How to Connect a USB Coin Microscope to Your Computer
A USB microscope can save your eyes, your time, and your sanity. Here’s how to set one up on a Mac or PC without downloading any shady apps.
Collecting Basics
What Does PMD Mean in Coins?
PMD stands for Post-Mint Damage. It refers to anything that happened after a coin was struck. It doesn’t matter if the damage occurred at the mint or in someone’s pocket. If it didn’t happen during the minting process, it’s not an error. It’s damage.
Posting a Coin on Reddit? Here’s How to Get Better Answers
Before you post your coin to Reddit, stop and ask yourself if it’s something you could figure out with a quick search. Most ignored posts have the same problem. They show no clear photos, give no details, and ask no real question. This guide shows you how to do better so you actually get answers, not downvotes.
What Does “BU” Mean in Coin Listings?
The term “BU” gets thrown around a lot in coin listings, but it doesn’t mean what most people think. It stands for “Brilliant Uncirculated,” but there’s no official standard behind it, and sellers use it loosely. This post breaks down what BU really means, how to spot a true uncirculated coin, and how to avoid listings that lean on buzzwords instead of condition.
Is Verdigris on Coins Toxic?
If you just found a coin with green crust on it and you’re wondering if it’s dangerous, you’re not alone. That green stuff is called verdigris, and it shows up on a lot of older pennies and copper coins. The short answer: it’s not deadly, but you shouldn’t eat it. Verdigris can be mildly toxic…
The Difference Between Uncirculated and Mint State
If you’ve spent any time looking at coin listings or browsing collector forums, you’ve probably come across the terms “uncirculated” and “mint state.” They get tossed around a lot, sometimes as if they mean the same thing, other times like they’re completely different. And depending on who you ask, you might get a different answer…
How eBay Grading Terms Get Abused
eBay can be one of the best places to find coins, and one of the worst. The problem isn’t the platform itself, it’s the flood of listings from sellers who either don’t know what they’re doing or know exactly what they’re doing and hope you don’t. One of the biggest issues is grading terms. “Uncirculated,”…
Where Damage Hides: Why Coin Fields Deserve Attention
The fields of a coin are the smooth, flat areas that surround the main design. On most coins, this means the space behind the portrait on the obverse and the background around the eagle, building, or symbol on the reverse. They might look like empty space, but fields are one of the first places a…
Fake Toning: Pretty Coins, Ugly Truth
Some coins earn their color the hard way. They sit in envelopes, albums, or mint sets for decades, slowly picking up hues from their environment. Others take a shortcut. They get dunked in sulfur, baked in ovens, or blasted with heat just to grab attention and a higher price tag. That’s fake toning. At first…
The Truth About Plated Coins: Gimmicks, Science, and Deception
Every now and then, you’ll come across a U.S. coin that looks a little too shiny for its own good – mirror-like surface, strange hue, sometimes even “golden.” If it’s a common date, has no mint error, and doesn’t make sense for the coin type… odds are you’ve found a plated coin. A plated coin…