Seated Liberty Half Dollar Guide

This Seated Liberty Half Dollar guide is designed to help those that are not fully aware of this beautiful coin why it is so cherished. This coin was minted between 1839 and 1891. The seated Lady Liberty appearing on the half dollar was the last denomination to have her placed there. The first was the silver dollar in 1936.

This series of coins were being minted when the motto “In God We Trust” began to appear on American coins. This was in response to the heart ache and loss of so many Americans during the civil war. This motto started to appear in 1866 on the reverse of this coin.

In that first year, 1939, there were 2 versions of the coin. The one with the drape on the lady’s elbow is worth 2 to 10 times more than a comparable version without one.  Another rarity was the 1853 coin. This was the only year there were rays in the back side behind the eagle.

One unusual fact of this coin has to be mentioned. There were three different weights but the diameter remained the same. From 1839 to 1853, the coin weighed 13.36g. From 1853 to 1873 the weight of the coins was 12.44g. From 1873 to 1891 the weight was increased to 12.50g.

This coin was minted at the same time of the Morgan Silver Dollar. At the Philadelphia mint, a majority of the resources were transferred to their minting. That makes all the Seated Liberty half dollars minted during this period at the Philadelphia mint very rare.

For most that enjoy coin collecting, the CC or Carson City-minted coins are popular since this mint no longer exists, and there is a connection to the Wild West. But there are others that are worth watching out for. An extremely rare coin is the 1878 S which only a few are known to exist. Another rare coin where only 5 are known to still be with us is the 1853 O with no arrows at the date and no rays on the back.

I hope this Seated Liberty Half Dollar guide gives you a better appreciation for this coin.

For additional resources on coins, please see Collecting Roman Coins. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve our site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

Collecting Roman Coins

If you have ever dreamed of collecting Roman coins, then you will surely be jealous of an Englishman this month. The actual discovery of 52,500 old Roman coins was made in April of this year, but the official announcement was held off until they knew exactly what they had.

What actually took place was the dream of every coin collector and anyone that has the hobby of metal detecting, as Dave Crisp does. Dave is the man that was using a metal detector in a field in the southwestern part of England, near Frome, Somerset.

At first, only 21 coins were found, but this was just the start of the discovery. Upon digging down some more, Dave found a pot full of old Roman coins. Knowing the historical significance of the find, he contacted the archaeologist from the Somerset County Council.

With professional help, a food storage pot was unearthed that contained nearly 350 pounds of ancient Roman coins. To date, this is the single, largest find in a pot, and the second largest find in the UK of all time.

All of the coins date from 253 AD to 293 AD and were minted in England by the Roman Empire during the reign of Marcuse Aurelilius Carausius, who ruled England from 286 Ad to 293 Ad.

The coins were made of silver and bronze. This is more evidence why coin collecting should include coins made of more than just gold.

The reason the coins were buried is unknown. There is speculation it was a gift to the Roman gods or for safe keeping against being stolen during an invasion. For whatever reason, they remained buried until 2010. They laid buried there for 1,717 years undiscovered.

Collecting Roman coins from this hoard might be permitted. But a decision on whether this find is subject to the Treasury Act of 1996 is being held on July 22, 2010. After that, they might be for sale.

For additional resources on coins, please see US Mint Direct Ship Program. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve our site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

US Mint Direct Ship Program

The US Mint Direct Ship Program for the $1 coin was established to promote the use of the coin dollar. This program was established so people could have the dollar coin shipped to their home at no charge. The quantities that will be shipped can be either in $1000, $500, or $250 lots.

The type of coins available for this program is the Presidential $1 coins and the Native American $1 coins. From the time of the order, it will take 2 weeks for the coins to arrive. They will arrive in boxes containing 25 rolls of coins.

Because of abuse of the program, special restrictions have been placed on the purchase of the coins with credit cards. There were reports that individuals were making purchases of $10,000 of the $1 coins to receive bonus air miles and bonus points on their credit cards, and then depositing the coins in the bank when they arrived. To prevent this, the charges on the credit card will now be considered a cash advance and no bonus points or miles will be rewarded.

This program is to promote the use of the $1 coins and for them to be placed in circulation where the general public can use them.  This is the reason the US government is paying for the postage. The hope is that the use of this coin in vending machines, retail transactions, and mass transit exchanges will become common and used by more people.

If you do not intend to place the coins in circulation, then you are discouraged from placing an order in the US Mint Direct Ship Program for the $1 coin. These coins are not intended for coin collecting purposes.

For additional resources on coins, please see America the Beautiful Proof Sets. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve our site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

America the Beautiful Proof Sets

The launch of sales for the America the Beautiful Proof Sets started just about a month ago. At the present time there are both the standard proof set and the silver proof sets available for purchase directly from the US Mint.

The 2010 United States America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set (Q5A) is available for sale for $14.95. They are made up of blanks that consist of 8.33% nickel and 91.66% cooper. These blanks are feed thru press twice to give them more detail than the coins in circulation. Then they are polished o a high luster finish. These are only minted at the San Francisco mint that is evident with the mark S on them.

The 2010 United States America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set (SV2) is available for sale for $32.95. These blanks are made of 90% pure silver that has a total weight of silver at 0.904 ounces. Just like the regular proof sets, the silver proof sets are only minted at the San Francisco mint.

At the present time both sets have sold over 100,000 units to the public for coin collecting purposes. These figures were helped since both sets had advance orders of over 70,000 units before they were available to the public.

The quarters included in both sets are the 2010 Hot Springs National Park, 2010 Yellowstone National Park, 2010 Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park and the Mount Hood National Park Quarters. 

If a set of the circulation coins is more to your liking, the cost of a set of 5 is at $9.99. But since 3 of the coins have yet to be minted and there might be a limited minting of one of the coins, there is no guarantee they will ever be made available directly from the mint.

This is the latest updated news on the America the Beautiful Proof Sets for 2010.

For additional resources on coins please see How to Photograph Coins. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site please leave them. Thank You for visiting.

How to Photograph Coins

Knowing how to photograph coins is not as straight forward as many might think. The variables that must be correct are the focus and lighting of the subject. With the introduction of the digital camera, this has become easier.

Before, with 35mm cameras, a special lens would be needed for close-ups or a zoom lens. The problem with a zoom is that it introduces more variables. A close up lens allows for a sharper and clearer image to appear.

With many of the modern Digital cameras, there is more than one lens incorporated into the camera itself. The standard lens allows for a clear shot at approximately 12 inches while the close-up lens can focus on the coin even when only 2 inches away. Some cameras call this the macro setting or have a figure of a flower.

Next, because you will be taking a shot of such a small object where the maximum detail is desired, the camera should not be held. Even the smallest amount of movement could ruin the picture. This is when a tripod is very useful.

Choosing the right background can make the difference on how well the coin will appear. Shiny coins look best with a dark or black background. For a tarnished or dull finished coin, a brighter background would be best, like white.

The material to be used for the background should not endanger the coin or its finish. For this reason, a soft cloth in the appropriate color would do, like a t-shirt.

The lighting is very crucial. The flash should be disabled because you will not be able to control it, and at such a short distance, will not be even. Sunlight would be best just as long as it is not direct. The point is to have an even distribution of light on the coin without causing shadows. A small aperture setting could assist in this effort.

The focus should start with the zoom all the way out, and then get the camera as close as possible while remaining in focus. The zoom will affect the outcome and should be avoided, if possible.

Set the focus and take the picture. Those that are into coin collecting might wish to take several shots so they have a choice of which picture turns out the best. This is the best way to know how to photograph coins from your collection or someone else’s.

For additional resources on coins, please see Yellowstone Quarter. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve our site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

Yellowstone Quarter

On June 1, 2010, the Yellowstone Quarter from the US Mint was released for circulation and purchase for coin collectors in 100 coin bags and in 2 $10 rolls. One of the rolls is from the Philadelphia mint and the second is from the Denver mint.  The 100 coin bags can be purchased with the entire collection being from the Philadelphia or Denver mint. There is a scheduled minting from the San Francisco mint of this quarter, but they have yet to be released to the public.

The set of two rolls is being sold for $32.95 and the bags are for sale at $35.95 each. Both of these prices are above the face value of the coins, but they are in mint condition and uncirculated.

Today, on June 3, 2010 at 10:30 am MT, there will be a ceremony at Old Faithful Inn commemorating the official launch of this coin. Edmund Moy, the director of the US Mint, will be present at this ceremony. There is also a live pod cast of this historic event for those that are unable to visit the park today. Children under the age of 18 attending the event will receive a new quarter for free.

The tail side of this coin has an image of Old Faithful, with a bison standing in the fore ground. The head side is the original portrait of George Washington, designed by John Flanagan in 1932.

This is the second quarter issued in the America the Beautiful Quarters Program that will eventually release 56 new quarters commemorating the US national parks and sites across the nation. There are a total of 5 coins scheduled to be released each year, until all have been minted.

The specifications of the Yellowstone Quarter, for anyone into coin collecting, is 24.26mm diameter and with a thickness of 1.75mm.

For additional resources on coins, please see 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set . This site, and all of its contributors, strives to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site, please leave them. Thank you for visiting.

2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set

The 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set is just one of the five different ways a person can obtain this new series from the US mint. This set is minted from blanks that are 90% silver. The only set with more silver is the Silver Bullion Quarter Dollar Set that is pressed from 0.999% silver.

This set is the latest release from the US Mint that became open for public purchase on May 27, 2010. The Hot Springs Coin is the only one currently in circulation, and this is the only way a coin collector can have copies of all five coins at this time.

The total weight of all five coins is 0.904 troy ounces. What sets the proof apart for normal coins the mint produce is that they are struck twice to three times to make sure the impression is clear on the coin. Each coin is also specially cleaned and polished to a mirror like finish, unlike the standard coins, which are not polished that way.

The current price from the US Mint for this set is $32.95, plus shipping and handling.

The only other coins from this series that are available at this time are the 100 coin bags and 2 rolls of the Hot Springs Coin. On June 3^rd, the second coin meant for circulation will be scheduled for release. This is the Yellowstone National Park Coin.

For those that enjoy coin collecting, the 2010 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set is the first set of an 11 year run. This could be your start to collecting this complete series without having to pay an additional charge once the mint stops producing this collector’s series.

For additional resources on coins, please see Silver Spot Price. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. Please feel free to give us your comments or suggestions to help us improve our site. Thank you for visiting.

Silver Spot Price

The silver spot price is the current value that silver is being sold on the world market. This market is 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. This market starts every Monday morning in Australia and continues until it closes on the NY Stock Exchange on Friday evening.

The different markets that silver is traded on are Australian, Hong Kong, New York Globex, London and the New York NYMEX. The price is carried over from one to other with a few of the markets being open simultaneously.

For those that are not sure what a spot market is and how it relates to silver, it can be explained easily. The spot market is the selling price of a commodity at any particular time. This sale is made with the exchange of currency and then the delivery of the commodity is immediate.

There are several ways to invest in silver. Coin collecting is one option. Rare and antique coins can have as much as .999 pure silver in them. But there is always an added price for the coin itself. It is very rare you can find a silver bullion coin for the spot price of silver when you purchase it. There are commemorative silver coins that contain 90% silver. Again they are priced above the silver bullion spot price.

If you are going to purchase silver coins do it only as a collector and not as an investment unless it is from a government mint that is selling silver bullion coins. This should be sold at the spot price of the silver or slightly above it. In addition they will send you the silver bullion coins that you get to actually take possession of.

The silver spot price is the actual selling price of the commodity silver, not what most people buy on television or at a coin store when purchasing silver.

For additional resources on coins please see Minnesota Quarter Error. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site please leave them. Thank You for visiting.

Minnesota Quarter Error

The Minnesota Quarter Error is not the first for this run from the US Mint nor will it probably be the last. The error is what appears to be a floating tree. The most common location is for it to be just to the right of the fourth evergreen tree on the left.

These coins are still being found in the rolls of this coin that are being purchased from coin dealers across the nation. The error has been found in coins from all three mints with over 60 variations to them.

The value of this coin error is on average from $150 to $500. Compare this to the 5 coin proof set from 2005 that is selling for $14.00.

There appears to be error in nearly every state quarter that has been minted from 1999. This is bad for the quality control department of the US Mint but good for coin collectors. One of the strangest coin errors during this time is the ones that were crushed by the rollers. These are being sold for $39.99 to $99.99.

This is what is so fun about coin collecting. With so many errors and many Americans saving these coins, many are looking in their collections in their spare times.

The best way to find an error is to compare the different coins in your possession. Lay them side by side and use a magnifying glass. You never know but you could find an undiscovered error. Like the extra leaf that is on the reverse side of the Wisconsin quarter located on the corn.

The off center is the most common error, but the floating tree Minnesota Quarter Error I think is still the coolest.

For additional resources on coins please see 2010 Gold Buffalo Coins. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site please leave them. Thank You for visiting.

2010 Gold Buffalo Coins

The 2010 Gold Buffalo Coins are now available for the general public to place an order with the US Mint. This occurred on April 29, 2010 for this 0.9999 gold 24 k coin. The actual start of this coin being sold and shipped is June 3, 2010.

For those that like coin collecting, this coin is one once of pure gold that comes in a hand crafted wooden box with a matte finish and a faux leather inset. This coin, since its first minting has remained the same except for the date. The authorization for this coin was the Public Law 109-145 dated December 22, 2005.

The head and tail of this coin are exactly like the Indian head or buffalo nickel that was introduced back in 1913. The purpose of combining the two images was to showcase the native beauty of the American West. Both sides were originally designed by James Earle Fraser who was a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

There were a total of three Indian Chiefs that posed for this coin. One was Chief Iron Tail of the Lakota Sioux. The second was Chief Two moons of the Cheyenne. The third was never confirmed by Fraser before his death and remains unknown to this date.

The buffalo on the back or bison is believed to be modeled after the Black Diamond Exhibit at the New York Zoological Gardens, but again this is unverified and lost to history.

The face value of these coins is set at $50 but with the price of gold over $1000, their value is so much more. These gold bullion coins can only be purchased from coin and precious metal dealer’s across the nation. The 2010 Gold Buffalo Coins proof sets are what are available directly from the US Mint. The price is set but is still unavailable for the public to know what it is yet.

For additional resources on coins please see US Mint Coins 2010. This site and all of its contributors strive to bring you the most accurate information available. If you have any comments to help us improve out site please leave them. Thank You for visiting.