COINCURATOR

An independent guide to US coin collecting

Find the coin
worth knowing.

Explore landmark designs, understand grading, and build a collecting strategy before you spend. Coin Curator favors useful context over speculative price signals.

Browse the catalog Where to buy

56

Cataloged coins

31

Series represented

31

Collector guides

Choose your collecting path
01

Build a US type set

Collect one representative coin from each major American design and learn the country through its coinage.

Read the roadmap 02

Study the key dates

Understand why a small number of dates and mintmarks anchor demand across an entire series.

Browse key dates 03

Buy the slab, not the label

Learn how grade, eye appeal, certification, and marketplace terms work together before you buy.

Open grading guide
Curator's cabinet

Six coins that open a door

Selected for their design, history, or importance to a series. Not ranked by price.

View all coins →
Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
$20
Type image
KEY DATE

1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

$20 · Pre-1933 Gold · Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Gold · Pre-1933 GoldCollector notes →
Saint-Gaudens High Relief
$20
Type image
KEY DATE

1907 HR Saint-Gaudens High Relief

$20 · Pre-1933 Gold · Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Gold · Pre-1933 GoldCollector notes →
1933 Double Eagle
$20
Type image
KEY DATE

1933 Double Eagle

$20 · Pre-1933 Gold

Gold · Pre-1933 GoldCollector notes →
Indian Head Half Eagle
$5
Type image
KEY DATE

1929 Indian Head Half Eagle

$5 · Pre-1933 Gold · Bela Lyon Pratt

Gold · Pre-1933 GoldCollector notes →
Morgan Dollar (Carson City)
$1
Type image
KEY DATE

1889-CC Morgan Dollar (Carson City)

$1 · Classic

Silver · ClassicCollector notes →
Morgan Dollar (San Francisco)
$1
Type image
KEY DATE

1893-S Morgan Dollar (San Francisco)

$1 · Classic

Silver · ClassicCollector notes →

From the reading room

Buying Guide

How to Spot a Counterfeit or Doctored Coin

Counterfeits have gotten good, but most still fail basic physics. A scale, a caliper, and a few minutes of looking will catch the overwhelming majority, plus the two scams (added mintmarks, fake slabs) you must know.

10 min read

Buying Guide

Best Key-Date Coins Under $500 to Buy First

You don’t need five figures to own famous key dates. Seven real, recognized keys you can buy graded for a few hundred dollars or less, the smart on-ramp into serious collecting.

9 min read

Buying Guide

MS-63 vs MS-65 vs MS-67: Which Grade to Actually Buy

A single point on the Sheldon scale can double a coin’s price. Where the value lives, where the “price cliffs” hit, and how to pick the right grade for your budget and goals.

10 min read

Buying Guide

Where to Buy Graded Coins: eBay vs APMEX vs Heritage vs GreatCollections

Four ways to buy the same slabbed coin, a global marketplace, a fixed-price dealer, a white-glove auction house, and a low-fee certified-coin auctioneer. Which to use, when, and the buyer-premium math that actually decides your price.

11 min read

The buying discipline

Research the object. Verify the slab.

  1. 01Identify the exact date, mintmark, variety, and grade.
  2. 02Verify certification and inspect high-resolution photos.
  3. 03Compare sold examples and include buyer premiums.
See the buying guide

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