Our Methodology
Research, sourcing, capability, and correction standards · last reviewed 2026-07-16
Coin identity and buying decisions turn on small details: date, mintmark, variety, surfaces, holder, and grade. This page explains how Coin Curator researches its catalog and guides, separates sourced facts from editorial context, and handles corrections. Coin Curator is an educational research guide, not a grading service, dealer, appraiser, or investment adviser.
Publication and accountability
Guides use organization-level attribution to Coin Curator and do not imply unverified staffing, credentials, or individualized review. The goal is to help a reader identify the coin, understand the tradeoffs, verify primary records, and compare buying routes before spending.
Where our key-date and mintage data comes from
Mintages, key-date designations, varieties, and strike designations (Full Bands, Full Steps, Full Bell Lines, and the like) are compiled from the long-established primary references collectors already trust, and cross-checked against more than one before we publish:
- The Official Red Book (R.S. Yeoman / Whitman) for mintages and historical context.
- The PCGS and NGC online coin facts, population reports, and price guides.
- The PCGS CoinFacts and NGC Census figures for relative rarity by grade.
- Specialist references and attribution guides (e.g. VAM for Morgan/Peace dollars, Cherrypickers' for varieties).
How we handle market context
Coin Curator does not currently operate a licensed sold-comps feed, live price monitor, cross-grader comparison system, or portfolio valuation service. Readers should verify current market evidence at the source. When a guide discusses a historical sale or time-sensitive market figure, it must identify the source, relevant grade or designation, sale window, and date checked. Otherwise the figure is removed or labeled as general editorial context.
- PCGS Price Guide and its published limitations.
- NGC U.S. Coin Price Guide as a separate reference.
- Official auction archives and lot terms for the particular venue and sale, checked directly before relying on them.
Asking prices, realized prices, price-guide values, and bullion value are different measures and must not be blended without explicit labels. No displayed number should be treated as an appraisal or prediction.
How we keep guides current
Every guide carries a visible "Last updated"date, and the same date is written into each article's structured data so search and answer engines can see how fresh the content is. Our most recent site-wide review was 2026-07-16. When mintage figures, price ranges, or grading-service practices change, we revise the affected guides and bump that date.
Editorial independence
Coin Curator is reader- and affiliate-supported, but affiliate status never decides which coins, dates, dealers, or grading services we recommend. We link to non-affiliate sources (PCGS, NGC, Heritage, Stack's Bowers) whenever they help a collector, and we flag affiliate links plainly. Full details are on our affiliate disclosure page.
Corrections
Found a mintage, market figure, source, or attribution that looks wrong? Use the corrections path. A material correction updates the visible review date after the change is checked; cosmetic edits do not create a false freshness signal.