Coin Curator Blog
Collector education, grading context, and stories about important US coins.
How to Spot a Counterfeit or Doctored Coin
Use weight, dimensions, surfaces, mintmark details, holder inspection, and certification records as screening checks. Learn the warning signs of altered coins and fake slabs.
Approachable Key-Date Coins to Research First
Seven dates that teach scarcity, identification, grade tradeoffs, and counterfeit-aware buying, without promising a fixed price or resale result.
MS-63 vs MS-65 vs MS-67: Which Grade to Actually Buy
Adjacent grades can carry very different market evidence. Learn how to compare surfaces, eye appeal, population data, and current records before choosing a grade.
Where to Buy Graded Coins: eBay vs APMEX vs Heritage vs GreatCollections
Compare a global marketplace, a fixed-price dealer, and two auction formats. Learn how inventory, buyer fees, returns, and bidding terms change the buying decision.
Buying Graded Coins Online: The Complete 2026 Guide
Third-party certification can reduce uncertainty, but it does not replace verification. Check the certification record, coin and holder photos, seller, return terms, and current marketplace evidence.
Best Dealers for Graded Coins in 2026
APMEX, JM Bullion, Monument Metals, Heritage, Stack's Bowers, GreatCollections, and David Lawrence. Where to buy what, and the fees, return policies, and dealer reputations that matter.
Junk Silver vs Graded Silver: Which Is the Better Hold?
Pre-1965 US silver coins (junk silver) trade on melt value plus a small premium. Graded examples of the same coins trade on numismatics. Which strategy actually wins long-term?
Modern Commemoratives Worth Collecting
Research selected modern U.S. commemoratives through official issue records, design context, certification evidence, and current exact-coin transactions.
The 1933 Double Eagle: A Provenance Lesson
The 1933 Double Eagle combines contested ownership, government litigation, exceptional provenance, and a documented 2021 auction record.
The 1804 Silver Dollar: King of American Coins
The 1804-dated dollars were produced later for diplomatic and collector purposes. Their classes, provenance chains, and legal histories explain their importance.
Mercury Dime Guide: the 1916-D & Full Bands
One of the most beautiful US coins. Most dates are pocket-change cheap, but the 1916-D key and the “Full Bands” strike designation turn this affordable series into a real pursuit.
1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny: The Most Famous Penny
A low-mintage first-year Lincoln cent associated with the controversy over designer Victor David Brenner’s initials. Learn what to verify before buying.
American Silver Eagle: Bullion and Collecting Context
Research American Silver Eagles by issue, format, metal content, grade, holder, and current transaction evidence without applying a universal premium.
Bust Half Dollars (1807-1839): Affordable Vintage
Bust Half Dollars offer an approachable path into early American silver, supported by a specialist community that documents die varieties.
Walking Liberty Set Building
A multi-decade Adolph A. Weinman series with meaningful date, mint, strike, and condition challenges. Build a coin-by-coin research plan.
Barber Coinage: Collecting Dimes, Quarters & Halves
One Liberty-head design across three denominations (1892-1916). Affordable Victorian-era silver as a type set, plus legendary keys like the 1894-S dime and the 1901-S quarter.
Buffalo Nickel Key Dates & Varieties
1913-1938. James Earle Fraser design. Half a dozen famous key dates, two iconic die varieties (Three-Legged Buffalo, Two-Feathers), and one of the most beloved aesthetics in US coinage.
Peace Dollar Collecting Guide
One of the most attainable classic US silver dollars. The 24-coin date set is within reach, while the 1921 High Relief, low-mintage 1928, and condition-rarity 1934-S give it depth.
Carson City Mint: Why CC Coins Command Premiums
Carson City Mint operated 1870-1885 + 1889-1893. Coins from the silver mined down the road. Low mintages, frontier-era history, and the iconic CC mint mark, the most romantic coins in US numismatics.
Lincoln Cent Key Dates & Varieties
The longest-running US design and the series that hooks most collectors. The 1909-S VDB, 1914-D, 1922 No-D, and the 1955 Doubled Die, the dates and varieties where the value lives.
Morgan Dollar Key Dates and Varieties
The 1893-S, 1895 Proof-only, 1889-CC, and important VAM varieties show why date, mint, attribution, and condition must be researched together.
Error Coins: Types, Attribution, and Verification
Learn the difference between off-center strikes, doubled dies, mules, broadstrikes, and post-mint damage, plus the records to check before buying.
Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle: A Collector’s Guide
The most beautiful US coin and one of the most collectible pre-1933 golds. The major types (Ultra High Relief, High Relief, No Motto, With Motto), the famous keys, and how to buy common dates well.
Reading PCGS TrueView Images Like a Pro
PCGS TrueView photos reveal what the eye misses: hairlines, scratches, color, originality. How to spot dipped coins, harshly cleaned surfaces, and authenticity red flags from the photo alone.
Pre-1933 Gold Coin Collecting and Market Context
Research Saint-Gaudens, Liberty Head, and Indian Head gold by exact type, date, grade, surfaces, current metal value, and coin-specific evidence.
What Makes a Coin a “Key Date”, and Why It Drives Value
Coins from the same series can differ sharply in availability and demand. Learn how date, mintmark, variety, grade, and surfaces shape key-date research.
Building a US Type Set
Build a U.S. type set by defining the included designs, grade targets, verification rules, and a current coin-by-coin budget.
CAC Stickers Explained: Do They Add Value?
That small green (or gold) bean on a PCGS/NGC slab is a CAC sticker, a second opinion that a coin is solid-to-premium for its grade. What it means, the green-vs-gold difference, and when it’s worth paying for.
Bullion vs Numismatics: When to Buy Which
Bullion and collectible coins have different value drivers. Learn how to separate metal value from coin-specific rarity, grade, condition, and transaction evidence.
Slabbed vs Raw: When Each Makes Sense
A practical framework for comparing raw and certified coins using identity, current service terms, grade uncertainty, intended use, and transparent resale disclosure.
PCGS vs NGC vs ANACS: Which Grading Service for Coins?
Compare PCGS, NGC, and ANACS by current service terms, holder and guarantee limitations, verification tools, and the needs of the particular coin.