Coin Collectors Guide

We are breaking down the information in this coin collecting guide into the following main sections:

• Popular Government Minted Gold Coins
• Privately Minted Gold Bars
• Silver Coins

Popular Government Minted Gold Coins - A number of countries produce gold coins in various weights. Unless the gold coin is rare, the actual value of is based on the value of the same weight of gold bullion. Common weights are 1 oz. 1/2 oz. 1/4 oz. and 1/10 oz. The various weights make it affordable for any collector. The precise value of the coin depends on a number of things, IE. the condition, for example a collection of cased uncirculated gold proof coins will be worth more than a jar of discolored gold coins. If you are looking to sell your coin collection see this page: Houston Coin Appraiser  Some of the popular ones that every coin collector has/wants are the:

• American Gold Eagle Coin
  
• American Gold Buffalo Coin
  
• Canadian Gold Maple Coin
  
• Mexican Golden Peso
  
• Swiss Gold Suisse Bullion Bar
• Australian Kangaroo Gold Coin
  
• Austrian Philharmonic Gold Coin
• South African Kugerrand Coin

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Privately Minted Gold Coins - In addition to the government minted gold coins and bars there are a couple private companies that produces collectible gold items:

• Johnson Matthey Gold Bars and Engelhard Gold Bars

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Silver Coins - As far as silver coins go we will help you learn about the main U.S. silver coins that you are sure to find in any serious collector's collection. If you are looking to profit from silver coins you have please see Houston Coin Collection BuyerAny bulk coin collection will include:

• U.S. Silver Eagle Coin
• 90% Silver Dollars (1873-1964)
  
• 90% Silver Half Dollars (1892-1964)
• 40% Silver Half Dollars (1965-1969)
• 90% Silver Quarters (1892-1964)
  
• 90% Silver Dimes (1892-1964)
  
• 35% Silver Jefferson War Nickels (1942-1945)
  

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American Gold Eagle Coin - The most well known U.S. gold coin, the American Eagle! This has the standing liberty on the front, and the bald eagle on the back. This is a must have for any collection. One nice thing about the American Gold Eagle is that it is the only gold coin you can use this within your IRA. This allows you a great tax advantage! Contact your CPA for details. Gold eagles are 22k gold and the weight printed on the coin is the amount of pure gold in the coin.
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American Gold Buffalo Coin - Another popular U.S. gold coin that people bring into our Houston coin store is the American Buffalo. First released in 2006, unlike the eagle the buffalo is mainly produced in only the 1 oz size. With the exception of the 2008 mint, where the gold buffalo came in 4 weights: the $50 coin is 1oz., the $25 coin is 0.5oz., the $10 coin is 0.25oz., and the $5 coin is 0.10oz. The 2008-W Gold Buffalos were extremely limited in production and are currently the hottest gold coin collectors are after. The main difference between the Eagle coin and the Buffalo coin is that the buffalo is 24 karat gold (99.99% pure gold), making the Buffalo a more sought after coin by some collectors. More info on the Gold Buffalo Coin.

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Canadian Gold Maple Coin - Like the American Gold Buffalo coin the Canadian Gold Maple is 99.99% gold, making it a fine choice for those who like collecting solid gold bullion pieces. The Maple leaf is also available in silver, platinum, and palladium.


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Mexican Golden Peso - Right across the border from Texas comes the Mexican Golden Peso. I am presonally a fan of these, as they have over 1.2 ounces of gold, making them more valuable than most of the other gold coins.

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Swiss Gold Suisse Gold Bullion Bar - The Credit Suisse is not a coin per se, but rather a gold bar, and among other foreign gold coins this is just as popular with coin collectors. Catering to the high-end members of the numismatic community you can buy the Suisse gold bar in 1 oz, 10 oz, or even 100 oz sizes. Sell Your Swiss Suisses | Back to top



Australian Kangaroo Gold Coin - If you are a long time collector you may know this as the Australian Gold Nugget. The gold Kangaroo comes in an array of sizes, all the way up to 1 kilo (over 32 oz.).


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Austrian Philharmonic Gold Coin - The Austrian Philharmonic / Vienna Philharmonic Gold coin are more popular among European numismatic enthusiasts over American coin collectors. Like a number of the other foreign gold coins, these are 99.99% fine gold.


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South African Krugerrand Gold Coin - One of the older gold coins, the African Krugerrand dates back to 1967. Similar to the American Eagle Gold Coin, these are 22 Karat.

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Johnson Matthey and Engelhard Gold Bars - Like the Credit Suisse these are not actually coins but collectible gold bars. Johnson Matthey is based in England, and Engelhard is out of Australia.
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U.S. Silver Eagle - This coin is produced yearly by the U.S. goverment in proof form. The Silver American Eagle runs 99.9% Silver and weigh 1 troy ounce.

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90% Silver Dollars (1873-1964) - One of the most famous silver dollar is the Morgan Silver Dollar, produced from 1878 to 1904 and in 1921. The 90% silver coins were minted in 1964 and before. It is not uncommon to see collectors buy and sell these coins in bulk, for example these will be sold in bags of $1000 face value, which would cost well over $10,000 based on the silver content of the coins.

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90% Silver Half Dollars (1892-1964) - Similar to the silver dollars, these are commonly bought in bulk bags of $1,000, which would be 2,000 half dollars. For the most part the year will not make too much difference in the value if it is a Franklin or Kennedy half dollar, as the mintage was basically the same from year to year. If you have a walking Liberty half dollar the years collectors want are 1916-S, 1921, 1921-D, 1916-1933, and 1938-D.

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40% Silver Half Dollars (1965-1969) - The 40% Silver Kennedy half dollars are also regularly sold in bulk bags of 2,000 coins, except they will be less than half the price of a bag of 90% silver coins, as there is less than half of the actual silver content. The lingo in the coin collector community is $1,000 is a bag, $500 is a half bag, $250 is a quarter bag, and $100 is a tenth bag.

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90% Silver Quarters (1892-1964) - The silver quarter is something you come across every once in a while. An easy way to identify one without looking at the date is by looking at the edge of the coin: silver quarters don't have copper showing through. These are typically worth about $2 just for the silver content, and can be worth over $100 for a 1932-D Silver Quarter in mint condition.

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90% Silver Dimes (1892-1964) - When you hear a coin collector use the term "Mercury Dime," they are referring to the Winged Liberty Head Dime, minted between 1916 and 1945. After 1945 the dimes are called Roosevelt Dimes, and were produced in 90% silver until 1964.

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35% Silver Jefferson War Nickels (1942-1945) - The silver Jefferson War Nickels were produced during World War II, starting in 1942. Since nickel was in high demand for war materials, these nickels were made with other materials, which included 35% silver.

Sell Your Jefferson War Nickels | Back to top


More info on coin collection can be found here: United States Coin Collector Resources. For current prices see: gold and silver bullion prices. U.S. Gold Coin Mintage numbers.