Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
1948 Franklin Half Dollar
The debut year of the Franklin half dollar, featuring Benjamin Franklin's portrait and the Liberty Bell, designed by Mint engraver John R. Sinnock.
United States
Ottoman Rashidi Kurus
A silver kurus variety struck to a distinct local standard within the Ottoman Arabian provinces, less standardized and less commonly catalogued than the empire's main Constantinople coinage.
World
French 5 Francs "Napoleon"
A large silver crown-sized coin bearing the portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, first as First Consul and later as Emperor, marking France's decimal franc system's early flagship silver denomination.
European
Mexican Emperor Maximilian Peso
A silver peso struck during the brief reign of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, whose short-lived Second Mexican Empire ended with his execution in 1867.
Latin American
Vijayanagara Gold Pagoda
A small, thick gold coin of the South Indian Vijayanagara Empire, typically showing Hindu deities or a bull, whose type became so trusted it was widely imitated as the standard South Indian trade "pagoda."
Asian
Antiochos Seleucid Tetradrachm
Silver tetradrachm struck for one of several Seleucid kings named Antiochus, featuring a royal portrait obverse and enthroned Apollo reverse typical of the dynasty.
Ancient
Seleukos I Nikator Tetradrachm
Silver tetradrachm of Seleukos I Nikator, founder of the Seleucid Empire, often showing elephant and Nike-and-trophy imagery celebrating his eastern campaigns.
Ancient
1885 Liberty Head V Nickel
The key date of the Liberty Head V Nickel series, struck in one of the lowest mintages of the run and highly sought after to complete a date set.
United States
1874-CC Seated Liberty Dime
A rare Carson City dime with arrows at the date, struck in small numbers and highly prized as one of the great condition rarities among CC-mint dimes.
United States
1949-S Franklin Half Dollar
A relatively low-mintage San Francisco Franklin half often cited among the tougher dates of the series, especially with a full, sharp strike.
United States
1871-CC Seated Liberty Dime
One of the first dimes struck at the newly opened Carson City Mint, produced in very limited numbers and highly prized by collectors of CC-mint coinage.
United States
1878 Twenty-Cent Piece (Proof)
The final-year proof-only issue of the US twenty-cent piece, struck for collectors just before Congress formally ended the short-lived denomination.
United States
1877 Twenty-Cent Piece (Proof)
A proof-only issue of the twenty-cent piece, struck for collectors after the denomination had already been abandoned for regular circulation.
United States
1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar
The first year of the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the first U.S. circulating coin to depict a real, named woman, notable for the scarce 1979-P wide-rim (Near Date) variety.
United States
1967 Centennial Gold $20 Coin
A gold $20 coin struck to mark the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 1967, sold mainly to collectors as part of the country's centennial commemorative coinage.
Commemorative
1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar
Extraordinarily rare U.S. dollar known as "The King of American Coins," actually struck decades after its 1804 date for diplomatic gift sets and later collectors, with only 15 known examples.
United States
1866 Shield Nickel With Rays
The first-year Shield Nickel design featuring thirteen rays between the reverse stars, marking the debut of the United States' first copper-nickel five-cent coin.
United States
Egyptian 10 Piastres (silver)
A workhorse silver coin of Khedival, Sultanate, and Kingdom-era Egypt, one-tenth of a pound and commonly found in worn circulated grades from decades of daily use.
Africa & Oceania
1973 RCMP Centennial Dollar
A commemorative Canadian dollar marking the centennial of the founding of the North-West Mounted Police, forerunner of the RCMP, showing a mounted officer on the reverse.
Canadian
1851 Silver Three-Cent Piece
The first-year issue of the tiny Type I silver three-cent piece, nicknamed the trime, created to ease a national shortage of small change and postage-stamp coinage.
United States
1891 Seated Liberty Quarter
The final year of the long-running Seated Liberty quarter design before it was replaced by the Barber quarter in 1892, popular as an affordable closing-date type coin.
United States
1858 Seated Liberty Quarter
A comparatively plentiful mid-series No Motto Seated Liberty quarter, popular as an affordable entry point for collectors seeking a representative example of the type.
United States
1873 Two-Cent Piece (Proof Only)
The final year of the two-cent piece, struck only in proof for collectors rather than for circulation, and split into Closed 3 and Open 3 date varieties.
United States
1970-S Small Date Lincoln Cent
A scarcer date-size variety of the 1970-S Lincoln cent featuring a smaller, lower-positioned 7 in the date compared to the more common large date variety struck the same year.
Errors & Varieties