Old Coins
This most valuable coin list is dynamic and is based upon the few thousand or so United States coins found in our ever growing database (updated: 2021).
As of now our database consists almost entirely of coins from 1880s-2021, as we wanted to focus mostly on coins that were readily accessible and possibly still in circulation. The purpose of this page is to assist coin hunters and collectors in their pursuit of valuable coins. This page will save you a bunch of time, it represents hundreds possibly thousands of hours of research and detailed coin analysis. There are some older gold coins in the mix however.
Old Coins For Sale
This most valuable coin list is dynamic and is based upon the few thousand or so United States coins found in our ever growing database (updated: 2021). As of now our database consists almost entirely of coins from 1880s-2021, as we wanted to focus mostly on coins that were readily accessible and possibly still in circulation. Old Jefferson nickels are usually a much darker shade of gray than the newer ones. Wartime nickels, which were made from 1942 through 1945, contain silver. These silver “nickels” are worth about $1.50 and up and can be found in circulation. (I know because I’ve found them.).
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Old Coins From 1132
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Japan Commemoration of Gold Standard 1912 | Great Britain Good Old Days 1787 to 1800 | |
Ancient Rome Judaea Capta Coinage 70AD to 80AD | Haiti 1, 2, and 6 Centimes 1828 to 1850 | |
US Golden Gate Exposition 1939 | Cyprus 3 Mils 1955 |
The city of Riga is in modern-day Latvia, across the Baltic Sea from modern-day Sweden. Back in the early 1600s, Riga was part of Livonia, a region of turbulence as Russia, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden scrambled for rulership. The name on the coin is Gustav Adolph II, King of Sweden, so we classified this coin under Sweden. Sometimes you see it under Livonia or simply 'Baltic States.'
The denomination is 1/24 thaler. It is made of silver. The collector values are not that high even though the coin is quite old.
worn: $10 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $30
well preserved: $60
You can find worn examples selling on eBay for as low as $2. A nice specimen like the one in our picture would probably bring $25 at auction.
Uruguay issued three silver 20 centesimos coins with wheat sprays on the reverse. There are different patterns on the obverse ('heads' side). The earliest dates 1930 and the latest 1954:
20 CENTESIMOS 1930: Seated figure obverse, 0.129 troy ounces silver
20 CENTESIMOS 1942: Female liberty obverse, 0.069 troy ounces silver
20 CENTESIMOS 1954: Male head Artigas obverse, 0.069 troy ounces silver
To figure value, first compute the base value (BV) of the silver. For instance, if you have a 1942 coin and silver is selling at $15 US dollars per troy ounce (look it up at kitco.com), then BV = 0.069 x 15 = $1 US dollar.
20 CENTESIMOS 1930:
worn: BV
average circulated: BV + $4
well preserved: BV + $10
fully uncirculated: BV + $25
20 CENTESIMOS 1942 AND 1954:
worn: BV
average circulated: BV + $1
well preserved: BV + $3
fully uncirculated: BV + $5
José Rafael Carrera Turcios (1814-1865) was the ruler of Guatemala from 1844 to 1848 and from 1851 until 1865. Coins with his likeness were minted from 1859 to a few years after his death. Some of these coins are difficult to find in well preserved condition. Approximate catalog values are:
1/2 REAL, 14 mm diameter, 0.045 troy ounces silver
worn: $5 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated (like our picture): $12
well preserved: $20
fully uncirculated: $60
for coins dated before 1862, multiply these values by two
1 (UN) REAL, 19 mm diameter, 0.087 troy ounces silver
worn: $5 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated (like our picture): $10
well preserved: $18
fully uncirculated: $40
if you can find a 1 real coin with an 1859 date that *does not* have a small R mint mark, then it is valuable (about $150 in average circulated condition); with the R mint mark, values correspond to those above
2 (DOS) REALES, 26 mm diameter, 0.183 troy ounces silver
worn: $5 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated (like our picture): $12
well preserved: $30
fully uncirculated: $80
if you can find a 2 reales coin with an 1859 date that *does not* have a small R mint mark, then it is valuable (about $400 in average circulated condition)
4 (CUATRO) REALES, 30 mm diameter, 0.363 troy ounces silver
worn: $8 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated (like our picture): $35
well preserved: $120
fully uncirculated: $350
All the value above are inflated catalog values. Use our Important Terminology page to understand what this means. Actual buy and sell values will be less.
Philip V ruled Spain from 1700 to 1746. Some of his gold escudos carry his portrait; others use a shield and cross design. This page applies to coins with the king's portrait on the front and the crowned shield design on the back.
Inscriptions read PHILIPPUS, PHILIP, HISPANARIUM, HISPAN, ET IND, REX and other minor varitions.
The value of these coins comes from gold content and collector value. First compute the gold value, then add collector premium. Coins that are damaged by cleaning, scratches, stains, and the like have no collector premium. To compute the gold value, multiply the gold content (specified below) by the current price of gold, available at web site such as kitco.com. For instance, a 1/2 escudo has 0.0496 troy ounces of gold. At today's $1216 per troy ounce (look it up -- it will be different tomorrow), the gold value is 0.0496 x 1216 = $60 US dollars.
1/2 ESCUDO 1738 to 1746 (14 mm diameter, 0.0496 ounces gold)
circulated: add $50 collector premium to gold value
fully uncirculated: add $400
1/2 escudos dated 1738JF, 1738SPJ, 1742SPJ, and 1746SPJ are more rare; multiply collector premium by four
ESCUDO 1729 to 1742 (17 mm diameter, 0.0979 ounces gold)
circulated: add $80 collector premium to gold value
fully uncirculated: add $1000
escudos dated 1740JF and 1741JF are the most common; divide collector premiums by two
2 ESCUDOS 1728 to 1742 (22 mm diameter, 0.196 ounces gold)
circulated: add $150 collector premium to gold value
fully uncirculated: add $800
2 escudos with F or JF initials are somewhat more valuable than other coins with PA, AP and PJ intials
4 ESCUDOS 1729 to 1749 (29 mm diameter, 0.399 ounces gold)
worn: add $850 collector premium to gold value
average circulated: add $2000
well preserved: add $4000
fully uncirculated: add $10000
4 escudos dated 1747J, 1747SPJ, 1748JB, 1749JB, 1749SPJ are very valuable, cataloging near $9000 in average circulated condition
8 ESCUDOS 1728 to 1749 (35 mm diameter, 0.798 ounces gold)
worn: add $450 collector premium to gold value
average circulated: add $1500
well preserved: add $3000
fully uncirculated: add $10000
8 escudos dated 1728JJ and 1729JJ with a long-hair portrait of Philip are very valuable, cataloging near $32000 in average circulated condition
8 escudos dated 1729JJ and 1730JJ are more valuable, multiply the collector premiums by two
8 escudos dated 1747J are very valuable, catalogin near $28000 in average circulated condition
Old Coins
Conder tokens like this one are avidly collected. They were used to support commerce in Great Britain near the turn of the 19th century, and they were cataloged by a man named (no surprise) James Conder. This one is fairly common and has catalog values roughly as follows:
worn: $10 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $50
well preserved: $120
To convert these catalog values to actual buy and sell values, use the information found on our Terminology page.
It looks like a horse, but it's really a wildebeast on this copper South African coin. The reverse stays the same over the years (the wildebeast), but the 'heads' side changes:
1965-1969: Jan van Riebeeck
1968: Charles Swart
1970-1990: Coat of Arms
1976: Jacobus Foouche
1979: Nicolaas Diederichs
1982: Balthazar Vorster
All these coins are modern and are made out of non-precious metal. As such, they are worth face value (2 cents in South Africa). If you can find a fully uncirculated specimen, a collector might pay a few US dollars to add it to his or her collection.