What coins are worth selling?

Coins worth selling fall into two broad categories: coins valued for the metal they contain, and coins valued for their rarity or condition. Most of the coins people find in jars, drawers and inherited collections belong to the first group or to neither, and a few belong to the second, where the money can be surprising. The challenge is that the two look alike to the untrained eye, so it is easy to spend a silver quarter as pocket change or to hold onto a worn common cent for decades expecting it to be a treasure.

Coins worth selling for their metal

Before 1965, US dimes, quarters and half dollars were struck in 90% silver, and half dollars from 1965 through 1970 are 40% silver. Silver dollars from the Morgan and Peace series are 90% silver as well. Because silver trades around $63.41 per troy ounce today, every one of these coins is worth many times its face value in metal alone, regardless of wear. The same is true of modern bullion: American Silver Eagles, American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, and generic silver rounds and bars are all valued on their weight and purity against spot. Bullion coins are the simplest to sell because their content is standardized and easy to verify, and we pay close to the live spot price on recognized silver and gold bullion.

Coins worth selling for their rarity

Numismatic value comes from scarcity and demand among collectors. Key dates and low-mintage years in a series, such as the scarce Morgan dollars from the Carson City mint, early Lincoln wheat cents including the 1909-S VDB, and certain Standing Liberty and Washington quarters, can be worth far more than their metal. Verified minting errors, including doubled dies, off-center strikes and wrong-planchet coins, attract their own following. Condition matters enormously here: the difference between a heavily circulated example and an uncirculated one of the same date can be a factor of ten or more, and for high-value pieces third-party grading and authentication are usually worth the cost.

Coins that are usually just face value

Common circulated coins from 1965 onward that contain no silver, have no rare date or mint mark and show no error are, with few exceptions, worth exactly what is stamped on them. That includes most of the clad quarters, dimes and half dollars in circulation today, along with most Lincoln cents and Jefferson nickels. Wheat cents from the 1940s and 1950s carry only a small premium unless they are a key date. This is the group most people overestimate.

How to sort a collection

• Pull out anything dated 1964 or earlier in dimes, quarters and halves; it is silver.
• Set aside any recognized bullion coin or round.
• Flag early dates, unusual mint marks and anything that looks misprinted for closer inspection.
• Do not clean any coin; cleaning destroys collector value.

The fastest way to know what you actually have is a free evaluation, in store or by mail, with no obligation to sell. Get your coins evaluated here, or request an insured mail-in kit.