Gold and Silver
Bullion Coins or Bullion Bars? A First-Time Buyer’s Comparison
A side-by-side look at bullion coins vs. bars: premiums over spot, resale, divisibility, storage and counterfeit risk for first-time buyers.
Gold and Silver
What to Look For in Your First Silver Bullion Coins
A beginner’s checklist for buying silver bullion coins: weight, purity, fair premiums over spot, dealer checks and the red flags that signal a scam.
Paper Money
How to Grade the Condition of Paper Money
A four-step process for judging a banknote’s condition at home, using the terms dealers and collectors use, from crisp uncirculated down to poor.
Paper Money
7 Ways to Spot Fancy Serial Numbers on Bills
Seven serial number patterns collectors pay for, from ladders and radars to star notes, plus how to value a find and avoid misreads and altered bills.
Coin History
How to Read the Designer’s Initials on U.S. Coins
Learn where Mint engravers hid their initials on U.S. coins, from the famous V.D.B. on the Lincoln cent to modern designs, and how to read them yourself.
Getting Started
Why You Shouldn’t Clean Your Coins
Cleaning coins causes scratches and strips their original surfaces, which usually cuts their value. Here’s what to do with dirty or toned coins instead.
U.S. Coins
Collecting U.S. Quarters: States, Parks, Women and the 250th Anniversary
A guide to collecting America’s commemorative quarters, from the 50 State Quarters to America the Beautiful, American Women and the 2026 anniversary designs.
Albums and Supplies
Buying a Coin Scale: What to Check First
A buyer’s guide to small digital scales for coins: 0.01 gram readability, capacity, calibration weights and the coin weights to check against.
Buying and Selling
How to Spot Counterfeit Coins
Which coins are most often faked, simple checks for weight, size, details and edges, the ‘COPY’ rule for replicas and how to buy with confidence.
U.S. Coins
How to Spot Silver Coins in Your Change
Which U.S. coins contain silver, from pre-1965 dimes, quarters and halves to 40% silver halves and wartime nickels, plus quick ways to identify them.