium can be different depending on the type of coin, numismatic (collector) value, the purity (silver content) and many other variables.  Just keep in mind that if you buy 40% silver coins, the price should be reflecting of this.  The most popular 40% silver coins are U.S. Kennedy half dollars that were minted from 1965-1969.  (Note that other half dollars may contain more silver – as noted below, and some contain no silver at all)

I’d also like to mention “silver” Eisenhower dollars here.  While there are some silver “Ike” dollars that contain 40% silver – these were only made as “uncirculated” collector’s items or included in “proof” sets.  Ironically, a typical Eisenhower “silver” dollar contains no silver at all.  It’s mostly made of copper!

90% Silver Coins

Again, these coins are just as the name implies – they contain 90% silver.  This includes all U.S. dimes, quarters and half dollars minted before 1965.  It also includes silver Morgan Dollars and silver Peace Dollars (which were minted until 1935).  It’s interesting to note that the older silver dollars do not contain an ounce of silver, even though some shady individuals will try to sell them as “silver 1oz dollars”.  In reality they contain approximately ¾ of an ounce of silver, give or take depending on the condition of the coins.

Non-U.S. Silver Coins

Old coins from many different countries contain silver.  However there are way too many countries in the world and way to many silver coins with varying silver content to cover them all here.  Keep in mind if you buy a foreign (outside the U.S.) silver coin, the silver content is not always the same for each country and does not exceed 90% (since a pure silver coin is not considered durable enough to endure the abuse and wear of being circulated).

Sterling Silver

Here’s an interesting silver investment – sterling.  Some people confuse “sterling” silver with “pure” silver, and even more sellers are happy to let you make that assumption.  Be extra careful when purchasing sterling silver since many people will price it as high as pure silver.  Again, sterling silver is not pure silver, it contains 92.5% silver and the price should be reflective of this.

Pure Silver or Bullion Silver

Ok, now we’re up to pure silver, but even here not all silver is created equal.  Finding 100% pure silver is almost impossible, most likely because no bullion dealers want to guarantee the precious metal contains no impurities whatsoever.  Instead, most “pure” silver is 99.9% pure, meaning it’s about as good as you can get.  In most cases the word “bullion” and “pure” are interchangeable, but again there are unscrupulous individuals who want nothing more than to take your money so make sure to check the silver content before purchasing bullion silver.  Bullion and pure silver coins and bars usually have the purity marked right on the metal.

Canadian maple leaf silver coins have gone one step further and added another “9” to their purity.  They are guaranteed to be 99.99% pure silver by the Canadian mint.

I hope this overview and primer on coins and their silver content has been informative and given you more confidence in making a silver investment.  While we couldn’t cover all types of silver coins and their content, this should give you a head start and enough informational ammo to ensure you’re getting what you pay for with your next silver purchase.

Good luck and happy investing.



Sep 9 2009

Coin Shops are the Best Way to Get Good Quality Coins

War Coins
Coins are for the most part very fascinating items to collect. And for the interested coin collector, this is one of the best ways to understand the various conditions in history that resulted in the coins being minted. While there are many ways that you can buy coins for a coin collection the best way to get good quality coins in which to begin your coin collection is with coin shops.

These coin shops will have lots of different coins that can be sold, displayed for personal or business reasons, and the coin chops will have people who are knowledgeable about coins. In some cases the person who is selling and buying various coins in the coin shops will also be coin collectors themselves. This means that you will find a person who shares your interest in coins.

Sometimes when you go to coin shops you can ask these coin dealers if they will see what your coin collection is like. The coin appraisals that are carried out in coin shops are different from one coin shop to another. This situation arises because the coin grading is based on the knowledge that is known to the coin dealers. As you will find as many honest coin shops as you will dishonest coin shops, it is always best to look for a coin shop with a good reputation.

When you go to the various coin shops that are in your area you should look at what type of coins they have in stock. As you may like to add more civil war or colonial time coins to your collection you can look for coin shops that sell these coins in addition to buying them.

There will also be occasions when you will find coin shops that buy, sell and deal with coins of a certain metal. As there are some coins that are made from gold, silver and platinum you should see if these coin shops can locate dealers or con collectors who will be able to sell you these coins.

Of course you will be able to find online coin shops as well. These coin shops are supposed to make life easier for the coin collector. While they are convenient for you to choose the coins that you want for your collection from the comfort of your own home, you will have no way at looking at the coins and seeing if you will want them in your collection.

There are also times when you may fall victim to coin shops which have very little experience in selling coins. These types of coin shops are ones that you should avoid as you will be swindled out of our money.

Paying top dollar for low value coins is not the way you want to go. So, as with anything in life, you should look carefully at the reputation of the coin shops which you’re looking at to purchase coins, before making any final decision.