Collector's Resource Center - Coast to Coast Coins & Currency

Resource Center

We hope you find the following links interesting and resourceful. Please check back as we will be adding more resource links.

Tips On Collecting

The universe of coins and currency is one of the greatest portals to history available to the intelligent collector. Money has always been one of the most important things in society: it represented a store of value, provided news and propaganda and was an integral part of everyday commerce. The ability to own and collect old coins and paper money allows the collector to truly hold history in his hands, to transport himself to another time and place, and to cherish his own museum quality items.

Collectors have a wide range of areas from which to add to their collections. Ancient coins represent the utmost in historical value, and can include the silver coinage of ancient Athens, the numismatic world of Alexander the Great, and portrait coinage featuring the famous and infamous of the Roman Empire. Collectors who are fascinated with history can widen their horizons by adding examples from the Byzantine Empire and medieval Europe, the fascinating monarchs of Renaissance England, and the myriad German and central European states which have long ceased to exist.

Numismatic issues of our own United States of America have been among the most durable and popular items to collect. The growth of the nation can be traced from its coin and currency issues: colonial and Revolutionary War coins and paper money; exotic and beautiful pre-Civil War issues; and the fascinating numismatic legacy of the Civil War itself, represented by both Union and Confederate issues.

The United States circulated some of the most beautiful gold and silver coins and currency. Collectors continue to be amazed by the beauty of our early large size currency and the precious metal splendor of silver dollars and gold eagles.

At Coast to Coast Coins, we strive to provide collectors with an amazing selection of interesting pieces of history, items that will continue to intrigue future generations and will prove to be an excellent store of wealth.

We hope you find the following links interesting and resourceful.
Please check back as we will be adding more resource links.

Storing your Coins and Currency

Coins must be properly stored if they are to retain their value. Avoid any storage method that acts as a moisture trap and do not use holders that contain PVC for long term storage. We offer Dansco Albums and Mylar “flips” on our website. Both are safe for long term storage of all coins, regardless of metal content. Click on Supplies to view these products.

Third Party Graded Coins & Currency

The coin market is speculative and unregulated. Many areas of numismatics lend themselves to third party grading and authentication. Such certification does not eliminate all risks associated with the grading of coins and currency. Grading is a subjective matter and opinions as to the grade of a certified or uncertified item can differ. Items graded by the various services carry the guarantees, if any, of that particular service. Securing performance on any such guarantee is strictly between the purchaser and the particular grading service. Coast to Coast may or may not agree with the grade assigned by the particular grading service. Buyer should be aware that grading standards of coins have changed from time to time in the past and may do so again the future.

NO OTHER REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR GUARANTEE IS GIVEN EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

Our classic U.S. rare coins are third party graded, mostly by PCGS and NGC. We occasionally use adjectives to describe many of our bullion-related coins, modern coins, foreign coins, and some of our paper money.

We describe our uncirculated coins with adjectives, as follows:

Select BU (Select Brilliant Uncirculated)

These are nice Uncirculated coins. We reject coins with unsightly bag marks, below average strikes or unsightly defects. You can expect a very attractive coin.

Choice BU (Choice Brilliant Uncirculated)

These are premium quality Uncirculated coins with above average strikes and luster with cleaner than average surfaces.

Gem BU (Gem Brilliant Uncirculated)

These are our finest Uncirculated coins. They offer superior strike and luster as well as a lack of major abrasions.

Grading: Paper Money

Our grading for all grades of paper money is the industry standard:

VG (Very Good) Will be fairly well soiled; may be significantly worn; might have roughness around the edges with only minute problems.

F (Fine) Well circulated with little crispness remaining; edges may be rough.

VF (Very Fine) Some circulation; may show several folds and will have lost some of its crispness and color.

XF (Extra Fine) Circulated; may have some folds; still has some crispness.

AU (Almost Uncirculated) (Almost new) These will be much the same as a “new” note, except for a single fold or several corner folds.

CU (Crisp Uncirculated) No trace of circulation. Can have centering problems, pin holes, counting smudges, wrinkles, close margins, or a corner tip fold (not into design).

Choice CU (Choice Crisp Uncirculated) A nice new note but not quite Gem. Centering may be a little off. May show some aging, light counting smudges, or wrinkles.

Gem CU (Gem Crisp Uncirculated) An almost perfect note. Better than average margins. No aging or fading.

Grading: Artifacts

Artifacts, like everything also we offer, are realistically described to the best of our ability. There is no published industry standard for grading Artifacts. We try to be conservative, and as descriptive as possible. Here, as in all areas, we try to provide the collector with superior quality items at the fairest possible prices. Give us a try. We guarantee you will be delighted, or your money back!

Glossary of Terms

We have listed here some of the more commonly used terms and their definitions as it relates to the hobby. If you need a definition you did not see, email us at info@coastcoin.com. Your inquiries will help us expand this listing!

Alloy – A combination of two or more metals

Bag mark – A mark acquired from contact with another coin while in the bag the mint used to ship

Billon – low grade silver, less than 50% fine

Bronze – A copper, zinc, and tin alloy

Bullion – A precious metal in bar form or a coin where the value is derived from the metal content

Certified Coin – A coin that has been encapsulated by a third party

Circulation or Business Strike – A coin struck to be used in commerce

Clad – Used in dimes, quarters, and halves in the U.S. since 1965. The core is copper and the surface layer is copper-nickel or silver

Contact Marks – Minor abrasions, usually bag marks

Crown – A dollar size coin usually European and struck in silver

Designer – The artist who designed the coin

Die – An engraving piece of metal used to strike coins

Die Crack – Raised lines on a coin from where metal flowed into breaks in the die

Double Eagle – A U.S. twenty dollar gold coin

Double Die – A coin struck from a die that was given two impressions that were misaligned

Eagle – A U.S. ten dollar gold coin

Engraver – The person who cuts the design in to dies

Field – The background portion of the coin — void if design or description

Fineness – The expression of the quality of a coin

Half Eagle – A U.S. five dollar coin

Hub – A positive image punch used to impress a coins design into a die

Inscription – The lettering on a coin

Intrinsic Value – The “melt” value of a coin

Junk Silver – A common silver coin, usually worn, that is worth only its intrinsic value

Key Coin – The scarcest coins in a series are the “keys” to the series

Legal Tender – Money that is authorized by Congress and is good for all debts — public and private

Luster – The brilliance or “frost” of an uncirculated coin

Mint Mark – A letter or letters on a coin that indicates the mint at which is was made

Mint Set – A set issued by the U.S. Mint that contains all of the coins of a certain year that were struck for circulation

Mule – A coin struck from two dies that were not intended to be used together

Obverse – The front of a coin — “heads”

Patina – The heavy toning found on ancient bronze coins, from a long period of oxidation

Pattern – An experimental or trial coin

Planchet – The blank piece of metal from which a coin is struck

Proof – A coin that is double struck from polished dies in polished planchets. Made for collectors

Quarter Eagle – A U.S. $2.50 gold coin

Raw – A coin graded by the seller, not by a third party

Reverse – the back side of a coin — “tails”

Spot Price – The market value of a precious metal

Token – A private issue

Type – A series of coins defined by a design

Market Update

Numismatics, the collecting and study of coins and currency, has become one of the most popular and dynamic hobbies in the United States. Recent years have seen a virtual boom in the number of collectors and the depth of their interest.

Several factors have contributed to this. The U.S. Mint, after years of artistic dormancy, has taken the initiative by adding innovative and interesting design changes to our circulating coinage. The State Quarter series, followed by the Lewis & Clark nickels and U.S. Presidential Dollars, have intrigued the population and provided the impetus to examine old coinage. In addition, the introduction of completely redesigned paper currency and the phasing out of the old designs has made collecting paper money one of the fastest growing areas of numismatics.

This has been augmented by the recent meteoric rise in the prices of precious metals, which has led many others to see numismatics as a solid store of value. With the economy in flux, and traditional investment avenues in a volatile state, many have looked to collectibles, and coins and currency in particular, as an intelligent way to put away items for the future. The mathematics is simple: large numbers of new collectors with disposable income chasing a finite amount of numismatic collectibles should equal impressive future returns.

One of the Largest Selections of Rare Coins and Currency in the World

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One of the Largest Selections of Rare Coins and Currency
in the World

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Resource Center

Tips On Collecting

Storing your Coins and Currency

Third Party Graded Coins & Currency

Glossary of Terms

Market Update

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