Collector FAQ

Morgan dollars were struck from 1878 to 1904, and once more in 1921. They came from Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City ("CC"), New Orleans ("O", from 1879) and, in 1921 only, Denver ("D"). The mint mark is on the reverse, below the wreath.

Production stopped in 1904 because the silver the government had bought under the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 was used up, and demand for silver dollars had dropped. No silver dollars were made from 1905 to 1920. In 1921 the Mint struck Morgans again to meet the Pittman Act of 1918, which required new silver dollars to replace the millions that had been melted.

Each classic Morgan is 90% silver. The Mint has also struck modern collector Morgans since the design's 2021 centennial.

See our listings: Morgan Silver Dollars 25

Sources: U.S. Mint (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The Peace dollar. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon approved it in December 1921 to replace the Morgan, and it marked the peace between the United States and Germany after World War I. Late in 1921 the Mint switched over, so 1921 is the only year with both designs.

See our listings: Peace Silver Dollars 12 Morgan Silver Dollars 25

Sources: U.S. Mint (checked Nov 11, 2026)

A raw coin is loose, not in a grading holder. A graded coin has been sent to an independent service, mainly PCGS and NGC, which checks that it is genuine, assigns a grade on the 1-to-70 scale (60 and up is Mint State, never circulated) and seals it in a numbered plastic holder. The number can be looked up on the grader's website.

• Graded coins suit buyers who want certainty about authenticity and grade, and they are the standard for better dates and high grades.
• Raw coins suit collectors filling albums, buyers on a budget, and anyone who prefers to judge a coin themselves or send it in later.

In our listings, a grade on a raw coin is our estimate from the photos and says so; a graded coin shows the grader's grade and certification number.

See our listings: Morgan Silver Dollars 25

Peace dollars were struck from 1921 to 1928, and again in 1934 and 1935. Production stopped in 1928 because demand was low and the silver set aside under the Pittman Act had run out. The Silver Purchase Act of 1934 brought two more years of striking, and after 1935 no more silver dollars were made for circulation.

Like the Morgan, the Peace dollar is 90% silver. Its name comes from the word PEACE on the reverse, where an eagle rests on a rock at dawn holding an olive branch.

See our listings: Peace Silver Dollars 12

Sources: U.S. Mint (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Nothing, for 36 years. After 1935 no dollar coins were made for circulation, and the Coinage Act of 1965 took silver out of everyday US coins. The next circulating dollar was the Eisenhower dollar, authorized in 1970 and first struck in 1971 in copper-nickel. Silver collector versions were sold separately.

For silver dollars today, collectors turn to the classic Morgan and Peace dollars and to the American Silver Eagle, the Mint's one-ounce silver bullion coin since 1986.

See our listings: Eisenhower Dollars 10 American Silver Eagles 4 Dollar Coins 54

Sources: U.S. Mint · APMEX (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The two main graders are PCGS and NGC. Both publish their fees; here are their entry-level and standard tiers for US coins as listed on their sites on 2026-11-11:

• PCGS: Economy $23 per coin (non-gold coins worth up to $300), Regular $40 (up to $2,500), Express $70 (up to $10,000). Plus a $10 handling fee per submission. PCGS requires a Collectors Club membership to submit and posts its turnaround times on its site.
• NGC: Economy $23 per coin (non-gold coins worth up to $300, an estimated 20 working days for US coins), Standard $40 (up to $3,000, about 10 working days), Express $80 (up to $10,000, about 3 working days). Plus a $10 handling fee per submission. Turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees.

Shipping both ways is extra, and insured shipping adds up for a single coin. So one coin sent in alone costs at least $33 in fees before shipping and membership (the $23 tier plus the $10 handling fee). Grading pays off when the graded coin would sell for more than the raw coin by at least that much, which is why dealers send coins in batches.

A raw Peace dollar is simply one that has not been through this process. It can be every bit as nice; the holder adds certainty, not silver.

See our listings: Peace Silver Dollars 12

Sources: PCGS · NGC (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The Walking Liberty half dollar was struck from 1916 to 1947. Adolph A. Weinman designed both sides: Liberty striding toward the sunrise, draped in the flag, and an eagle on a mountain crag. It is 90% silver.

After World War II the Mint wanted a new design. Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross admired Benjamin Franklin, and the half dollar was the one coin that could be changed without asking Congress. The design was also hard to strike fully, which made the change easier.

See our listings: Walking Liberty Half Dollars 4

Sources: Wikipedia (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The Franklin half dollar, from 1948. Weinman's Walking Liberty did not disappear, though: since 1986 it has been the front of the American Silver Eagle, and in 2021 his initials, AW, were added near Liberty's hem.

See our listings: Franklin Halfs (1948-1963) 1 American Silver Eagles 4

Sources: Wikipedia · APMEX (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Strike. The design was hard to bring up fully, so the detail on Liberty's head, hand and the lines of her skirt varies a lot from coin to coin. Sharp examples, especially from the branch mints, sell for strong premiums, and graders' photos and holders make that easy to compare. Raw coins are a good way to own the design affordably; most are worth at least their silver.

See our listings: Walking Liberty Half Dollars 4

Sources: Wikipedia (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The Franklin half dollar was struck from 1948 through 1963, in 90% silver. Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross proposed Franklin, reasoning that he would not have objected to his image on a coin the average citizen sees often. Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock designed it but died in 1947, and Gilroy Roberts finished the work. The Liberty Bell is on the reverse, with a small eagle added because the law required one.

The series ended after President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, when Congress quickly approved a Kennedy half dollar.

See our listings: Franklin Halfs (1948-1963) 1

Sources: PCGS (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The Kennedy half dollar, first offered to the public on March 24, 1964.

See our listings: Kennedy Half Dollars 3 Kennedy Half Dollars (1964) 3

Sources: PCGS · National Park Service (checked Nov 11, 2026)

It is a grading designation for an uncirculated Franklin whose horizontal lines at the bottom of the Liberty Bell are complete and separate. PCGS gives it only to coins graded MS60 or better with no marks interrupting those lines. Because many Franklins were struck softly, FBL coins are scarcer and often worth much more than the same date and grade without it.

See our listings: Franklin Halfs (1948-1963) 1

Sources: PCGS (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Engravers began work days after President Kennedy's death. President Johnson signed the law on December 30, 1963, and the Treasury first offered the coins on March 24, 1964; the first 70,000 sold out by noon. Gilroy Roberts did the portrait and Frank Gasparro the Presidential Seal on the reverse.

The series has never stopped, but since 2002 the Mint has made Kennedy halves mainly for collectors rather than for everyday use. About 4.1 billion have been struck since 1964.

See our listings: Kennedy Half Dollars 3 Kennedy Half Dollars (1964) 3

Sources: National Park Service (checked Nov 11, 2026)

• 1964: 90% silver. Many were saved by the public and later melted when silver prices rose in the 1970s.
• 1965 to 1970: 40% silver, under the Coinage Act of 1965.
• 1971 on: no silver in circulating coins (copper-nickel clad). Special collector issues, such as silver proofs, are the exception.

See our listings: Kennedy Half Dollars (1964) 3 Kennedy Half Dollars 3

Sources: National Park Service (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Most circulated Kennedys are valued for their silver, if any. Grading matters for the top of the market: proofs and special issues in the highest grades (PF69 and PF70), sharp early strikes, and varieties. Because so many were made, collectors pay for condition and eye appeal rather than rarity.

See our listings: Kennedy Half Dollars 3

The Eisenhower ("Ike") dollar was authorized in 1970 and struck from 1971 to 1978. The coins for circulation were copper-nickel clad. From 1971 to 1974 the San Francisco Mint also struck silver-clad versions for collectors. The 1975-1976 Bicentennial Ikes carry the double date 1776-1976 and a Liberty Bell over the Moon on the reverse; the 1977 and 1978 coins were made in copper-nickel only.

The large dollar never caught on in daily use, and in 1979 it was replaced by smaller dollar coins.

See our listings: Eisenhower Dollars 10

Sources: U.S. Mint (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Only the collector versions struck at San Francisco ("S" mint mark) for 1971-1974 and some of the Bicentennial sets. The Philadelphia and Denver coins, and S-mint clad proofs, contain no silver. Check the mint mark and the original packaging or holder description.

See our listings: Eisenhower Dollars 10

Sources: U.S. Mint (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Ikes are big coins that were shipped in bags, so most picked up nicks and scrapes. Clean, high-grade examples are scarcer than the mintages suggest, and collectors pay for them, especially in certified holders. Silver proofs in top grades are popular too.

See our listings: Eisenhower Dollars 10

US gold coins circulated as money until 1933. On April 5, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102, which required most gold coin, bullion and gold certificates to be turned in to the banks by May 1, 1933, at $20.67 an ounce. Coins with special value to collectors were exempt, as was up to $100 in gold per person.

The Gold Reserve Act of 1934 then raised the official price of gold to $35 an ounce. Americans could not legally own gold bullion again until December 31, 1974. Millions of coins were melted along the way, which is why surviving pre-1933 gold carries a premium over its metal value.

See our listings: Pre-1933 Gold Coins 3 Gold (.900 – .9999 Fine) 5

Sources: Wikipedia (checked Nov 11, 2026)

• $1 gold dollar and $3 piece (19th century)
• $2.50 quarter eagle
• $5 half eagle
• $10 eagle
• $20 double eagle, including Augustus Saint-Gaudens's 1907-1933 design that the American Gold Eagle borrows today

See our listings: Pre-1933 Gold Coins 3

Sources: Coin World (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The US Mint's silver bullion coin, authorized by the Liberty Coin Act of 1985 and first released on November 24, 1986. It contains one troy ounce of .999 fine silver and carries a $1 face value.

The front is Adolph Weinman's Walking Liberty from the 1916-1947 half dollar. The original reverse, a heraldic eagle by John Mercanti, ran from 1986 to 2021 ("Type 1"). In mid-2021 a new reverse by Emily Damstra, an eagle landing with an oak branch, replaced it ("Type 2"). The coins are struck at Philadelphia, San Francisco and West Point.

See our listings: American Silver Eagles 4

Sources: APMEX (checked Nov 11, 2026)

A raw, uncirculated Silver Eagle trades close to the price of an ounce of silver plus a modest premium. Graded coins in the top grades (MS70 for uncirculated, PF70 for proofs) cost more because perfect coins are a small share of the output. Labels such as "Early Releases" (NGC) or "First Strike" (PCGS) mean the grader received the coin within its first 30 days of release; they add collector appeal, not silver.

See our listings: American Silver Eagles 4

The reverse. Type 1 (1986 to mid-2021) shows Mercanti's heraldic eagle with a shield; Type 2 (mid-2021 on) shows Damstra's eagle in flight. 2021 is the only year with both, so collectors often look for one of each.

See our listings: American Silver Eagles 4

Sources: APMEX (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The US Mint's gold bullion coin, authorized by the Bullion Coin Act of 1985 and issued since 1986. It is 22-karat gold (.9167), with the rest mostly silver and copper for durability, and its gold content is guaranteed by the US government.

• 1 oz, $50 face value
• 1/2 oz, $25
• 1/4 oz, $10
• 1/10 oz, $5 (16.5 mm across, 3.393 g in total)

The front is a version of Augustus Saint-Gaudens's striding Liberty from the 1907-1933 $20 gold piece. The original reverse, a family of eagles by Miley Busiek, was replaced in mid-2021 by a new eagle-head design.

See our listings: American Gold Eagles 2 Gold (.900 – .9999 Fine) 5

Sources: U.S. Mint · Coin World (checked Nov 11, 2026)

It is the most affordable way to own a government-guaranteed gold coin, and it makes a classic gift. Small coins carry a higher premium over their gold value than the one-ounce size, so buyers who want metal for its own sake usually go larger, while collectors and gift buyers like the tenth-ounce.

See our listings: American Gold Eagles 2

• The number is the grade on the 1-to-70 scale. 60 and up means never circulated; 70 is perfect under magnification, and 69 has only tiny flaws.
• MS (Mint State) is used for regular, uncirculated coins. PF (proof) is used for coins specially struck for collectors from polished dies, with mirror-like fields and, often, frosted designs. Proof Silver and Gold Eagles usually come from West Point and carry a "W" mint mark.
• Cameo means a proof shows clear frost on the design against the mirror fields, on both sides. Ultra Cameo (NGC) is the strongest level of that contrast and is generally the same as Deep Cameo, the term PCGS uses.
• PL (Prooflike) is for a regular coin, not a proof, whose fields are unusually reflective, almost like a proof. DPL (Deep Prooflike) means deeply mirrored fields. Morgan dollars are the classic example, and NGC adds these designations at no extra cost.
• Reverse Proof is the opposite of a regular proof: frosted fields with mirrored designs. NGC does not give Cameo or Ultra Cameo to reverse proofs.

In our store you will find all of these: an 1885-CC Morgan graded MS64 PL, Gold Eagles in MS69 and PF70 Ultra Cameo, and a 2023 Canadian Snowflake graded Reverse PF70.

See our listings: Morgan Silver Dollars 25 American Gold Eagles 2 Canada 5

Sources: NGC · NGC (checked Nov 11, 2026)

A silver certificate is US paper money that promised silver: the holder could exchange it at the Treasury for silver dollars. You can spot one by the words "Silver Certificate" across the top and the blue Treasury seal and serial numbers.

In March 1964 the Treasury began paying silver bullion instead of silver dollars, and the exchange ended on June 24, 1968. After that the notes stayed legal tender at face value but could no longer be redeemed for silver.

See our listings: Silver Certificates 20

Sources: U.S. Mint (checked Nov 11, 2026)

They are the paper side of the silver-dollar era, and they are no longer made. Older series, high grades, "star" replacement notes (a star next to the serial number) and unusual serial numbers carry premiums; the most common circulated $1 notes from the 1950s sell for a modest premium.

See our listings: Silver Certificates 20

They are history you can hold: kings and queens, new nations and independence anniversaries, wartime and occupation issues, runaway inflation, and some of the finest engraving ever printed. Many beautiful pieces cost only a few dollars, so it is an easy collection to start, and it rewards travelers, family-history buffs and anyone who likes a story behind an object.

See our listings: Foreign Currency 242

They are standard catalog numbers that let buyers identify exactly which type they are looking at. P- numbers ("Pick" numbers) come from the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money and identify banknotes. KM# numbers (Krause-Mishler) come from the Standard Catalog of World Coins. Grades in our titles, such as [UNC] or [Est. VF], follow the usual collector scale: UNC is uncirculated, AU almost uncirculated, XF extremely fine, VF very fine, F fine.

See our listings: Foreign Currency 242

In 2015-2016 the Swedish central bank, the Riksbank, issued a new banknote series honoring 20th-century Swedish cultural figures, with a landscape tied to each person on the back. The designs are by Göran Österlund. Four notes came out in October 2015 and the 100 and 500 kronor in October 2016.

The 100 kronor shows actress Greta Garbo, the silent-film and early-talkie star of the 1920s and 1930s, with small strips of motion-picture film from her movies. The back shows Stockholm scenes; she grew up in the city's Södermalm district.

See our listings: Sweden 6

Sources: Coin World · Riksbank (checked Nov 11, 2026)

• 20 kronor: Astrid Lindgren, author of Pippi Longstocking (back: Småland)
• 50 kronor: Evert Taube, troubadour and songwriter (back: Bohuslän)
• 100 kronor: Greta Garbo, actress (back: Stockholm)
• 200 kronor: Ingmar Bergman, film director (back: Fårö, Gotland)
• 500 kronor: Birgit Nilsson, opera soprano (back: Skåne)
• 1000 kronor: Dag Hammarskjöld, UN Secretary-General (back: Lappland)

See our listings: Sweden 6

Sources: Coin World · Riksbank (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Purity. The Royal Canadian Mint's Silver Maple Leaf bullion coin, introduced in 1988, is 99.99% pure silver (.9999), and many of the mint's collector silver coins, including the Snowflake series, are 99.99% as well. The American Silver Eagle and the UK Britannia (since 2013) are 99.9% (.999). Australia's Perth Mint, owned by the Government of Western Australia, also strikes 99.99% silver.

The Silver Maple Leaf carries a $5 face value, a minimum guaranteed weight of one troy ounce, and security features: fine radial lines and a tiny micro-engraved maple leaf with the last two digits of the year, visible under magnification. Coins from 2024 on show King Charles III, by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

See our listings: Canada 5 Silver (.999 & .9999 Fine) 8

Sources: Royal Canadian Mint · Coin World · Perth Mint · APMEX (checked Nov 11, 2026)

A regular proof has mirror-like fields and frosted designs. A reverse proof flips that: the fields are frosted and the design is mirrored, so the design seems to glow against a satin background. It suits subjects like a snowflake, where the bright crystal stands out from a soft frost ground.

Our 2023 Canada $20 Snowflake, with a clear crystal at the center, is graded Reverse PF70 by NGC, the top grade. NGC does not add Cameo designations to reverse proofs, so "Reverse PF70" is as high as the label goes.

See our listings: Canada 5 Silver (.999 & .9999 Fine) 8

Sources: NGC (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Queen Elizabeth II reigned from 1952 to 2022 as head of state of the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth realms and territories, and their coins and notes carried her portrait. Guinness World Records lists her as appearing on at least 33 different currencies, the record for most currencies featuring the same individual.

Collectors like her pieces because the portraits age with her, from the young queen of the 1953 Coronation to her later years, so a set tells the story of a 70-year reign across the world.

See our listings: Royalty 22 Foreign Currency 242

Sources: Guinness (checked Nov 11, 2026)

The list includes the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many island nations and territories such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Fiji, the Eastern Caribbean, Hong Kong (while under British rule) and the Channel Islands. Several countries kept her portrait after independence, and some dropped it, which makes dated pieces a record of each country's history.

See our listings: Royalty 22

Trade cards are small color-printed advertising cards that businesses handed out from the 1870s until about 1900. Color lithography made them possible: in 1873 Louis Prang of Boston won a prize at the Vienna exposition for a full-color advertising card, and by the mid-1870s they were everywhere. Salesmen carried "stock" designs that a local store could imprint with its own name; big brands commissioned their own and packed them inside the product.

Victorian families saved them in albums and scrapbooks, and cards issued in themed sets were traded to complete them, a likely origin of the term "trading cards." Today they are prized as early American advertising art and as records of the businesses, products and humor of the day.

See our listings: Advertising Sales Trade Cards 135

Sources: Cornell (checked Nov 11, 2026)

Food was the largest group: coffee, tea, flour, salt, pickles, soup and baking powder. Packaged-coffee brands such as Arbuckle's Ariosa and Lion Coffee put a picture card in every package, so shoppers collected the series and stayed loyal to the brand. Thread makers, stove makers, soap makers, tobacco firms and patent-medicine sellers were heavy users too. Many cards show things that have nothing to do with the product (children, animals, celebrities, Jumbo the elephant) because the picture was the reason to keep the card.

See our listings: Advertising Sales Trade Cards 135

Sources: Cornell (checked Nov 11, 2026)

By 1900 color printing had become common in magazines and newspapers, so a color card was no longer a novelty and advertising moved into print. The albums went into attics and trunks, which is why so many cards survive in good condition, often with traces of album paper on the back.

See our listings: Advertising Sales Trade Cards 135

Sources: Cornell (checked Nov 11, 2026)

On July 26, 1775 the Continental Congress named Benjamin Franklin the first postmaster general. US postage stamps followed in 1847.

Congress let privately printed cards go through the mail in 1861, and the first government postal card was issued in May 1873. Private cards cost twice as much to mail until the Private Mailing Card Act of May 19, 1898 gave them the same 1-cent rate. In December 1901 printers were allowed to use the words "Post Card," and the picture postcard craze took off.

See our listings: Postcards 136

Sources: USPS · Smithsonian (checked Nov 11, 2026)

• Private Mailing Card (1898-1901): those words printed on the back.
• Undivided back (1901-1907): the back was for the address only, so messages were written on the front, often across the picture.
• Divided back (from March 1, 1907): a line down the middle of the back, message on the left. 1907-1915 is called the Golden Age of postcards.
• White border (about 1915-1930): a white frame around the picture, which saved ink.
• Linen (1930-1945): a textured, cloth-like surface with bright inks, first printed by Curt Teich in 1931.
• Chrome (1939 on): glossy color photographs, the modern postcard.

The stamp and postmark help too: the rate in force on the postmark date should match the stamp.

See our listings: Postcards 136

Sources: Smithsonian (checked Nov 11, 2026)

• 1873: 1 cent for government postal cards. Private postcards paid 2 cents until July 1, 1898, when they got the 1-cent rate.
• November 2, 1917: 2 cents (World War I rate)
• July 1, 1919: back to 1 cent
• April 15, 1925: 2 cents for private postcards (government postal cards stayed at 1 cent)
• July 1, 1928: 1 cent again
• January 1, 1952: 2 cents; August 1, 1958: 3 cents; January 7, 1963: 4 cents
• Today (since July 2026): 65 cents, up from 61 cents

A card mailed in 1918 with a 2-cent stamp, or one from 1925-1928 with an extra cent of postage, is paying the correct rate of its day, a nice detail for postal-history collectors.

See our listings: Postcards 136

Sources: USPS · Smithsonian · FreightWaves (checked Nov 11, 2026)

It depends on what the card is collected for.

• Unused cards usually win when the picture is the point: art and holiday cards, and views where a clean front and sharp corners matter most. On cards from before 1907 the sender often had to write across the picture, which can take away from the image.
• Posted cards can be worth more when the mail itself adds something: a dated postmark that fixes the card's date, a small-town or long-gone post office, a railway post office (RPO) or flag cancel, an unusual stamp or postage due, mail from abroad, or a message with real history in it. Postal-history collectors look for exactly these.

On every posted card in our store we describe and photograph the stamp, postmark and message, and we transcribe the message where we can, so you can judge for yourself.

See our listings: Postcards 136

Usually, yes. US postage stamps issued since 1860 are still good for their face value, and you can combine stamps to reach today's rate: an old 1-cent stamp counts as 1 cent. The domestic postcard rate has been 65 cents since July 2026.

To go at the postcard price, a card must be rectangular, between 3-1/2 x 5 inches and 4-1/4 x 6 inches, and between 0.007 and 0.016 inch thick. Most old cards, about 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches, fit. Odd sizes pay the letter rate instead.

One caution: a trip through today's mail adds a modern postmark and handling wear, which lowers a vintage card's collector value. To send one as a gift, mail it in an envelope.

See our listings: Postcards 136

Sources: Mental Floss · FreightWaves · USPS (checked Nov 11, 2026)