Coin Collector's Price Guide: How to Find What Your Coins Are Worth
Whether you are a veteran collector or just getting started, a good coin collector’s price guide is the first step to knowing what your coins are worth. Price guides list typical values by date, mint mark and grade, so you can see which coins in a collection are common and which may be valuable.
American Rarities publishes its own coin and paper money price guide, and below we explain how to use the best free guides on the web, what really drives a coin’s price, and how to get a free, no-obligation appraisal from our experts. If your coins are not listed, or you have world or ancient coins, send us pictures and we will appraise them for free.
To identify a coin before you look it up, use our coin value finder. To compare online sources such as auction archives and sold listings, see our coin value search guide. For a step-by-step method, see our article on how to determine the value of your rare coins. Valuing modern U.S. Mint sets? See our guide to coin proof sets value. For classic and modern commemoratives, see our guide to commemorative coins value.
More world coin guides: foreign coins value, US and foreign rare coin values, foreign coin buyers and selling a foreign coin collection.
Always Paying More For Your Rare Coins
Where to Find Coin Prices: The Best Coin Price Guides
These are the price guides professional dealers and collectors use most. All are free to browse online:
- PCGS Price Guide: retail values for U.S. coins by grade, compiled by Professional Coin Grading Service.
- NGC Price Guide: U.S. and world coin values from Numismatic Guaranty Company.
- Greysheet (formerly the Coin Dealer Newsletter): the wholesale bid and ask prices dealers use to trade with each other.
- CoinWeek: market news and auction results that show where prices are heading.
Keep in mind that the PCGS and NGC guides show retail (list) prices for coins in certified holders. Greysheet shows wholesale prices. What a dealer actually pays depends on the coin’s exact grade, eye appeal and current demand, and a raw coin (one not in a grading holder) often trades below the certified price. Our own price guide lists approximate market ranges for common U.S. coins and paper money, with the public source cited under each table.
What Determines a Coin's Value?
Two coins of the same date can be worth very different amounts. These are the factors every price guide is built on:
- Rarity. Low mintages, few surviving examples and scarce mint marks raise value.
- Condition (grade). Coins are graded on the 1 to 70 Sheldon scale. A small step up in grade can multiply the price of a rare coin. Learn how PCGS, NGC and ANACS grade coins.
- Demand. Popular series such as Morgan dollars, Saint-Gaudens double eagles and key-date Lincoln cents attract more buyers.
- Metal content. Gold and silver coins are never worth less than their melt value, which moves with the spot price.
- Errors and varieties. Doubled dies, off-center strikes and other mint errors can be worth far more than normal coins. See our error coins and die varieties guide.
- Eye appeal and originality. Cleaned, polished or damaged coins sell at a steep discount.
Record coin prices
At the very top of the market, the finest rarities such as the 1794 Flowing Hair silver dollar and the 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle have sold for more than $10 million each. Read the stories behind them in the most expensive coin ever sold. Most collections are worth far less, of course, but they can still hold surprises, which is why an expert appraisal is worth getting.
Why Sell Your Coins to American Rarities?
If you want to sell your coins, it is important to choose a reputable dealer. American Rarities was founded in 1990, and over more than 30 years we have purchased over $400 million in coins and collections.
- 4.7 Google rating from 86 reviews
- A+ BBB rating
- American Numismatic Association Life Members
- PCGS and NGC authorized dealer and ANACS submission center. We can also submit your coins to PCGS, NGC and ANACS for grading.
We buy U.S. and world rare coins, paper money, and all gold and silver bullion, including bars. Our experts use XRF testing and digital microscopy to confirm metal content and authenticate coins. With home visits nationwide and a network of expert buyers, we can make strong offers wherever you live. For top rarities, our auction house partnerships give you access to preferential auction fees.
Free Coin Grading and Coin Appraisals
Price guides are a starting point. For an accurate value, let our experts look at your coins. We grade coins for free (we give you our grading opinion but do not encapsulate coins), and if a coin is worth certifying we can submit it to PCGS, NGC or ANACS for you. Here is how it works:
- Text, email, or use the form below to send us clear photos of the front and back of your coins.
- We usually reply within 24 hours with a free appraisal and offer. You are under no obligation to sell. If you need a formal, IRS-compliant appraisal for an estate, insurance or a donation, just ask.
- If you decide to sell, we can visit you at home anywhere in the country, or you can mail your coins to us. Mail-in shipments are fully covered with no deductible.
- We pay immediately by company check, wire or ACH.
Learn more about our free online coin appraisal, coin collection appraisal, coin appraisers in your area and estate appraisals services.
Coin Price Guide: Quick Answers
How accurate are coin price guides?
They are averages of dealer prices and auction results, a good starting point. The actual price depends on exact grade, eye appeal and demand when you sell.
What is the difference between retail and wholesale coin prices?
Retail guides show what collectors typically pay, and wholesale guides show what dealers pay each other. An offer usually falls between the two.
Free Appraisal for Your Coins and Coin Collections
Email, Text, or Use This Form To Send Us Your Inventory List or Pictures
Email: staff@americanrarities.com | Text: 720-600-4740 | Or use the form below
Professional Associations
American Rarities’ experts are American Numismatic Association (ANA) Life Members, and we hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
