What to Look for When Picking up Rare US Coins

By: Stephen Joyce Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Coin collecting for young and old alike is a great hobby to pursue. Once you start you get addicted to going through coins at ever opportunity. Finding rare US coins is a great project to start with your kid. I will give you an idea of rare US coins you will need to start looking for.

The first of the rare US coins to put on your list to find is the 1943 copper penny. Its a treasure if you can find one and is probably worth quite a lot. The explanation why the copper penny is so rare is because at that point WWII was going fast forward and copper was being rationed. The majority of the nickels being made were made of an alloy of brass and steel, not copper. You can figure out whether your 1943 penny is copper by attempting to pick it up with a magnet. Brass pennies will always cling to the magnet.

Next, you will need to keep an eye peeled for anything made in 1870. If was made in San Francisco thats even better. The most highly valued among collectors of rare US coins are the 1870-S half-dime, the 1870-S silver dollar and the 1870-S gold $3 coin. The S stands for San Francisco.

Freedom Head Nickels made in 1913 are also among the much sought after of the rare US coins. This coin was quit in 1912 but 5 more were made in 1913 and later held by one man. A man began talking about rare coins and how their value began to grow. The last time they were sold, one sold for almost 3 million greenbacks.

Among the latest rare US coins is the 1974 aluminum penny. Copper prices started to rise steeply in the early 70s and the price of producing the penny cost virtually a penny. The US Mint commenced to go looking for alternatives and created an aluminum penny. Some were sent out as samples and were never sent back.

Another of the rare US coins is the 1982 No P dim. All nickels minted in Philadelphia were printed with a P beginning in 1980. However, a blunder took place in 1982 and the P was accidently left off a little number of coins.

If you are into picking up pennies, start looking for the 1955 Double Die Penny. Among rare US coins being collected it has a rough ballpark value of between $200 and $1000. When these pennies were manufactured, the coin got out of alignment and the imprint was doubled. The image and lettering are double and it is extraordinarily simple to see.

These are only a few of the rare US coins that you and your child might wish to begin searching for. Most are simple to spot and fun to have a look for. If you find one of these rare US coins, be certain and read up on them and have it cherished by a professional. If you grab the picking up bug, you may need to look into the best ways to store and protect any rare coins that you find.