The 1943 Copper Penny: Why Yours Probably Isn’t Real
Think you found a 1943 copper penny? Odds are, you didn’t. This post breaks down why the real ones are so valuable, how fakes are made, and what to check before you get your hopes up.
Red Flags For Buying Coins on eBay
Shopping for coins online can feel like a minefield. This guide breaks down the most common red flags to watch for: sketchy titles, suspicious slabs, too-good-to-be-true pricing, and more. Learn how to spot trouble before you click “Buy.”
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…
What “Raw” Really Means in Coin Listings
If you’ve spent any time looking at coin listings online, you’ve probably seen the word raw used to describe a coin. It shows up on eBay, Reddit, dealer sites, and even auction houses. But depending on who’s using it, the meaning can get a little fuzzy. We’ll break down what raw really means, what it…
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…
Can You Tone Coins at Home? (And Should You?)
Yes, you can tone coins at home. It’s not hard to do, and the results can be wild. You might see golden halos, deep purples, or bursts of neon depending on the method and the type of metal. But just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should, at least not without understanding the…
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…