The 1957 Silver Certificate is a type of paper currency that was once minted in the United States, equal and redeemable for an equal amount of silver bullion. This $1 certificate was part of what was known as the small-note series. Beginning with the 1928 series, all United States paper currency was reduced in size to cut costs and to speed up the pace of transactions.
Before 1934, silver certificates were redeemable for actual Silver Dollars. However, Congress passed legislation in 1934 that allowed the government to exchange a certificate for silver bullion and not specifically silver dollars.
In the 1940′s and 1950′s, silver certificates began to disappear from circulation. The number of notes in circulation depended upon the amount of silver bullion that was contained in the vaults of the U.S. Treasury. Less silver was being produced. So, when a note was redeemed for silver bullion or dollars, it was shredded. It could not be put back into circulation unless the amount of silver being produced was increased.
The 1957 Silver Certificate is one of the most common certificate dates. There are many rare silver certificates that are valued at more than $200. This is not the case with the 1957 version. According to the most recent Black Book figures, the retail value for this particular date is perhaps $5.00 or $6.00 in crisp, uncirculated condition. In circulated condition, it is worth just a little over face value.
Always keep in mind that the figures quoted in various coin books are for retail value. A dealer would tend to offer less, anywhere from twenty to forty percent lower than the retail price.
Christina Goldman
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/silver-certificates-how-much-is-a-1957-silver-certificate-worth-702464.html
There are a lot of resources which will help numismatists, new or old, in deciding the worth and value of coins they’ve.
There are books released, “The Red Book” (guidebook of U.S.A.’s Coin), “The Blue Book” (An Handbook of USA’s Coins), also as coin broadcasts and catalogues accessible at any common or private library, traders/stores of coins anywhere in the USA There are also web guidebooks for the costs of US coins for sale on the net, especially the NumisMedia site.
This site provides a synopsis for the price of all coins, following is basic values of every cent, dime or cent in the marketplace.
The U.S. wheat-cent, the distributed ones
The cost of all these coins which were made before 1958, or those which are dated to 1940, are presently being bought by dealers for 2 cents each, or lesser. But, those made prior to 1940 get a much greater price – from a couple of more cents to some more dollars.
Silver-dollars
US’ Silver-dollars particularly those made prior to 1935 have about an oz. of silver in it. These are the favorites of numismatists and may be traded for much more than their true value in terms of silver if they’re intact or not worn badly.
The dollars of Anthony B Susan
If by some luck you get one from these as an change, its price is more than one dollar and professor Anthony B Susan dollars command even a lot more. They’re not easy to find as they’re not commonly being passed around.
Quarters, halves and dollars – the bicentennial kind
Billions of these were made, and as there are a lot of them, their value is commonly only their nominal value. There are dealers however who bear one-tenth of the nominal value as exchange premium for circulated bicentenary coins, and a couple of dollars more for coins which are not circulated.
Freaky coins
Believe it or don’t, there are coins having two heads out there! Fundamentally, these are mints with 2 different designs on every side. These coins were done in mistake and fault wasn’t discovered till the year 2000. These types of coins are called as “mules”. It was found in 1999 that a centime with Abraham Lincoln’s face on a particular side and Roosevelt’s image existed on the other.
If you find this type coin it should be taken to an authorized coin trader and valuated to check if it’s genuine. If so, the coin can be put for an auction and bid a couple of dollars extra.
It’s thus true that one coin is fundamentally worth more than gathers the eye.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/coin-collection-sale-how-to-determine-the-right-price-739684.html
As a precatice coins generally have some identification mark indicating the mint where it was struck. These are refered to as mint marks. This practice appears to be quite old — coins from the Roman or Greek civilizations also show marks.
In united States, the mint marks were stamped on the reverse side of the coin prior to 1965, however, after 1967 they were got shifted to the front side. Looking at the mint marks, one can tell where they got “manufactured”.
The rules for categorizing and differentiating coins produced in different US mints are set by the Director of the Mint via the march 3, 1835 Act. He is also responsible for setting standards for quality as well as quantity of coin production in the US.
Mint marks were introduced at the Philadelphia mint in the year 1979 for the dollar coins; the earlier coins from here did not bear mint marks. Later the marks were introduced to other denomination coins also.
The mint marks are placed on the coin discs before they are shipped for producing the finished coins at the designated mint locations. The exact placing of the mint marks can vary slightly depending on the force and location of the punch.
Utility of mint marks
You can judge the worth of a coin by looking at the condition of the mint mark along with other factors. Another important use of mint marks is that they identify the location (of the mint) where the coin originated. Sometimes this can also be a factor in determining the coin’s worth.
The minting process
1. Preparation of the metal strip with correct thickness: For pennies, zinc strip is used while alloy strips are used for coins of one dollar, half dollar, dime and nickel. Half Dimes are made by coating a copper thin strip with alloy on both sides — kind of copper sandwich.
2. Preparing round blanks: The strips are cut into round discs, roughly the size of the finished coins
3. Softening the blank rounds: The round blanks are the softened and cleaned by exposing them to higher temperatures in an annealing furnace, putting them in the tumbling barrels and finally into moving cylinders containing some chemicals.
4 Making raised rims: After washing the blanks are dried and fed to an upsetting machine to make raised rims.
5. Making coins: Finally, the finished coins are produced by inserting the blanks into a holding collar and striking with high pressure. Pennies are pressed with a pressure of roughly 40 tons. Higher pressure is required for larger coins. Both sides of the blanks are stamped simultaneously with the upper and the lower dies.
Design of the US coins
The design of the US coins is selected by the Director of the Mint, followed by approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. the US Congress can also suggest or recommend a design. Once approved, the coin design can’t change for next 25 years unless the Congress approves it.
Currently all US coins feature past presidents of the country, eg., the one-cent coins feature President Lincoln since 1909; the five cent coins feature Jefferson since 1938; Franklin Roosevelt was introduced on the dime in 1946; the Half Dollars show Kennedy minted first in 1964; washington on the quarter dollar coins since 1932.
The “fifty States Quarters Program” or “Act of 1997″ allows the Quarters to be redesigned . The back side of the quarter dollar coin will feature emblems of all the US states one after the other. During 1999 to 2008, each year five states will be honored by issuing quarter coins with designs created by them — the states being chosen in the same sequence they signed the consitution
“In God We Trust” was first used on a US 2-cent coin in 1864. By 1866, it found its way on to US nickel, quarter, half-dollar, dollar and on the five-, ten- and twenty- dollar coins. It moved on to the penny in 1909 and on the dime in 1916. Now you find this phrase on all US coins.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/minting-facts-revealed-learn-more-about-minting-money-739665.html
There is a category of coins called bullion coins. These are high value coins. Not only do their supply is limited, they originate in special places such as shipwrecks, sunk ships found at the sea-bed, or from excavation sites where signs of some past habitation has been discovered, etc. There are people who collect such precious coins. Here we describe bullion categories based on the metals and each metal you have sub-categories.
1. Silver Bullion
Silver coins are among the best known bullion coins. They are quite popular and belong to the category of expensive collectible items. Internet has many sites selling them online along with other expensive items.
Another high priced coin popularly showcased on online websites is the silver ingot. It is believed to have been recovered froma treasure wreck such as the sunk Spanish ship, Atocha which contained treasure and artifacts; silver ingots were found among them. Another theory is that they came from some dilapidated Colorado Mines where miners had hidden them.
The officially sealed Maple Leaf silver coins, from the Royal Canadian Mint, are also fashionable among coin collectors. Then you have Half Dollars featuring the Walking Liberty, or a dealer roll of first strike 1994 American Eagles, besides Masterpieces from Franklin Mint.
2. Gold Bullian
For people who collect gold bullion, there are well known gold coins known as Krugerrands from South Africa. Among other popular options you have the European Gold Crowns of the period between late 1800s to early 1900s, the Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins and the American Eagle coins. You may also want to go for British sovereigns, Swiss Helveteas, or the French Roosters. These are available on Internet.
Also available online are 10-ounce Swiss gold bar, American eagle proof set and the China Gold Panda set. You can also look for gold bullion in the American Eagle, Rounds, Bars, Mixed Lots and in other categories of coins on the Internet.
3. Platinum Bullion
This is the least common form of bullion compared to the other two. Notable platinum bullion comes in Eagle sets, the French Statue of Liberty coins and Koala proofs. Recently, some safety vaults of the collapsed World Trade Center have yielded a crucible dish made from platinum bullions, an Engelhard platinum bar, and the Johnson Matthew Year of the Dragon coins.
4. Bullion as Special Gift
If you wish your bullion collection can provide thoughtful gifts for spaecial occasions like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc. for your dear ones. For example, a bullion bar can be a unique birthday gift if it features a happy birthday greetings. Likewise, say for a wedding anniversary, you may select bullion featuring the wedding year. A bride may expect 24-karat gold or silver flakes as her wedding gift from her groom.
How to buy bullion coins
Buying bullion coins can be highly expensive. Here is a check-list of what to do when buying bullion coins:
1. Decide on what type of bullion you want to buy beforehand.
2. Try finding out the preference of the person for who you want to buy and ask if he/she can accompany you for purchase.
3. Find out the delivery cost and estimate the total cost.
4. Ensure that the seller will deliver in time, particularly while ordering online.
5. Don’t make instant payments.
6. Investigate the seller’s background and his reputation.
No doubt bullion coins are expensive, but they can be used beautifully to express intimate sentiments on special occasions in one’s life. No other form of gift can do that so beautifully.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/4-bullion-coin-facts-6-exciting-tips-to-purchase-them-right-739661.html
When you are looking to buy coins or to sell them as well, the first thing that comes to mind is determining the real values of the coins in question. At times the offer a dealer makes would mean nothing compared to how much you personally value it – after all the coin becomes much more valuable to you if it is going to complete a series.
These factors determine the value -
1. Speaking about the condition or quality of the coin, the coins which are not used in the market wand if they are in still good condition will be more valuable than the coins which are in the market.
2. Coin is most valuable when it is not very much available in other words rare. The price of the coin depends on how rare the coin is we should remember that when a coin is rare it need not be very old aged coin the coins from china are very old coins like thousand and more years of age but each goes for a cost value of just ten dollars as they are lots in number; where as a liberty head nickel coin from 1913 has a cost value of more than one million $ because of the only reason that there are a few of such coins present.
3. Bullion value. Value of coins also depends on the quality it is made of. The coins which are made platinum or silver and some times gold will not, in general have a selling price less than the coins value when melted.
4. The higher the demand of a coin the higher is their prices and these prices are decided by the people in business. Coins which have higher values are those which are really very famous between these people who deal with them.
For example, a coin from 1916 the D Dimes are more in number than the coins from the year 1798 dimes. Still in spite of this the coins from 1916 the D dimes have more selling value because the number of individuals collecting twentieth century dimes than coins from 1700 dimes.
The following are the ways to determine the value of a rare coin:
1. its very important the way you can precisely and very accurately classify the coins and then also know it’s true value. This can be done by using the net as a source of information from the various guides available online to know what coin has what specific value.
As every single day the prices of these coins changes and so it becomes very necessary to have a track of their new values. It’s best if you can find the best guide to coin rates to vlaue your collection. Once you have the real valid value in mind, you can obviously trade much more efficiently.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/valuing-your-coins-tips-to-determine-their-right-price-739678.html
I want to start collecting coins, what should I buy to keep them in? I have a few already but they are in a tupperware container lol.
Also any tips you can give me?
(also what’s the coolest coin you have? =) )
Thanks!
All of the chinese zodiac coins are beautiful!
To see just what is available in U.S coin albums and holders go to www.brooklyngallery.com they are a large dealer in coin and stamp supplies. See what you like and can afford. As for interesting coins I have a lot for I collect historical coins. One of my favorites is my Fugio cent the first coin issued by authority of the United States. I also like my ancient Chinese coins. I have more than one favorite coins.
I am doing a science project and I wanted to corrode some pennies then I am going to see what cleans the Pennies the best. So any ideas to corrode them?
Try to lay them in hydrochloric acid for a couple hours, that will definately corrode them quickly!
If it is going too fast then dilute the hydrochloric acid, if it is too slow then use/find more concentrated hydrochloric acid.
Don’t put them in water with salt (saline water) because this will still take ages for them to corrode, for that to work you would need to put electricity on your pennies that will speed it up.
By the way any other acid will also work like sulphuric acid (battery acid).
If you have kids who are into coin collecting, you can help them realize the full potential of their interest by teaching them more about the matter and explaining to them the implications, as well as the many wonders, of coin collecting both as an art and a possible money-making hobby. Coin collecting for kids should be fun and exciting – a learning experience that your kid could enjoy in many ways.
Like adults that are new at coin collecting, kids should be taught some of the basic FAQs and their corresponding answers. This way, they’ll have at least a relatively solid idea about what coin collecting is all about. A kid who embarks on coin collecting without spending any time or effort to study the hobby and the market is just like any other lazy and ignorant coin collector who is sure to end up wasting precious money on problem, counterfeit, or overly graded coins. Of course, you’d want to spare your kid from that kind of heartbreak, so pile up the questions and explain on the answers well.
Perhaps one of the first things your kid will ask you regarding his newfound hobby – coin collecting for kids – is where to start. These days, you can find several coin clubs that have kids as members. You can have your kid join one coin club where he can learn about coin collecting and where to get material for his own coin collection. The great thing about it is, your kid is sure to make new friends who will share his interest and with whom he can develop his hobby.
The first coins your kid can have for his coin collection are those in circulation. This will make getting started easier; however, you should remind him to avoid spending his coins. The next coins he can collect may come from a variety of sources, including coin shops, coin shows, flea markets, bazaars, craft fairs, mail order, and from sites on the Internet. If your kid’s coin collection is growing steadily and impressively, you could take him to auctions – the most elite source of collectible coins even to this day.
Major specialty auction firms put the rarest and most expensive coins up for grabs. You can even find some auctions being conducted online, making attendance easier and more convenient. Before placing your bid, you should make sure that the auction you’re joining is credible and that you check first the record of the seller. Bids can be pretty steep in auctions, so don’t join them if you don’t have the budget, your kid’s coin collection is not yet that noteworthy, or your kid has not yet shown his commitment to the hobby. Furthermore, once your kid shows genuine interest in the hobby, you can encourage him to trade or buy coins from other coin collectors. From the start, coin collecting for kids can be an adventure you and your kid can go through together.
Naturally, in coin collecting for kids, the proper handling of coins should be taught.
Gareth Bray
That is, the Old ones. Try to look under the old cupboard, or up the loft where grandmother or grandfather’s things might be cached away with patience awaiting you to reveal them all. Who knows, you may find a coin there, an aged coin that – at present – may worth some dollars; probably 3 or 4 or 5, even 10 times the coin’s was back then.
1. A cent a day, is deserving
Luckily or unluckily, there was a deficit of copper on 1943 and all coins made at that point of time were coined using steel. However, there were some Lincoln coins which were incorrectly minted using bronze that came out to be the blanks. A couple of years – or even some decades later -these types of bronze coins became rare and are worthy. The steel ones, since they are common, are worth in between one to 3 dollars only.
Be careful and be on one’s guard as there are systems where naive numismatologists are traded coins which are plated with copper in an effort to make these coins look like bronze. Also, be aware at anytime when someone gives you and circa 1943 coin made up of white metallic alloy.
2. Old is good
Coins, especially the silver dollars which were made and spread during 1878 and 1935, are worth between 12 dollars and 25 dollars for the spread coins. The coins that are not circulated now are worth more.
Meantime, the Quarters, Dimes, or fifty-cent coins made and distributed before 1965, are commonly made out of 90 percent silver and so worth as very much like present day’s silver (with an extra premium, albeit minuscule, put on the penny’s nominal value).
3. Wrong is right
There’s a Lincoln cent issued during 1972 in which the letters and the date on it appear to be doubled. This uncommon coin is presently worth about 60 dollars, presuming the coins are in acceptable condition. The Mint of Philadelphia during that time misaligned the die, which was used in coining the coins making the portrait of Abraham Lincoln to look like, doubled, accidentally. Luckily or unluckily, 80 thousand of these coins were diffused before the fault was known.
In compact, numismatics is similar to accumulating trivia and bits of history from the ancient times. In summation to the nominal value it’s valuable as a treasure – coins, dimes and Pennies – often are more valuable in the longer run.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/3-great-joys-of-collecting-coins-739695.html
When just beginning in coin collecting, often the first question is: “What is the value of my coins?: and the answer is that the coin will cost as much as you are willing to pay for it and the amount can vary greatly. For example, a coin dealer’s offer can be considerably less than a coin collector that really wants your coin badly to add in his or her collection.
Here are some factors that go into finding the true value of a coin.
- Grade or condition of the coin. Your coin will be worth or valued more when it is in good condition. When in a perfect or unblemished mint condition, an “uncirculated” coin will be worth many times more than a similar coin that has been in circulation.
- The rarity of a coin is the principal basis for a coins value. Generally, the rarer that a coin is found to be, the higher it is priced. Do keep in mind that rarity has very little influence on the coins age. Chinese coins are a thousand years old normally sell for about ten dollars since there are so many of them; while a “1913 Liberty Head Nickel” can sell for up to or over a million dollars because only five specimens are known to be in existence.
- What is the Demand? There are coins that are greatly in demand; sought after by many collectors, and if that a particular coin is in great demand the price will be even higher. Even comparatively plentiful coins can mandate higher value when they are popular with coin collectors.
- Coin Bullion value. A coin’s precious metal content can help determine its value. A platinum, gold or silver coin will not, in general sell for less than the coins value when melted.
For example, “1916 D dimes” are much more common than the “1798 dimes” yet in spite of this, “1916 D dimes” sell for so much more because there are many more individuals collecting 20th century dimes than 1700 Dimes.
Here’s how you can determine the approximate value of your coin:
- Properly, accurately, and correctly recognize and classify your coin, and know the to place value on that coin. You can do this successfully by examining your coin in a catalogue or online with the “coin price guide”; this will give you an idea of the going rate and price of your particular coin and you can determine the approximate value of your coin.
Everyday coin values are changing; so you need to use a “coin price guide” that is updated on a daily basis to obtain the current coin value. Look at online sites that offer step by step guidance on how to recognize your coin the proper way.
- Grade your coin based on your thorough observation and examination of its current condition.
- Consult coin catalogues for a list of retail prices in or estimates of your coins retail value. “A Guide Book of United States Coins”, popularly known as “The Red Book” to coin dealers and collectors, provides information on retail coin prices for US coins and is available in libraries, coin shops and bookstores. “The Standard Catalog of World Coins” (in volumes) is a guide commonly used by coin dealers and collectors as well, to provide information on world coins and is available in many public libraries.
You can also check current coin prices by basing it on the actual dealer coin price found in magazines and newspapers or online auctions such as Yahoo, Coin World, eBay or Teletrade.
Always keep in mind that you are not collecting coins primarily for money; you collect for enjoyment and self gratification, and profit is to be last consideration. The plain fact that a certain coin does not have a large monetary value, does not necessarily suggest that it is no longer interesting or fascinating or that it must not be included in your collection.
Each coin will have a certain interest in itself, regardless of the condition that it is in and regardless of its monetary value. There will always be a certain characteristic that will draw you to that particular coin; so when it does, then you should have it in your collection. Good luck!
Mandy Malone
http://www.articlesbase.com/collecting-articles/what-affects-the-value-of-a-coin–669698.html