Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
1974 Aluminum Cent
An extremely rare experimental pattern struck in aluminum as a potential replacement for the copper cent amid rising metal costs, almost none of which were legally released to the public.
Errors & Varieties
1921 Morgan Dollar
The final year of Morgan dollar production, struck in massive numbers at all three mints after the Pittman Act required replacement of melted silver dollars.
United States
1864 Two-Cent Piece
The debut year of the two-cent piece, the first US coin to bear the motto In God We Trust, issued in Small Motto and Large Motto varieties.
United States
1880 Shield Nickel
A major key date of the Shield Nickel series with an extremely low business-strike mintage, making genuine circulated examples much scarcer than the coin's proofs.
United States
1892 Barber Quarter
The first-year issue of the Barber quarter series, introducing Charles Barber's new Liberty Head design after the retirement of the earlier Seated Liberty quarter.
United States
1893-S Morgan Dollar
The undisputed key date of the Morgan dollar series, struck at San Francisco with the lowest mintage of any regular-issue Morgan, roughly 100,000 coins.
United States
Indian Head Eagle ($10)
A striking early 20th-century gold eagle designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens as part of President Theodore Roosevelt's push to beautify American coinage.
United States
1913 Barber Quarter
A lower-mintage date in the Barber Quarter series designed by Charles E. Barber, notable among collectors for the relatively small number struck at the Philadelphia Mint that year.
United States
1796 Draped Bust Dime
The very first dime struck by the United States Mint, featuring the Draped Bust design with a small eagle reverse and no stated denomination.
United States
1804 Draped Bust Dime
A scarce early dime featuring the Draped Bust obverse and Heraldic Eagle reverse, struck in very limited numbers and prized as a key date of the series.
United States
Decimal New Penny
The UK's smallest decimal coin, introduced on Decimal Day, 15 February 1971, inscribed "NEW PENNY" until 1982.
British
1822 Capped Bust Dime
A scarce, low-mintage date within the Capped Bust dime series, considered a key date for collectors assembling this early 19th-century type.
United States
1901-S Barber Quarter
The single rarest business-strike coin in the Barber quarter series, with an extremely small San Francisco mintage that makes even heavily worn examples valuable.
United States
1996-W Roosevelt Dime
A special anniversary-issue dime struck at West Point and included only in 1996 Uncirculated Mint Sets, never released for general circulation.
United States
1949-S Roosevelt Dime
A relatively low-mintage early Roosevelt dime from San Francisco, considered a semi-key date that is scarce in fully struck mint condition.
United States
Liberty Head Eagle ($10)
A long-running 19th-century gold coin featuring Christian Gobrecht's Coronet Head design, minted at numerous branch mints across the expanding United States.
United States
Portuguese 1000 Reis
A large silver crown of the Kingdom of Portugal, bearing the reigning monarch's portrait and national arms, serving as the country's principal high-value silver coin before the 1910 republic.
European
1839 Gobrecht Dollar
The final-year Gobrecht dollar, bridging the earlier pattern strikes of 1836-1838 and the full-scale Seated Liberty dollar series that followed in 1840.
United States
1836 Gobrecht Dollar
The first-year Gobrecht dollar, famous for its seated Liberty obverse and flying eagle reverse, and for briefly including engraver Christian Gobrecht's name on the design.
United States
1913-S Barber Quarter
A famous low-mintage key date near the end of the Barber quarter series, prized by collectors despite its worn survivors due to its very small original production.
United States
1896-S Barber Quarter
One of the three classic key dates of the Barber quarter series, valued for its low original mintage and the difficulty of finding problem-free survivors.
United States
1889-CC Morgan Dollar
A major key date among Carson City Morgan dollars, with a low mintage of roughly 350,000 coins, making it one of the toughest CC-mint issues to find.
United States
Cartwheel Penny (1797)
A massive, one-ounce copper penny struck in 1797 by Matthew Boulton's Soho Mint, nicknamed the Cartwheel Penny for its thick raised rim resembling a cart's wheel and axle.
British
1877 Indian Head Cent
The premier key date of the Indian Head cent series, struck in unusually low numbers during a mid-1870s economic downturn.
United States