Lincoln wheat pennies were first introduced in 1909 by the United States Mint. The United States Mint originally hired Augustus St. Gaudens to design the new cent but died in 1907 before being able to finish submitting designs for the new cent. The Mint then hired Victor D. Brenner to design the wheat cent, in which he decided to memorialize the late president Abraham Lincoln due to 1909 being the centennial year of his birth.

Recently a PMG 64 Choice UNC $10,000 gold certificate came across our table. It was the 1900 series with the holes going through it stating it had been redeemed/canceled. Many people ask if it’s still legal tender or why are so many of them priced BELOW $10,000. Well they are not legal tender but there is a pretty interesting story behind them. The 1900 series 10,000 gold certificates with Abraham Lincoln printed on the front were only intended for inter-bank use. Many were stored at a storage facility at a post office in Washington D.C.

Even since ancient times, counterfeit coins have been an unpleasant reality. Originally made for the purpose of being spent, nowadays the coinage’s collectible value has drawn the attention of numerous quick-buck con artists. Although the American Numismatics Association Certification Service has managed to expose most counterfeit coins, the organization wasn’t able to eliminate the problem completely.

That, however, doesn’t automatically mean that coin collectors don’t have a few tricks left up their sleeve. Following is the list of the very basic tools that can help you ferret out counterfeits.

First minted in 1921, the Peace Silver Dollar was the masterpiece of one of America’s most beloved sculptors, Anthony de Francisci. The design was not only in accordance with the Pittman Act of 1918, but it served a bigger role, namely to commemorate peace and the end of the World War I hostilities. The dyes were unavailable at the time, and the designer had to work on the coin without them, so the US Mint decided to revive the Morgan Dollar. The decision had lead to millions of 1921 Morgan Dollars being released in circulation during the first half of the year.

If you’re just a beginner in the coin trading game, then chances are you’re curious about what coinage is worth stretching for and which ones should you pass on. Since you’re new to this, bear in mind that certain pieces might have been cleaned at some point and therefore, could present strikes or weaknesses in the most inconspicuous places.

Because very few coins are absolutely perfect from the appearance standpoint, you should know that every purchase implies making some sort of compromise. How much and when you should make comprises, we hope to answer in the following article.

While it is true that silver constitutes a great alternative for diversifying your portfolio and protecting your finances in a volatile market, not everyone can afford to purchase bullions like the Canadian Maples or the American Silver Eagles. The good news is that you can still find reasonably priced silver, especially if you’re willing to engage in a little legwork. Following are the top places where you are very probable to stumble upon junk silver that is worth collecting.