Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
Capped Bust Half Dime
A small early U.S. silver five-cent piece showing Liberty in a Phrygian cap and a shielded eagle reverse, struck at Philadelphia from 1829 to 1837.
Half Dime
Matapan (Serbian imitation)
A medieval Serbian coin modeled on the Venetian matapan (grosso), showing standing figures on the obverse and a cross on the reverse.
Medieval
4 Escudos
Spanish Bourbon gold 4 Escudos of the 1780s, with an armored royal bust facing right and a crowned coat of arms on the reverse.
Early Modern
Australian Sovereign
22-carat gold sovereign struck at Australian branch mints; the 1855 Sydney Mint issue was the country's first gold coin.
Australian
India Half Pice
A small copper half pice from India carrying a crowned obverse with the word INDIA; the pice is a sub-unit of the old pre-decimal Indian coinage system.
Modern India
Silver Rupee of Ahmadabad
Hand-struck Mughal silver rupee of Emperor Akbar from the Ahmadabad mint in Gujarat, dated Regnal Year 47.
Mughal India
Tealby Penny
Silver penny of Henry II, the Tealby or Cross-and-Crosslets type, with a crowned royal bust and a voided cross bearing small crosslets in its angles.
Medieval Coins
Draped Bust Large Cent
An early U.S. copper one-cent coin (1796–1807) showing a right-facing Liberty with flowing hair and drapery, larger and heavier than a modern cent.
United States
Alexander the Great Gold Quarter Stater
A small gold fraction of the Alexander the Great coinage, showing the head of Heracles and an eagle perched on a thunderbolt, the attributes of Zeus.
Ancient
Bronze Coin of Septimius Severus (Tyre)
Roman provincial bronze struck at Tyre (Phoenicia) under Septimius Severus, 193-211 AD, with the emperor's bust on the obverse and a temple or deity reverse.
Ancient
Classic Head Half Cent
A small U.S. copper half cent of 1809–1836 showing Liberty in a beaded headband ringed by stars, with a plain wreath and HALF CENT on the reverse.
Half Cent
Agathokles Commemorative Tetradrachm for Alexander the Great
Silver tetradrachm of Agathokles of Syracuse, c. 310-300 BC, struck in the Alexander tradition with a bearded head and an enthroned deity reverse.
Ancient
Japanese 20 Yen
Early Meiji-era Japanese gold coin showing a dragon among clouds on one side and a floral design with the 20 yen denomination on the other.
World Coins
Braided Hair Large Cent
The last U.S. large copper cent: Liberty in a beaded coronet with braided hair, ringed by stars, over a laurel-wreath ONE CENT reverse.
Large Cent
Indian Silver Coin
A silver coin of British India bearing Persian/Urdu calligraphy and a mint mark, in the Mughal-derived inscriptional style of Company-era coinage.
British India
5 Roubles (Alexander III)
An Imperial Russian gold 5 Roubles of Alexander III, showing the tsar's bearded profile and the crowned double-headed eagle, struck in the late 1880s.
Modern
1 Yen (Silver)
An early Meiji silver 1 Yen struck in Meiji 3 (1870), showing a coiled dragon with a radiant sun on one side and a wreathed imperial crest on the other.
Circulation
Vietnam 2 Tien - Bao Dai
A gold 2 Tien of Vietnam's last emperor, Bao Dai (1926-1945), its face bearing a radiant sun motif and Chinese-Vietnamese court inscriptions.
Southeast Asia
British Pre-Decimal Halfpenny
Bronze British halfpenny worth 1/480 of a pound. The George V type shows the king's profile and a seated Britannia with trident.
British Isles
Australian Halfpenny
Small bronze pre-decimal Australian half penny; the George VI kangaroo type shown here was struck through the early 1950s.
Australian
Canadian Silver Dollar
Canada's first circulating silver dollar, the 1935 Voyageur type, showing George V and a canoe with paddlers on the reverse.
Canadian & Provincial
Mexican 1 Peso
Large silver Mexican peso, the famed "Caballito" type, with a winged Victory on horseback and the eagle-and-snake coat of arms.
World Coins
Unidentified Ancient Coin
A worn ancient bronze coin whose exact type is not yet identifiable — a right-facing profile portrait on one side and a faded design on the other.
Ancient
Roman Imperial Denarius (Unidentified)
A silver denarius of the Roman Empire, 2nd century AD, showing an emperor's right-facing curly-haired portrait and a standing imperial reverse type.
Ancient