Category: coins as jewelry

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What to do when you have some old coins

If you find, inherit, or are given some old coins, especially if there are a lot of them, you will want to find out their value, as metal and collectible or sentimental value.

Bringing the coins to the local coin shop, actually more than one, would be a good idea to get the price they would pay for any of the coins that might be valuable or desirable. Do not clean the coins, as this may change their value significantly.

I would go one more step, if you have the time and desire; Get a magnifying glass and examine the coins; look some up on-line, or buy a coin book to see what you have. The coins are most likely circulated and not in pristine condition (like proof coins) but they still may have value to collectors, if you are looking to sell them.

600-Pocket Coin Collection Holder Book Album for Collectors Coin Collection Organizer Storage Box Case Supplies
600-Pocket Coin Collection Holder Book Album for Collectors Coin Collection Organizer Storage Box Case Supplies

Resist the temptation to sell to the first person you show them to. Do not sell them by weight. Consider getting flips and an album to preserve and present the seemingly most valuable ones.

And lastly, consider keeping some as a memento or giving a few away as gifts.  There are Jewelry holders for coins, as well as displays and gift boxes.  Coins are an enduring piece of history that you can hold in your hand.  If you keep them, consider getting a basic coin collecting kit to store the coins safely.

 

Here are some articles that may give you some additional insight:

Appraising Coin Collections, Consumer Reports

Evaluating old coins, Pratt Library.org

Found a Hoard of old Coins? Here’s how to proceed. Dr. Sol Taylor

 

Coin Collecting for Beginners 2023: The New Updated Guide to Easily Start Your Coin Collection and Learn How to Identify, Value, Preserve and Profit From Your Hobby
Coin Collecting for Beginners 2023: The New Updated Guide to Easily Start Your Coin Collection and Learn How to Identify, Value, Preserve and Profit From Your Hobby

I hope this will help guide you in evaluating your coins and what to do with them!  Underlined links are to Amazon, and help support my coin collecting habit!  Thanks for reading my Blog!

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Where can I sell my 1943 steel penny?

The 1943 Penny is a steel wartime cent (penny).  You can read a detailed description on Wikipedia.   The 1943-D penny had 217 thousand minted, while 1944 and 1945, back to the traditional copper design, each had well over a billion minted.

1943 Lincoln Steel Penny, available on Amazon

The value of a 1943 Steel cent is listed on the cointrackers website.

You can post it on eBay, or take it to your local coin shop.

Steel Pennies for sale on eBay

This site is for dealers registered with the American Numismatic Association:

Search Coin Dealers By Location | Find Coin Dealers Near You

You can also bring your coin to a local coin show or coin club, they may be able to advise where to sell it or give you and educated idea of it’s value.

If your penny is not worth a lot, consider keeping it as a keepsake or making it into a piece of jewelry.  While it may not enrich you financially, it can be a pretty keepsake or necklace for someone you care about.

If the penny is dull, there are plenty of YouTube videos and guides on how to polish a penny.

And if you are ambitious, it may be worth more as a jewelry piece than as a penny!  Look at this one on Amazon!

Take a look at this:

These coin bezels are available on Amazon. You don’t need to be a jeweler to make your coin into a novelty jewelry item! (you will need a chain too – and they have rings as well! (Don’t forget to get a matching necklace too).

When you are creative, even a penny can become a fun project, and potentially profitable!

Oh, If you believe in Luck, you can buy this bezel:

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What is the proper way to clean coins?

By Alan Chenkin, Novice coin collector.
The general rule of thumb is to never clean coins. Ever.
This is particularly important with valuable coins, because a speculator might clean the coin to improve it’s worth – but most cleaning actually is visible to coin graders, and such attempts actually reduce the coins value. But there are times to clean a coin, and consider the best way to handle them – look at this from the internet:
How to Clean Coins – Wikihow
If you are considering selling the coins, definitely do not clean them; store them separately and bring them to a dealer for appraisal. If your coins have sentimental value, souvenirs of a trip, or a gift from a friend, preserve them in a holder or frame, and clean them if necessary – the sentiment is worth far more than the coin.
There is nothing wrong with wiping your coins with an athletic sock or polishing cloth, as these do minimal invasive damage to the coin. You may also want to polish a coin that is deteriorating due to corrosion or oxidation – consider it’s value before attempting this, cleaning can actually diminish the collectible value of the coin if done harshly or with strong chemicals.
After you polish your coins, reduce any further damage by keeping them in plastic holders or traditional coin flips.
A fun thing to do with some coins is to use them as jewelry. In that case, having a clean finish will be necessary, and the finished piece may be worth more than the coin itself.
Here is how you can put an amazing shine on a coin:

He uses Mothers Metal Polish and a Dremel tool with a buffing wheel. (Links to Amazon)

If you are unsure as to clean your coins or not, bring them to a coin dealer and ask! Most are helpful professionals, and have a wealth of knowledge. You can also get an idea from these sites on coin grading, especially when dealing with a coin you suspect has value:
How To Grade Coins Using the Coin Grading Scale – Coin collecting guide for beginners
The Westin St. Francis Hotel washes it’s coins.  Read about it on  NBC news  and cointalk. Hotel ruins millions of coins for collectors
Remember to have fun with your collection! Clean or not, sort your pocket change, and see where your coins have traveled from in the world!
Of course, if you don’t want to mess with those nasty, dirty, coins, just send them to me and I will “take care of them for you”.  Honest.
Thanks for reading my Blog! – Feel free to share!