Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
Lincoln Memorial Cent
U.S. one-cent piece struck 1959–2008 with Lincoln's profile and a Memorial reverse; 1982 is the split year between bronze and copper-plated zinc.
Small Cent
American Arts Commemorative Series Gold Medallion
A U.S. Treasury gold bullion medallion series (1980–1984) honoring American artists; the photographed 1981 one-ounce piece features author Mark Twain.
Bullion Medallion
Liberty Head Nickel
U.S. five-cent piece struck 1883–1912, showing a left-facing Liberty head ringed by stars, with a Roman-numeral "V" reverse; the 1913 issue is a legendary rarity.
Nickel Five Cent
Indian Head Cent
Classic U.S. one-cent piece struck 1859–1909, showing Liberty in a feathered headdress; later dates like 1909 are bronze with an oak-wreath-and-shield reverse.
Small Cent
Threepence of Elizabeth I
A hammered silver threepence of Elizabeth I, showing her crowned profile with a rose behind and a dated shield reverse, struck across her long reign.
Hammered
Charles II Crown
Milled English silver crown of Charles II (reigned 1660-1685), a large machine-struck five-shilling piece with a laureate bust and cruciform shields.
Milled
Charles I Sixpence
A hammered Stuart silver sixpence of Charles I, showing his crowned profile bust and a shield of arms, struck during the troubled decade of the English Civil War.
Hammered
Edward I Groat
Rare early English silver fourpence of Edward I, showing his crowned facing-profile bust and a long-cross reverse with pellets in the quarters.
Medieval Coins
Somalia Silver Leopard
One-ounce fine-silver bullion coin from Somalia's African Wildlife series, showing a prowling leopard on the obverse; this example is dated 2022.
Bullion
German East Africa 1 Rupie
A silver colonial rupee of German East Africa bearing the imperial eagle shield and the legend DEUTSCH OSTAFRIKA, struck for the German protectorate.
World
Tibetan Tangka
A silver tangka, the standard coin of old Tibet, its faces filled with Tibetan script and Buddhist ornamental motifs, struck from the late 18th into the 19th century.
Himalayan
Sri Lanka 5 Rupees
Sri Lanka's 1999 copper-nickel five rupees marking the Cricket World Cup, showing the tournament trophy on one face and a batsman at the crease on the other.
South Asia
Dirham of Caliph al-Mansur
An Abbasid silver dirham dated AH 150 (767 CE), from the reign of Caliph al-Mansur, bearing purely Arabic religious inscriptions and a named mint.
Islamic (Medieval)
Gold Dinar of Abu'l-Qasim Unujur
An Ikhshidid gold dinar of Abu'l-Qasim Unujur, dated AH 337, with purely calligraphic Arabic legends inside ornamental borders on both faces.
Islamic (Medieval)
Yunnan 20 Cents
A 1932 provincial silver 20 Cents from Yunnan, China, with a radiant sun and rays on one face and central Chinese value characters framed by ornament on the other.
Circulation
Abbasid Silver Dirham
A thin, broad Islamic silver coin of the Abbasid Caliphate, covered edge to edge with concentric Kufic Arabic inscriptions and dated AH 132 (AD 749–750).
Islamic
Oaxaca 20 Centavos
A copper 20 centavos struck by revolutionary-era Oaxaca in 1915, showing a profiled bust on a round base and a large numeral 20 with the Mexican eagle.
Revolutionary
Jalisco 5 Centavos
A small copper 5-centavos coin issued by the Mexican state of Jalisco in 1915 during the Revolution, with a large numeral 5 and the national eagle.
Revolutionary
Ho-Nan 100 Cash
A large struck bronze 100-cash coin of Henan Province from Republican China, with ornate Chinese characters on one face and a decorative pattern on the other.
Cash Coin
Counterstamped 2 Reales
A Spanish silver 2 reales dated 1803 that was later punched with a WR-and-crown counterstamp, giving it a second, borrowed life as legal tender.
Colonial
Caecidius Noctua Denarius
A silver Roman Republican denarius of the owl (noctua) symbol series, catalogued RRC 135/1 and dated c. 194–190 BC.
Ancient
2 Euro (150 Years PSP)
Portugal's 2018 bi-metallic 2 euro commemorating 150 years of the PSP police force, with two female profiles and the legend DIREITOS LIBERDADES GARANTIAS.
Commemorative
2 Litai
A white base-metal 2 litai of newly independent Lithuania, dated 1991, showing the value in a radiating sunburst on one side and the Vytis mounted knight on the other.
Modern
10 Kroner
A small Danish gold 10 kroner dated 1873, the first year of the type, with the bearded profile of King Christian IX and a seated allegorical figure of Denmark on the reverse.
Modern