Information for Coin Collectors & Investors
I have written and talked to people about the lowly copper penny for quite some time. US pennies minted before 1982 (and some struck during the first part of that year) are made of 95% copper. Later pennies contain only 2.5% copper. It takes approximately 115 pennies to make 1 pound of copper. If copper … Read more
Nickel Cents of the Civil War Have you ever heard the expression “he doesn’t have a nickel’s worth of sense?” Believe it or not, there used to actually be “nickel cents”. Nickel Cents were minted during a specific time in history, and the hoarding of them, along with gold and silver coins, in Civil war … Read more
2009 was the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Four different versions of the Lincoln Cent were minted to celbrate the ocassion. All four were struck at both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints which means that there are 8 different versions that were struck for general circulation. The thing that makes these cents interesting is their relative … Read more
In the middle of 1982 the composition of the penny was drastically changed. Previous cents were minted from 95% copper but were changed to 0.05% copper in the form of a micro-coating of copper over a zinc core. Copper had become too valuable to be used for something with so little buying power as the … Read more
We have all heard, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” but did you know that it has never held more truth than it does today? Right now there is a real opportunity to invest in your future just by keeping an eye on your pocket change for copper pennies. While these coins are getting … Read more
1909 – 1958 The Lincoln Wheat Cent was designed by Victor David Brenner, and is well known by several different names, but is probably most often referred to as the Wheat Penny. In average circulated grades most Wheat Cents are valued at around $0.10 or less, but some high grade specimens can fetch in tens … Read more
1793 – 1857 From 1793 through 1857 the US cent was much larger than what we are accustomed to today. These cents ranged from 27 mm to 29 mm in diameter, quite large when compared to the modern Lincoln Cent which is only 19 mm in diameter. Different designs were used for US Large Cents: … Read more
1856 – 1858 The collecting of small cents is second in popularity only to the Morgan Dollar. The first small cent was the which was minted for a very short time from 1856 to 1858. A second restrike of the coin was made in 1860, but those are questionable among collectors. By 1851 it cost the mint … Read more
1859 – 1909 The Indian Head Cent was designed by James Barton Longacre and minted from 1859 through 1909. They were produced at the Philadelphia Mint for the duration and by the San Francisco Mint in 1908 and 1909. The obverse of this coin features Lady Liberty wearing a feathered bonnet. Though this coin is commonly … Read more