Web Directory: American (US) Coins

The dime, in U.S. usage, is a ten-cent coin, one tenth of a United States dollar, labeled formally as "one dime". The denomination was first authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792. The dime is the smallest in diameter and is the thinnest of all U.S. coins currently minted for circulation, being .705 inches (17.91 mm) in diameter and .053 inches (1.35 mm) in thickness. The obverse of the coin depicts the profile of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the reverse boasts an olive branch, a torch, and an oak branch, from left to right respectively. As of 2011, the dime coin cost 5.65 cents to produce.

The Lincoln cent or Lincoln penny is a cent coin (or penny) (1/100 of a dollar) that has been struck by the United States Mint since 1909. The obverse or heads side was designed by Victor David Brenner, as was the original reverse. The coin has seen several reverse, or tails, designs and now bears one by Lyndall Bass depicting a Union shield.

The California Diamond Jubilee half dollar was a United States commemorative fifty cent piece struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1925. It was issued to celebrate the 75th anniversary of California statehood.

The San Francisco Citizens' Committee wished to issue a commemorative coin as a fundraiser for a celebration of the statehood diamond jubilee. A California congressman attached authorization for it to another coinage bill, which was approved in early 1925. Designs by sculptor Jo Mora met a hostile reception at the Commission of Fine Arts, but the Citizens' Committee would not change them, and they were approved. The coin has been widely praised for its beauty in the years since.

One of the most interesting varieties the U.S. Mint created over its decades of producing Lincoln cents came in 1943. That’s when the Mint, pursuant to 1942’s Public Law 815, temporarily suspended use of copper in pennies to ration the metal for use in war materials.

The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is an American five-cent piece which was produced in extremely limited quantities unauthorized by the United States Mint, making it one of the best-known and most coveted rarities in American numismatics. In 1972, one specimen of the five cent coin became the first coin to command a price of US$100,000; in 1996, another specimen became the first to break the million-US$ barrier. In 2003 one coin was sold for under three million dollars. In 2010, the Olsen piece sold for US$3.7 million at a public auction. Only five examples are known to exist: two in museums and three in private collections.

The main idea of the Coin Value Tables is to show collectors how individual coin dates change in value over time. Some have increased in price much faster than others. Long term price trends from the past are the best indicator we have to predict what may happen in the future. Thus, coins with solid historical gains are the coins most likely to do the same in the years ahead.

Links to several Price Guides that will give you a general idea of what your coins are worth in today’s market.

In 1996, numismatic history was made as Jay Parino paid over 1 million dollars for the Eliasberg specimen of the 1913 liberty nickel. This was the first coin to break the million-dollar barrier, with a final hammer price of $1,485,000 after a 10% buyer's fee was added. This amount surpassed the previous record paid, set in 1989, of $990,000 for the Dexter specimen of the 1804 Dollar and the $962,500 paid for the Reed Hawn Specimen of the 1913 Liberty Nickel. You can read a transcript of this sale, and even listen to the actual auction call by clicking here. The mystery surrounding this coin is that, while there are 5 known specimens, there is no record at the mint of any being produced.

According to the American Numismatic Association, the 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most idealized and potentially one of the most sought-after items in American numismatics. Nearly all circulating pennies at that time were struck in zinc-coated steel because copper and nickel were needed for the Allied war effort. 40 1943 copper-alloy cents are known to remain in existence. Coin experts speculate that they were struck by accident when copper-alloy 1-cent blanks remained in the press hopper when production began on the new steel pennies.

In 1943, the U.S. Mint began using steel blanks for the Cents in an effort to conserve copper for use in World War II. Over a billion "Steelies" (as they are known popularly) were struck by the three Mints combined in 1943; Philadelphia alone produced over 684,000,000 examples. However, a handful of rare 1943 Cents have been discovered struck in error on old-style, bronze blanks.

Certain mysteries have intrigued numismatists for decades. Who made the five 1913 Liberty head nickels? How did a bunch of "contraband" $20 gold pieces escape the Philadelphia Mint in 1933? Why do some 1943 Lincoln cents, which should have been "steelies," exist in bronze?

The jury is out on the first two questions. But now, after more than 60 years, comes a compelling tale that, if true, could unravel one part of the mystery of the 1943 bronze cent.

While the U.S. Mint struck more than a billion steel pennies in 1943, about 35 examples of the zinc-coated steel cent are known to have been inadvertently struck bearing the date 1944.

Articles about various US coins..

In 1943 the United States Congress voted to make Lincoln cents out of zinc-coated steel. The country was fighting World War II and copper supplies were needed to make cartridge casings for the war effort.

The steel pennies of 1943 were called silver cents because of their silver grey color. These cents range in color from grey to black because the zinc coating tended to wear off quickly leaving the steel vulnerable to corrosion.

Were any 1943 pennies made of copper? Yes! As we have explained, there shouldn’t have been. An unknown number were made, due to an accident at the mint…

PCGS CoinFacts is the Internet Encyclopedia of United States Coins. The original CoinFacts site was created in 1999 by numismatic expert and author Ron Guth, and it quickly became one of the most popular numismatic-related websites. The CoinFacts website featured a complete listing of all U.S. coins, including regular issue coins, colonials, patterns, commemoratives, territorial gold, errors, proof and mint sets, Confederate, and bullion coins. Individual pages contained technical information, high-quality images, auction prices realized, variety information, anecdotal notes, etc. CoinFacts was built for use by collectors at all levels, from beginner to advanced.

1911 Lincoln Wheat Penny coins were the first one-cent pieces to be struck by the Denver Mint, which began operation a few years earlier in 1906. Lincoln cents that were struck in 1911 are much more common than the famous 1909 Wheat Pennies that often are the object of desire for most Penny collectors and a thing of intrigue for non-collectors that have “heard about” these coins. However, 1911 Pennies are definitely among the oldest Lincoln Cents, and many of them have been cleaned or otherwise damaged, which sometimes makes it substantially difficult to find examples that are decent enough for inclusion in a coin album.